Developer: Ubi Soft Publisher: Ubi Soft Release: 11/25/03 Genre: FPS
In 2003 the first person had not reached its saturation point yet. But you still needed to do something different to stand out. Ubi Soft licensed the French comic book XIII and gifted the game with a cel shaded look that is still unique in the genre today. But while the game may look distinct its gameplay is very familiar and will remind you of Goldeneye and the beloved No One Lives Forever. It’s a bit on the tough side and its mechanics may not mesh well but it is worth your time.
XIII stars an amnesiac soldier on the run from the government and a shadowy organization for the assassination of the President of the United States. Whether he did the deed is up for debate but it is clear someone or something does not want him to survive. The only clue to his identity is the Roman numeral XIII tattoo on his shoulder and a bank deposit key. As you progress the plot becomes more than a quest for identity as you unravel a plot to overthrow the government.
XIII features a long unwinding narrative that unfolds through slick cutscenes and frequent flashbacks. The story is genuinely interesting and engaging enough to hold your attention until its conclusion. It is also brought to life by a great voice cast. The cel-shaded look and thick outlines are evocative of a comic and the game leans into even more throughout. Important actions and events feature comic panel cutaways and the game uses visualized sound effects as well. Ubi Soft used the art style to create something unique rather than a gimmick and the game benefits from it.
Any good first person shooter gives you a wide arsenal to play with. The weapons in XIII run the gamut from sniper rifles and shotguns to M60s and assault rifles. In addition everyday environmental objects like chairs and brooms can be used as nonlethal knockout tools. The arsenal is not all that impressive although most weapons have an alternate firing mode. The game has a generous aim assist that helps make head shots easier. Considering the large number of missions that require stealth kills the bow gun and sniper rifle are indispensable. You pick up most weapons during the mission but as the story dictates they are taken away. While annoying it does up the tension during some of the more intense levels.
The gameplay in XIII is more akin to Goldeneye than your standard shooter. Each mission has a number of objectives to complete to progress. Sometimes these are simple such as spying on a secret meeting. Others are more complex like moving through a compound and eliminating the guards without raising the alarm. Objectives evolve as you go but for the most part they are simple next to the James Bond games. There are a few gadgets to play with such as the lock pick and grappling hook but these are available on a mission by mission basis. I will give the game credit, there is a great deal of variety in its missions considering its length. But there are problems that hamper your enjoyment.
Considering some of the tasks you will perform it is natural to expect a high degree of freedom. Instead most are linear to a fault. You can take slight deviations to pick up a few items but most attempts to wander off the main path is met with locked doors or mission failure. There are only a few stages that offer a significant degree of freedom and these are the best in the game. Mission objectives can be inconsistent as well. I can’t count the number of times I stealthily took out a guard only for another behind a wall or locked room somehow noticed and raised the alarm causing me to fail. These random occurrences happen a little too often for my liking and can ruin a good run. They also make an already difficult game that much harder.
The difficulty in XIII is brutal and imbalanced. The enemy AI is dumb but their damage is not. They have lethal accuracy even from a distance. As a secret agent XIII is not resilient and even a few moments of sustained fire will equal death. I found that even with full armor I would get shredded and it feels unfair. The game tries to balance this by dishing out frequent med kits but they do little to lessen the difficulty. The few boss battles, especially toward the end are further proof of this. When you combine this with mission objectives that have easy fail states you have a game that can be frustrating more than entertaining. It’s a damn shame too as you will wish the gameplay were up the level of the stellar presentation.
In Closing
XIII had the potential to be big. But the execution of its features does not rise to the same standard of its visuals. With a little more time in the oven to balance out its quirks this one could have been special. I still think it’s a good game but it had the potential to be more.
