Video Games : XIII

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from: UBI Soft

: XIII
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List Price: $9.99
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Amazon Maximum Age: 20 years
Amazon Minimum Age: 204 months
Binding: Video Game
Brand: GameCube
EAN: 0008888150114
ESRB Age Rating: Mature
Label: UBI Soft
Manufacturer: UBI Soft
Platform: GameCube
Publisher: UBI Soft
Sales Rank: 3803
Studio: UBI Soft

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
XIII features a conspiracy of epic proportions, and players will unravel clues behind the story's compelling and mysterious events through the game's unique flashback visuals. Are you a special-forces super soldier or just another psychopath with a gun? If you could only just remember. Feel lucky? You wake up on a desolate strip of New England beach. The near-fatal impact of a bullet has left your head pounding, and your memory erased. What's more, the number "XIII" has been mysteriously tat



Customer Reviews
Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Gonna be a mini series this fall
Just found out that this game will be a live action mini-series either fall 08 or winter 09. Stephen Dorff and Val Kilmer star.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars - Rock!
great game! Very entertaining. Played through twice and seriously considering another go at it. Loved xiii.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - One of the best FPS games for Gamecube
The graphics are different but this is what makes this game great it stands out from other fps. the story is very good and better than time spliters. i wish they come out something like this on Wii. Buy this game if you love a challenge.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Conspiracy Thriller Comic Turned Into a Video Game!
Reviewed for Big Boss Games by: LEG

If you've read any of my other reviews, you will know that I'm a huge fan of First Person Shooter type games or FPS. That being the fact, I've played many dozens of FPS type games on various platforms. In order for an FPS type game to get a perfect score, it has to excel on numerous fronts. It needs to have decent graphics, tons of different weapons, numerous unique and non-repetitive levels, smart enemy A.I. and a decent amount of game playability.

Well folks, XIII or Thirteen is such a game. Imagine taking a spy thriller type comic book and turning it into a video game. That's exactly what the programmers at Ubisoft have created. Don't be put off by the "comic" looking graphics. Doing so will cause you to miss a really awesome game. I know, because that's exactly what I did. Until a friend of mine told me that I just had to play this game. So, I put my prejudice against "comic" graphics aside and played the game. I'm so glad I did!

Once I got into it, I was hooked until I couldn't stop playing! It's awesome how the "comic book" references are thoughtfully put into the game. Things like shooting a bad guy at the top of a cliff and then watching the words "Ahhhh!!!" come up in a balloon as he plummets to the ground. Just like it would in a real comic book!

All "comics" aside, once you really start playing the game you just forget about the cartoon like graphics and start blasting away at the bad guys. You get to shoot over 15 different weapons (knife, 9mm pistol, grenades, .44 special, double-barrel and pump-action shotguns, harpoon launcher (yes, there's an underwater level), crossbows (nothing like headshots from long distance with this one), mini gun (think Uzi), kalash (think AK47), assault rifle (with grenade launcher), machine gun (so heavy, it actually slows you down), bazooka (a FPS game without a bazooka is not a FPS game!), sniper rifle (again, what good FPS would be complete without a sniper rifle!). And you can also use chairs, brooms, bottles, ashtrays and other objects as weapons. The latter weapons will become a necessity during the "stealth" mode levels of the game.

All of the levels are very diverse and take place in various locations, everything from sandy beaches and wooded forests to icy, snowy mountains. As you play the game, various pieces of a conspiracy involving a presidential assassination begin to unravel. Although, you yourself have amnesia and are trying to figure out whom you are as well.

There are a total of about 8 different boss fights that you have to defeat to continue in the game. Luckily the checkpoints are thoughtfully laid out so that you won't have to cover too much repetitive ground if you should die the first few times. Some of the boss fights were easier than others, but they were all enjoyable.

There is also a 4-player split-screen multiplayer mode that includes deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag. You can also play deathmatch by yourself, since the game designers thoughtfully added some "bots" to play with you during deathmatch.

XII Thirteen is rated "M" for Mature. Like most FPS type games, there is a TON of blood and intense violence. This game is all about shooting and killing people and blowing things up. Which is the case with most FPS type games. If that's what floats your boat, then get a copy of this game! It was totally awesome, all the way to the very end? The music soundtrack was also very fitting to the game.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - I bought this game for $13 - True Story!
I don't know why this game has been derided so much. I have enjoyed it a great deal. The graphic novel presentation is very stylish and different. And the most important part is, it is a total blast to play.

XIII is based on the first 5 parts of the Belgian graphic novel series written and drawn by Jean Van Hamme and William Vance. It was a big hit in Europe, and is finally breaking out here a bit in the states with the new comics being published by Alias Comics. The comics are very interesting, and it is this game that first piqued my interest.

The game is kind of like the movie The Bourne Identity or maybe Total Recall in that the main character has a sort of amnesia where he can't remember who he is or what kind of man he was. Some of the reviews here have said that that plot is overused. I don't think so. It is a good springboard to bring a fantastic story plot together. Especially when that story is handled well, as it was in this series. And heck, the XIII story as presented in this game was first written in 1984, nearly 20 years before The Bourne Identity ever came along. So exactly who is the one not being original here?


PROS:

Graphics - The graphics are cell-shaded, which means they look like a cartoon. This is obviously the first thing that strikes you when you play this game. It is used to great effect to really immerse you in the game and make it feel that you are playing out a comic. This is most effective when you get zoom-in close-ups of head-shots. Another great effect is the comic pop-up boxes that appear in different sections of the action, usually showing what an enemy soldier is up to. But by far the best and most useful is XIII's "Sixth Sense" skill, which allows you to see the "Tap, Tap..." footprints that enemies make as they move on the other side of a wall. This is especially useful for the stealth missions in this game, which there are plenty of.

Story - The story is really neat. Sort of a conspiracy-spy-thriller. It is pretty complicated. The best thing to do while playing is not to focus too much on figuring out all the details and just go with the flow.

Game Control - This game has EXCELLENT game control. The dual analog sticks combined with an index finger trigger work quite well together once you get used to it. (To all you Halo fans, this is old news.) It is extremely easy to switch back and forth between weapons during a fight, and it is also easy to hit the quick medkit button right in the thick of things. Jumping and crawling is all quite easy.

Good Weapon Mix - The game has a very good mix of weapons. Each weapon has its own best applications, and none of them overlap with the others that much. In every mission, you may start out with one or two. How well you do in the mission determines how much of your weaponry and ammo carries over to the next mission, in general. Here is the list:

Fists - Yes, your fists CAN actually hurt someone in this game.
Knife - Simple weapon, great for stabbing or throwing.
AK-47 - Can fire in burst or full automatic modes.
M16 Assault Rifle - One of the best weapons. Includes a grenade launcher.
Bazooka - Is great fun to use, but really slows you down.
9mm Handgun - Good all-purpose pistol. Can get a silencer.
.44 Special - Perfect for a beautiful head shot.
Shotgun - Great for close-up in-fighting.
Sniper Rifle - Really, what would a FPS be without a sniper rifle?
Hunting Rifle - A 2-shot gun, sort of like a long-ranged shotgun. Great fun.
Grenades - Good for blowing out a few dug-in enemies.
Crossbow - Great for those 1-shot headshot instant kills.
3-Shot Crossbow - Upgraded version of the crossbow. One of the best weapons ever.
Submachine Gun - A small Uzi. Fast but inaccurate.
Heavy Machine Gun - Does a LOT of damage, but is hard to aim and slows you down.
Harpoon - Great for underwater fights, but can be used above ground too.

Anything you can grab - Bottles, Chairs, Ashtrays, Pieces of Glass, Bricks, Pool Sticks, Billiard Balls. Just about anything you grab can be used as a weapon. Most of these weapons can either be thrown at an enemy or just whacked over their head. Trust me, it is extremely satisfying to sneak up behind an enemy and smash a chair over his head! And if you are REALLY good, you can try to be fancy and throw a piece of glass at somebody like a ninja throwing star (good luck with that).

The weapons all have good secondary usages. Pistols can be held double. The assault rifle can shoot grenades. It all works together quite well. And there is nothing quite like stalking up behind an unaware enemy with nothing but a hunting knife in your hand, then taking him down with one shot. Enough about weapons...

Great Cliffhanger Ending - Some did not like the ending. I thought it was great. It answered the question of who is #1, while leaving room for a sequel. Unfortunately, that sequel will probably never come... (What would it be called if it did come, though? XIV?)

Multiplayer - This game has a truly great Multiplayer mode. I don't think reviewers have focused enough on it. There is large variety of maps. You can set up bots if you want. There is all the standard stuff such as Death Match and Capture the Flag. But it also has one of the most original multiplayer games ever - The Hunt. In this game you hunt the grim reaper while he runs around madly. Every time you hit him, you get points but he gets smaller and harder and harder to hit. If you can kill him, you get lots of points. But if he ever touches you even once, you immediately die. It is great fun to play with a group of friends.

Adam West as General Carrington - Adam West did a great job. His voice really shines in this game. "Hey, errand boy! Come back here, I gotta take another leak!" It's pretty hilarious. He did some outstanding voice acting for this game.

Realism - The game is fairly realistic in that if you take too long to kill an enemy, he won't have much ammo left on him when you go to loot the body. Also, other enemies will try to beat you to the body to loot the ammo.

Good Enemy AI - The enemy AI is not always the smartest in this game, but overall they are fairly intelligent. It can lead to some pretty intense moments, such as when they all surround you on all sides and snicker, "Looks like Dorothy ain't in Kansas anymore."

Head Shots - I swear, this is one of the BEST PARTS of the entire game. I can't say it enough, but this just never gets old. When an enemy dies, the red letters "Aaaaaggh..." appear over his head. If he is high up, a pop up box will show him plummeting to his death. And when it's a headshot, you get a pop-up close up. It is fantastic. Really.


NEUTRAL:

Saving - The Saving system is not that big of a deal - get over it already people! Sheesh... Everyone complains that the save everywhere function is really just a checkpoint system. Well so freakin' what? The game is plenty fun as it is. If it just auto-saved at every checkpoint you wouldn't even know the difference anyway, so quit complaining about it already! Okay, time to get off my soapbox...

David Duchovny as XIII - I will admit that the voice acting here is pretty lousy. It is completely bland and emotionless. XIII doesn't have very many lines, but the ones he does have almost sound like the guy is asleep. World War 3 is about to happen, and XIII says, "There's no time. Give me the access code." You would think that this sort of line should be said with a bit of urgency, but David Duchovny sounds bored, like it is no different from just ordering a pizza. It's not the worst thing in this game though. You get kind of used to it. I think Ubisoft could have done better, though (and for much cheaper too, I'm sure).


CONS:

Story a Bit Confusing - The story develops but it is hard to figure out what is going on exactly. Even after playing it all the way through twice now I still don't quite totally get it. I understand the main gist of it all, but a few things about it still don't make that much sense to me. Better to just sit back and enjoy it.

Blurry Text - For some reason a lot of the documents that you pick up have such blurry text on them that it is difficult if not impossible to read them. This screws up what seem to be some key story elements. I don't know why they couldn't just give it a LITTLE better graphics in that regard. I feel like I got cheated when I got secret documents that tell the story but I can hardly read any of them. I mean, why give us these documents to look at at all if we are not going to be allowed to read them?

Missing Middle Finger - I don't know if I'm the only one who remembers this, but in Game Informer magazine they showed that Ubisoft was considering letting XIII flash his middle finger as a secondary weapon. They showed a blurred-out screenshot with the caption, "You may be unarmed, but you've still got your pride." Where did this go? I would have loved to have seen that. That would have been great :)

Missing Content - On the whoisxiii website, it shows lots of in-game animation that is never seen in this game. It makes me wonder if there is more content on the PC version than the Gamecube version, or if we were just cheated out of additional cinematic scenes altogether.

Soundtrack Missing - I bought the XIII Soundtrack. It has some most excellent funky groovalicious turntable music, with only one problem: it's NOT the soundtrack to the game. Very little, if any, of the XIII soundtrack is actually heard in the game. And the game features lots of music that is most definitely NOT on the official soundtack. What's the deal here? I feel like I got jipped.

No Unlockables - The game has a very low replay value as there is absolutely nothing to unlock other than a few key documents which you will be picking up anyway. This yields some rather low replay value. About the only reason you would want to play it through again is to try it out on its most difficult setting: Realistic. It's not that hard to beat though, even on that setting.

Eve the Rapper as Major Jones - I'm sorry, and I don't want to sound prejudiced here, but Eve's ghetto accent is TOTALLY out of place in the stylish graphic novel film noir setting of this game. I just could not see this woman as a Major, or General Carrington's #1 soldier, or XIII's love interest AT ALL. I tried to like her, but just couldn't. The tough-talking overacting here and ghetto slang is just so over the top. It really doesn't fit into this game well. Something like that belongs in Grand Theft Auto or Def Jam Vendetta, not in this game.

#1 CON OF THIS GAME - No review of in-game cinematics. This is the one item above all else that drops this game down a star for me. This game has some of the coolest, most stylish in-game cinematics ever. But you only get one chance to see them and that is when you play it through. After that, you can view a general overview of the story so far but you can never again replay the awesome cinematic animation. This is a huge flaw in my opinion, and an unforgivable one. I would love to be able to show the cinematics of the story to a friend. But you can't. Unless you want to play it all the way through again, you're just screwed. That really stinks. I wish they had made it like Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, where you can watch ALL the cinematics over again. XIII has so much to offer in terms of cinematics. It's a shame they didn't capitalize on it.

Conclusion:

This game has a few flaws, but it is still great! Don't let the flaws stop you from getting it and playing it, especially now that it has gotten so cheap. It is still an awesome game regardless. I wish I could rate it higher, but unfortunately I can't. 4 Stars.

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