Unlucky for some. (XIII (PC))

Member Name: The Duke

Product:	XIII (PC)
Date:	27/09/05 (188 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun FPS, interesting visuals, varied gameplay.

Disadvantages: Annoying, console-type checkpoint save system.

Waking up one morning to find yourself face down on a beach with a bullet wound is not the best start to a day that anyone's ever had, but at the start of XIII, that's where you find yourself.

Who are you? How did you get there? These questions and more are completely unanswerable because, to add to your misery, you also have amnesia. Before you have time to think, the lifeguard who has rescued you has been gunned down and someone seems intent on making sure that your day gets worse (and let's face it, there's really only one way that can happen!) Once you've despatched your attackers, you realise that there are an awful lot of unanswered questions and your only clues are 'XIII' tattooed on your collarbone and a key that belongs to something at the Wilmslow Bank.

This is your introduction into the world of the XX Conspiracy. I really don't want to give away too much more because the fun is in trying to piece together each bit of the puzzle as it's delivered to you (although things are set in place for you anyway as time goes on.)

XIII is a first person shooter (FPS) based on a French comic that spanned fifteen issues. The game covers the plotline of the first five, so in theory, there's room for at least two sequels. The good thing though, is that the game ends in a way that leaves the story open and there's plenty of scope for a sequel or two.

The graphical aspect of the game is quite unlike any other game of this genre as it uses a cel-shading look rather like an animated cartoon than taking the usual route of trying to look as realistic as possible. This makes it incredibly interesting to look at, and not just because it's derivative. The game also incorporates other elements from its comic roots such as little boxes that pop up around the screen to explain what's going on elsewhere, and the graphical style alone sets the game aside from every other FPS games currently on the market.

The comic book feel is also incorporated into the sound of the game. Sounds such as voices and guns are done normally as per any other game and are of decent quality, but there are elements of the sound which are non-existent or toned down in favour of the music. Background noises, for example, are not as present here as in other games. Your enemies' footsteps are marked onscreen as a series of fading "tap" which are bigger the closer your enemy is to you and get smaller as they move away until they disappear when they leave your awareness. These can be visible through walls etc. just as you can hear people on the other side of a wall or door and can move around the screen, depending on your positioning. They do a very good job of making you aware exactly where some people are in relation to your position and again add to the comic book feel without simply being there for the sake of design.

The gameplay is pretty standard FPS fayre, but done in a way that makes it enjoyable to play. Each time something new is incorporated into the game e.g. using keys to open doors etc. you are given instructions on how to accomplish this, and the instructions are always clear so you are in no doubt what to do. The game includes the usual aspects of finding switches to accomplish certain tasks and the odd item (usually a document of some kind) to collect. Where XIII differs from other FPSs is that you can actually see the documents that you've collected from the game menu. Unlike say, No-one Lives Forever, in which you also collected documents, XIII does allow you access to these so that you can read the evidence yourself. Not that this makes a great deal of difference to the game, mind you, but it's still a nice touch. As you progress through the game, then other things are available to you. The collection of documents is one, but there is also a mini comic book which gradually completes itself as you progress and a rogue's gallery of XX Conspiracy members who are identified as the game goes along.

Obviously, the important thing is the game itself and this plays very well indeed. The gameplay is varied with some all out shooting levels and some stealth levels keeping interest levels high. The game takes place in a number of different settings with a mountain army base, inside a bank, in the desert and others all featuring at some point. There are several levels of difficulty, so everyone should find a challenging level. One minor frustration could be the 'checkpoint' method for saving games where the game can only be saved each time you reach a certain part of the game (or, 'checkpoint') and so if you find a bit of the game that you're finding quite tough, the frustration could grow. To be fair, though, that only happened to me one or twice in the entire game and generally I made progress.

There are elements of adult language and blood (although this is done comic style as with the rest of the game) and is not over-used, although the difficulty of the game itself would probably mean it shouldn't be played by anyone younger than teenagers.

Ubisoft recommends that your PC has at least:
Processor: 700 MHz
Hard Disk space: 1.2GB
Graphics Card: Direct X 8.1 compatible
Memory: 128MB RAM
Operating System: Any OS from Windows 98 to Windows XP
CD/DVD drive

My specification (where different):
CPU: 2500Mhz
Memory: 1GB
Graphics Card: Direct X 9 compatible

The game performed really well on my system, which is unsurprising given that I exceed almost all recommendations. However, Ubisoft's recommended specifications seem to be quite adequate for the game. I wouldn't advise running the game with a slower processor than recommended, but the use of the comic book visuals rather than try for realistic graphics means that you don't need a super duper graphics card.

There are multiplayer elements for playing across the internet, but I've not tried this aspect of it as yet and cannot comment on gameplay or amount of online players.

Overall, I really liked this game. The use of the comic book ideas and graphical style does make XIII stand out for that reason alone, but the variation in level types and scenery also helps matters a lot. The weapons are your usual FPS types, but the other little touches such as being instructed not to kill civilians, being able to take hostages (i.e. use people as human shields) or even the grappling hook which enables you to swing from one place to another a la Tarzan all set this game apart from the others on the market.

Today, XIII is nearing two years old, but it still looks fresh and sadly, no sequels have been announced or released. You can probably pick this game up now for around fifteen quid, and at that price, it's a great buy especially if you like the FPS genre and you're looking for something that looks a bit different.

Summary: Cartoon-like first person shooter for the PC.