It has a unique look and fun multiplayer, but its lack of innovation at its core keeps it far from perfection.
+Amazing graphics
+Great storyline
+Awesome presentation
+Good voice acting
+Loud, realistic sound effects
+Unique premise
+Multiplayer mode is fun (especially The Hunt)
The Bad:
-Awful soundtrack
-Enemy A.I. is extremely cheap
-Campaign is way too hard, despite straightforward objectives
-Controls aren't very good
-Completely lacks innovation beyond its presentation
Ubisoft is known for making some excellent games. From the Splinter Cell series to Prince of Persia, there really isn't anything bad about Ubisoft as a company to be said. But, unfortunately, they do have their drawback titles every now and then, and although they come out as good games, they are far from what they seemed to be at the start. XIII, a good, but heavily flawed FPS from them, is (sadly, but not unfortunately) one of those games.
XIII is the first FPS to feature cel-shaded visuals, a beautiful art style that makes the game look like a living comic book. The art style in XIII looks simply amazing. It really looks like a living, breathing graphic novel. Which isn't surprising, because XIII is based on a French comic series of the same name. It premiered in the 80s, but this was the first (and so far only) game to be based on it. The game is good, but not something you absolutely must play, even if you are the most hardcore FPS fan in the world. It may appear innovative and engaging, due to its unique premise, graphical styling, and simply awesome story, but at its core, its weighed down by high difficulty, cheap enemy A.I., and complete lack of innovation.
When you first play XIII, it begins with you washed up on a beach. You have no memory of your past, or anything, for that matter. You are taken to a cabin on a beach by a lifeguard, and then you are given a key to a bank. It takes a few minutes for you to ponder what's happening, but before you can fully understand your situation, the bullets start flying, and the lifeguard who saves you is now on the ground laying dead. Luckily, the enemies aren't shooting you....yet. This is when the gameplay begins. You get up, find some guns, and escape the beach. From hear onward, the story progresses.
It may sound like an awesome action-packed ride so far, and if you are a skilled gamer with years of shooter experience, it is. But for everybody else, it is filled with frustrations, scripted trigger errors, and some of the cheapest enemy A.I. ever.
Most of the time, reviewers complain about how dumb enemy A.I. is. But in XIII, it's, in a negative way, the complete opposite. The enemy A.I. in XIII is too SMART. It sounds like a minor flaw, but it isn't. This is why.
Enemies in the campaign mode can kill you with 3 or 4 shots from a 9mm pistol (the weakest gun in the game) about 30 feet away, but it takes a whole clip from an assault rifle for you to wipe out one guy at CLOSE range. The enemies know how to dodge almost every bullet you spray at them, plus the weapons have terrible accuracy. There are some moments where you'll get lucky, but overall, the A.I. will give you too much of a challenge. Due to this, the game is quite frustrating, and for me, it was impossible to get through a level (except the first) without dying at least once. Usually when I play this game, I try a mission a few times, and give up.
The friendly A.I. is also cheap. At some points in the game, there is a woman who helps you out in the levels. It's typical; she directs you to where you need to go, shoots down some guys, and you aren't supposed to let her die. But, if she has to give you a gun, she only gives it to you if you are standing DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF HER. It's annoying, but one of the more minor flaws.
The gameplay in XIII is that of a standard FPS game. You complete objectives, nail down a few thugs, and are faced with some pretty fun moments. Throughout the gameplay, you hear music. However, instead of metal, rock, or hip hop like some games, the developers went with jazz. And let me just say that it usually sounds AWFUL. It is cheesy, repetitive, and quite unfitting. There are times when it sounds decent, but it overall sounds almost as tedious as the James Bond theme, and trust me, that's saying something.
Despite these annoyances, XIII's campaign is fun when you get the hang of it. But, it can bore you when you are faced with the cheap A.I. and weak scripted trigger errors. I know that's what it did for me. And to think I was playing on the easiest difficulty level. Geez. But no matter. What XIII does badly in the single player is made up in the multiplayer mode.
The multiplayer in XIII is fun, and functional, but far from original. Most of the maps are based off of locations in the single player mode, but most people will probably give up on it after the first few chapters, so it doesn't matter. There isn't anything seen that hasn't been seen. You can play against 3 friends, 3 bots, 5 bots, 7 bots, or a few friends replacing a few of the bots, depending on the size of the map, or how many bots the map allows you to have. There are 4 modes; Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and The Hunt. Capture the Flag and The Hunt are the most fun to play, because of the amount of bots you can use and because of the pacing. The Deathmatch games are fun as well, but get boring after a couple matches. However, take a break and play them again and they are fun still. Also, the bot A.I. is really good, and not cheap like in the campaign. They shoot each other as well as you, and they don't die too easily, either. You can set their difficulty level from Easy, Normal, Hard, to Insane. They don't put much of a fight up until you get to Hard, however, so skilled players better change match settings.
BOTTOM LINE: With a bit more effort, XIII could have been an amazing game. It had the potential, look, and story to shine brightly, but the flaws presented in it make it dimmer than it should have. However, if you are looking for a story-driven FPS with a good multiplayer component to back it up, and don't mind the high difficulty, this game is for you. If you expect it to be as flashy as it looks, however, then you will be EXTREMELY disappointed. Sorry. In other words, it's worth a look for FPS fans. Thanks.