XIII- Overlooked Gem?

[Kevin Grey]

I picked up XIII for the Xbox last year for $10 at some point.  It got pretty middling reviews but the style of it looked like something I might want to try out at some point.

Since I refuse to play Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory when its still light outside I was looking at my shelf for something to play this afternoon and decided to pop this in and check it out.

Holy shit is it fun!  I'm having a blast.  The game is absolutely gorgeous from a design standpoint and the combat is about as satisfying as any shooter with tons of weapon variety from the outset.  Plus nods to the stealth genre like being able to smash chairs over people, taking hostages, etc.  

I'm only about an hour and half in but the level design is already very varied with a variety of mission objectives.

Story is fascinating.  IIRC this is based on a very popular French graphic novel and it really comes across well.

I'm not sure what was so disliked about the game and maybe I'll change my opinion later but for now its sure a lot of fun..

[-Lord Ebonstone-]

I think it got crappy reviews because people were expected to pay $50 for it.

It's 'worth it' for $10 or less.  Sorta like Unreal 2.

[Driver]

I had it for a while and thought the Live game was a lot of fun as a straightforward shooter.  I got stuck on one of the levels and couldn't ever seem to get past it, but the style is great, and the game well worth $10.

[adamsappel]

It has the most disappointing ending of any game I've ever finished.

[-Lord Ebonstone-]

You, my friend, never played Eye of the Beholder.

[warning]

Or Red Faction.

[The Rocketman]

Story is fascinating.  IIRC this is based on a very popular French graphic novel and it really comes across well.quote]

belgian comic book.

And although I have all the comics at home, I didn't like the game. I liked the style a lot, but had to force myself to keep playing it. I was not a fan of the stealth elements in that game...

[Dimmona]

Or Karnov.

[wonderpug]

or Rampage.

[Kevin Grey]

Well, I'm a bit more into the game and I can't say my opinion has changed.  If anything its improved.  I'm having a great time and I think it compares very favorably with NOLF of it which it shares many similarities.  I would have no trouble paying $50 for this game.

[warning]

I got the PC version for free with my video card.  Guess I'll have to install it and check it out.

[Qbe]

I got the PS2 version for $5 at Target a few months ago.  I'll have to give it a spin one of these nights.

[Calvin]

The pc version has some wierd ubi crap copy protection that has always made it difficult for me to play since it tries to freeze every other time I load the game up.

[Dimmona]

Interesting... XIII has always been one of those games I've been on the verge of buying for a long time since the visual style + the price are so cool.  Now that I've heard some positive stuff about it, I guess I'll have to go pick it up.

Any recommendations on which version to get?  PS2/Xbox/Cube?

[Knightshade Dragon]

The pc version has some wierd ubi crap copy protection that has always made it difficult for me to play since it tries to freeze every other time I load the game up.

I had the same problem with Far Cry...never got to play that gem.

[Kevin Grey]

Is a translation of the Belgian comic available in America?  I tried doing a search for XIII on Amazon but I got over 2000 hits and nothing relevant on the first two pages.

[The Rocketman]

Well, the writer and artist are:
Vance and Van Hamme

Official site: www.treize.com (in french)

And if you search for it, be sure to write XIII instead of 13 or 'thirteen'.

Hope this helps

[unbongwah]

Is a translation of the Belgian comic available in America?

Not yet, but it's coming this summer: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/6468.html

[Kevin Grey]

Is a translation of the Belgian comic available in America?

Not yet, but it's coming this summer: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/6468.html

Great, thanks!  I'd prefer it in trade paperback format than regular comics and disappointed they are removing the nudity but I'll still have to check it out.

[Andrew Mallon]

Well, I'm a bit more into the game and I can't say my opinion has changed.  If anything its improved.  I'm having a great time and I think it compares very favorably with NOLF of it which it shares many similarities.  I would have no trouble paying $50 for this game.

I finished Chaos Theory yesterday and based on your recommendation, decided to give this a whirl.  I'd have to agree with the comparion to NOLF. The snow level early in the gave were giving me some serious flashbacks to the snow levels in NOLF 2, enough so that I'm seriously considering replaying it when I'm done with XIII.

Overall, I'd have to agree with your assessment so far. If I recall, most reviews knocked the game for its checkpoint save system and wonky AI. Checkpoint systems don't really bother me and I've found the AI to be more than servicable--certainly better than some recent shooters that were released on the Xbox in the last month. The AI certainly isn't bad enough to warrant the low sixes that a lot of reviewers gave this game.

Kevin, did you finish it? If so, were your final thoughts about it any different than your initial impressions?

[Kevin Grey]

Kevin, did you finish it? If so, were your final thoughts about it any different than your initial impressions?

I did.  I thought the game retained its inventiveness and my only issue with the end was they wer clearly hoping for a sequel so the ending itself wasn't very satisfying.  One of the strongpoints of the game as you progress is the diversity of the weapons.  Between the number of weapons and thier secondary fire options combat remained interesting throughout.  Very underrated game IMO.  

I don't get the opjections to the checkpoints in XIII- they were very fair and it generally felt like there was always one when I found myself thinking "isn't it about time for a checkpoint."

[CeeKay]

You, my friend, never played Eye of the Beholder.

or Halo 2.

[Dimmona]

I saw this guy for $7 at Gamestop today... might have to pick it up based on these impressions.

[Gratch]

Or Dungeon Seige
Or Sudeki
Or Fable

[warning]

Started playing the PC version last night.  It took a minute to get used to the controls (how do I heal?  oh yeah!) but I'm having bunches of fun so far.

I just go to the snow level at the beginning and wow it looks good!  I'm playing it at 1280x1024 on my LCD and it's crisp and very pretty!  Definitely going to keep playing this one.

[whiteboyskim]

Played through and beat this one for the first time recently. I really loved the style of it all, and some of the missions are an out right blast.

[dangerballs]

I'd like to be able to comment on the game, but the thing won't run on any of my PCs.

[Meisterbrew]

oh i hate the title for that game, makes me think final fantasy...

[ma]

I played through XIII and thought it was ok.  The single player provides a reasonably entertaining romp.  The multiplayer is pretty dismal though, and I sold it as soon as I finished SP.  I would only recommend this game to someone who loves FPS so much they play them all* (I fall in this category), or someone who likes incredibly cheap games (I guess I fall in this category too).

*yes, I own Turok: Evolution.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Or Tetris.