XIII - Proof that there is bias in the gaming media.
Let's get to the point.
The graphics use a cel-shaded style and it seems to suit this game very well. It portrays emotions much more clearly and has a sense of speed, which realistic graphics could not do. I'm tired of this realism crap that is thrown at us these days like Half-Life 2, Doom 3, Halo 2, blah, blah. XIII is fresh air with a unique style I like.
The audio department is decent. The overall theme plays constantly, but you'll get used to it. The voice overs are sometimes rough and XIII (the guy) sounds drunk, but at least you know what they say. Guns sound like... guns and sound effects are good.
The story is about a presidential assassination and somehow, you are seen as the killer. You wake up on a beach and have no idea who you are or why there is a XIII tattoo on you chest. From there, you meet friends, enemies and uncertainties in your quest to find the truth. Many characters were interesting, but they also leave a lot more questions. There is defnitely a lot of work in the story.
Finally gameplay is what XIII does right. The singleplayer portions consist of 30 levels, meaning you get a good value for your dollar. The AI is suprisingly well at aiming, meaning using stealth is the wisest approach. There is a good mix of story, that motivates you to play, and stealth gameplay, which isn't as hard as it sounds.
If you feel like going macho and shooting everything you see, go play multiplayer with up to seven bots. Even at easy difficulty, we were surprised how tricky these bots were. There are a couple modes like deathmatch, team deathmatch and flag.
Overall, XIII is a great game because it has a good sized story, an engaging story and finally GREAT AI that provides a good challenge.
Presentation - 2/3
Plot - 3/3
Gameplay - 2/3