XIII is a first person shooter developed by UBISOFT. However what makes XIII stand out from the waves of first person shooters on Xbox is the fact that the game uses the Cel Shading technique as seen in Jet Set Radio on the Dreamcast or Zelda on the Gamecube. Following the story of Steve Rowland who gets caught up in an assassination plot and US government conspiracy. As a player it is your job to find the truths behind your identity and uncover this fiendish plot that is set to take the US by storm.

Gameplay:
Playing XIII is very easy for vets of any first person games on Xbox. With easy controls and Linear routes through the levels players will feel right at home the moment they pop the disc in to their Xbox. Gameplay varies from all out shooting sections to stealth. The stealth moments featuring quite heavily as the plot thickens. The gameplay is all very standard fare with not much brainpower required for the more action orientated sections. The stealth sections do offer some interesting situations whereby hiding knocked out bodies is required or using objects such as chairs and brooms to knock out enemies as opposed to killing them. Personally I loved the sneaking around but felt there was not enough action overall.

Graphics:
Here is the main feature of the game. Adopting a comic book approach, utilizing the cel shading. This is what makes XIII different. Although not as detailed as other similar games the Cel Shading actually works well here and has a charm of its own.The varied landscapes all have their own distinct looks such as desert, jungle, snow etc making sure that every level looks different from the last. The comic book boxouts also have a certain charm as well, especially when viewing a headshot up close with the splattering of blood across the enemy's face.Painfull. I guess most people are either for or against the Cel Shaded technique and for me personally I am definately for. Lets just hope that we dont see too many games following suit with this approach for FPS which would then make the technique too contrived.

Sound:
The sound in XIII is some of the most well produced I've heard in a game for quite some time. Ok forget some of the cheesy voice acting, in fact forget X-files star David Duchovny. His very wooden performance seems out of place in a game such as this. What made me laugh is someone on a message board stating that he sounds like he hasn't slept for a week. I agree fully with this statement no matter how silly it is.What makes up for this though is an excellent job by Adam West(Batman) and the musical score. This music needs to be played loud. It captures the whole essence of the on screen action perfectly. Playing softer tones for sneaking around then launching into a mass of funky breakbeats and gunfire when discovered. Pure class. I would have given this section a 10 had it not been marred by the less favourable voice acting.

Longevity:
XIII is a fairly decent length single player game. Coupled with 3 levels of difficulty has enough to keep players entertained for some time. However due to the linear nature of the game doesn't ask to be played multiple times over. This is a shame and is partially addressed with some split screen and Xbox Live support. The split screen can be played with humans and bots in the usual assortment of modes such as deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag type games. Sadly there is no option for split screen co-op through the single player game. These modes are also available for Xbox Live which although a welcome move for those who have the service, is a little lackluster. Some maps only allow four players max and hosts are unable to change maps/settings once a game has started. Again there is no option for co-op play for the single player game. There is an xbox exclusive mode called sabotage which plays similar to Counterstrike and is quite fun. Overall the Live section pales in comparison to the single player game.

Round Up:
Overall XIII is a very well polished title yet nothing ground breaking in the actual game play. The Cel Shaded graphics add a lot of character to the game but overall is pretty superficial. The Linear nature of the game does not help matters and perhaps the stealth missions may not be to everyones tastes.There are some good ideas here as the the story is excellent and cries out for a sequal. Lets hope UBI can continue with the high production values and add some more gameplay elements that will take XIII to the next level. A worthy purchase although I would recommend renting first if you are unsure.

Pros:

• Excellent single player
  
• split screen vs humans and bots.
  
• Cel shaded graphics
  
• Some very stylish music
  
• Adam West as Carrington
  
  

  Cons:
  

  • Very Linear
    
  • Maybe too much stealth
    
  • David Duchovny