XIII (video game)

XIII
European cover art
Developer(s)	Ubisoft Paris (Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2), SouthEnd Interactive (Xbox)
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft, Feral Interactive (Mac OS X)
Engine	Unreal Engine 2
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 2 Nintendo GameCube Xbox Mobile phone Mac OS X
Release date(s)	PlayStation 2 & Windows NA November 18, 2003 PAL November 28, 2003 Mobile November 20, 2003 GameCube & Xbox NA November 24, 2003 PAL November 28, 2003 Macintosh NA June 5, 2004
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ACB: M ESRB: M PEGI: 16 USK: 16
Media/distribution	Optical disc
System requirements Microsoft Windows Windows 98 or newer Intel Pentium III 700Mhz CPU 128MB RAM 32MB video card DirectX 8.1 compliant sound card 1.2GB hard disk drive space 12x CD/DVD drive

XIII (pronounced: Thirteen) is a first-person shooter video game, developed by Ubisoft. It was released for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube consoles and the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems. The game is based upon the 1984 Belgian XIII comic book series.

XIII was developed and published by Ubisoft and released on November 18, 2003. The game was published for Mac OS X by Feral Interactive and the Windows DVD version has recently been re-released in the UK under the Sold-Out Software budget games label.

Gameplay

The game centres on the main character, who has awakened with amnesia, using a variety of weapons and gadgets to uncover the mystery of his identity. The characters and weaponry in XIII are cel-shaded, giving a deliberately comic book style appearance, including onomatopoeic words contained in bubbles for sound effects, for example when an RPG explodes, the word "BAAOOOM" shows up close to where the explosion occurred.

The multiplayer over Xbox Live, PS2 Online, and System Link hosts a maximum of 16 players. The game features three standard game modes along with modes exclusive to each system: Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Sabotage (exclusive to Xbox and PC), The Hunt (exclusive to PC, PS2 and GameCube), and Power-Up (exclusive to PC and PS2). Each game type has different maps with a maximum of 16 players.

Plot

The story begins at Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, New York City where XIII awakes, badly wounded and with no memory of his past. The game roughly follows the storyline of the first five volumes of the comic (the first fifteen issues), although there are several additions to the storyline, and changes were made to better adapt the story to game format. The game ends at the exact point where the comic's fifth volume ended, and as such, the complete story is unfinished, leaving room for a sequel.

Characters

• "XIII" (voiced by David Duchovny): The story's protagonist, and the main playable character. It is originally believed that his name is Steve Rowland, but later in the game, it is revealed that he is in fact Rowland's rival Jason Fly. XIII wakes up on a beach in New York City with a mysterious tattoo of the Roman numeral for thirteen on his shoulder. XIII learns that he is being targeted by a hitman called The Mongoose and his army of mercenaries. He is also wanted by the FBI for the murder of the President of the United States, William Sheridan. Throughout the game, XIII struggles to uncover his true identity and a conspiracy plot involving a group known as The XX.

• Jones (voiced by Eve): Jones is a soldier who works for General Carrington. She knows that XIII is not guilty of the President's murder and is willing to help clear his name. Jones is tough, courageous, and pretty good at handling The Mongoose's thugs. She is the inspiration for XIII, and helps him escape FBI clutches.

• Carrington (voiced by Adam West): An old war veteran, Ben Carrington is another one of XIII's few allies. He knows very valuable information about the President's death and is willing to help XIII. However, he was arrested and brought to a military station in the Appalachian mountains to be silenced by the conspiracy. XIII must infiltrate the base and free Carrington if he is to learn about his past.

• The Mongoose (voiced by Ken Starcevic): An infamous hitman hired by The XX to carry out assassinations for him. The Mongoose is a cruel and cold-blooded murderer who carries out his orders with eagerness and glee. He commands an army of hitmen to do some of his dirty work. XIII encounters The Mongoose many times and must eventually face off against him near the game's end.

• Walter Sheridan (voiced by Eddie Crew): The brother of the recently deceased president, William Sheridan. Walter promised that he would finish the work that his brother had started. Walter helps XIII try to stop The XX's scheme near the game's end. It is later implied in the game's cliffhanger ending that Sheridan is actually the head of the conspiracy.

• Colonel Amos (voiced by Ken Starcevic): A wise and old one-armed man. Colonel Amos is in charge of the investigation into the President's death. Amos believes that XIII is guilty and attempts to hunt him down and bring him to justice. XIII must prove his innocence to Amos in order to gain his trust.

• Kim Rowland (voiced by Jodi Forrest): The wife of the deceased Steve Rowland. Kim and her husband were both members of the conspiracy. Kim was Number XVII and Steve was Number XIII. But now that XIII has returned, despite claims that he was shot by The Mongoose, Kim believes that her husband is still alive and tries to explain to XIII the mystery surrounding his identity.

• William Standwell (voiced by Mike Morris): An American general with a fiery temper. Standwell was appointed Chief of Staff and had replaced General Carrington. Standwell has mysterious and shady ties to The XX.

• Seymour MacCall (voiced by Jerry Di Giacomo): A gruff and old colonel who operates an army base in New Mexico. He is Standwell's right hand man and always takes orders from him. He is also suspected of being involved with The XX.

The XX

Number	Name	Position
I	Walter Sheridan	–
II	Calvin Wax	U.S. Secretary of Defense
III	William Standwell	Chief of Staff
IV	Phillip Gillepsie	U.S. Secretary of the Interior
V	Clayton Willard	U.S. Senator
VI	Irving Allenby	Judge, involved with the Sheridan affair
VII	Franklin Edelbright	Admiral, USS Patriot
VIII	Dean Harrison	Congressman
IX	Jasper Winslow	CEO, Winslow Bank
X	Orville Midsummer	Proprietor, Press Groups
XI	Seymour MacCall	Colonel, SPADS
XII	Lloyd Jannings	Advisor to the White House
XIII	Steve Rowland	Captain, SPADS
XIV	Harriet Traymore	CEO, Federal Steel Corporation
XV	Jack Dickinson	CEO, American Legion
XVI	Norman Ryder	Colonel, National Guard
XVII	Kim Rowland	Steve Rowland's widow
XVIII	Edwin Rauschanberg	CEO, CBN News
XIX	Elly Shepherd	Director General, Department of Defense
XX	Edward W. Johansson	Director/Doctor, Plain Rock Asylum

^{^} At the end of the game, there is a strong implication that President-elect Walter Sheridan, brother of the assassinated president, is Number I. However, since he is never explicitly identified, that is only speculation. In the comic series, Number I is indeed proven to be Walter Sheridan, and the same is true of the miniseries, but, without a sequel to the game, the likelihood of this being clarified in the game timeline is unknown.

^{^} These characters, along with the Mongoose, are battled during the game as bosses.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	76/100
Metacritic	74/100
Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	C+
Eurogamer	8/10
Game Informer	7/10
GamePro
Game Revolution	C+
GameSpot	6.4/10
GameSpy
IGN	8.0/10

The game attained mostly positive reviews. According to Metacritic, XIII has an average of 74% for the Xbox version, 73% for the GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions, and 72% for the PC version.

Reviewers often praised the game's graphical style and presentation, while criticising the gameplay. GamePro called it a "rejuvenating, jaw-dropping experience". IGN said "XIII has a great story-driven sheen, but at its core, it's weighed down by some occasional bewildering flaws, in addition to the lackluster weapons and simple combat". GameZone also criticised the combat, stating "If not for the graphics to carry the game through, XIII would have been a boring game. Gunfights are the best part of the gameplay. It also happens to the most unbalanced part". Edge said XIII had "true artistic merit: it never gets stale; every episode has been drawn with minute care and attention. It would have been an incredible achievement if the gameplay had matched the outstanding art direction". GameSpy criticised the graphics and the multiplayer mode, and concluded "When it comes right down to it, XIII is a fine game...Just don't expect the FPS of the year because, sadly, this isn't it". Game Informer praised XIII's "unique look", and concluded "I am glad that I played XIII, but came away longing for the great game that this could have been, rather than the merely adequate game that it is". gamesTM said "It's one of those mixed-bag situations - flashes of genius and genuinely enjoyable moments of success, occasionally mired by unbalanced weapon damage, clumsy AI and the odd bit of unfair level design that requires astounding feats of memory". Eurogamer called XIII "a flawed masterpiece. A game brimming with variety and a freshness lacking from most of the factory farmed franchise exercises that pass through our offices with crushing regularity". Game Revolution complimented the game's story, graphical style, voice acting and soundtrack, while criticising the gameplay as "about as straightforward - and in some cases boring - as it gets for an FPS". Electronic Gaming Monthly scored the game 6.5/6.5/6.5: Joe Fielder, the first reviewer, said, "You'd be hard-pressed to find a more visually stunning game than XIII", but complained that "numerous frustrations pile up to make XIII more chore than thrill". The magazine's Greg Ford, who provided the third review, said that its "style, cut-scenes, and story are all great, [but] the actual gameplay is pretty mundane"; he concluded, "But if all you need is a solid shooter fix, XIII will do just fine. It has no fatal flaws, and the conspiracy-laced story should keep you going".

Sales performance for XIII was lower than expected, despite its positive reception. In 2010, UGO ranked it #7 on the list of the games that need sequels.

On October 17, 2011, a reimagining of XIII called XIII: Lost Identity, was announced for PC, Mac, iPhone & iPad for a November 2011 release. It will not be released on consoles.

External links

• XIII at MobyGames
• XIII at GameFAQs
• XIII at Feral Interactive
• InsideXIII.eu website of the community