XIII (2003)

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This article is about the 2003 original game. You may be looking for the remake version with the same name, made in 2020.

XIII (2003) You are the victim of a conspiracy! The FBI, CIA, and a group of murderers are chasing you. XIII... This strange tattoo and the key of a safe are your only clues to survive and claim your innocence! It's time to gear up and eliminate your enemies!. Protagonist(s): Number XIII/Jason Fly Genre(s): First-person shooter Stealth Platform(s): Microsoft Windows macOS/OS X PlayStation 2 Nintendo GameCube Xbox Mobile Release: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox NA: November 18, 2003 EU: November 28, 2003 JP: August 5, 2004 (PS2/Xbox) Mobile WW: November 20, 2003 Nintendo GameCube NA: November 25, 2003 EU: November 28, 2003 macOS/OS X NA: June 11, 2004 Engine: Unreal Engine 2 Developer(s): Ubisoft Paris Southend Interactive (Xbox) Zonic (macOS) Gameloft (Mobile) Publisher(s): WW: Ubisoft NA: Feral Interactive (macOS) WW: Gameloft (Mobile) JP: Marvelous Entertainment (PS2/Xbox) Series: XIII

XIII (or Thirteen) is a first-person shooter video game, loosely based on the first five volumes of the 1984 Belgian graphic novel series of the same name. Developed and published by Ubisoft, it was released in November 2003 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and GameCube; an Xbox version of the game, released at the same time, was developed by Southend Interactive, while an OS X version was developed by Zonic, published by Feral Interactive, and released the following year in June 2004.

Designed with a comic book-style, cel-shaded presentation, the game incorporates single-player and multiplayer game modes. The game's main story focuses on a confused and amnesic man who searches for his identity after being found stranded on a beach. He slowly finds himself caught up in a conspiracy by a group that aims to overthrow the government. The protagonist assassinated the President of the United States and is wanted by the FBI.

XIII received mixed reviews and sold poorly upon release, suspending plans for a sequel, but gathered a cult following. It also received a follow-up game for mobile phones entitled XIII 2: Covert Identity, and a re-imagining of the game as a point-and-click adventure entitled XIII: Lost Identity in October 2011. A remake of the original game, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox: Series X/S was released on November 10, 2020.

Plot

The game's setting takes place within the same arrangement as the first five volumes of the 1984 Belgian graphic novel series XIII. While the plot itself borrows major elements from all five volumes to create a singular narrative - the attempt to uncover the identities of a group of conspirators seeking to overthrow the US government, and the involvement of a man with no memory to achieve this - the adaptation of the comics features notable differences and situations in various places.

XI Reasons Why This Game Is Amazing

1. The cel-shaded graphics are amazing for 2003 standards and still look amazing to this day, it helps that it's one of the first games to implement cell-shaded graphics along with Jet Set Radio which would later be used in other games such as the Borderlands series and The Darkness 2.
2. The game is extremely faithful to its 1984 Belgian graphic novel as the game gives huge emphasis that this is a comic book with the cutscenes being presented in panels, onomatopoeias pop up when things like explosions happen and the screen shakes, and small panels show up to zoom in on headshots.
3. Great voice acting, especially by the late Adam West (the titular character of Batman from the 60s TV Show and Mayor West himself in Family Guy).
4. Interesting story about a man with amnesia trying to recall his memory while trying to solve a grand conspiracy involving a secret society called the Clan of 20, it's also better handled than another game that came out in 2003.
5. Amazing soundtrack that was composed by several artists from the San Francisco-based music label Future Primitive Sound. It incorporates elements of '60s and 70s-era music such as soul, funk, jazz, but also hip-hop.
   • It also gives huge spy fiction vibes such as James Bond.
6. There are 16 weapons to use, ranging from a knife to a bazooka, an Uzi to an M60. The player can also pick up objects off the ground such as bottles, chairs, or brooms which can also be used as melee weapons.
7. As you progress and meet specific requirements after completing a mission, you unlock skills like being able to Dual-Wield pistols and Uzi, stun enemies from behind by karate chopping their necks, lockpick faster, and more!
8. A great plot twist at the end. The final level is set aboard newly elected President Walter Sheridan's yacht where he's celebrating his election victory. When Number XIII goes to find the President he overhears the President talking about how XIII was meant to die before discovering a call from The Mongoose calling Sheridan: Number I.
9. Decent boss battles (except for the last one).
10. The game allows you to be able to stealthily take out enemies if you choose to, something the Wolfenstein series would later incorporate.
11. The multiplayer is pretty fun and it has a great mode called The Hunt, where you and the other players/bots try to hunt a miniature version of Death.
    • Sadly this mode is exclusive to the PS2 version.

VII Bad Qualities

1. The game is pretty short.
2. The game isn't that challenging despite barely having checkpoints and not having regenerative health.
3. The shotguns are incredibly underpowered and require you to be at a specific distance to one-shoot kill an enemy, regardless if you get a headshot or not.
4. Difficulty Spike: The Mongoose's boss fight is really difficult mainly because he's programmed to only aim for your head, which takes large chunks of your health.
5. Cliffhanger Ending: It's revealed that William Sheridan, the newly elected president, is Number I, and Mongoose is still alive with XIII being held at gunpoint. However, because the game didn't sell well, a sequel was never made.
6. As mentioned before, The Hunt mode is exclusive to the PlayStation 2 version.
7. The 2020 remake is awful and is barely faithful to its original counterpart.

Trivia

• You can beat The Mongoose easily if you hide behind the ladder used to enter the room as this will obscure, but you can still just BARELY graze him allowing you to chip away at his health as he just stands there without firing a shot.

Reception

XIII received "mixed or average" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. Reviewers often praised the game's graphical style and presentation, while criticizing 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 criticized 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 be 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 criticized 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".

Sales performance for XIII was lower than expected.

At the first Spike Video Game Awards in 2003, XIII was nominated for the "Best Animation" category and "Best First Person Action" category but lost to Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball and Call of Duty respectively.

In the following years, the game acquired a cult following with the game gaining more traction thanks to the many YouTubers who reviewed the horrid remake and recommended the original. In 2010, UGO ranked it #7 on the list of games that need sequels.

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