Taste-Test: XIII

Rated: M for Mature Developer: UbiSoft Publisher: UbiSoft Players: 1 - 4 Saving: 6 blocks, manual GBA Connectivity: No Taste-test by Mike Twomey

When I unwrapped XIII this Christmas, I was at once bitter and excited. Excited because well, I got me a new game to play. Bitter because the UbiSoft folk at E3 guarded the GameCube version of the XIII demo as if to grip the controller meant one would be imbued with powers to rival that of any of the ancient Pantheonic deities. Though…Silver and Carl bullied themselves into a shot at playing, and nothing happened. What’s the deal, UbiSoft? Where’s the lightning?

Anyhow, I put the disc in and…wow. Simply wow. The plot of the game drew me in quickly, getting me thinking about all the possible angles to XIII’s situation. I won’t reveal what I’ve learned thus far, because it’s clear that this will be a driving force of the game in the missions to come.

Graphically is half-and-half. On the plus side, the visuals are flawless. The cel-shading is worked in such a way as to preserve the comic book feel of the art, assisted by the use of oversized action words (BANG!, BAOOM!, ARRGH!, etc., et al) and comic-like panels to warn the player of lurking enemies, draw attention to crucial points, or confirm a sniper kill shot. Particle and shadow effects are quite something. Smoke from explosions billows out rather realistically and fades just as well. The blood from slain enemies – and there’s quite a bit of it, as the game doesn’t have an M rating for nothing – bubbles out in a fashion as realistic as it can do so, yet still remain true to the comic art style of the game. And I’ve already ruled not paying attention to the floors for patrolling guards’ shadows more times than I can count.

However, UbiSoft’s ‘Clipper Cell: Walls Mean Nothing’ legacy has reared its ugly head once more. I’ve stashed dead bodies and more than once have seen one limb or another swallowed up by the adjacent wall. Similarly, when hiding behind a closed door while waiting for an alarm to die down, I’ll see the head and/or gun arm of the trooper pursuing me come through the door a second or two before they bother to open the fool thing. The comic nature of the game inspires some forgiveness of this, as well as experience with Clipper Cell itself, such that my complaints are more of a “Tsk, tsk” nature rather than “Dammit to hell and gone UbiSoft, why couldn’t you keep the walls solid?”

Sounds are key in the game. One of XIII’s skills is a “sixth sense”, which not only boosts the sound of enemy footsteps, but causes the “TAP TAP TAP” to appear on the screen to show approximately where said enemy is. Further, like Clip…uh…Splinter Cell, ambient noise becomes the player’s best friend. Whenever the in-game music abruptly changes tempo and/or tone, it becomes innate nature to find the nearest cover, crouch behind it, and tense up until the danger has subsided.

I’m fairly far along in the game, so expect a full, detailed review in the very near future. XIII’s shaped up to be a very impressive title thus far, and I don’t expect a lot of disappointment before game’s end.

Mike Twomey