It’s fair to say that XIII didn’t exactly set the world alight upon its original release. It looked great, but the gameplay mechanics were fairly standard, with some rather poor AI and boring stealth sections. So far, so standard FPS. However, to dismiss the game straight away would be a travesty simply because it looks so good, and ultimately despite it’s faults you know you’re spending time with a game that’s been designed to be ‘cool’.
First off the comic book feel to the game looks great and as Sin City is showing in movie land when done correctly it can really draw you into a world be it on your PC screen or the silver screen. The whole game just feels like it’s had an extra layer of quality control added to it, which is rare in today’s industry. This means that the game is constantly giving you different things to do on each level moving you from high security banks to bunkers hidden deep on a snowy mountain. However, perhaps the highest accolade you can give the game is just how much fun it is to play through. A lot of modern games seem to miss this point and whilst XIII isn’t perfect the time you spend with it will be extremely enjoyable.
There’s even a decent plot through in for good measure although it does borrow somewhat from The Bourne Identity with the main character not knowing who he is or how he came to be in the mess he finds himself. The cut-scenes are also excellent and with the comic book feel provide a much richer experience than the normal pre-rendered cut-scenes we’re used to seeing.
Ultimately, it’s a breeze to play through as it doesn’t involve much in the way of brain power and whilst it’s undeniably got a lot more style than anything else – when something looks this good, who really cares?
