XIII

I first read a review for this game in Maximum PC, who seemed to enjoy the game. I decided to buy it, and it was worth the $50 and even more. This game had great gameplay, and a good plot. The only downside in my opinion is that this is the type of game that you play once. It ruins the game to play more than once because you already know the plot. But games where you don't play more than once are also games in which people desire a sequel. This game is one of my personal favorite games, and is actually number 3 on my list, which reads Half-Life 2, Half-Life, and XIII.

Overall: 91%

You wake up on a beach with no recollection of how you got there. You're sore and have gunshot wounds. A life guard finds you and patches you up for the time being and tells you she found just one key to a NYC bank on you. Then... you're attacked. You're savior is killed and you quickly realize whoever put you in this position is out to finish the job. In getting away you slowly gather clues as to why you're accused of assassinating the US President (!!), what the mysterious tattoo 'XII' means, and figuring out the web of a sinister conspiracy of global domination.

From the get-go this is one terrific game, no two ways about it. It incorporates the clever comic book look, which is an homage to the source material. Shoot a guy and a trail of 'AAAAAAAAs' will follow him down as he plummets. You also get nice close up of some of your kills. For instance if you get a guy in the head with the crossbow or throwing knives, three sequential windows across the top of the screen will detail your kill. The cinematic scenes are also in comic book style with multiple windows showing many things going on, or even cooler, the same image fragmented, giving you that thriller feel as you piece the clues together to the puzzle of what is going on. The game doesn't just stop with weapons, there are also useful gadgets like a lock pick and grappling hook which you must use for infiltrating bases and general sneaking around. The game doesn't stop there. Since you play an elite soldier/agent, as you uncover your past in the form of documents you will regain your abilities that you had before - more effective use of med-kits, ability to hold two guns at once, being able to dispatch foes from behind with a blow to the neck, and others which make the game ridiculously exciting and allow many approaches to many situations.

Also the settings must be mentioned. Starting in bank vault and going all the way to a secret nuclear launch site with a submarine and a secret desert prison in between along with others this game just refuses to be repetitive. Each level offers new challenges and a new way to use the skills and weapons which you have acquired.

The game's few negative points are David Duchovny's fairly dull voice acting and a difficult save-game system which only allows you to save in certain points. But the latter isn't really all that bad as it keeps you on your toes and other popular games like HALO also have it, so it isn't a factor against the games enjoyability, but rookies of FPS will have that to complain about. Everyone else, this is a great game that comes highly recommended. 9/10

Rated MATURE: violence

Amazing gameplay, great gadgets, cool visuals and storytelling.

Mediocre plot and voice acting.

Horrible save system. I mean horrible! Might be the worst part of the game because you can't save manually and everytime you fail (or die) you restart from the previous checkpoint.

8/10 want to play the sequel!!

At first glance you will think that this game is horrible but it is really challenging and fun! You are a secret agent, you wake up on a beach (If I'm not mistaken it is in Staten Island) and a lifeguard spots you and you don't remember a thing. Then when you reach a bank where you have a key in your pocket for a bank in Manhattan. You go there and you arrested for killing the president! This game is action packed, and is even more fun using Xbox live! However it is on all three systems as well as on some cell phones. The game is comic book based and the game really relates to the comic book style, for example if you shoot someone in the head three frames will pop up in the corner and you will see the bullet hit the guy in the head, it sounds gruesome but it doesn't look that bad, this is a must have for every gamer out there. This game is what all the James Bond games want to be!

I played the demo at a game exhibition. The whole cartoon thing is a really cool idea and I was pumped at the prospect of playing the full game.

The story is long and tedious, its full of flashback scenes in a sad parody of Max Payne... entirely boring, no movement to speak of and totally unskippable.

The weapons stink, both shotguns are slow to reload, rendering them totally useless in gunbattles.

More than anything else, the pathways aren't at all clear, so you spend hours wondering where the hell you're supposed to go next.

A great idea spoilt by rotten designers.