XIII

Be warned. This game is old, and it shows. The graphics still are ok, thanks to the comic look. But the controls are clunky at best, and the game, even on easy is pretty unforgiving. I remember having played it back in the days, only finishing it half way through. So I wanted to give it another shot, but stopped after one hour. What kills this game for me in the end is the missing save function. Checkpoints in an old shooter are a no go. So, if you have enough time to try sections of the game multiple times, then maybe give it a try, the story is pretty well told. But if you're like me and don't have time to sink in a game like you were 15 years old, then better think twice. Btw, after trying this game I installed Doom again, my reflexes are still fine. It really are those controls.

It should be easy to understand from the title, if you have never played XIII before, please play this version, i promise it is a damn good game, but if you have already played the Remake, I am very sorry

If your going to expect top notch FPS mechanics and that's all you're interested in then this game will disappoint you. I'm not saying that the gameplay is bad because it isn't. I would better classify it as mediocre. If on the other hand you can appreciate a game that has great story told with a unique artistic style then you will be very pleased and have quite a bit of fun. If I would have rated this game when it first came out at full price I would have given it a 3 out 5. Good but not great and only held back by its serviceable but not stellar gameplay. But at a mere $5.99? 4 out of 5.

I really wanted to like XIII. The visuals are great and it has an awesome soundtrack, but the single player campaign is plagued by several problems. I honestly found the bot matches more fun than the single player campaign. :( My gripes are listed below: * Poor checkpoint positioning. I'm all for checkpoint systems, as long as they're implemented in a way that doesn't punish the player with tedium. In XIII, there aren't enough checkpoints to separate every "chunk" of of the level into its own thing. The result is that you often have to redo tedious stuff or re-watch unskippable cutscenes / conversations. * The save system is not typical for a PC FPS. Saving just records your progress up to the most recent checkpoint, like a 90's console game that writes to a memory card. Don't be fooled by the quicksave option: it functions exactly the same as saving from the in-game menu. Worse, there is *no* autosaving in XIII. If you quit without saving, you will lose your progress! * XIII's game design includes a heaping dose of forced stealth. Despite this, I wouldn't call it a genuine stealth game. It just happens to be an FPS with a considerable number of levels where you lose instantly if someone activates an alarm. (Me, bitter?) These sections get very aggravating due to the aforementioned checkpoint issue. * Weapon reloading and switching animations are slow, and you can't interrupt a reload to switch to another weapon. Some weapons later in the game have no hotkey assigned by default. You can't pick up bodies while wielding a two-handed weapon (and there's no in-game message message to indicate this). * While stylized visuals are the main attraction of XIII, the window dressing can sometimes impair your vision. During an intense firefight, the last thing I want occupying space on the screen is comic book frames showing off a headshot, or signaling the entry of more enemies.

As opposed to a half-assed, buggy, hollow remake. I consider XIII to be a cousin of sorts, to the likes of Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Time Splitters, etc. Neat little cel-shaded + comic book stylized objective/level based FPS. The gameplay isn't always the smoothest (some funky stealth sections, checkpoints AKA no quick saving, lack of checkpoints at times) but other than that, still a good game. Would be rad if they made a sequel, not just because of the cliff hanger ending, but because more XIII (and done better) would be neato. I first played this on the Gamecube eons ago, back when it was given away for free at a GameCrazy for some reason (probably for buying a bunch of used games or something) Didn't know what to expect before playing it, then I eventually ended up loving most of it. Definitely get this, and *DO NOT* touch the GARBAGE remake. Unless they end up pulling a No Man's Sky or something and end up infinitely improving it.