Posted on: April 21, 2021

Louard_le_Barbare
Zweryfikowany użytkownikGry: 294 Opinie: 124
I'd say the style makes up for the flaws
Let's start with some honesty: this is far from the best shooter of its era. The erratic behavior of the enemies, their resistance to bullets, as well as the mediocre accuracy and/or rate of fire of most weapons make for a gunplay that often borders on clumsiness; and as it is often the case in FPS games, the stealth mechanics are unrefined, which would be okay if you were not forced so often through stealth sections. Which does not mean that XIII is not fun: despite all its faults, the gameplay is usually fast, well-paced and varied enough to keep you on edge until the final level, managing to have many satisfying gunfights. Some mechanics like the use of improvised weapons to stun enemies or the possibility to take hostages are innovative, and a few weapons are surprisingly fun to use: when this game slaps, it slaps HARD, and this is probably why I came back to it several times! While the models and textures are really simple even by 2003 standards, its artistic direction strongly inspired by comic books is what makes XIII so unique: the cel-shaded visuals, the bright colors, the on-screen onomatopoeia, the clever use of comic boxes to underline important details or brutal headshots... It looks pretty awesome, and this style is a big part of what makes this game memorable. The story, while a bit cliché and unsubtle for a conspiracy thriller, is decent enough - even though it's kind of dumb that all of the hero's allies never take the time to tell this poor amnesiac what is going on. Sadly, the campaign ends on a cliffhanger: since there will probably never be a sequel, you will need to read the original comic to see it resolved (I have never read said comic and don't know how faithful the game is, although it does seem a lot lighter in both tone and visuals). Overall, while it could definitely use some efforts in the gameplay department, this is a fun and stylish shooter which I would very much recommend to FPS addicts and art direction enthusiasts alike!
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