The story is a prologue to a supposedly greater adventure and takes about 15 hours on a completionist run because of back and forth fetch-questing. You are sent on fetch quests, some of which you can't even complete until the main quest progresses. Minus 1 star for tricking me repeatedly. In spite of the annoying gameplay loop, I think it's worth playing because of the compelling lore and characters. The game contains mature themes of murder, alcoholism, it can get very dark at times underneath it's very cute appearance and it tackles them responsibly. Well except for the monty python quoting frog... I'll try to adress issues/bugs mentioned in other reviews: - the game never crashed once on my win10 980ti pc - I did clip through the map once but the game detected, reset Tilo and wrote a message to report the bug if it persists - dialogue got stuck but was fixed by restart from save - the ending "battle" is just about planning the path and distance to place an explosive charge, which you have done a few times already - the ending is not a cliffhanger, this was just the tale of an escape. but I can see people being dissapointed by not getting the macguffin. this is very clearly lampshaded by Tilo, who realizes that nothing was as it seemed - you can choose your build between a scurrying, a sneaking or a slow-moving invulnerable armored mouse and switch between them. considering abilities, stats and inventory I would define this as role-playing - you jump around, time actions and can unlock secret passages through the environment. I would define this as action I recommend it because it's a massive world considering the size of the team and it is beautifully crafted. The tragic backstories revealed, the phobias, the regrets and the flawed characters grow on you. And, by the end, in such a dangerous world, you feel an R.R. Martin massacre looming. This is why I don't think it warrants a sequel. So please give it a chance, it might surprise you.
I should mention I got the game for free on Gog and it is a 2003 game. XIII holds surpisingly well, because it is very story driven, and there are some incredible gameplay mechanics which make it special. If you add the very interesting conspiracy story the belgian comics provide, it clearly becomes more engrossing than following bald 47 on missions or watching Sam Fisher clear foreign bases out of patriotism. This game is cinematicaly fun. But there are major issues which might break the deal for others. The graphics, while holding up, show the limitations of their time. The savegame mechanism is an abomination. You restart from the beggining on the level you saved. Be prepared to play until you see a level completed in one sitting and save on the start of the next one. The soundtrack was too jazzy for my taste. It felt like elevator or lounge music peppered with my gunshots and explosion. People praised the voice acting but while Adam West and Eve delivered, I got really annoyed by David Duchovny's grunts and sighs. The main menu itself is confusing. You unlock skills and lore by finding folders. You only see unlocked skills as checked while in-game, while the lore somehow progresses faster than your gameplay, spoiling the next level for you if you read it. In addition weapon swapping is not really an option, because it is too slow. You have to decide how to approach a situation and hope the bullets last. The final boss is not just a bullet sponge, but a grenade one too. I was on the easiest difficulty, ran out of ammo and switched to God mode.. This allowed me to see the finale which is the biggest dealbreaker of the game. To be continued and never was. The comics provide the answer and are a great read. For me it was a great game because it is unique and I had low expectations. I liked the story, the Jason Bournegameplay and the comic book effects.
I got this game for free and forgot it was in my library. Considering the ongoing war, I decided to catch a virtual glimpse of the world before. It is unfortunate that he whom I shall not name makes an appearance in conversations and spoils this game for all future playthroughs. The game is designed following a slow games manifesto and it is very similar to 80 days. The issues become clear by comparison. By focusing on real people and real travel there is little novelty. Slow text and stock photos of locations in Siberia make for a very dull experience. By having a depressed protagonist who has little interest in the journey the lens of the experience is shaped the same way. The choices are very limited and I simpply parted ways with the protagonist at 70% of the game. Henry did not want to explore any other options so I quit the game rather than finish his story. I would have given this one star but there is a reason for the second. As I have mentioned, this game was created before the invasion and it provides a glimpse into a virtual world from before. The trivia information and the conversations within it surprised me with their dissonance. There is affection shown for the culture and history of the places and people by the writers. But the locations are mostly showcasing the poverty and the decay of poorly planned soviet infrastructure. While the npcs, primitive, mostly filled with vodka, show apprehension at the western protagonist "on safari". Having played this game, from the safety of my pc, always clicking on the "take a photo" to annoy the locals option, I have to give this second star. They definitely nailed the realism part.
TLDR: Enhanced edition has mouselook and needed quality fo life enhancements. Tried the classic to experience the original. After barely reaching the main hallway of the first level I thought this one was one of those games where you should go for the sequels instead. While searching for system shock 2, I noticed I have SS1 enhanced edition as well. I thought it would be a waste of time but I was wrong. You can freely mouselook and disable the HUD for a great shooting experience. The mechanics, the level design still hold after so many years. I have to admit I chose easy as the difficulty but save scumming is also an option if you want a more thrilling experience. For me, just reading though the logs, finding the secret areas and corners of the map while clearing up the infected is worth it. If I were to compare it to other classic games I played, I would say it has the vibe and mechanics of Deus Ex in a Dark Forces level like shooter package. And if I were to compare it to the BioShock series, I would say it has the core gameplay loop in a tigher, less time wasting package. The modern incarnations have lots of drama, cutscenes and no tension. This one is the original.
Fortunately I did not get a black screen or freezing while playing. I reached bat and wolf form as of writing this review. The story and the theatrical voice acting are great. The graphics are a product of their times so without the nostalgia factor I suppose they are not great. It is actually funny that GOG used the original " 25 minutes of stunning full-motion-video footage" blurb. The gameplay is about finding the correct distance/position/timing mostly. Distance to not touch a spike. Position to not get hit but hit back. Timing for dodging traps. So the difficulty is not that high if you are patient and if you grind a bit to heal/refill magic energy. For 1 euro it was definitely worth it, considering I am a fan of the series and have played through all of the games back in the day. Despite recommending it for this affordable price I have to deduct 1 star for the lack of goodies/extras. Even the manual is in a chm file. If you search on the internet you'll find a beautiful printed map which accompanied the PC release. I was expecting at least some digital version of the map and a nice pdf manual, considering how long this game was unavailable for purchase. Another star is deducted for the framerate. I thought it was just me at first, but, after confirming from internet guides, the framerate is apparently set to 40fps. There is a patch available online which fixes this and even adds subtitles. The difference between the patched version and the original gog release makes the game actually fun to play.
