XIII might be based on a French comic book you’ve probably never heard of, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get swept up in this engaging conspiracy yarn that revolves around a presidential assassination. The game makes an immediate impact with striking cut-scenes that slickly zoom between the 2D-panel feel of a comic-book and a 3D cel-shaded world. When gameplay begins, the connection continues as approaching enemies, silent kills, and other key moments are highlighted by dramatic pop-up panels. Gorgeous visuals make the whole thing truly a show worth watching, while excellent dialogue and meditative, moody noir music sets the perfect backdrop. The story thankfully forgoes the hackneyed video-game convention of alien invasions, following instead the slowly unfolding mystery of an amnesiac who wakes on a beach, sees his rescuer murdered, and gradually realizes he’s some sort of secret agent. Briefly playable flashbacks—a cool innovation in their own right—trickle out tantalizing tidbits, and as the revelations accumulate, you’ll find yourself in the unusual position of actually being fascinated by a game’s story. XIII’s substance backs up all this style with room to spare. The gameplay involves mostly what you’d expect from a first-person shooter, but it’s all high caliber. The thrilling missions are packed with variety, and excellent level design means that repetition and frustration rarely rear their ugly heads. Enemies aren’t always bright about noticing your presence, but once they do, they fight with ferocity and smart tactics, so XIII might get tough for less experienced players. The controls set a fine example for how a console FPS should handle, and the extensive multiplayer support includes both online play and split-screen action. When choosing between versions, the Xbox graphics are a shade better as usual, but the margin is pretty small—what’s impressive about this game is how stunning the PS2 visuals are. Beyond that, the games are identical. The only significant nitpick is that the load times between levels are too long. But if that’s the only complaint that can be mustered, you know there’s a downright great game waiting for you. XIII is just that—the kind of rejuvenating, jaw-dropping experience that reminds you why you got hooked on playing games in the first place.
