XIII

GameNow

Simply the coolest first-person shooter -- ever. [Dec 2003, p.58]

GamePro

A truly dazzling, inspired game that mixes a riveting story with a stylish look and absorbing gameplay.

GameBiz

On a side note my wife played through XIII and enjoyed the title immensly, she found XIII playable, challenging and rewarding.

Next Level Gaming

First and foremost, you're going to get your hands on some cracker-jack weaponry, both firearm and silent. Each weapon has a standard and secondary fire, which depending on the weapon is pretty cool.

TotalGames.net

For all the niggles, gripes and irritations, XIII is a class act that has some supremely impressive aspects that you will thoroughly enjoy. This is a game that delights and infuriates in turn and our advice is to ration your XIII sessions so the frustration doesn't ruin what remains a standout title.

Gamer's Pulse

Its linear gameplay offers ample opportunity to relay a smashing style that resoundingly beats out other recent competitors in the genre. Unfortunately, a clumsy interface jars an otherwise stylish, story-driven experience.

PSX Nation

Too bad the lack of variety in the design of the mostly-barren levels, idiotic enemy AI, unrelenting CPU bots and distractingly awful soundtrack (my opinion) diminish somewhat the impact of the best FPS to appear on PS2 in ages.

Cincinnati Enquirer

Thrill-seekers in search of a stylized 3-D shooter with a compelling story will find plenty of both in Ubi Soft's XIII.

Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK

Gorgeous PS2 version of the comic-book hero. Play this now. [Jan 2007, p.106]

Maxim Online

And with the engaging story, plus the graphic-novel presentation (boxes of action and text are constantly popping up on-screen), this truth is worth uncovering.

Gamers' Temple

If you’re in the mood for a lot of style and something unique in your FPS then XIII isn’t a completely unlucky number. Just don’t expect much more than what you see.

GameZone

While it’s not the finest tuned game on the market, the comic book presentation is smoother than silk and even despite some areas of improvement it remains an entertaining story that will keep you playing on.

IGN

Does have a great story-driven sheen, but at it's core, it's weighed down by some occasional bewildering flaws, in addition to the lackluster weapons and simple combat we usually see in lesser productions.

Worth Playing

Most who manage to make it through to the end-credits of XIII will likely do so due to its consistently interesting and engaging storyline.

GameSpy

I wish the multiplayer offered more, as it would no doubt extend the title's replay value. The single-player experience is enjoyable, if not revolutionary.

Entertainment Weekly

The hero is voiced by former "X-Files" star David Duchovny whose deadpan delivery is mostly forgettable. [21 Nov 2003, p.L2T 46]

1UP

If you want to play through a good story on the easy or normal difficulty settings, there's a lot to like here.

GameShark

There's no denying that the game's presentation overall is pretty cool and that once you get past the game's minor design and gameplay issues it can be a lot of fun.

Armchair Empire

This was, overall, a well put together game but the AI is one of the things that could have been much better instead of the simple just standing around and shooting things.

PGNx Media

The only reason you'll finish this game is for the story. I know it right off the bat. The gameplay is lame and uninspired. It is way too easy and the level design is extremely linear.

GamingTrend

The largest fault of the game is the save system. Saving can be done at any point in the level, but restoring the game results in going back to the beginning of the level.

Game Chronicles

Once you look through the cel-shaded visuals, professional voice acting, and graphic novel presentation and effects, you are left with a pretty standard shooter that doesn’t really innovate or improve upon the genre.

Game Informer

I came away longing for the great game that this could have been, rather than the merely adequate game that it is. [Dec 2003, p.141]

Yahoo! Games

A pulpy, good time. Just don't expect to come back after completion for any particularly inspired level design or captivating combat.

PSM Magazine

A cool FPS with sky-high production values, a unique graphical approach, and an interesting plot, but imperfect controls. [Holiday 2003, p.32]

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

With this much style oozing from the game, it saddens me to find it wrapped around something so average... Strip away the gorgeous visage and you have a typical shooter with some good tweaks. [Dec 2003, p.174]

Game Over Online

Definitely a single player title first, multiplayer title second. Even in the former, it lacks the material to vault it into the stratosphere and turn XIII into a classic. Style and visuals can only do so much for a game.

Gamer.tv

XIII's a charming game initially, but get past the visuals and you're left with a simple shooter with a maddeningly deadly aim.

Edge Magazine

Seeing the game from beginning to end reveals its true artistic merit: it never gets stale; every episode has been drawn with minute care and attention. It would have been an incredible achievement if the gameplay had matched the outstanding art direction. [Dec 2003, p.94]

Electronic Gaming Monthly

If only the developers had spend half as much time fine-tuning the enemy A.I. as they did finessing the graphics, XIII would be incredible. [Dec 2003, p.196]

Loaded Inc

The more you play XIII the less you'll care about the gimmicky graphics, and the more you'll feel the drag of the "same old, same old" action.

GameSpot

While it definitely has a certain sense of style to it, the game itself misses its mark, and the total package isn't one that will hold the interest of most first-person shooter players.

GMR Magazine

Problem is, the missions are largely cookie-cutter (do tasks like "destroy four generators without being spotted" sound familiar?) and lack the thrill found in similarly themed games, like "GoldenEye 007" (N64). Worse yet, your opponents are unbelievably excellent shots who almost never miss.

Total Video Games

The presentation sets the tone brilliantly and drags the player through, but sadly the gameplay is largely forgettable.

games(TM)

It's one of those mixed-bag situations - flashes of genius and genuinely enjoyable moments of success, occasionally mired by unbalanced weapon damage, clumsy AI and the odd bit of unfair level design that requires astounding feats of memory. [Dec 2003, p.98]

Cheat Code Central

A somewhat subpar FPS filled with enemies who when they did decide to shoot first, did so with an accuracy that was in direct contrast of their abilities to walk into a room without trouble.

Game Revolution

And despite its groovy style, XIII isn’t much more than a run-of-the-mill game. Its presentation is definitely worthy of a look (particularly if you own an Xbox) but its gameplay is about as straightforward - and in some cases boring - as it gets for an FPS.