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General discussion (archive)New release: XIII(140 posts)(140 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted March 31, 2011
Say hello to XIII - probably the most unique FPS of all time. Definitely one of the best. Discover it, play it and perhaps shed a tear at the lack of a sequel.

[url=http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/xiii][/url]XIII is a first-person shooter based on the first five volumes of a popular Belgian comic book series. You're put in the shoes of XIII, badly wounded and with no recollection of your past. The American president has been assassinated and all of a sudden everyone's out to get you. Are you the assassin? Were you framed? Whoever you are, you must be damn important and you won't let anyone stop you from reclaiming your identity.
What makes XIII special is its comic book-style design. The characters and weapons are cel-shaded, outlines and all, and there's a whole bunch of stylish features, like visualized sound effects. Imagine shooting a gun and seeing "BLAM!" right next to the muzzle flash. Just how cool is that?
Finally, a great, involving storyline, a perfect musical score, and top-notch voice acting by such actors as David Duchovny and Adam West make XIII an absolutely epic game.
Posted March 31, 2011
From what I got it wasn't really censorship but adaptation for US audiences in other words volumes were shortened. You know like they did with movies Nausicaa or Brasil - too much words for Americans.
Post edited March 31, 2011 by beliar
Posted March 31, 2011
This was my first PC game after years on a mac! Unfortunately, I've played it enough to get fed up with it. I much prefer the later levels to the earlier (the entire raid on the prison, badly programmed stealth and beyond, is mind-numbing in hindsight), but if it's your first time around you'll probably enjoy it.
Posted March 31, 2011
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beliar: From what I got it wasn't really censorship but adaptation for US audiences in other words volumes were shortened. You know like they did with movies Nausicaa or Brasil - too much words for Americans.
Is this why the copy of Brasil I watched made no damned sense to me and everyone seems to love it?
Posted March 31, 2011
There are about 5 gazillion better games in Ubisoft's huge back-catalogue, so why this?

I gave a pretty polite review of this game in the gamecard feedback, so tl;dr, I'll reiterate here.

One word: bland. Another word: gimmicky. A phrase: gimmicky, but nonetheless interesting art direction. Another phrase: nothing else going for it.

I wanted to like this game, but I can't in good conscience give it more than two stars. There's probably a reason its being sold for $5.99 as opposed to the GOG "premium" $9.99. But at $5.99, look at all the other games you could buy that are far, far superior to this.
Posted March 31, 2011
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recognizer: There are about 5 gazillion better games in Ubisoft's huge back-catalogue, so why this?

I gave a pretty polite review of this game in the gamecard feedback, so tl;dr, I'll reiterate here.

One word: bland. Another word: gimmicky. A phrase: gimmicky, but nonetheless interesting art direction. Another phrase: nothing else going for it.

I wanted to like this game, but I can't in good conscience give it more than two stars. There's probably a reason its being sold for $5.99 as opposed to the GOG "premium" $9.99. But at $5.99, look at all the other games you could buy that are far, far superior to this.
I rather agree with you, but keep in mind this game was made primarily for fans of the BD (or comics or whatever you want to call it ;) ) when it was the most popular one in France.

That's why there are some gaps (imho) in the story. It was meant to be filled in by knowledge of the series. For a licensed game, it's actually very good considering most of them are usually crap.

It's also a good FPS and there are relatively few of those on GOG.
Posted March 31, 2011
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beliar: From what I got it wasn't really censorship but adaptation for US audiences in other words volumes were shortened. You know like they did with movies Nausicaa or Brasil - too much words for Americans.
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orcishgamer: Is this why the copy of Brasil I watched made no damned sense to me and everyone seems to love it?
Depends on the timerange. What was the length of the movie? If it's below 2h, then you watched "Americans are too stupid" version. Over two hours is the normal/European version. And over 2 and half hours is the Director's Cut.
Posted March 31, 2011
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beliar: Depends on the timerange. What was the length of the movie? If it's below 2h, then you watched "Americans are too stupid" version. Over two hours is the normal/European version. And over 2 and half hours is the Director's Cut.
Which is part of the reason why I don't bother to go see movies in the theater anymore. I don't care to see what the studio thought would be appropriate - I want to see what was originally intended to be seen.

The other reason? Well I don't know what theaters in the rest of the world are like but these days it seems like most US audiences pay their admission so they can sit in the dark and text their friends - or just have conversations. Why they can't do this outside of the theater boggles me but I see no reason to waste my money only to be annoyed by the ADD and stupid.

--

Oh, and thank goodness for the criterion edition of Brazil.
Post edited March 31, 2011 by dwbridges
Posted March 31, 2011
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orcishgamer: Is this why the copy of Brasil I watched made no damned sense to me and everyone seems to love it?
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beliar: Depends on the timerange. What was the length of the movie? If it's below 2h, then you watched "Americans are too stupid" version. Over two hours is the normal/European version. And over 2 and half hours is the Director's Cut.
I'll have to check.

So, was this game any good? It sat on store shelves for a really long time but I barely looked at it.
Posted March 31, 2011
This game looks interesting, purchased! I seem to remember hearing something about it when it came out but obviously never got around to checking it out. Now seems to be the time to jump in.
Posted March 31, 2011
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beliar: From what I got it wasn't really censorship but adaptation for US audiences in other words volumes were shortened. You know like they did with movies Nausicaa or Brasil - too much words for Americans.
This made me wikipedia Nausicaa... Oh my... That's got to be the most ridiculous marketing decision I have ever seen!
Posted March 31, 2011
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beliar: Depends on the timerange. What was the length of the movie? If it's below 2h, then you watched "Americans are too stupid" version. Over two hours is the normal/European version. And over 2 and half hours is the Director's Cut.
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orcishgamer: I'll have to check.

So, was this game any good? It sat on store shelves for a really long time but I barely looked at it.
It has one of the best graphical presentations in the FPS genre. It's like a comic book come alive. Has a good plot, interesting side characters and engaging gameplay.
It's also quite short, ends on the cliffhanger with no sequel in sight and the main character is quite lifeless.
I'm kinda biased towards the game, considering I played the Unholy Bejeezus out of it back in the days. The critics were kind of lukewarm towards it and the public opinion was mixed, so it's ultimately your choice.
Posted March 31, 2011
I remember thinking this game was incredible when I played it on my PS2 however long ago. The amount of time I spent on this game was ridiculous. I never got around to buying it, though. This is more or less a definite buy for me.
Posted March 31, 2011
Interesting game this. The art style may not be to everyones taste but it's indicative of the trend at the time. Zelda the Wind Waker, for example, used it. There's just something I don't personally like about cell-shading I can't place but I like the pacing of the game and it reminds me a bit of playing Max Payne.
Posted March 31, 2011
Wait, what? Does this end on "to be continued"?

I don't like spoilers, but when the spoiler is a warning, I can at least prepare mentally for the disappointment, like it happened with that game of the girl and her dragon.
Posted March 31, 2011
This game benefits so incredibly much from the antialiasing possible on PC. Add to that the possibility to hack widescreen (do this BEFORE starting a new game) and you have a game that's aged pretty well graphically.

True, it's not a particularly deep game, more like a casual rollercoaster you only ride once, but that's okay once in a while.
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This is my favourite topic
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General discussion (archive)New release: XIII(140 posts)(140 posts)
(140 posts)