Hands up who misses Goldeneye? An odd way to start a review, perhaps, but even with top shooters like Halo and TimeSplitters 2 around, how many of you prefer the classic Goldeneye, or still play the (in my opinion) superior Perfect Dark? Quite a lot of you, I reckon. But do not despair, as Ubi Soft have finally come up with a game that may not be quite the instant classic that Rare's James Bond FPS was, but has somehow managed to capture the essence of what made the afore-mentioned shooters great bringing back musty memories of when you first booted up your Nintendo 64 with the James Bond emblazoned cartridge in the slot. And that game, my friends, is XIII.
But enough nostalgia for now. On with the review!

Graphics:

Perhaps XIII's biggest selling point is the quality and style of the visuals. The game is based on a French comic book by Jean van Hamme, and Ubi Soft have taken advantage of that by giving the game a distinctive, comic book style cel shading that most likely captures the feel of the comics (though, having never read an XIII comic, I wouldn't know).

When certain events happen during the game, for example killing an assassin from a distance with a sniper rifle or a guard discovering a dead body, a little comic book window pops up on the screen, showing you what's going on. Also, when you or the guards shoot, throw grenades, walk or generally make a noise, words come up on the screen such as 'blam', or 'tap, tap' to give the impression that you are really playing a role inside a comic book. These features also add a lot of character and give it a very unique feel. But don't make the mistake of assuming that cel-shading makes the graphics kiddy, as all you gore-loving fanatics will be pleased to here that there is plenty of claret in the game to satisfy your bloodlust.

Everything runs very smoothly and all in all, there is nada to complain about in the graphics department. Outstanding.

Sounds:

The in-game music is very atmospheric and builds the tension without distracting you from the gameplay. All the characters in the game have voices, some of which are directly from celebrities, such as David Duchovny, Eve, and Adam West. Considering this is based on a comic book, the guns sound authentic (judging from movies and other video games) and the baddies give out a bone-chilling yet satisfying (if that makes sense) 'Noooo' or 'Aaaargh' when shot. Again, no complaints.

Gameplay:

As you are doubtlessly aware, gameplay is the most important part of any game, and XIII excels here, with an extremely involving plot which sees you waking up on a beach with no memory, and only a tattoo (XIII) on your chest and the key to a safety deposit box as clues to your identity. The President of the USA has been assassinated and you are the prime suspect. Cue proving your innocence by killing loads of people.

Seriously though, the plot is a very good one with many twists and turns, and you will find yourself wanting to keep playing through just to piece together more information about XIII's true identity. Thankfully, doing so isn't a chore, as the gameplay in XIII is even more involving than the storyline (as it damn well should be). The comic book windows that pop up from time to time (as mentioned earlier) are very important to the gameplay and let you know if something crucial to the plot is happening. Also, the 'sound effect text' such as the tapping of guard's boots help you sneak up on enemies and lets you know where they are even if you are not in the same room.

Aside from these little changes, the gameplay is very similar to that of Goldeneye, with a good combination of killing and sneaking around. There is a good variety of weapons in the game - throwing knives, pistols, rifles and bazookas - they're all here. But another unique aspect of XIII is the ability to pick up objects such as chairs, bricks, bottles and ashtrays and use them to knock out your opponents. This becomes very useful when you have to get rid of a hostile without killing them, such as on the second level (though I'm not going to spoil anything).

Part of the gameplay in XIII involves flashbacks, in which, as opposed to cut scenes, you can actually move around freely during your 'memories' but obviously not shoot or kill anyone. This is a very cool little feature and helps you feel more involved in the game's storyline.

As well as the assorted weaponry, there's also a small number of gadgets available such as grappling hooks and lock picks, which become essential to your missions as you play further into the game.

The levels in the game are well designed, and whenever you're surrounded by enemies, or you notice some hostiles in the distance, there's always a vantage point to duck away from enemy fire, or a good sniping position to pick of the bad guys one by one. There is a total of 35 missions in the game, but don't get your hopes up, as most of these are relatively short, however the number of missions more than makes up for the length of them. It makes it easier to pick up and play; have a quick blast through one level, and play the next later, or play a few levels at a time.

The multiplayer, while good, does not live up to the standards of TimeSplitters 2 or (you guessed it) Goldeneye. It is fun to play, but the levels are not as well-designed for slaughtering your mates and the single player levels. There is the usual variety of multiplayer modes (Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, etc) and is worth a go if you're getting (dare I say it) a little bored with TimeSplitters 2.

Gameplay however is not perfect, with awkward weapon switching and aiming being the main issues. Also, the game can be a little unfair on the harder difficulties. But the game's good points by far outweigh the bad.

Playability:

Once you get the hang of the controls, the game is easy to pick up and play, because, as mentioned before, the short levels allow you to complete a level within about twenty minutes, and the huge amount of levels means you can decide whether you want to play only one level, or work through three or four. The controls do take a little getting used to though, and the over-sensitive aiming reticule can hamper gameplay a little until you have played for a little while.

Lifespan:

This is a very long game. On the easiest difficulty (Arcade) it is possible to complete the game in around twenty hours. On the harder difficulties, however, playing through the main game will take much longer. There are also various extras such as documents you can pick up during levels, which reveal more information about your character and the conspiracy you're stuck in the middle of. The multiplayer mode will also keep you playing for a couple of months, provided you have a couple of available mates (as playing against the CPU is a little dull). All accounted for, this game will last you a good few months minimum.

Final Say:

As close as you will ever get to Goldeneye on your Cube. A brilliant storyline, superb graphics and fun gameplay make this a near-essential FPS. Highly recommended.