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XIII is the Definition of Style Over Substance | Review The PS2 - YouTube
Channel: ErbBetaPatched
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Welcome to Review the PS2, my eternal quest
to review every ps2 game.
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Today we're looking at a game called XIII.
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In 1984, a writer named Jean Van Hamme wrote
a comic called XIII.
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It was a big success, and new volumes are
still being released.
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The comic was popular enough to warrant having
a TV series, a TV film, and yes, a video game
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adaptation.
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But you already knew that.
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XIII as a video game follows the basic premise
of the comic's plot with some liberties taken.
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You play as a man who wakes up on a beach
with no memory and with the number XIII tattooed
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on his collarbone.
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Soon enough, you're arrested and accused of
assassinating the President.
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And they have proof.
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Woops.
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It's gripping and mysterious, and you really
feel motivated to figure out your true identity,
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as well as the identities of the XX, a group
of 20 conspirators who are plotting to topple
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the U.S. government.
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I wonder what their motivation is.
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Hmmmmm.
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HMMMMM.
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I'm stumped.
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The story is really good, but do not play
XIII for the story.
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It ends on a frustrating cliffhanger, and
so if you are interested in how the story
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turns out, read the comic instead.
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XIII-2 was not made, and probably for the
better, because XIII-2 is a stupid name.
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Ubisoft made a very good decision regarding
XIII's presentation.
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It looks like a comic book.
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The graphics are bright and cel-shaded, which
I absolutely love, and everything from the
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menus to the cutscenes is presented well.
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When you shoot someone in the head, you get
little panels that show a closeup of the enemy's
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death.
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If an enemy is behind a wall, you can find
his position by actually looking for the tap
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sounds he makes while walking.
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I adore how they were able to turn a graphical
theme into an actual gameplay mechanic.
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It reminds me of Comix Zone, which is my favorite
Genesis game.
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This is XIII's best quality, hands down.
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However, good graphics do not necessarily
make for a good game.
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XIII is a first person shooter, but the shooting
aspect is shallow.
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Many of the guns you get are quickly obsoleted.
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There isn't much in the way of weapon roles
since all of the enemies are the same.
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Some guns like the sniper rifle and the crossbow
have more defined roles because they have
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scopes, but the rest of the guns have no role.
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You just end up using whatever gun is most
powerful and ignore the rest.
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I will praise the game's auto-aim, however.
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The Dualshock analog stick isn't known for
its precision and so each gun in the game
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has its own auto aim to account for this.
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I like it because it does help hit enemies
from afar without being a gimme, unlike other
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games.
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Seriously, SOCOM?
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XIII is also a stealth game, but the stealth
gameplay is just as shallow as the shooting.
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Stealth really only has one aspect to it:
don't let enemies hit the big red button.
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If they do, then you lose.
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You don't even have to be stealthy or use
silenced weapons.
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Being seen or heard does not matter, you just
have to make sure that the enemy doesn't press
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the alert button.
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As a result, most stealth sections can be
completed by just running and gunning.
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There is a dead body mechanic but there's
only one time in the game where moving a body
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is relevant.
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This makes stealth feel like an afterthought
instead of a main focus, which it should have
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been considering how many levels require you
to never be caught.
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There are also special gadgets you can use,
like a lockpick to open certain doors which is
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...
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riveting.
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And theres a grappling hook you use often
but it adds little to the gameplay.
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You can shoot weapons while using the hook,
but I've never found a time it was useful
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or accurate.
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In all, the gameplay itself is shallow, but
the combination of multiple shallow aspects
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makes for a passable experience.
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If stealth and gadgets weren't in the game,
it would be definitely worse.
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The sound design is pretty good.
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The soundtrack is a bit mysterious and at
times upbeat and serious and it appropriately
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matches whatever setting I'm in.
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It should also be noted that Adam West voices
a major character, which is great.
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ADAM WEST: Hey errand boy! Come here. I gotta take another leak!
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When you add it all up, XIII is a subpar game
that is presented very well.
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The shooting is bland and boring, and the
stealth isn't deep enough to warrant having
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in the first place.
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If you want to play it for the story, I suggest
reading the comic series.
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You will get much more enjoyment out of that.
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I can't recommend it for anyone who is a fan
of shooters or stealth games, nor can I recommend
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it because of presentation alone.
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I've decided to drop the number-based rating
system.
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It's too subjective and its hard to differentiate
between 4's and 5's, so I'll make it much
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simpler and go with two distinct ratings:
Worth Playing, and Not Worth Playing.
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Ratchet and Clank and Arcana Heart are both
games worth playing.
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XIII, however, is not worth playing.
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As always, thanks for watching and please leave some feedback below!
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