XIII (2003 video game)
A cel-shaded shooter about an amnesiac caught in a conspiracy.
XIII is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by Ubisoft, released in November 2003 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and GameCube. Loosely based on the first five volumes of the 1984 Belgian graphic novel series of the same name, it is notable for its comic book-style cel-shaded presentation and its focus on an amnesiac protagonist caught in a conspiracy to overthrow the U.S. government.
Quick Facts
- Title
- XIII
- Developer
- Ubisoft ParisPorted to Xbox by Southend Interactive and to Mac OS X by Zonic
- Publisher
- UbisoftPublished digitally by Microids / Feral Interactive / (Mac OS X)
- Director
- Elisabeth Pellen
- Producer
- Julien Barès
- Designer
- Jean Zappavigna
- Programmer
- Dominique Duvivier
- Artist
- Nathalie Provost
- Composer
- Alkis Argyriadis · Lionel Gaget
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 2
- Platforms
- Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Mac OS X
- Released
- Windows, PlayStation 2NA · November 18, 2003 · EU · November 28, 2003GameCube, XboxNA · November 25, 2003 · EU · November 28, 2003Mac OS XNA · June 11, 2004
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
XIII was designed with a deliberate comic book aesthetic, using cel shading to render characters and weapons, and incorporating onomatopoeic words in bubbles for sound effects. The game uses Unreal Engine 2, chosen for its strength in level design and cross-platform development. The plot follows a man with amnesia who awakens on a beach in Brooklyn, New York City, with a gunshot wound and a tattoo of the Roman numeral XIII. He discovers he is wanted for assassinating the President of the United States, William Sheridan, and slowly uncovers a conspiracy by a group aiming to overthrow the government. The story borrows major elements from the first five volumes of the Belgian graphic novel series, though with notable differences in situations and places.
Reader's Guide
Upon its release in November 2003, XIII received mixed reviews and sold poorly, which suspended plans for a sequel. Despite this, the game has since gathered a cult following. It received a follow-up mobile game titled XIII2: Covert Identity, and a hidden object game re-imagining called XIII: Lost Identity in October 2011. A remake of the original game for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One was released on November 10, 2020. The game's multiplayer supported up to 16 players across various modes, including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Sabotage, The Hunt, and Power-Up, with platform-specific variations. The Xbox version's online multiplayer via Xbox Live was available until April 15, 2010, but the game is now playable online again on the replacement Xbox Live servers called Insignia.
Did You Know?
- The game's protagonist, XIII, has a tattoo of the Roman numeral XIII on his right shoulder.
- The game includes 16 weapons, from a knife to a bazooka, and objects like bottles and chairs can be used as weapons.
- The GameCube version of XIII does not have any online multiplayer modes.
- A remake of the original game was released on November 10, 2020, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One.
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