'We fully understand players' frustrations'

Publisher Microids and developer PlayMagic have issued an apology for the launch state of first-person adventure XIII. The remake of the classic PS2, Xbox, and GameCube release arrived on PS4, PC and Xbox One last week, only to disappoint fans with a myriad of technical issues, a drastic? visual redesign, and sub-par gameplay.

In a joint statement, the developer and publisher offered an apology to fans for the final product, citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as having?? impacted the game's development in numerous ways, while promising multiple fixes and free in-game content t?o arrive down the line.

"We hear loud and clear the legitimate criticism and disappointment," begins the statement. "First and foremost, we would like to offer our most sincere apologies for the game’s technical issues. In its present state, XIII does not meet our quality standards a?nd we fully understand players’ frustrations?."

"The pandemic has impacted the game’s production on many levels. Pivoting to home working for the teams has added unexpected delays in the development schedule and the QA process. We hoped we would be able to provide a Day One patch fixing all the issues but the development of this update is taking more time than expected [...] We are aiming to please all the XIII fans and we’ll work relentlessly to achie?ve our goal."

The team asks players to stayed tuned to the Microids website for updates regards incoming fixes, and suggests sending newly discovered issues to Microids support team.

Why... why... WHY pic.twitter.com/XHdu5wVo9e

— Thomas (@ThomasIsOnline) November 10, 2020

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Other platforms still on track for November

Microids has announced that the remake of classic first-person shooter XIII will not meet its originally announced release date on Switch. While the PS4, PC, and Xbox One editions are all still set to la??unch on November 10, the Switch release has been pushed back to 2021.

Playmatic's XIII is a remake of the 2003 Xbox and PS2 title, based on the 1980s Belgian comic book of the same name. It follows the hazardous and violent journey of a name?less and amnesiac man wanted for the killing of the U.S. President. Teaming with a mysterious female mercenary named Jones, "XIII" (from the identifying tattoo on his shoulder) must uncover the truth behind the assassination, his role within i??t, and a shadowy organization known as "Mongoose."

Microids also released a new trailer, showing off the arsenal of lead-flingers that XIII and Jones will utilize in their ballistic quest to stay alive lo??ng enough to bring down Mongoose and discover the facts behind our anti-hero's origins. The remake will feature all of the content from the original title, as well as its iconic cel-shaded look, which has been redesigned to make the most of modern-day visual??s.

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An Amazon Spain listing tells all

Although some people argue that the past should stay in the past, remasters and remakes are a special form of game preservation, and particularly important for underrated gems and overlooked games. XIII is cons?idered a classic by many, bu??t passed a lot of folks by. That'll change in November.

According to a listing from Amazon Spain, the game is due out this November. This isn't just some random retailer placeholder listing either. The product page shows images for the Limited Edition as plain as day, highlighting the various included materials (art cards, golden weapons, a metal case) with a printed release date of November? 10, 2020.

The game's premise (that you're an amnesiac that wakes up with "XIII" tattooed on them) still fits in 2020 in a sort of CBS/NBC crime procedural sort of way. But it's the cel-shaded look of?? the original that really ?sings, which so far has shined through in what we've seen of the remake.

XIII - Limited Edition [Amazon Spain via Gematsu]

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BAOOMM!

Publisher Microids has the first look at its upcoming remake of cult classic shooter XIII and um...they're kind of basic? Let me be clear, I don't dislike what I'm looking at. It's interesting that this kind of drops the cel-shading style for something more like a comic book. XIII was based on a graphic novel, after all, so it's actually more fitting to ha??ve the darker colors an??d textured look. It just would have been nice to see some action in these screens.

Regardless of the basic shots, t?he visual update does seem to be progressing nicely. I still think the original looks great (especially on PC), but it would have been pointless to just upscale the game and call it a day. Trying to more faithfully adapt the graphic novel is a good move that will help differentiate this from Ubisoft's take on the source material.

With XIII now eyeing a 2020 release, I'm sure we'll be seeing more before launch. I just hope next time, we get soemthing a li??ttle more exciti??ng to glance at.

Microids [Facebook]

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Amnesia strikes again

The XIII remake that was announced a few months back has now been delayed to an early 2020 release window. A cult-classic shooter released in 2003 by Ubisoft, it seems the game was just not ready for its original November 2019 launch. Both Microïds and PlayMagic agreed that more time was needed to match the level of quality they wanted for this retur??n to cel-??shaded shooting.

"We are thrilled with PlayMagic's work so far. This additional development time is needed to reach the level of polish we're aiming for," said Francois Coulon, head of production at Microïds. "The announcement was greeted by an overwhelming r??esponse from the community and we'll make sure to deliver the best possible game to our fans."

To me, this is a good thing. XIII is a title I wish I could love but is so ??riddled with issues that I can't imagine returning to it. A full remake that updates the controls and possibly finishes the story would be wonderful. There's a lot of potential h?ere and I hope Microïds is able to realize it with this extra time.

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R.I.P. Adam West

[Update: Publisher of this remake, Microïds, has confirmed that XIII will be coming to PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and Mac OS when it launches in November. The title will be developed by PlayMagic Ltd.]

PlayMagic Ltd will be resurrecting the old Ubisoft cel-shaded FPS XIII this November. In a remake coming to all major platforms, PlayMagic is rebuilding the entire game from the ground up to take advantage of newer graphical technology. While no actual gameplay was shown off, a teas??er trailer confirms that the art style isn't being dramatically overhauled.

Based off of a Belgian graphic novel, XIII has grown a cult following ov??er the years. While I was absolutely enamored with it upon release in 2003, I've grown to not really enjoy it in the following years. A lot of that has to do with how c?lunky the gunplay is, not to mention its cliffhanger ending that leaves the plot completely unresolved. The whole thing was a mixed bag of great technology and outdated design that created an odd whole.

What I really wonder is if the original voice cast will be retai??ned. While I don't care if David Duchovny reprises his role, it'd be a real shame to lose Adam West as General Carrington. I know he can't re-record lines, but it would be a fitting tribute to the legendary actor to keep his work for the game.

XIII will be launching on November 13, 20??19, for PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and Mac OS.

Embark on XIII’s ?ques?t for identity when the game hits PS4 on November 13 [PlayStation Blog]

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BOO! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Over a week ago, it was revealed that a new XIII game was in the works for iOS and PC. This week, our hopes and dreams have been crushed with the reveal of XIII: Lost Identity. Turns out it's not a true follow-u??p to the fantastic 2003 game, but one of those bloody "interac?tive story" things. 

To be fair, being originally based on a comic book, there's no written law that says it has to be a first-person shooter, but this is sure to disappoint quite a few fans of the game adaptation. Looking a?t the screens, it seems like a bevy of puzzles and lots of talking are involved. THAT'S NOT VIDEOGAMES, ARGH!

Oh well. Th??ere? will be some people who are all about this, and that's cool for them. I'll be bowing out of this dance, myself.

[Via Facebook]

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One of my favorite shooters of the last generation, XIII, is getting a followup game after nearly eight years of complete sile?nce. The comic-based conspiracy FPS turned many heads in 2003, but sales weren't spectacular and it seemed the game would end with the first.

Seems that miracles do happen after all, however, with a teaser image for a new XIII appearing on Anuman Interactive's Facebook page. According to t?he French text, we'll see it in November and it'll hit iOS, PC and Mac. 

I am incredibly excited by this news. Despite getting mixed reactions, XIII remains one of the most absorbing first-person shooters I've ever played. While it's not going to be a major console release, I'm glad to see it return in some fashion!

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