XIII [Winning Wednesday]

Back in 2003 I purchased a game called "XIII" and didn't really know much about the background of it. I was drawn to it by its unique cell-shaded style. After playing through the game I was totally enthralled by it. The game itself is based on the first five volumes of a Franco-Belgiam comic series by the same name. Last Sunday (Feb. 8th), NBC began a two part mini-series based on the same comic. Needless to say I was very interested when I saw the previews for it.

The basic premise of the game/mini-series is a man with no memory, awakes to find himself accused of assassinating the President of the United States and is being hunted by the US government. Although his memory is lost, all of his training and instincts are in tact. Throughout the series he must regain his memories and prove his innocence. If you're thinking this storyline sounds a lot like Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity, that's because the writer Jean Van Hamme (art by William Vance) was inspired by Ludlum's book.

I just finished watching part 1 via Hulu and have to say this is definitely worth checking out. The final part of the mini-series is on NBC next Sunday from 9pm to 11pm (at least on the west coast) and stars Val Kilmer (as The Mongoose) and Stephen Dorff (as XIII).

If you missed part one its available on Hulu: XIII mini-series part 1 and NBC.com (requires installation of a plug-in).