Customer Reviews

Beyond Good & Evil

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

So often we look for computer games that simulate, we forget about those that actually stiumulate. I'm as much of a fan of the movie tie-in or the sports franchise as the next gamer. But every once in a while a singular title, made with no guarantee of financial success, but simply because a few people had a genuinely creative thought, reaches out and demands attention.

Beyond Good and Evil seems, at first, the least likely candidate in the world for this. Its cover shows a girl not with a gun or a superhero's outfit, but a camera. And the drawing, though obviously professional, is clearly...cartoonish. It seems more like an anime adventure than a real game.

And, indeed, when you first start playing there's a lot of very odd anthropomorphic animals running around a kind of kids' playhouse. You discover that you'll make money in the game by taking pictures of the wildlife. It's all very tame, and very unlike the traditional game.

At one point you walk into a room where a news broadcast is being received, and then you get an inkling, just a mere hint, that things in this cartoony, almost idyllic, world you're in are maybe--just possibly--a little more sinister than you first thought it was.

And then all hell breaks loose.

From there on those strange creatures you first encountered become allies, your camera becomes a key to unravelling the truth of what's going on in the propaganda war around you, and the game, well, grows up. Part puzzle, part adventure, part flat-out action, Beyond Good and Evil is one of those very rare games in which all expectations are trumped by the unfolding immersive story line, where parents and kids can play together and find different things to like, and where you're left feeling genuinely entertained.

I gather that this title perhaps didn't do as well as it should have on its initial release, but I've seen it for sale at major retailers for the past two years. It may not have the high profile of a Halo or a Madden, but it's got a very loyal following and a growing player base.

In the midst of discussion about gratuitous gaming violence, and uninspired title cloning, there are occasionally titles like this that give validation to the industry as a place where artists--real, honest-to-gosh artists--live and satisfy our collective hunger for something really good to play.

When I hear of state governments threatening to make it illegal for minors to buy games, I think of a title like this and just wonder how far out of touch lawmakers and some political activists are from understanding the diversity present in the games industry. But the triumph of individual creativity against government misinformation is precisely one of the political points this "kids" game is trying to make.

This game is fantastic. Go buy it.

I'm not going to waste your time by telling you things that you can read in the other excellent reviews here. It's a 5 star game, I think you can get that from all of the reviews here. I would just like to add to why you should buy this game...

In a world of sequels, games based from movies, games that have been rehashed and rehased comes some wonderful gems that get lost. Whether it's because they come out at bad times or because people would rather play Halo 2000 or similar game, actually creative and emotionally powerful games slip through the cracks. This is one such game.

I have been trying to get people to play this game for purely selfish reasons. I've seen too many games that actually warrant sequels get halted because no one buys them. This game has everything. It has characters you care about, a story that is interesting and socially relevent, action that is constantly changing so that you are doing many different things, actually humorous scenes and dialogue, and graphics that are stunning in both their fluidity and art direction. I remember loading this game, watching a beautiful cut scene that bled directly to the action and being surprised that I was actually playing. I just assumed it was a cutscene, it was so fluid.

I got this game at Christmas time a while back with a bunch of other games. When I started playing this one, I couldn't put it down. Normally, I'll switch between games if I have more than one. Not so with this game, I had to keep playing, had to figure out what would happen next.

It fills you with so much wonder and joy that you remember why it is you play games. And just like Ico before it, it gets ignored. If you want a game that is different from most, then please at least rent this game, give it a try. It's too good to keep going unnoticed.

Wondering why this obscure game is so highly rated? It really is one of the most pleasurable experiences in gaming you can have. Every aspect is expertly done ( even the blips
+ bloops of minor sound effects are original and fun to listen to). The graphics, story, sound design, and gameplay leave almost nothing to be desired. The act of taking pictures of strange alien animals may sound lame, but even this a joy since the creatures are so breathtaking and well-designed. And there is much to do : fighting ( martial arts-style! ), reconnaissance, collecting, racing, vehicular combat, puzzle-solving, and even wagering on an air hockey-type (!) parlor game. Even the soundtrack will delight you when you hear the Latin, Eastern, or reggae music kick in at the appropriate time and place. To sum it all up, this is a game nearly every child or adult ( Eat your heart out Disney! ), male or female, can easily get the hang of and thoroughly enjoy.

Beyond Good & Evil, from Ubisoft, is an adventure game in the vein of Zelda: The Wind Waker. You play as Jade, an "action reporter" who becomes embroiled in a plot to expose a government conspiracy. The "Alpha Sections" are nominally your planet Hyllis' defense force, but you find that they seem to show up conveniently just after the invaders, the DomZ, attack. You're not the only one who finds this fishy, and in the process of trying to figure out what's going on.

The plot is relatively straightfoward - you find a secretive group who's working to uncover the government conspiracy, and you face some obstacles and hurdles along the way. There's some stealth, there's some puzzle solving, some item fetching, and some combat. All the standard adventure ingredients are there. But that's not all there is. You drive around in your hovercraft, which you can also enter in races, and you can take photos of the local flora and fauna. You'll also use your camera to photograph the evidence of the conspiracy at hand.

All that adventure-y goodness is wrapped up in a beautiful, and interesting package. Though the "Jade Engine" which BG&E is built upon isn't going to change the world, it is powerful enough to make BG&E a graphically stunning game. The environments are an interesting blend of Jeunet and Miyazaki, and the fact that Michel Ancel also created Rayman isn't lost on the design aesthetic. On top of the beautiful and imaginitive environments, the supporting cast is one of the most interesting aspects of the game.

Your uncle, an anthromorphic pig named Pey'j, is a cantankerous old mechanic, whose affection for Jade really shows through his cranky exterior. Jade has some really novel casual interactions with the patrons of the local bar, from a humanoid shark man who plays a variant of air hockey, to the bartender, who's an eight foot tall cow-man. The casual way she talks to these otherworldly creatures (the shark-man is named "Francis") gives the game a sort of supernatural familiarity that is unlike most games.

Beyond Good and Evil is really the game that's made me really consider Ubisoft both a powerhouse of game development, and a studio that's willing to take some pretty risky moves in order to move the medium forward. Just as Sega did, when they were publishing games for the Dreamcast, Ubisoft seems to be making a wide variety of really interesting, and unfortunately overlooked games. BG&E, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and XIII all tried new, and interesting things. Couple that with bestsellers like Rainbow Six 3, and the Ghost Recon series, and it's hard to argue that Ubisoft doesn't possess a stellar lineup for the discerning gamer. Though not all of their games are excellent (the multiplayer in R6-3 is broken, and XIII, though visually interesting, plays to its weaknesses by including far too much stealth), they're trying new things, and have been hitting quite a few completely out of the park. Prince of Persia is hands down my favorite game of last year, and BG&E looks to be of similar quality.

Beyond Good & Evil is one of the best, yet most overlooked games available, however, those who have played it know exactly what everyone else is missing out on, a fantastic gaming experience.

Today's video game market is being flooded by the overflow of endless first person shooters and cookie cutter adventure games; Beyond Good & Evil is something fresh and unique. It combines elements from many different game genres. There is the stealth factor: Using Stealth to your advantage is essential to make any progress in the game and is very well executed - this is likely due to the fact that the game was created by Ubi, the developers of the ground breaking series of stealth action games - Splinter Cell. There is the action/fighting aspect in which you punish your enemies with Jade's Dai-Jo Staff techniques and tag team combo moves with the help of your friends Pey'j and Double H. This is somewhat reminiscent of Prince of Persia's fighting system, well done and very intuitive. Also on the list of features is the camera system; throughout the game Jade must use her trusty camera to capture intelligence for the Allied Resistance, this not only gives your allies info to work with in order to help you further, it also gets you paid so you can get supplies and upgrades. The graphics are not the very greatest you have ever seen but are well executed and work well with the style of the game.

Beyond Good & Evil is a truly fantastic game that you should certainly hunt down and play when there is a lapse in your list of must buy new releases. It's a bargain bin dweller so it may be a little difficult to get your hands on but it's worth the effort. Its unique style and easy learning curve make it accessible to children but its depth and ever-changing universe are enough to keep even the most jaded adult gamers engaged and thoroughly entertained.

Beautiful. Simply beautiful. This might well be the best action adventure game in the history of the genre. (Certainly in the history of Xbox.)

Even though the name and cover didn't appeal to me at first -- when I popped the game into my console, it became clear to me from the lush, stylized graphics with their unmistakable french "flavor" alone that this game is special.

The production values are truely awesome. This applies not only to the graphics and animation, but also the musical score that would suit any James Cameron movie. You'll be discovering a variety of very imaginative environments that have all been designed with exceptional love of detail.

But what's most important, the story is superb and really really well presented. It starts of rather subtly, step by step drawing you ever deeper into the game world, always keeping you motivated to explore it more. By the time the dramatic tension really starts to build up, you are already helplessly in love with the protagonists and the alien world that they inhabit. You just have to keep playing until the fulminant climax.

Even tough the story is a told in a fairy-tale fashion, it has quite some depth and a lot to say. I always disliked Zelda because of the, in my opinion, clicheed and utterly silly
stories and dialogue ("Rescue the princess bla bla"). Not so BG&E! If you, like me, have been waiting for a game story that is light and entertaining but doesn't insult your intellect -- you just found it!

What adds to this is the way the different elements of the gameplay relate to, and support, the story. Everything makes complete sense in the game, creating a feeling of authenticity and purpose. It's all killer, no filler.

The level design is full of innovative ideas and will hit you with lots of great surprises and enthralling situations. Although there is no one single gameplay element that is genuinely new,
the way the game blends such a variety of different elements together seamlessly can be called a major innovation of its own rights. Everything in the game just "flows"... and your game character moves through this diverse world with precision and elegance. The game engine does a great job letting you forget about the controls, and just play.

BG&E combines the emotion and narrative intensity of the classic LucasArts adventures with the action and thrills of a 21st century console action game.

Given, the graphical style and low-violence mood may not match everybody's taste. [...]if what you see complies with
your viewing habits then this game is must-have for you.

I am not a hard core gamer, but do own over 50 xbox games, and this was one of the best I have ever played! The characters and story line are great! I have played many other highly touted games, i.e. Halo, Halo2 etc. and though different, this game ranks up there with the best! If you have never played it, I highly reccomend that you grab a copy and do! And since it is an older game now, you can also get a great price on it. I would rank this as one of the 5 best games that I have played in all time.

It is hard to add to the reviews below, but I do feel I have something worth saying about this offering from UBI Soft.

The gameplay is amazingly varied: racing, exploring, non-shooter action (think Starfox Adventures), stealth, and photography. The amazing part of the varying isn't how many different styles there are, but how unbelievably smoothly they are put together. It is all very natural, you never get the feeling that "Ok, now I'm in the racing part of the game," even though there are, in fact, racing parts of the game.

The story is deep for an adventure game, but not so incredibly complicated that you are really left wondering. Very early in the game the player should be roughly aware of the path the plot is going to take. The story actually suffers a little at the end, but not especially so; more foreshadowing would have helped.

In line with the foreshadowing would be extending actual game-play time. I completed the game in under ten hours recorded play, 14 hours total. For a gamer like me, that is one sitting. The story has so much room for development that it is really a shame the developers didn't use that room. The existence of pointless sidequests and a game is nice for perfectionists, but they fail to focus on the different aspects of gameplay. A battle arena would have been a fantastic addition to the game.

The final complaint is that the difficulty is downright easy with one exception, even casual gamers shouldn't have much problem with this. A difficulty setting would help a lot.

Given those complaints, the game is easily four star quality. It was, without a doubt, one of the funnest games I've played in a long time. The dialogue is so well-played that you actually care about other characters. The graphics are very smooth and colorful without seeming too cute. The controls are easy and comfortable. The battle system isn't overly simplistic, but not so deep as to discourage. The replayability is moderate.

At $20, it is worth the price without question.

I decided to get the HD version that just released for the 360 not long ago. Never played the original, so I didn't walk in with any set expectations. All in all a decent game; hardly the shining paragon of classic gaming some hold this to, but $10 can be spent on plenty of worse games.

The camera simply has to be one of the biggest frustrations this game has, bar none. It's very difficult to navigate and fight if you can't see what's going on. Many, many 3rd person games that are much older than the original have had tight, responsive cameras, so there was no excuse for it to be such a pain when it came out in 2003, let alone 2011. The stealth sections are also a chore at best and controller-throwing frustrating at worst. There's one that's thankfully optional where you shimmy on a narrow edge across two of three sides on a building to get to a door, then Jade, the protagonist, inexplicably enters into a walking animation. Since the side she's on doesn't get any wider, however, this leads to her falling back to the previous section, where you have to do it all over again. Eventually I worked out that you have to roll forward to bypass this, but it wasn't from any cues the game gave. Why this wasn't fixed is beyond me. A lack of a waypoint system makes it very difficult at times to find your objective. Instead, blind navigation has to rule the day if you're lost. Most areas are straightforward enough that this won't be an issue, but there's at least one where that's not the case.

And I do like games that have collectibles to find. It's enjoyable to look around, explore every nook and cranny and clear everything out. It's also great when the game actually gives you useful rewards for your trouble. Beyond Good and Evil does the first, but not the second. Finding every pearl gets you an awful minigame where you have to control two different pearls in an obstacle course at the same time. It'd be nice if the second of those pearls didn't have inverted controls. (So left is right, and vice versa.) And the reward for finding every animal, already an extremely difficult task, since the animal scanner doesn't clear out animals you already photographed? A collection of photos. Yep. I'm not joking. Some ideas for practical, useful rewards would include increasing damage dealt to enemies, decreasing the charge time on that useless super attack, an increase in running speed, perhaps, maybe even a whole new area to explore, like what Illusion of Gaia did back in the early 90's if you found every crystal.

But I gave it 3 stars, so obviously there must've been *something* I liked about the game, right? And there are; many somethings, actually. The cast is interesting and funny; even the minor characters have their own quirky personalities that are tough to forget. Not a single weak voice actor/actress. The game world is very unique. The story is well paced and doesn't drag out just to artificially make itself longer. The achievements aren't too tough to collect, so you get an easy 200 points to bump the gamerscore for those of you who enjoy collecting achievements. And watch the credits through. It'll be a bit, but it is worth the trouble.

I am looking forward to the sequel to this game and I do hope that the developers take what they did right and build on that to make an exceptional game. Playing through this one made it obvious that there's plenty of untapped potential for a new powerhouse franchise. So it's worth a play through. Just don't expect it to be the ultimate gaming experience that trounces all others. The good does outweigh the evil in the end, so 3 stars.

Yes yes yes, I agree, one of the greatest games of all time! Sometimes confusing what to do but being persistant makes for a very satisfying game to finish.