Original Release: November 11, 2003
Developed by: Ubisoft
Bargain Binned: $9.99 at GameStop/EBGames, usually cheaper at Mom & Pop shops.
A Special Bold-Type Announcement from Aaron: If you have an Xbox, buy the Xbox version. Failing that, get the GameCube version if you've got a GameCube. Failing that, buy a GameCube or Xbox, because the PS2 version has some serious issues.
Haven't played BG&E before? No worries, my son. Watch the above video detailing the game's introduction and first battle and you'll understand why I like it so much. This game is cinematic, very much so. And the production value is incredible, offering not only stellar voice acting but a dazzling array of characters that are increasingly well designed and wonderfully animated. It's just a badass total package, and -- big deal, here -- completely original. This isn't a sequel, or a licensed adaptation, or some bullshit spinoff. A rare thing nowadays, indeed.
Beyond Good and Evil was created by Michel Ancel, most known as the creator of Rayman, in Ubisoft's Montpellier studios in France. Just as Ancel built upon the 3D platforming genre with Rayman 2: The Great Escape, Beyond Good and Evil stands as an expansion upon the adventure genre popularized by the Legend of Zelda series. Ancel's got a good head on his shoulders, and rather than make just another Zelda clone, he incorporated a number of features that make BG&E into a somehow more whole gaming experience than you might expect.
It's got quite a story. BG&E concerns a planet called Hillys, plagued by assaults from a relatively unknown alien force known as the DomZ. The Alpha Section, a division of the Hillys military, institutes a state of kinda-sorta martial law under the extreme circumstances, claiming that they've found a way to eliminate the threat for good. As you may already suspect, something about the whole situation doesn't smell right; Beyond Good and Evil's long, complicated plot deals primarily with Jade, a young photographer, unraveling the conspiracies that bind the DomZ and the Alpha Section together, with all kinds of ass-kickin' along the way.
For a game that looks like BG&E does, you wouldn't expect it to have such a heavy plot. I don't mean to say that it looks bad -- quite the contrary. The character design and animation are straight out of a kickass Don Bluth or Dreamworks animated feature, and like these films, you'd expect the anthropomorphic pig to kick up and dance a jig every now and then -- doesn't happen. What does happen are alien abductions, scientific experiments upon innocent civilians, murder, deceit, and conspiracy. The themes are thick, but the plot is remarkably competent and doesn't overthink itself. The characters, particularly Jade herself and the aforementioned anthropomorphic pig (name of Pey'j) are thoroughly developed throughout the course of the game, which comes to a satisfying conclusion, leaving just enough hope for further additions to the series down the line. Ancel did a hell of a job writing this game, and it's one of the biggest draws in playing it. Now if only they'd make a goddamn sequel ...
Er, anyways, BG&E isn't just a terribly engaging plot and pretty on the eyes; it's an absolute blast to play, too. As I said, the conventions of 3D-based action-adventure gaming cemented by Ocarina of Time on the N64 are well-represented in this game, and where Ubisoft expands upon these tried-and-true techniques of game design, they rarely miss a beat. Jade's assault on the DomZ army is ruthless, swift, and virtually seamless, a feat particularly evident when taking on multiple enemies at once. I don't mean easy, however -- BG&E will give you a run for your money from time to time -- I simply mean astoundingly well executed. Take the game for a spin and you'll see what I mean when BG&E hurls you headlong into combat less than 2 minutes into the start of the game. (I love this -- too many games take way too much time to get rolling, nowadays.)
Additionally, as a news photographer, Jade has the opportunity to whip out her camera at any time to take pictures of whatever she stumbles across. Successful snappage of animals throughout the game's world, characters and other items of interest will win you some handsome rewards -- it's a nice addition to the game, something that can keep you interested in those interim periods of exploration or gathering information. Frank West, eat your heart out.
As I mentioned earlier, this game has a shine to it that few developers put the work into producing. Everything about it screams top-notch -- well, if you're playing the Xbox version, anyway -- great music, great voice-acting, and lots of little touches that push BG&E as far as it can possibly go. Ten bucks is a little high to garner Bargain Bin Laden's lusty glance, but trust me, it's definitely worth it. Buy this game.
Contest:
8:46 PM on 02.11.2007
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*pours booze on ground for some reason*
I love this game, such a great story and the ending, oh how I want a sequel.
Awesome game btw, one of my best experiences of this past gen. This is one I'll come back to years from now.
Seriously though, I hated that ending... there HAS to be a sequel. Oh, also the music is ridiculously good.
Dude frigging blasphemy this game is fvcking awesome
aaah well to each his own i guess
Oh yeah, I just picked up psychonauts (another great underrated gem)
SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT GOOD AND EVIL!
Jesus!
We.
Get.
It.
I am so fucking sick and tired and sick and tired and sick and tired of hearing every fucking gamer with a face-sphincter and marginal QWERTY competence going on and on about this fucking gem, this underrated masterpiece, this buried treasure, this gaming Picasso, this icon of the ages.
Listen.
It's on the shelves.
We know.
We KNOW!
We've seen it at EB. At Target. At Best Buy.
We.
KNOOOOOW!
We heard about it when it went on sale for $30.
And $25.
And $20 (GAWD, did we hear about it at $20).
And $15.
And now $10.
Guess what?
Fuck you.
And fuck Good and Evil.
I played the game.
I hated it.
But that's not even the point. The point is not whether you liked or disliked it. We fucking get it! Blah, blah, treasure. Blah, blah, buried sack of shiny fucking doubloons.
We have the Internets at our house.
We know how to use a search engine.
Pretty much everyone on this site is a serious gamer. We read the blogs, the sites, the magazines. We KNOW Good and Evil is highly regarded.
We also know the same thing about Psychonauts, Ico, and Shadow of the Colossus. Now show us some fucking respect and ZIP IT!
Zip!
I'm serious.
Somebody cut the head off of this marauding beast, drive a stake through its heart, and bury it face-down in consecrated ground.
Gawd...
DAMN!
as thats all i have. and almost bought it at one point
One of my favorite games ever.
In fact, why would you READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE?
I honestly wasn't all that amazed by BG&E. Maybe the fact that I played it at 2.2x speed had something to do with it, but I just don't see what the huge deal is. It's good, sure, but it's no Deus Ex.
Please, sister. You know I didn't read the whole article.
Not even the first paragraph.
I didn't have to.
I've read this same article 500 times before on other sites.
BEYOND.
Well, that changes everything.
11,300 results.
If there are 11,300 articles, blog posts, comments, and essays written on how you are the "most underrated of all time," then you are by definition NOT underrated at all.
I'll say it again...
It's not whether this game is good or bad, it's about having to hear over and over and over how underrated this game is. How it's such a sweet bargain. How I simply MUST play it.
It's NOT underrated.
Any more than Okami is underrated or Psychonauts. Every gamer on the planet knows the sing-songy party line on those games. The orthodoxy. The gospel.
Fine.
I yield.
Mind, I said this after having played through the game in its entirety on the PS2. I got the Xbox version when it was good and cheap. It's definitely playable on the PS2, but between the two I'd definitely stick with the Xbox.
As far as what Lezbro has been saying, I agree with one minor point he made. Beyond Good & Evil is not underrated. It's an excellent game, and if you ask just about anybody who has played it, they'll say the same. It's just semantics, but how about underappreciated instead?
Heh -- next week's BBL: "You guys heard of this game? I bet not! Nobody's heard of this fucking game, it's called Okami, and it's like the most unknown game ever! Yaaartthgh!"
(Does it matter that I waited for two hours after he finished giving his key not at last year's DICE summit to get his autograph?)
I didn't think so. ;)
1. @Lezbro - you have a point about BG&E being constantly lauded and if you don't rate the game, fair enough but given the topic of this thread maybe you should have realised that this would be a BG&E lovefest and stayed clear... unless you enjoy the pain.
2. @Milly as an example of parody your comments are the pinnacle of achievement... I don't know if I should laugh or cry.
BG&E is a damn fine experience. Id pay 10$ to play this again.