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Beyond Good & Evil 2 will be more accessible (read: easy) photo

Although details on the triumphant return of Beyond Good & Evil are scarce, Ubisoft has at least confirmed one thing that may worry hardcore fans of the game -- the sequel is said to be "more accessible" than the original, likely to ensure it actually sells this time.

"We saw with Beyond Good & Evil that so many customers were extremely happy with the game," stated Ubisoft president Yves Guillemot following the Ubidays '08 reveal. "We had a different audience at that time. We had more core gamers than casual gamers than we have today."

"We think the game was probably a little too difficult for the general gamers at that time. We're going to make [Beyond Good & Evil 2] more accessible and make sure that it's really done for the new generation that's come into video games."

I can understand Ubisoft worrying after the financial flop that was the original, but did any of you really think it was a hard game? I didn't think it was that difficult (save for the end boss, rargh), and I worry every time a game series threatens to dumb itself down. That said, given how badly the first game did, we're lucky to get this sequel so I suppose one must find such compromises reasonable. 

All said, it's a little strange that this is done for the supposed "new generation," when it's the "old generation" that wanted it so badly. Also, is appealing to a demographic that doesn't buy a lot of software a good idea?


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55 comments | showing # 1 to 50

RonBurgandy2010's Avatar
RonBurgandy2010 at 05/30/2008 08:16
I don't think the reason it didn't sell was that it looked weird. But if Ubisoft really thinks it was the difficulty, just add a difficulty selection screen and call it a day.
hikarii's Avatar
hikarii at 05/30/2008 08:21
ZilorZilhaust's Avatar
ZilorZilhaust at 05/30/2008 08:21
Yeah, the only part of that game I recall being difficult was the final boss. Everything else, if memory serves, was pretty damned easy.
niacin's Avatar
niacin at 05/30/2008 08:26
Maybe they will put in difficulty levels, a 'casual' mode which has you chasing bunnies and a normal mode which is the actual game.
ScottyG's Avatar
ScottyG at 05/30/2008 08:26
Yeah... it really wan't that hard.

I suppose all the different styles of play could be jarring, although I pray that they won't touch that. I mean hell, I could play their equivalent to air hockey if I wanted to! :)
JACK of No Trades's Avatar
JACK of No Trades at 05/30/2008 08:27
I don't think thats a good idea. You should cater to the fans, because if all else fails you can at least get some sells from the fanbase.


"All said, it's a little strange that this is done for the supposed "new generation," when it's the "old generation" that wanted it so badly."

Exactly!


"...more accessible and make sure that it's really done for the new generation that's come into video games."

I hope they don't go the path of Rare and turn it into a cart racer. Whats up with developers? I know they want to make money, but look at Infinity Ward. They made a fucking fantastic shooter that sold millions and millions without being dumbed down to cater to the less coordinated gamers. Shit even my g/f tries to play it, because it looks fun. I hope the don't screw up this sequel.
RonBurgandy2010's Avatar
RonBurgandy2010 at 05/30/2008 08:31
*I think the reason*
sorry, makes more sense now :I
Demtor's Avatar
Demtor at 05/30/2008 08:34
WTF? His comments could be taken a number of different ways. Could he be any more vague?

The first game maybe wasn't hard but it was at least a fun challenge to try and collect everything you possibly can. If memory serves correct the difficulty came in exploring, everything else was just fucking FUN. So if they keep it like that, easy and fun as opposed to difficult and frustrating, I'm all for it.
Pixel Blue's Avatar
Pixel Blue at 05/30/2008 08:48
As long as it's fun I don't care if it's hard or easy. I just want it to be good. If I just want something that's a real challenge, I'll go teach myself some more linear algebra.
B-Radicate's Avatar
B-Radicate at 05/30/2008 09:07
I guess I should really get around to playing the original, huh? Sadly I passed it up when it first came out 'cause it didn't interest me at the time.

Anyone know off the top of their heads if it's backwards compatible on 360? Thanks.
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 05/30/2008 09:14
ace of knaves's Avatar
ace of knaves at 05/30/2008 09:26
Why go for a casual audience with a sequel to a game they've never played or even heard of?

Also, aside from word of mouth, a casual gamer wouldn't know how hard a game was until after they already bought it.
foxhound421's Avatar
foxhound421 at 05/30/2008 09:27
despite the art direction and the characters being more on the "cartoony" side, some of the themes in the original were pretty adult. not in a racy, or controversial way, but in a way that you could take the game seriously. if they water that formula down it's going to ruin the game. i'll hold judgement until we know more, or until i actually play the game, but this is disappointing news. it's not like the casuals know what the hell BG&E is anyway. they're not the audience for this game.
Remo's Avatar
Remo at 05/30/2008 09:38
Easier game is brilliant. Maybe I'll be able to complete this one. I just can't play stealth games.
MechaMonkey's Avatar
MechaMonkey at 05/30/2008 09:48
I have yet to play the first one. I'ma have to fix that.
Uther's Avatar
Uther at 05/30/2008 09:55
The only thing hard during that game was me...
Qraze's Avatar
Qraze at 05/30/2008 09:59
i like hard. morning wood hard games.
weedgan's Avatar
weedgan at 05/30/2008 10:03
Alot of games are not that hard. Its just dipshit kids these days skip the tutorials.

Only you can prevent pressing z or r twice.
hpv's Avatar
hpv at 05/30/2008 10:23
CONFIRMED! Beyond Good & Evil 2 will be a Dragon's Lair-style adventure game that only uses one button and pauses until the player presses it.
JustLikeBuck's Avatar
JustLikeBuck at 05/30/2008 10:27
It was a very well-paced game; the difficulty was spot on. That's part of the reason we loved it - it wasn't a game, it was an experience, a story.

There was none of the usual gaming nonsense like rampant insta-kills or "lives". You died, you started from the beginning of the scene. The devs didn't want to punish you for getting far into the game - they wanted you to enjoy playing it as much as they enjoyed making it.

Making it more accessible may seem horrific in this age of casual, but as long as its a as good as the original, I don't mind. Just as long as it doesn't turn out like one of Ubisofts other sequel: Prince of Emo.
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 05/30/2008 10:31
Jesus Ubisoft... the difficulty was not the problem, it was the fact that you didn't market the first title worth a damn and released it right after everyone had already spent their money on Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.
Stahlbrand's Avatar
Stahlbrand at 05/30/2008 10:48
Yeah, I mean, what does dificulty have to do with sales? Its not like people get to play it first, find out its hard, then not buy it.

Like Mxyzptlk said, it was the lack of any effort to market it. When you have a game with no recognizable character, and your box art does't have some cliche Duke Nukem looking space marine on the cover, you need to let people know what the game is about and why they should care.

I am one of the majority of people who never played the game because, while I saw it on the shelf a few times, I didn't know what it was or why I should care. I didn't hear anything about it until years too late.

Ever get the feeling we're sliding down a slipperly slope on all this casual games business?
Professor Pew's Avatar
Professor Pew at 05/30/2008 11:04
Yeah wtf. The only 'hard' thing were those annoying stealth bits that just took a lot of time going through the motions. Remove stealth, market it properly, win.
Holiday's Avatar
Holiday at 05/30/2008 11:06
Oh great! Now I gotta be preoccupied with the idea that Ubisoft may totally screw up one of the most anticipated video game sequels of all time. BG&E hard? And how on earth did they actually come up with that idea? Never once did I hear from fans that BG&E was "hard". I mean, OK the last boss battle was certainly challenging, and those big red laser beams of insta-death seemed a little to sensitive in noticing your presence. But really, the game was never too hard to play. Guess what, Ninja Gaiden was hard, chuck your controller across the room hard, and it sold far more copies than BG&E. By today's standards BG&E seems quite simple.

It's moments like this I gotta wonder if game studio execs all live on an isolated island somewhere far removed from the people who play their games and thus any sense of reality. BG&E didn't sell well because it was MISMARKETED. Not to mention that Ubisoft was hard selling SC: Pandora Tomorrow at the same time. I mean c'mon, the only reason we are seeing a sequel is because the game's fan base has been petitioning a sequel for years! So if Yves Guillemot wants a clue ask the fans, we never said BG&E was too hard.
Rockvillian's Avatar
Rockvillian at 05/30/2008 11:11
The only thing my lady had a hard time with were the camera controls, but she's mostly a 2-D aficionado. Otherwise she had no problems with the difficulty. For me though, it was a great game with a few challenging parts (final boss) and the length was fantastic - perfect for playthroughs and reflections.

Don't do this Ubisoft. This is the equivalent of releasing a new Commander Keen game packed full of mini-games and porting it to 3D, for the kids and kids only.
UglyDuck's Avatar
UglyDuck at 05/30/2008 11:12
We (the BG&E community) discussed this. This is probably bullshit to cover up their horrible marketing job. I think it's designed for their shareholders so that it seems as though their making the most of the brand. Obviously, making a sequel to a game that sold badly is not really going to seem like a good investment of shareholder's money unless Ubisoft can justify it.

Here's the topic:
http://z6.invisionfree.com/BGE2_Revolution/index.php?showtopic=1565
(if you click that and get a password screen, it's "jade")
UglyDuck's Avatar
UglyDuck at 05/30/2008 11:15
Eh... ignore that link, it won't work.
kaz's Avatar
kaz at 05/30/2008 11:22
I sure wish the first was Backward Compatible, still got my copy :)(XBOX) Bastards will probably put it up on Xbox Originals and make me buy it again.
glenno's Avatar
glenno at 05/30/2008 11:23
BG&E was pretty "accessible" in the first place. Even without considering that the game was pretty easy, the actual game mechanics were not all that complicated.

anyway, here's a trailer:
http://www.jeuxvideo.com/videos_editeurs/0001/00016662/beyond_good_evil_2_f1q0.htm
Novakaine's Avatar
Novakaine at 05/30/2008 11:34
They're going to market the game towards the "new generation of casual gamers", but it's for PS3/360 and not Wii? lol. Oh Ubisoft.
Johnny Hundo's Avatar
Johnny Hundo at 05/30/2008 12:00
Yeah, I don't remember the game as being hard at all.. A touch challenging in that you have to break out the in-game camera and capture all of the species - and you have to kinda remember which ones you've taken pictures of before...

And I remember trying to jump over all the barriers in the sea ... dying a lot. But still, I think it was 10 hours of pure joy.

I'm excited to re-enter the world again. Regardless of what they could or should do - I'm buying a ticket to ride.

And all of you who sold your old xboxes ... HA-HA. ;)
redgopher's Avatar
redgopher at 05/30/2008 12:02
Oh jesus fucking christ.

ZOMG CASUAL GAMES ARE POPULAR!? THAT MUST MEAN REGULAR GAMES AREN'T FUN ANYMORE! QUICKZ LET'S ALIENATE ALL OUR CUSTOMERS
redgopher's Avatar
redgopher at 05/30/2008 12:03
Ubi:

My fucking wife beat BG&E before I did and she's terrified of "all the buttons." What does that fucking say to you?
Rivent's Avatar
Rivent at 05/30/2008 12:20
I didn’t even know that Beyond Good and evil had any hardcore fans but I can’t complain about the news, remember having loads of fun on the original.
TwinCross's Avatar
TwinCross at 05/30/2008 12:22
The only challenging moment of the game I can think of is one particular stealth section, where if you put one toe out of line, you were insta-killed. The rest was pretty easy. Sigh, do companies actually think about a games audience anymore? It was core gamers that bought and loved the original, it was core gamers that bugged Ubi to make a sequel, so guess who the FUCKING PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN IT ARE, UBI. Jesus Christ.
Corak's Avatar
Corak at 05/30/2008 12:27
I'm in the group of people that never played the original because I don't remember hearing anything about it. I remember seeing it on the shelf and glancing at it but never really gave it a second thought.

I don't like to hear people talking about making a game "more accessible" because it implies easier. Just have different difficulty levels and it will be fine, and it'll satisfy those that want a more accessible experience and those that want a more challenging experience.
brainderailment's Avatar
brainderailment at 05/30/2008 12:36
Why don't they just add a "Really Easy" difficulty level instead of borking the entire game?
Diverse's Avatar
Diverse at 05/30/2008 13:16
"ZOMG"

stopped reading there
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 05/30/2008 13:26
Cue whiny bitches throwing a shitfit.

Yeah, I'm not judging this until I play the game. You know, like a smart, rational person would.
mmmpek's Avatar
mmmpek at 05/30/2008 13:33
im pretty sure i'll get a mad cyber-beating for this but... the reason i didnt get anywhere in the original is because the pig guy was the most annoying character everrrrr. *ducks shoes* ...replace him with jar jar and im in! ^_^
Wexx's Avatar
Wexx at 05/30/2008 14:19
What? The first game was sooo fucking easy. If you couldn't beat that with minimal help, you should probably just be killed, or thrown in a pit or something
Syn's Avatar
Syn at 05/30/2008 14:52
They're going to dumb it down for the mutants? That's just silly
ran24's Avatar
ran24 at 05/30/2008 15:00
the final boss fight with the reversed controls was pretty difficult on the PC for me, and there were one or two annoying stealth spots, but other than that it wasn't particularly difficult.
KyleGamgee's Avatar
KyleGamgee at 05/30/2008 15:08
The reason it didn't sell was because the girl on the cover didn't have GIANT TITS and she was holding a camera, not a pair of GIANT BAZOOKAS.

Such a great game though. Not very difficult.
kawitchate's Avatar
kawitchate at 05/30/2008 15:09
as long as they don't add vehicles that you build and make it 80% vehicles, 20% platforming. ;)
moot button's Avatar
moot button at 05/30/2008 15:38
the first one was hard? i remember it being like a mix of Pokemans Snap, Wipeout, and Jak, but with a girl who unironically dressed all in green and was named Jade. Also there was a piggy!
deiga-the-semivaliant's Avatar
deiga-the-semivaliant at 05/30/2008 15:56
I always thought the title of the game hurt the popularity.

'Beyond Good and Evil' sounds like a crappy 1st gen PS1 RPG.
wlodi's Avatar
wlodi at 05/30/2008 15:58
I hope they won't make it a "casual" game, especially that thew first one wasn't really that hard. Not to mention that this guy is basically saying that BGE didn't sell well, because it was too hard. What a joke! There are plenty of reasons it didn't sell well, but surely it's not the reason you said, dear Yves.
Ninjajuice's Avatar
Ninjajuice at 05/30/2008 19:09
It probably didn't sell well because it looked like a Disney game. At least that's the reason I panned it. Honestly, if Ubi wants people to buy this, maybe they should begin with telling us what the fuck it is.
Wedge's Avatar
Wedge at 05/30/2008 23:31
The game was stupid easy, including the last boss. I'm not sure how you can make it "easier".

To be honest though, I don't really give a shit if they have a decent plot this time.
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