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A Classic (but short) Gaming Adventure!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: October 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

A lot of sub-par games have come out over the past few years. It can take some time to sift through the bad ones until you finally find a great title worth playing.

This, my friends, is one of those great titles.

A fun, well-written, creative action/adventure game, Beyond Good & Evil is simply one of those titles that every gamer needs to own. With an amazing stealth system, simple-yet-deep combat controls, beautiful graphics and sound (oh the sound!), and an easy-to-navigate interface, this game is nothing short of top-notch.

The only negative aspect of this game is that it's far too short. Any seasoned gamer can finish it in anywhere from 10-15 hours. The ending is abrupt, and since a sequel was never made, you might feel a bit stranded when you are done.

Despite that, however, this game is still worth the price tag. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fresh, original, and fun action/adventure title.

Beyond Good and Evil is beyond good... its great

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: October 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Ubisoft has done really good in building my consumer trust this game console generation and it is due to titles like this one. It is a brand new franchise yet it has the kind of production values in terms of graphics, voice acting, soundtrack, etc that you would expect from a well established game franchise.

This game is often compared to Zelda. The comparision is viable but not totally accurate. While Zelda is about free-roaming exploration this one has a more linear discovery. BG&E game world is much smaller than what you get in a Zelda game and it is a sci-fi alien invasion setting rather than the sword & soccery fantasy setting the Zelda games have.

In this game you a reporter that goes on different jobs to take pictures and submit the evidence of the alien activities. Expose goverment involvement and the works. The game will provide around 15-20 hrs of gametime. It is worth playing through for anybody that enjoys the Zelda games... some things are even done better (like the photography) than Zelda games but just don't expect the same size of world to explore, or the same type of combat/gameplay, or the same variety of diverse enemies and boss battles as a Zelda game.

Finished over a year ago, but I still remember it...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: May 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

It's not often that you come across a game that is so good it still ranks among your favorites over a year after you played it. But Beyond Good and Evil was such a game for me. This game had it all...fun and varying gameplay, good music, great story, and likeable characters.
You play as Jade (and as a girl gamer, I have to say it was nice to have a heroine to play as for once), who starts the game as a lowly photographer but ends up having to uncover a vast government conspiracy with the help of some comrades. There is a little bit of every type of gameplay in here -- puzzle solving, stealth, racing, hand-to-hand combat, and even a taste of Pokemon Snap!
What really blew me away was the story, which was full of surpises (and stay tuned after the final credits for one more shocker). And you really feel for the characters, I remember there was one tragic cutscene where I almost cried.
The music is catchy too. To this day I can still hum the theme to Mamago's Garage (sad, but I'm trying to make a point here)
The bottom line is, buy this game!!! You won't be sorry

Comparison of versions

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: December 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'm a big fan of this game, but most of the reviews have already done justice to its quality (let's say that if Roger Ebert played it, he would understand that games CAN be an entirely valid and socially relevant art form). What they haven't covered, at least that I've seen, is a comparison between the PS2, Xbox, GCN, and PC versions of the game. If you only have one of those platforms, then obviously, buy it for that one - but if you have a choice, which one is better?

First I tried the Xbox version in a store, but initially passed on it. When I went back again to buy it, it was gone. So I bought the PS2 version and played it through, then sold it. Today I found a brand-new copy of the GC game (yes, they ARE out there), and now I'm playing through it again. I haven't played the PC version - it is by far the most popular, which leads me to believe they know something I don't, but I don't have a system that's suitable for trying it out.

- They pretty much all look and play the same - that is, above average, with a lot of fine and unique detail, but occasionally muddy textures (still better than, say, Morrowind). There is an unevenness when turning the environment that sometimes feels like slowdown, sometimes like a framerate drop. Of the three, the Xbox version looks the cleanest, followed closely by the GCN. The PS2 has noticeably inferior texture work and more slowdown. Where the GCN version shines, in my opinion, is in the water effects, which are smooth and lovely, especially out in the open.

- Load times are roughly equal for the Xbox (which has the advantage of a hard drive) and the GCN (which has the advantage of a smaller disk). The PS2 version lags behind, but it isn't game-breaking.

- Controls are equally fluid on all three consoles, and your preference is probably going to lie with which controller you like best. For this game, I like the GCN controller layout, with its intuitive Z-control for the camera, the best of the three.

- The quality of the sound is similar for all three in the standard modes, but only the GCN version supports Dolby Surround Pro Logic II, a feature which does its part in enhancing the cinematic experience.

Of course, the biggest difference, at least currently, is the price. The PS2 and PC versions were over-produced, so they're easily obtained and dirt cheap. The Xbox and GCN versions are considerably harder to find, and the GCN version in particular is almost a collector's item. (I certainly prize my copy.) But as I said, this game is definitely out there. And if you really can't find it anywhere.. then buy it here and save yourself the hassle. BG&E is one of the standout games of the entire generation.

Cool

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 7
Date: October 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is a fun game! It gets a bit hard and complicated in places, but I still like it!

One of those hard to find games

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: October 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I don't mean by my title that this game is hard to find. More that a game as well done as this only comes around once and a while. I spent about 20 hours exploring the world of Hylis. 20 hours which seemed to be only 10-15 hours. Time passes much faster outside the little bubble of blissful ignorance that will form around you while playing this game because, frankly, the outside world will seem to fade as you almost become Jade, becoming increasingly immersed in the beautiful yet dark world of Beyond Good and Evil.

The game opens with an alien attack by creatures known as the Domz. After a simple battle, you recieve your camera and can begin exploring your small island home, which also happens to be a lighthouse. When you first get the camera, you'll recieve one of the game's main side quests: photographing all the world's animals. This quest continues throught the game and takes a bit of work to complete, although you won't regret it. It is one of the most entertaining mini-games I have ever seen, keeping you entertained durring and between misions. After you've finished photographing the animals and exploring the environment, you begin you're adventure by recieving a speedboat from your best friend and companion, Pay'j.

Before I go on to mention anything else, I should probably go into detail about the environment. Although the game's graphics are often very cartoony, the cartoon world of Hylis comes alive in the form of the teeming life you see everywhere around you. There are the small things, such as the detailed rock walls of caverns, to the way the water moves, to all the people walking out on the streets. Everything just seems so alive that it will seem almost magical. The game also has a wonderful distance engine, which allows the player to see things from a very large distance, such as a whale leaping from the water, or other boats, or even the larger details of the game's several islands.

While running around taking pictures and fighting evil is fun, it is just as much fun to cruise around on the speed boat and the rocket ship, once you get it. While there is some fighting and picture taking to be had aboard the ship, it was not quite frequent enough for me, and I had to just make due with the 3 boat race courses and the four smugglers caverns, with the occasional Domz attack.

The main collectible in this game is the pearl, and pearls are required to progress through the game, with some additional pearls added in to give you more choice as to what quests to perform to progress in the game. The games quests vary. While you will get pearls automatically for progression in the game's rich plot, you will also have to take pictures of animals, fight some hidden Domz, win boat races, defeat smugglers, infiltrate government buildings in which pearls are held, and other little quests, many involving the perchase of pearls. Also, to avoid all the annoying serching that most games have to get the last collectibles, you can buy an item that will label pearl and animal locations on your map so that you have an idea of where to look, although it won't tell you how to get them.

The puzzles in the game are very well done, and, for the most part, simple. There is one puzzle later on that is quite well done because it is hard without being contrived or ridiculously pointless or anything else that can be complained about. Other puzzles involve finding clever ways of sneaking past guards or getting over a wall. It's one of those games where solving puzzles isn't extremely difficult as long as you look for the game's hints, yet still give a very rewarding feeling after their completion.

Almost done... This game isn't exactly an action game. Like in most RPGs, you can't fall of edges into bottomless pits, although enemies can kill you. Jade will do most jumping and action oriented moves by herself, leaving you to fight monsters and solve puzzles. The controls are very responsive and should never frustrate the player, especially with the fantastic camera, which places itself in basically the best position almost automatically, although there are sometimes when it would be nice to be able to move it. This makes doing battle simple, although it's not to hard to begin with. Most enemies are slow to attack and give you plenty of time to prepare a good strategy to dealing with them.

To wrap up, I need to mention the two most surprising things about this game. First off, it had almost no bugs that I could find. I found one spot where I fell through a floor, but I can only blame myself for that one, and it was easy to avoid the spot once I knew what I did to get into it. Did I mention that there are save points EVERYWHERE, so you never have to worry about getting really far and then getting stuck having to turn it off and losing 30 minutes of playing. Also, being killed only places you back at the entrance of a room, making some of the more frustrating sneaking bits much less so. The other bug was simply a quest desription bug on Salene which described the Pay'j quest as the "escaping the Slaughterhouse" quest. Other than that, I had no problems with the game's mechanics. Another surprise in this game was the increadible music, which had a great Latin feel and really got your feet moving and sometimes your head moving from side to side.

This game's story line never lets up and keeps you on the edge of your seat right up till the fantastic final battle. There were even several spots (especially the lighthouse bit near the end), when I almost cried because of the game's extremely emotional presentation. The only irritating thing is that the game seems to have one of those 'prepare for a sequal' endings, with some little loose ends to tie up, yet I have heard no plans for one as of yet. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled, I guess.

Anyway, if you're still reading this (I didn't realize I had this much to say about BG&E, sorry), this game goes beyond good and bad and reaches a level which few games attain of utter perfection. Every little thing in this game is thrown at you in just the right amount to entertain you, yet keep you begging for more. If you can find this game used, it makes a great addition to anyone's collection, but even new it's still a great deal for a great game.

Short but sweet

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Like most reviews, I'm going to have to say this game was short but good. The style and originality of this game makes up for its short storyline.

The Characters - excellent detail on the characters and a wide range of different species, Jade, the woman you control is a human but most of the other characters are animals such as Pey'J the Pig.

The Storyline - though short, this is a very original and creative game. Basically, Jade and Pey'J are in the middle of a war against the so-called heros The Alpha Sections and the Domz. But the twist is the Alpha Sections are actually with the Domz and the Iris is the good team, who get Jade on their side. Jade must save the victims before it's too late.

The Graphics - amazing design and beautiful landscape. It may seem quite simple but it's actually quite brilliant. The water seems lifelike and the crystals and such as "pretty".

The Gameplay - Smooth moving. Jade jumps, runs and walks with ease. Very easy to get used to but you can get frustrated at times when you want Pey'J to do something and he's not coming, etc.

The Enemies - Pretty simple, until the final battle. The final battle shows you, Jade, fighting against some strange being. At first it's not too hard but after the controls get reversed, it's actually quite hard. Make sure you have lots of food to refill your health!

Overall - this game is great, I only rented it and I beat it within days but it's still good. I would consider buying it if I found it at a cheap price just so I could play over and over again. The downside is if you save while on the moon, you will never get to go back. I would suggest saving though because most likely you will die somewhere on the moon and then you'll have to redo the whole thing. Make sure you've done everything you've wanted to do before going to the moon. Have fun!

What a fantastic sleeper!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Wow, so little fanfare for such an excellent game. Gorgeous from start to finish, excellent movement and large worlds fully explorable. Characters are charming, funny, too bad we only get limited voice interactions. Beautiful and believable environments, visually on a par with Halo, if not better. Races are addictively fun, if not a little too easy, interesting plotting and pacing. This is a ten out of ten, should absolutely have been game of the year!

This is a beautiful game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

You are Jade, a young female photographer-for-hire who, along with her humanoid pig uncle, Pey'j, run a lighthouse on the planet Hillys. Hillys, protected by a squadron called the Alpha Sections, is at war with an alien race known as the DomZ. However, an underground rebel organization known as the IRIS Network claims that the Alphas are secretly in cahoots with the Domz. IRIS is an underground news network, informing the people via a newsletter that attempts to expose the link between Hillys' protectors and the alien menace. This is where Jade comes in. You'll hook up with IRIS and spend the bulk of the game infiltrating Alpha strongholds and taking pictures of incriminating evidence. You'll also be working for a science agency, taking pictures of various animal life, for which you will be paid hansomely.

Money in the game is distributed as credit or in pearls. You will need these things in order to purchase the necessary tools to accomplish your missions.

The attack system is pretty simple. Jade has a staff that she can use to deliver a set of swift blows. It's a three-hit combo system, much like Starfox's. She also has some sort of telekenetic power that allows her to dish out a colorful explosion of particles at her enemies.

The music is excellent and unique. You will laugh at the hillarity of Mammago's, the auto shop where Jade will need to buy several parts to her vehicles. Even the music in Akuda's Bar will have you feeling as though you really are in a bar on some fantasy world.

There are several mini-games in this game. For one, if you go down the wrong path, you'll find yourself being held up by looters. You'll have to chase them down and catch them, if you want your money back as well as a way out of the trap. The second game is a race. There are 4 of them. Most of these are basically just another way to earn a pearl, if you're good enough to place Number 1. Another game involves playing some sort of ball game on a table. Then there's the shady man with the three walnuts. He hides something in one and then shuffles them around until he asks you to choose.

The fourth game is some sort of Star Wars type assault on the DomZ base. At first it will be you and your two buddies in a ship against an army of fighter pilots, but soon the sky will fill with fighter pilots from the IRIS Network.

The graphics are superb. I can't remember ever having to complain about any animation in this game. It all looks wonderful.

The story itself is magnificent. You will be totally into the happenings of Hilly's as you strive to get to the bottom of the conspiracy. All of the supporting characters make you feel as though you truly are part of their world. This is how a game should make you feel.

Beyond Good & Evil deserves an award for the oustanding storytelling, musical score, graphics, and sheer intelligent gameplay.

Spoiler Note: There is a chase sequence in the game that is absolutely fantastic. It happens right after you sneak past the guards on the rooftops in the pedestrian area. The dipping and dodging, while explosions are going off all around you, coupled with a suprising slow-mo scene will have you at the edge of your seat!

My personal pick for Game of the Year

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

It's difficult to describe exactly what this game is about in a short review, and the marketing taglines don't really do it justice, either. All I can say is that this game came out of nowhere and captured my heart and imagination like no other game ever has. I have been playing video games since the days of the original NES, and this game has had more of an impact on me emotionally than any other.

The major strength of Beyond Good and Evil is in its story. The setting has a homely feel, the characters are fun and interesting, and the struggle has a genuine anxiety about it. It's worth it to purchase this game just for the story.

The story, however, is not the only good aspect of it. It features a nice blend of differing gameplay styles, from sneaking past guards to hovercraft races to tabletop games in a tavern and everything in between. And it isn't just hacked together, it flows seemlessly, and it all has a place in the aforementioned top-notch story. My impression is that the developers created the story first and then built a game around it rather than the other way around, which is the way most games are done.

It is a bit on the easy side, but to me this is a good thing. This means that this game can be approached by all sorts of different people, even people that don't consider themselves gamers at all, not just long-time gamers such as myself. This is a great game to get if you have never played a game from start to finish, and at the same time the story makes it worth it for those that have no trouble with even the most challenging of video games. It really is an interactive movie of top-quality storytelling. From the opening sequence when Jade's home falls under attack to the ending when the full extent and nature of the conspiracy is finally revealed, the plot will have you glued to your console or PC until you finish, and you'll still be wanting more.

I'm still hoping for a sequel, though poor sales may prevent one from ever being released. But trust me, once you play this game, you'll care about Jade and what happens to her as much as I do.

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