Beyond Good & Evil
Posted January 19, 2004
In just over a year, Ubi Soft has turned into one of the better development studios out there, with the Tom Clancy series of games and now with Beyond Good & Evil, one of the most enjoyable games I have played in a long time. A game that seemed to have slipped under the radar of the gaming population, perhaps due to the female protagonist, or the tale of government conspiracy which in this day and age isn’t taken lightly. BG&E combines all of the great aspects of games and movie making into one smooth package; You get your story of the unsuspecting heroine taking on a task much larger in scope than what is originally thought, an amazing story that actually drives the game forward instead of creating a somewhat dull plot, characters who you care deeply about, and beautiful cinematic gameplay and story driven scenes to pull you deeper into the world of our heroine, Jade.
Gameplay:
BG&E borrows heavily from several popular games, including the exploration aspect of the Zelda series and the stealth action of the Metal Gear Solid series, without the two of the most annoying features: the ridiculous collection questsof Zelda and the even more ridiculous cinematics that plagued Metal Gear Solid 2. The action takes place from a third person perspective which is common to both of the influential games mentioned above, and not once did I get frustrated at the angle presented to me.
As all advertisements for BG&E proudly show, a camera is essential to the game, for plot development as well as scanning a room for items or clues as to what to do next. This borrows from Metroid Prime, but the scanning here is done with speed and items that are scanned are easy to recognize, even from a distance. The camera may show you things like a fuse box which just happens to be missing a vital part, or it might show a cable that delivers power to one portion of a level and not the other, how to interpret the not-so-subtle clues the camera gives you is for you to decide, but it is quite straightforward.
The other reason you carry a camera is twofold; one to document and categorize each animal in the world of Hillys for which you receive a healthy bonus, as well you are to use your camera to document the wrong doings of your government and its army, The Alpha Section, and its alliance with the alien beings, the DomZ. When you first have your camera in hand, its zoom lens is quite weak, and after snapping eight photos of unique animals, you are rewarded with a more powerful zoom, and each subsequent roll of film you snap, you are given a pearl, the black market currency traded on Hillys.
The main trading post for the pearls that you can collect throughout the game is a garage which is used to upgrade your main mode of transportation in the game. The owners of this garage are an eclectic group of seemingly Jamaican Rhinos, with reggae music and the bright orange and reds in full abundance in the garage.
Unlike the majority of the games out these days, the characters in BG&E are so well written that you will actually feel emotion when playing. Pey’j, Jade’s boar uncle(!?) is one character who you will grow fond of, not only for his witty banter with Jade, but also for his deep care and love for Jade. This is tough to admit, but I was very close to tears at one point in the game after an item was given to me by Pey’j; this even beats Aeris’ death in FFVII as most touching moment in a game for me.
When combining a vast amount of different gameplay types, it is easy to slack off and not put enough effort into each different type, Haven: Call of the King comes to mind as too many ideas poorly executed. Luckily BG&E doesn’t fall victim to the too much, too soon curse. Each element of the game is executed very well; from the platform areas to the racing, everything feels right.
Your main mode of transportation is a hovercraft which handles very well in its few modes of play; moving from location to location, racing for cash or chasing looters. The craft is upgradeable with weapons as well as other items such as jump packs, which let you leap over barriers which block your path early in the game. Late in the story, you are granted access to a flying ship, which is an experimental craft created by Pey’j.
The game styles are mixed quite nicely here to prevent you from becoming bored with one aspect, such as the painful sailing in Zelda: The Wind Waker. Some sections will have you exploring areas filled with strange animals that you can photograph, then the next section will have you trying to recover 100 credits that a looter stole from you when you entered a cave, and a great chase involving your hovercraft ensues. One of the more memorable moments in the game for me came when I was thieving pearls from an Alpha Section’s hideout and was spotted. The chase sequence which followed was as good if not better than some I have seen in the latest Hollywood blockbusters, presented with your character running towards the camera for the entire section. Sadly, this moment was over in about one minute, but it was one minute of gaming bliss.
The only real downside to this masterpiece of a game could be the length. With a story as involved and deep as the conspiracy theories presented in this game, it’s easy to expect an epic game, but we are presented with probably the best ten to twelve hours of gameplay in recent memory.
Graphics:
When someone says that graphics don’t make a good game they are right, but great graphics can propel an already excellent game into even better territory. The mood of the game is set by the graphics, from the light and airy feeling that the island of Hillys portrays to the dark and dingy look and feel of the Slaughterhouse, a section of the game where you spend a lot of your time.
Character models are finely defined in this game, whether it’s the human you play, the Walrus man you play a variation of air hockey against in the pub, or your sidekick Pey’j, attention to detail makes this game a very pretty one. Across all three consoles and even the PC, the graphics are essentially the same but do not fall prey to that “lowest common denominator” effect that many cross-platform games suffer from.
When meeting the first boss I was amazed at the smoothness of its skin. The boss looks like a cross between a clownfish and a giant snake. It writhes through the air with grace, and no seams are present in its skin, giving the illusion of a living entity.
Audio:
With a great story propelling this game, it would only be appropriate to have great voice acting, and thankfully the acting in this game is nothing short of spectacular. Each character has his/her own sound and emotion, from the robotic sounding Alpha Section zealots to the down home sounding Pey’j, each and every character was voiced extremely well. The actors were given a great set of lines to work with, which also created a realistic atmosphere in BG&E.
Aside from the voice acting, the music fit the game as well. The slower paced stealth missions had softer music which changed in intensity when the action onscreen changed, to the highly energetic action of the chases and boss battles, the music fits the game to perfection.
Conclusion:
What can be said about this game that hasn’t already been said? From the moment I popped it into the tray I was impressed. Each section of this game was crafted with just the right touch, and each piece fit into such a well put together game that I find it sad to hear that it is so underrated. While the majority of reviews for the game are glowing (this one is no exception) a large majority of gamers will or have already overlooked it.
While the story is a driving force in the game, it might turn some off and be a little too political for the younger set. It’s a tale of corruption that might seem a little heavy for a video game, but ultimately fits this game wonderfully.
The only recommendation I can give with this game is to head out and buy it. It is such a refreshing change of pace from the rest of the games that are coming out with their cookie cutter stories and lack of depth and character development. Normally a feeling of sadness for leaving characters only happens when finishing really good books or movies, and rarely happens in video games; but when the credits rolled for BG&E, I was sad that this might be the only time I had with them. We need to support fresh ideas such as this game in order for them to be made, because without them, we are stuck with the latest outing of Crash and Lara games, which recycle old ideas and don’t improve on much.
Gameplay:
BG&E borrows heavily from several popular games, including the exploration aspect of the Zelda series and the stealth action of the Metal Gear Solid series, without the two of the most annoying features: the ridiculous collection questsof Zelda and the even more ridiculous cinematics that plagued Metal Gear Solid 2. The action takes place from a third person perspective which is common to both of the influential games mentioned above, and not once did I get frustrated at the angle presented to me.
As all advertisements for BG&E proudly show, a camera is essential to the game, for plot development as well as scanning a room for items or clues as to what to do next. This borrows from Metroid Prime, but the scanning here is done with speed and items that are scanned are easy to recognize, even from a distance. The camera may show you things like a fuse box which just happens to be missing a vital part, or it might show a cable that delivers power to one portion of a level and not the other, how to interpret the not-so-subtle clues the camera gives you is for you to decide, but it is quite straightforward.
The other reason you carry a camera is twofold; one to document and categorize each animal in the world of Hillys for which you receive a healthy bonus, as well you are to use your camera to document the wrong doings of your government and its army, The Alpha Section, and its alliance with the alien beings, the DomZ. When you first have your camera in hand, its zoom lens is quite weak, and after snapping eight photos of unique animals, you are rewarded with a more powerful zoom, and each subsequent roll of film you snap, you are given a pearl, the black market currency traded on Hillys.
The main trading post for the pearls that you can collect throughout the game is a garage which is used to upgrade your main mode of transportation in the game. The owners of this garage are an eclectic group of seemingly Jamaican Rhinos, with reggae music and the bright orange and reds in full abundance in the garage.
Unlike the majority of the games out these days, the characters in BG&E are so well written that you will actually feel emotion when playing. Pey’j, Jade’s boar uncle(!?) is one character who you will grow fond of, not only for his witty banter with Jade, but also for his deep care and love for Jade. This is tough to admit, but I was very close to tears at one point in the game after an item was given to me by Pey’j; this even beats Aeris’ death in FFVII as most touching moment in a game for me.
When combining a vast amount of different gameplay types, it is easy to slack off and not put enough effort into each different type, Haven: Call of the King comes to mind as too many ideas poorly executed. Luckily BG&E doesn’t fall victim to the too much, too soon curse. Each element of the game is executed very well; from the platform areas to the racing, everything feels right.
Your main mode of transportation is a hovercraft which handles very well in its few modes of play; moving from location to location, racing for cash or chasing looters. The craft is upgradeable with weapons as well as other items such as jump packs, which let you leap over barriers which block your path early in the game. Late in the story, you are granted access to a flying ship, which is an experimental craft created by Pey’j.
The game styles are mixed quite nicely here to prevent you from becoming bored with one aspect, such as the painful sailing in Zelda: The Wind Waker. Some sections will have you exploring areas filled with strange animals that you can photograph, then the next section will have you trying to recover 100 credits that a looter stole from you when you entered a cave, and a great chase involving your hovercraft ensues. One of the more memorable moments in the game for me came when I was thieving pearls from an Alpha Section’s hideout and was spotted. The chase sequence which followed was as good if not better than some I have seen in the latest Hollywood blockbusters, presented with your character running towards the camera for the entire section. Sadly, this moment was over in about one minute, but it was one minute of gaming bliss.
The only real downside to this masterpiece of a game could be the length. With a story as involved and deep as the conspiracy theories presented in this game, it’s easy to expect an epic game, but we are presented with probably the best ten to twelve hours of gameplay in recent memory.
Graphics:
When someone says that graphics don’t make a good game they are right, but great graphics can propel an already excellent game into even better territory. The mood of the game is set by the graphics, from the light and airy feeling that the island of Hillys portrays to the dark and dingy look and feel of the Slaughterhouse, a section of the game where you spend a lot of your time.
Character models are finely defined in this game, whether it’s the human you play, the Walrus man you play a variation of air hockey against in the pub, or your sidekick Pey’j, attention to detail makes this game a very pretty one. Across all three consoles and even the PC, the graphics are essentially the same but do not fall prey to that “lowest common denominator” effect that many cross-platform games suffer from.
When meeting the first boss I was amazed at the smoothness of its skin. The boss looks like a cross between a clownfish and a giant snake. It writhes through the air with grace, and no seams are present in its skin, giving the illusion of a living entity.
Audio:
With a great story propelling this game, it would only be appropriate to have great voice acting, and thankfully the acting in this game is nothing short of spectacular. Each character has his/her own sound and emotion, from the robotic sounding Alpha Section zealots to the down home sounding Pey’j, each and every character was voiced extremely well. The actors were given a great set of lines to work with, which also created a realistic atmosphere in BG&E.
Aside from the voice acting, the music fit the game as well. The slower paced stealth missions had softer music which changed in intensity when the action onscreen changed, to the highly energetic action of the chases and boss battles, the music fits the game to perfection.
Conclusion:
What can be said about this game that hasn’t already been said? From the moment I popped it into the tray I was impressed. Each section of this game was crafted with just the right touch, and each piece fit into such a well put together game that I find it sad to hear that it is so underrated. While the majority of reviews for the game are glowing (this one is no exception) a large majority of gamers will or have already overlooked it.
While the story is a driving force in the game, it might turn some off and be a little too political for the younger set. It’s a tale of corruption that might seem a little heavy for a video game, but ultimately fits this game wonderfully.
The only recommendation I can give with this game is to head out and buy it. It is such a refreshing change of pace from the rest of the games that are coming out with their cookie cutter stories and lack of depth and character development. Normally a feeling of sadness for leaving characters only happens when finishing really good books or movies, and rarely happens in video games; but when the credits rolled for BG&E, I was sad that this might be the only time I had with them. We need to support fresh ideas such as this game in order for them to be made, because without them, we are stuck with the latest outing of Crash and Lara games, which recycle old ideas and don’t improve on much.