Beyond Good & Evil

The critics loved this game and so I thought I would buy it. In the end it was a rather good and original game. The only two problems I have with it is the fact it is too short and the ending is a bit lacking. The rest of the game is rather fun though and rather easy to pick up and varies as well. You control Jade, a gal who watches over these orphans at a lighthouse. Why are they orphans, well an alien race has come to this particular planet full of all sorts of weird aliens and is causing havoc by abducting its citizens and such. A military group is on the planet to protect it, but they seem to have issues as well. Well you must guide Jade through this planet searching for the truth and you even become a sort of photographer for a group committed to exposing the truth. So this for me was the best portion of the game as you must sneak in these facilities and take pictures. You are also awarded for taking pictures of the various alien life forms on the planet. You do some fighting, and it is rather easy to perform, but stealth also plays a key role in the game. You will also use a hovercraft to reach areas and win races and a spaceship late in the game. So there a various things to do. Still though it wraps up way to soon, and the ending doesn't really overwhelm. Still though, it is different from all the sequels and such that come massive waves.

Released in 2003, Beyond Good & Evil is one of those hidden gems that flew under the radar for many gamers back in the day but has since developed a cult following. And rightfully so.

The gameplay strikes a nice balance between exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat. You get to snap photos of wildlife for your journal (way before it became a common thing in gaming), which is surprisingly fun and adds a cool twist to the typical adventure formula. The story is engaging, with solid character development and plenty of twists to keep you hooked.

One of the standout features is the music-it's atmospheric and perfectly complements the game's various settings. The humor and dialogue are also on point, making you feel right at home with the characters.

That being said, some mechanics can feel a bit clunky, and the graphics, while distinct, show their age in 2024. But honestly, these are minor quibbles in the grand scheme of things.

I can echo all of what was said above: Great art design, great music, and above all, great story -- very rare in video games, and indeed Beyond Good and Evil's story and characters have more "meat" than most sci-fi blockbuster films.

The reasons why this game was overlooked are simple. One, the game is mis-named; the title really doesn't describe the game in any meaningful way. The second and far more important reason is that, in the U.S. anyway, this game was released during the "Christmas Rush" that plagues the gaming industry. In an effort to capitalize on holiday sales, game publishers save every game they've spent any money on and then release them all during November and December. It's inevitable that some games -- often very good ones, and especially those that are left-of-center -- are going to get lost in the shuffle.

The director of this game, Michel Ancel (also the creator of Rayman, one of my favorite VG characters), is one of video gaming's true visionaries. Any of his games are at least worth a look, and BG&E is worth more than that.

One note of hope is the fact that it has happened in the past that games that didn't do well initially have gone on to become "cult classics" and actually spawned sequels! Maybe this can happen with this great, overlooked game.

In an alternate world and time period. There was a planet called Hillys where humans, anthropomorphic animals, aliens, and robotic species co-exist with each other in one community. The whole planet is under a war against an alien race race called the DomZ. They invade the atmosphere of the planet and abduct countless civilians to drain their life forces for their own or implant spores into the victims which turns them into obedient creatures for the DomZ. A military force called the Alpha Sections has for sometime help defend the planet the planet from these extratrestials. They are praise by the public as national heroes.

The story revolves on Jade, a tomboy photographer who lost her own parents when she was young. She lives on a lighthouse island with her legal guardian Pey'j, a pig mechanic who looks after several other orphans whose parents got taken away by the DomZ. One day Jade was doing yoga right until a group a DomZ was heading for the lighthouse. She heads for the home security switch which activates the "Anti DomZ" shield. But it immediately lost power due to the electrical bill not being paid off. The group of DomZ attack the Lighthouse, and soon after the attack the Alpha Sections came in time to rescue Jade and Pey'j who were trap inside the newly made pit that was cause by the impact of the DomZ that landed there.

After the incident, Jade got a message from a magazine company that will pay her if she is able to take pictures of all the existing animals on Hillys. This was perfect for her to repay the electrical bill for the lighthouse's electricity. Eventually Jade will end up questioning on whether the Alpha Sections is truly the saviors they claim to be or not. As according to Pey'j they don't always comes in the nic of time whenever the DomZ attack. What kind of secrets is the Alpha Sections holding? This game came out in 2003, and it was one of my Christmas presents too. I got the game cause it really looked cool with the heroine being the main protagonist and containing a stealth action plot to the game. With a lot of fighting sequences, aliens, and sneaking around military territories. The game also had a rich environment to it as well.

The down side is this game didn't get the best sales as predicted. Probably because it was release in stores during the wrong time when Ubisoft release two other games that out sold more copies than it did. However the game receive a lot of good reviews on the internet from those who played it. I completely agree that this was one of the best games of 2003.

I admit that the game wasn't too long, but the story, characters, and environment is what saved the game from being bad. For years I've been defending my own opinion on how awesome this game is. If people at least give it a chance they would know what the whole big deal is about. Just cause a game had poor sales doesn't always mean the game itself is bad to play.

Also look out for the upcoming sequel that's been said to have better advertisement and long game play.

Rating a game a 10/10 is a rare thing to do. But I believe Beyond Good and Evil deserves it. The story, characters, humor, and puzzles are all perfect. I didn't get to play this game back in the day, but that was because I had never heard of it. But I'm happy to have played it now. Beyond Good and Evil reminded me a lot of some animated movies I grew up watching like, Titan A.E., and, Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Perhaps that was why I liked it so much. It's baffling at how underrated this game is considered to be. It's a classic, through and through, and should be more well known.

Overall, I highly recommend playing Beyond Good and Evil. It's truly one of the best games ever.