Beyond fucking amazing
01/08/04 by Dan Chubaty
The Game:The incredibly stylish game dealing with politics and rebellion, created by Michel Ancel, who was also responsible for bringing us the fantastic Rayman 1 and 2. My pick for game of the year.
Gameplay:&The game has you taking control of Jade, a freelance reporter who lives in the wonderful world of Hillys along side her uncle Pey’j. War and general mayhem are occurring all around the world by a mysterious alien-like race called the Domz. Not only that, but it seems the government and occupying forces (Alpha Section) is partial to covering up and controlling these events. The game starts off simply enough, with Jade taking on a job to earn some money, but soon she and everyone she knows is plunged into a world of evil and conspiracy.
One could easily mistake Beyond Good and Evil for a simple platformer or a half assed Zelda clone, but looking deeper Beyond Good and Evil is a game like no other. Never before has a game fused together so many gameplay varieties and pulled it off with as much success, style and flair as BGaE. The End result is an incredible game with the same feel as a 3-D Zelda title, yet a style and being all it’s own.
The main skill or feature Jade is granted is the ability to wield a camera. Not just a silly tool to play around with, her camera is the backbone of the game, the one instrument that can be used to capture the truth and put an end to it all. The game handles camera play quite easily it can be used to snap pictures of wildlife (cataloguing all the species on Hillys will give you money and pearls) and it is also used as a scanner of sorts. Comparable to the scan visor in Metroid Prime, it allows the player to gather sometimes-important information about the surrounding area. It is, however a lot simpler, only asking players to place the crosshairs over a target of interest, information is displayed instantly.
The combat in BgaE is another feature that feels slightly like Zelda. Jade possesses a staff as well as some incredible martial arts style moves which she uses to kick some serious ass. Targeting enemies seamless, meaning automatic for the most part. When an enemy comes into range, Jade immediately pulls out her staff and locks on to the nearest baddy. At times, especially in Multi enemy fights this can be slightly confusing, as there is no dedicated “lock on” button, but patience and understanding quickly reveals that, while simple sounding, it works quite well.
Another style of play is stealth. This one is used a lot. Jade and her sidekick are often called upon to infiltrate an enemy installation in order to photograph evidence and file a report. The missions are all about stealth, and the system here is nearly flawless.
There will be times when players will have to crouch, crawl, roll, flatten against walls and so on. The main idea is to use Jade’s arsenal of moves to avoid detection by guards and the like.
The game pulls it off brilliantly. Creating some very, very tense moments. As well as some puzzling predicaments, you’ll say, “well how do I get past these guys” only to survey the environment for a while and then proceed with amazing caution. Situations like these will draw you right into the game. Very well done.
Teamwork is also a big factor in the game. Jade is rarely alone. She usually has a companion helping her. This AI partner can be told (with the touch of a context sensitive button) to open doors, throw switches attack enemies and so on. Working in tandem is usually the way to go about solving most puzzles, such as getting help pushing a large box, or staying behind to push a switch on a timed door that would otherwise be impossible to reach in the time allotted. This adds even more variety to the game.
Hillys seems to be a place made up of a lot of water, so transportation is a must. Jade and company have their very own hovercraft which can be used to travel from location to location in style (and speed). Also, the hovercraft is capable of firing lasers; this of course, leads to some very cool vehicular combat segments. Zipping around on the water while firing madly at a huge Domz water monster is one of the greatest moments in the game. It’s a shame these moments are so few, however.
Overall, Beyond Good and Evil, as mentioned, breeds several styles of play together, and the mix is absolutely seamless. Pure greatness
Visuals:Beyond Good and Evil has an art style that is incredibly unique. Characters posses very detailed features, yet look slightly comical. And there is huge variety. Every citizen you seen in Hillys is different. Some of them are animals (such as the Pey’j who is a pig) and others are human. There is also the wildlife, which are all original, made-up beings. You’ve got to love this kind of free creativity and originality.
Visual wise, the game is absolutely gorgeous. The environments, whether they be the inside of the Akuda bar or the massive expanse of a cave, all look stunning and are drawn with complete detail and very nice texture work.
Wait until the first time you go for a rip in the hovercraft, the water looks out of this world and sports some incredible reflection effects. It made my jaw drop; the world of Hillys is truly a beautiful one. In all aspects.
Worth noting is that the game runs letterboxed (wide screen) at all times. It could be so that the graphics engine is able to display everything without stuttering. Some people have complained and said this is the only reason, and that it is overly annoying. I, however honestly feel it adds to the game more than it detracts, this, along with the fact that The game feels so absolutely cinematic at all times thanks to some clever camera work, really, really creates an experience like no other.
Audio:Beyond Good and Evil features some impressive audio in all categories.
The voice acting is very well done, every character is believable as well as unique and they all have a sort of universal sense of humor. It’s nice to be able to listen to the characters you really like without having to cringe whenever they open their mouths. More games should be like this.
The soundtrack is quite easily one of the best I’ve ever heard in a game. A lot of the music is punctuated with piano, these pieces happen to be my favourite, I feel the really create the perfect mood for the game. Almost every type of music can be heard, some feature hilarious sounding vocals and are upbeat and crazy, others are serious, scary and brooding. It’s all beautifully composed, and is just one more category that absolutely adds the overall experience the game offers.
Control:It seems since Zelda hit 3-D with perfection, most other 3-D adventure games have sort of borrowed the formula in some way or another. Beyond Good and Evil does just that. Most jumping is handled automatically, and combat has already been discussed. The A button is used as a context sensitive button, for talking, kicking doors or enemies, attacking, etc. It’s all done very sharply.
There isn’t much required in the way of equipping. Jade does gain new abilities and items, but most inventory type items are always used at the push of the X button, such as healing or turbo boosts in the hovercraft. Which item you currently have ready to use can be switched using the D-pad. This frees up the game flow a lot, not having to pause the game to equip or use a certain item is a positive, in my book.
Other controls are spot on, such as the camera which is toggled using the Z button (which also doubles as a first person “look around” mode) and the C-stick is used to move it.
Replay Value:I’ll get right to it, Beyond Good and Evil is a pretty short game. I clocked in at around 10.5 hours. Probably a bit short for an average adventure game. But this game is hardly average.
What’s here, is absolutely incredible. From beginning to end I was completely engrossed in this story of conspiracy and rebellion, it plays out like a very well directed movie, and there are rarely any slow parts. i just wished it would never end, and that there was more of it.
However, there is much to do to extend play time, such as photographing all species of animals, collecting all the pearls (88 in all) finding all upgrades and so on. These are the little side quests that aren’t required, but will no doubt make the game that much richer.
Aside from that, I can absolutely see myself playing through this game again.
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