Beyond Good & Evil

Beyond Good And Evil is about Jade and Pey'j having to come up with money to help keep the orphanage running. After their first job they stumble into a much more pressing matter which is to save planet Hillys.

The overall story is great and the mechanics to incorporate the companions works well. Each character is given a unique ability to help Jade on her journey. The background has a good beat so you will not want to turn off your volume just to enjoy the game. I certainly didn't find it bothersome in the slightest. Another plus doesn't spoon feed ways to solve the puzzles like they do today. It was a nice change to discover the mysteries on my own, instead of reading the bottom bar. Another addition that helps the overall game is being rewarded for taking pictures of the animal life in Hillys. It is a fun idea that really fits with the overall game as Jade takes pictures for evidence throughout.

The downside of this game falls mainly on combat and the camera. The combat controls are forgivable when it is one on one but when it comes to the main boss fight the inaccuracy really shows. I found myself being off slightly when I am standing right in front of the enemy. That gets frustrating against a group of bad guys. The main camera work also gets annoying during fight sequences as it doesn't rotate correctly, and I find myself having to use Jade's camera to turn myself around in battle. I also encountered the camera going behind walls so that was left in the dark during fights.

There are two more things, the Save Game option has a tendency to disappear. Always check when you start playing if you can save your game. It only occurred to me once in my play-through but it is just a word to the wise. Once you beat the game you can't go back so either obtain all the pearls before you travel, or keep an extra save.

This was an OK game but it definitely doesn't deserve the hype.

It's always the good ones that get overlooked.

This is arguably the most sublime, awe-inspiring, playable adventure of this generation of consoles. It plays like a sci-fi version of Zelda, only much more cinematic and less mention of elves. The graphics are quite simply jaw dropping, with a whole world - including the animals, the environments, the people, and space (!!!) - rendered in an utterly believable way.

The characters are the most likable bunch you could hope for. From Jade, the main character trying to uncover a vast conspiracy, to Pey'J, your friendly talking pig sidekick, through to even the most minor of characters, you build a connection with many of the different characters.

The music is absolutely stunning, with cinematic themes acting as a powerful backdrop to the game play. And some game play it is. With a wide amount of game types - platformer, action, racing, photography, puzzler, and at the end space battle - it's a game bursting with variety.

The only problem is it's length - at around 10 hours you want more. But while it lasts it's complete perfection. A game like none other awaits you. That it didn't sell enough to warrant the planned trilogy is one of the greatest shames in video game history.

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.

This is my second review on IMDb and its about this game that i have wanted to play for ages and finally have thanks to the wonders of psn that just recently gave out an HD version of Beyond good and evil.

In Beyond good and evil you play as a reporter named Jade who is investigating The alpha section. You see Jade lives on an planet called Hilleys which is under attack by aliens called the DomZ that abducted countless citizens and the Alpha section is in charge of putting a stop to all that. But they are always late to the scene of the crime and in short don't do much good. So Jade whose working for the resistance is investigating what the alpha section really is up to.

Gameplay: Beyond good and evil plays like a third person platformer more or less. Hilleys is mostly made up by small islands and a lot of water. So you use a boat to drive around to different islands where you are to complete different kinds of objectives. On foot Beyond good and evil pretty much plays like a third-person platformer. Jade jumps, uses a Caine and kung fu like moves to take out aliens, soldiers and other aggressive animals inhabiting Hilleys, the unique ingredient is the camera, which Jades uses to collect evidence on the suspicious activities surrounding the alpha section and also to photograph the animal life on Hilleys. there are also a few minigames like air hockey and so on. It all works very solid if a little stiff.

Graphic: HD version looks great and I'm guessing so did the original. with great character animations, environments, lighting and shadow effects. What I missed was the lack of facial expressions and the stiff lips. The voice actors did great job with the characters but the faces are just blank and dull to look at, this sort of ruined some key scenes for me.

Overall the game is pretty solid with good gameplay and nice characters that you follow on a nice adventure, why I am troubled as the headline says is because when I had finished the game I didn't feel anything. Many people have criticized this game for being to short but this is not the problem I believe. The problem is that when things are starting to become interesting and you're allowed to explore this planet it ends pretty fast and also the adventure that Jade goes on never seems that important and dangerous basically because it never gets hard to advance and the bosses, well you pretty much beat them on the first go. Its all very sad.

So I'm not like everyone else say that this game is underrated, I think its overrated. It had the making of greatness but alas didn't make it there, but perhaps the sequel will.