Beyond Good & Evil™

This game does not deserve its cult fame. The story line makes no sense; the characters can't even decide on the protagonist's name (Jade, Shawnee, etc.). She's also a photographer who lives in a tree with her mechanic uncle who's a pig.... I don't get it. That leaves game play. It seems like they never really settled on a genre for this game; the result is a mishmash of mechanics, none of which feels particularly compelling. You take photos of creatures, fight enemies, play gambling minigames, race hovercraft and stealth around enemies. It sounds cool, but the game is heavily modal and you are only doing one of these things at a time. If you're in a stealth section, you can't choose to fight, race, etc. You fail the level if you get seen. So you are forced to in essence play a bunch of poorly thought out and disjointed sequences where the controls are completely different from what you have played so far. Gross. There is nothing to recommend this game - the music is bad, the tone of the game is cartoonish nonsense (eventhough the plot of the game is ostensibly serious, the controls are awkward, the walking isn't polished. It's an extremely linear game, there are shops and mini games you can play in the cities which are meant to give the illusion of choice, but it turns out that they are all required in order to complete the mission. The last boss fight is a ridiculous homage to metal gear solid - ooo! backwards controls! And the ending of the story is equally unsatisfying.

As seen from the title this is a completly subjective review but this doesn't change the fact that Ubisoft Montpellier presents us here a most outstanding and beautiful action-adventure ever developed. There are many apsects that make this one of my favourite games and I would like them to present them here along a short introduction to the story and a focus on some of the technical aspects. The game is basically about a woman, a reporter, the main protagonist Jade, and her stepfather Pey'j, actually a walking, talking pig. The story begins with an attack of the enemy on the planet and its inhabitants during which Jade and Pey'j become victims. It's very hard not to spoil too much, mostly because it's been a while since I played this wonderful game. One of the best aspects in my opinion is the atmosphere. I am not only talking about the setting or the story, or the music, which is great aswell. One of the best aspects of that atmosphere is the main protagonist, the character you play. It seems that most games try to appeal mostly to a male audience by attracting the attention of the player to the sexual characteristic of a woman by, let's say, enlarging it or just by making the female characters slutty in their appearance. Beyond Good & Evil does neither. Beyond Good & Evil does not need either. The protagonist is beautiful enough and, on top of that, has a clouded characters/past. The graphics are, I will not lie, a bit outdated, but it doesn't do the game any harm. The graphics are lovely enough for it not to be too bothersome. It's still a nice view, especially the blue, wide open sea and the town, the view from the lighthouse etc. You can just stand there and enjoy it. Just like the RPG Gothic. The music - orchestral! Just wonderful. I cannot go much into detail but the overall soundtrack is very nice to listen to and it really fits the game. The composer has done a really good job on that one. I think the controls may be the only negative point here. It needs some getting used to but once you're in there it's great. No problems at all. That's pretty much it. A short review but I am too tired to write more and haven't played the game in a long time (not because I don't want to, it's the time.)

This game manages to mix good action, wonderful visuals, a lovely soundtrack and a good story and humour worthy of any of the old Lucas Art classics. I am going to enjoy revisiting it!

This is a colorful, fun game with a nice storyline.

I had this game for the Game Cube, talk about an awesome game! Seriously, it has it all. At this price the game is a steal. Do yourself a favor and get it now!