Ubisoft: BG&E HD PS3 "later this year"

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 2 March, 2011

Xbox 360 version out now.

Ubisoft's high definition revamp of cult classic Beyond Good & Evil launches as a downloadable Xbox Live Arcade game today.

But what about the PlayStation 3 version?

All Ubisoft would say of the PlayStation Network download this morning is that it will be available "later this year".

On Xbox Live Arcade the game costs 800 Microsoft Points (£6.85) and weighs in at 1.68 GB (queue it up from the Xbox Marketplace).

As a part of Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade House Party season promotion, BG&E is a timed Xbox 360 exclusive.

It follows similar timed exclusivity deals seen for other games, including Square Enix's superb Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.

Last week Ubisoft's Wang Xu told Eurogamer the publisher is pulling out all the stops to make sure BG&E HD is done right.

"From the beginning expectations were set very high: this would not be a quick and dirty port to make a quick buck, but instead a polished HD overhaul that would do justice to the greatness of the original, no matter how much time and resources would be needed.

"And it was great to see the entire group mobilised to ensure the IP finally starts to get the consideration it deserves."

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (63) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • andywilkie35 #1 1 year ago

    Oh cuntburgers, I wanted this today :(

    Shall have to buy a replacement xbox, preferably one that doesn't break down AGAIN

  • Triggerhappytel #2 1 year ago

    The least they could do is clarify if this is the standard 30 day exclusive, or if we PS3 owners will have to wait longer. Frankly, if they cannot commit to a release date then I cannot commit to a purchase. Your loss, Ubi.

  • geeza2020 #3 1 year ago

    I know its just an HD re-vamp, but any chance of a review EG?

  • NimbusTLD #4 1 year ago

    Instabuy.

  • NewbieZilla #5 1 year ago

    I turned on the 360 a few minutes ago and didn't see it. Will get it now.

  • LHH #6 1 year ago

    insta buy for me, queuing the download now :)

  • Murton #7 1 year ago

    And Ubi were doing so well too. I'm not a big fan of timed exclusives, all it does it fragments the fanbase. And it's especially annoying for people like me who didn't play the original and was looking forward to this release to see what the noise was about, but alas, my console is the wrong colour so I have to wait an undisclosed amount of time and likely pay an increased price for the privilege.

    Oh well, there's no shortage of great games coming to PSN in the next two months, between Rochard and Amy I'm sure I'll be more than capable of keeping myself busy. Leave it much longer and I'll be too busy with Brink, DNF, War in the North, Dungeon Siege 3, Deus Ex 3, Skyrim, Battlefield 3 etc etc and then this won't even get a look in, nice move Ubi.

  • menage #8 1 year ago

    Yeah, tell us the freaking when.

    I own an xbox, but I'm a trophy whore as well.

  • sfp_noodle #9 1 year ago

    Hmm would have preffered the PS3 version simply because that's how I remember playing it. Will feel weird with the 360 pad but the game is so good I do't care. I already have it on the PS2, but it maxes out at 480p. I thought I'd be able to resist the urge to buy it but I am weak :(

    *throws 800 points at MS*

    BG&EHDFTW!!!!

  • Weezer #10 1 year ago

    When it's downloaded, can someone post their opinion? I had it on the Xbox, but never got very far with with it - can't remember why. Maybe because I was addicted to Splinter Cell and Project Gotham. This sounds like a sweet deal for £8.

  • DonnieDarko333 #11 1 year ago

    Downloading now! :)

    Might buy that expensive theme too to Celebrate!

  • vibroguy #12 1 year ago

    downloaded and played for an hour, just as good as I remember and looks gorgeous

  • Dr-Freudstein #13 1 year ago

    i was going to buy this to relive the memories from the old xbox version but at 1.6gig.. no.. my my hard drive wont take that :(

  • GamesConnoisseur #14 1 year ago

    Had this on xbox

    INSTA BUY!

    Can't wait to get downloading outta way and play the deliciously underrated game (by public not reviewers)

  • telboy007 #15 1 year ago

    Off to go buy it now... bought and queued. :)
    Edited by telboy007 at 02/03/11 @ 12:20

  • Weezer #16 1 year ago

    So does it look like an Xbox game ressed up, or does it look like a 360 game?

  • NotSoSlim #17 1 year ago

    Could at least state which month as its probably finished

  • Darren #18 1 year ago

    Ooooooo, that's a nice surprise... didn't realise it was out now. Will be downloading the 360 version later on then. :)

  • Yuroko #19 1 year ago

    Oh nice. I'll get this on the DL after work. Loved it on Gamecube but never finished it due to Gamecube's disc drive breaking. Which incidentally is the only Nintendo console I've owned that's ever broke. Even my N64 worked after I spilt a pint of orange juice over it.

  • evild_edd #20 1 year ago

    File size is a little bigger than I'd hoped, will have to free-up some space. Might just wait till I've finished the Crysis 2 demo then that'll give me the room :0)

  • kangarootoo #21 1 year ago

    @Murton

    How about you just pretend its not out yet for any platform.

    You will find the effect is EXACTLY the same, as if it were not out yet for the platform on which you want to play it, only you don't feel pointlessly angry.

    You see, nothing is being taken away from you. All we have here is another example of someone getting upset because of what someone ELSE is getting. My unsolicited advice is just to get stop worrying about that kind of shit.

  • supermaniacs #22 1 year ago

    Beyond Good & Evil HD is out now on PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Got a news tip? Email news@eurogamer.net.

    Really ??

  • Darren #23 1 year ago

    I recall the Xbox original being 4:3 only but it ran letterboxed, i.e. with top and bottom borders to give a widescreen effect. Even on a widescreen TV though the game didn't display full-screen (although apparently the PC version did) so I'm hoping this HD makeover will at last allow the game to run in anamorphic widescreen and use the fullscreen.

    Can anyone who has it already please confirm this (not that it really matters as I've already bought it and added it to my download queue)?

  • JayScott #24 1 year ago

    Doesn't seem to have appeared on the Australian Marketplace yet. :(

  • JayScott #25 1 year ago

    ...And there it is. :)

  • orangpelupa #26 1 year ago

    EG: "Ubisoft: BG&E HD PS3 "later this year" "
    EG: "Beyond Good & Evil HD is out now on PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Got a news tip? Email news@eurogamer.net."

    these automated footnote seems need to be reworked and put some logic / pre-defined AI in it....

  • RodHull #27 1 year ago

    Hopefully this will sell like the proverbials, I'm gagging for a follow up to this.

  • JayScott #28 1 year ago

    Cheers M1chl - as soon as I posted it wasn't there it appeared so I'm downloading (very SLOWLY! :( only 2%!!) now. Thanks anyway!

  • DreadedWalrus #29 1 year ago

    On Xbox Live Arcade the game costs 800 Microsoft Points (£6.85)

    I find it fascinating how a tweaked HD release of a PS2 game like this costs less than PS1 ports like <a href=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-03-01-legacy-of-kain-soul-reaver-hits-psn>Soul Reaver</a>...

  • captainCandy #30 1 year ago

    No thanks. This game sucks on so many levels.

  • MaoZedong #31 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 09:40:08 17-12-2011

  • captainCandy #32 1 year ago

    Bah

  • bf #33 1 year ago

    It looks nice but very much like the original and having played it mostly on PC I fail to see what the HD hoot is all about. Seems to me they could have made the old game compatible with the 360 and that would be it.
    I'll still get it because it's BG&E but better water and effects and so on would have been nice. Right now I can't help feeling that all UBI is doing is making the game available to a new audience, which is a good thing, but with minimum effort and without much reward for those of us that have kept the game alive since 2003.
    I'm also curious as to what made UBI decide on version for the current platforms, my gut tells me that the sales on sites like GOG helped the decision.

  • metallicorphan #34 1 year ago

    been playing it for an hour or two,it looks a lot better than i was expecting it to be from what i remember,i know its been put in HD,but still surprised

    sometimes when games don't appear in the arcade section on the marketplace they are usually in the A-Z part,that's where i got it from

  • TonyHarrison #35 1 year ago

    I bet the PS3 version will be more expensive when it finally turns up as well. They like that £7.99 price point...

  • chubster2010 #36 1 year ago

    Re the PS3 delay
    What a load of balls.

  • orangpelupa #37 1 year ago

    btw how does this HD remake compare visually with the PC version run in 1920x1080?

  • Beano #38 1 year ago

    These minor timed "exclusives" are bullocks - no matter if it's MS or Sony "exclusive". They will not cause a platform holder to sell more consoles or games - it will only annoy owners of another console.
    I own a 360 but prefer to play this on my PS3 and can easily wait 1-2 months - march is a busy month anyway with many great releases.

  • Murton #39 1 year ago

    "How about you just pretend its not out yet for any platform."

    True enough, but it's the principle. On this game it doesn't really matter, I can wait or simply not bother as I never played the original I'm not really missing out. It's just a trend that annoys me and I'm sure I'm not alone in that. But yeah, whatever, the industry wants to fragment their userbase with different release dates and price points then we should support them right?

    All the delay means is that it will likely release when people are busy with the plethora of other games coming out this year. This week it would have been a nice impulse buy, but once the other releases start rolling in people's money will be otherwise spoken for and it's Ubi that loses out. All I can say is, Ubi had better not complain about low sales figures after torpedoing their own release, they have only themselves to blame.

  • Schmove #40 1 year ago

    Had a quick go, seems alright, but if you prefer your camera inverted then you have to have both the X and Y axis inverted, which I found a pain.

  • kangarootoo #41 1 year ago

    @Beano

    "They will not cause a platform holder to sell more consoles or games"

    Well thats clearly not true.

    If you have both a 360 and a PS3, and you don't want to wait, you will buy on 360. That is extra sale for MS.


    In fact, if such practices DON'T lead to more sales, and in fact result in nothing more than annoyance as you suggest.... why on eath do MS spend so much cash on such things?

    Do you not perhaps think that a company as successful as MS might do sliiiiightly more research on the subject than your good self before laying down countless thousands?

    The thing is, just because we don't LIKE something, doesn't mean we should then state it to be untrue out of blind optimism. That just makes us look silly. Lots of really annoying stuff is perfectly true (myself being a case in point, hehe).

  • photoboy #42 1 year ago

    Timed exclusive or convenient excuse for not finishing the PS3 version on schedule?

  • Beano #43 1 year ago

    "If you have both a 360 and a PS3, and you don't want to wait, you will buy on 360. That is extra sale for MS."

    I doesn't change anything for me - and don't know anyone personally who are affected by it since it still coming soon (my guess is 1-2 months like usual).
    A minor delay like this only cause a minor shift - hardly worth the money for Sony/MS. I quess that's more PR value than actual sales of the specific title.

    "The thing is, just because we don't LIKE something, doesn't mean we should then state it to be untrue out of blind optimism."

    True - and that goes both ways, mate.
    Edited by Beano at 02/03/11 @ 13:41

  • Lee_Morris #44 1 year ago

    Expand the brand by constricting the potential audience. Your on to a winning formula Ubisoft

  • vyseofhr #45 1 year ago

    "Run to the Hillys!"

  • kangarootoo #46 1 year ago

    @Murton

    "the industry wants to fragment their userbase with different release dates and price points"

    But what does that mean? What is "the industry"? You talk as if it is one entity, that has a personal agenda. Nothing of the sort exists.

    We talk about fragmenting the userbase, but again, what does that mean? MS releasing the XBox "fragmented the userbase". Sony releasing the Playstation 1 "fragmented the userbase". If a new company wants to sell its product to customers, it HAS to fragment the userbase to get market share.

    What are we suggesting - that MS stop selling games, because to do so fragments the userbase and that is bad? Some of us might like that, but there is clearly no reason for MS to want to do that. If there was only one compant making games, that had a total monopoly of gaming, the userbase certainly wouldn't be fragmented, but would that serve us as gamers?

  • kangarootoo #47 1 year ago

    @Beano

    "True - and that goes both ways, mate"

    What part of anything I've written strikes you as optimistic? I'm just calling it as I see it.

    I deduce that platform exclusives make money, and I cite evidence for this (such as the fact that MS keep doing it). What evidence do you have that it doens't increase profits? It MAY annoy a minority of people, but the two are not mutually exclusive.

    Edit: if its any consolation, I would have preferred to get this on PS3, but I can't unless I wait... and I don't want to wait. I'm in the same boat. But I'm not going to let that turn me into the platform exclusivity version of the flat earth society.
    Edited by kangarootoo at 02/03/11 @ 14:16

  • Lee_Morris #48 1 year ago

    @ying ying I have a 360 you plonker. I'm on about the fact that Beyond Good and Evil HD probably needs to sell well before Ubi will put some major cash behind GBaE 2. These types of moves alienate segments of the audience and I want to BGaE 2. That's why this move annoys me.

  • Murton #49 1 year ago

    kangarootoo: I'm not sure if you're misunderstanding me or deliberately trying to confuse the issue to look smart.

    Ubisoft, as a third part publisher has the ability to sell on both platforms, by not exercising that ability they've fragmented their own fanbase and the fanbase of the franchise they're working here, what's hard to understand about that? By choosing not to sell the game on PS3 they risk lower sales on that platform therefore lower sales overall. They've said it's a timed exclusive so yes, we will have the option to buy later, but with so many other great games on the horizon the chances are good that some of us will forget/simply not bother when it finally comes to our store. That's what we're driving at here, alienating and fragmenting the fanbase of their game they've taken a risk on lower sales, lower sales means less revenue attached to this franchise and that means that fans of the game won't get their sequel.

    Nobody mentioned MS or Sony so I don't know why you brought them up, this about Ubisoft and their short sighted business decisions.

  • CrunchinJelly #50 1 year ago

    So many bitter tears over an up-ressed 8 year old game.

  • ubergine #51 1 year ago

    Someone else mentioned it, but they've blown the camera by making it impossible to set x and y axis separately

    I have a fucking headache from it. Instant patch required!

  • tancredo #52 1 year ago

    I guess nobody is thinking that:
    * MS investment in a part time excusivity probably made this project feasible
    * It also means extra cash in Ubisoft account ahead of the release of the game, which probably allows for an easier cost coverage in case the game is not succesful
    * Ubisoft is probably perfectly fine not sharing the spotlight with the current lineup of games, Killzone 3, preferring to wait until a more quite time in the market.

    Just a few thoughts.

  • kangarootoo #53 1 year ago

    @Murton

    Ok, let me clarify. People are talking as if Ubisoft made a bad decision, because they are fragmenting their userbase, risking PS3 sales etc. But calling it a bad decision is ignoring the fact that Ubi will have been paid a bundle of cash for this exclusive.


    "That's what we're driving at here, alienating and fragmenting the fanbase of their game they've taken a risk on lower sales, lower sales means less revenue attached to this franchise and that means that fans of the game won't get their sequel."

    I totally get this, but the risk that you talk about is set against the guranteed income the exclusivity payment provides. And clearly that gamble pays off in many cases, as companies keep offering and accepting exclusivity deals.

    And the cash that Ubi get paid for exclusivity goes in the same pot, and may even INCREASE the chances of securing a sequel.


    I'm not trying to confuse a simple issue. I'm pointing out that the issue isn't as simple as some "this is a mistake" posts suggest it is.


    P.s. I brough MS and Sony into it when people starting referring to "the industry" as a single entity. That there is more than one platform is surely core to the whole discussion.

  • DAN.E.B #54 1 year ago

    @ubergine
    yeah I normally invert my games but this is near on unplayable
    its such an easy thing to have sorted out
    shame really as this game is brilliant other wise

  • man.the.king #55 1 year ago

    @kangarootoo

    "But what does that mean? What is "the industry"? You talk as if it is one entity, that has a personal agenda. Nothing of the sort exists."

    In this instance, I think Murton is referring to Ubisoft, in which case his argument might make some sense, in that MS is probably not losing out, and even if it does, it probably gains some infintesimal "on 360 first" mindshare. But Ubisoft probably will.

    I'm not sure that whatever compensation Ubisoft gets from MS for offering timed exclusivity will be enough to recover lost sales on PS3 if they release "later this year" as by then, more of the PS3 exclusives for this year will have been out, and there is a fair chance the PS3 audience would lean more towards directing their money towards those blockbuster exclusives (if they happen to be good), isn't it?

    What do you think?

  • Vixremento #56 1 year ago

    Just some food for thought...I own a 360, PS3 and PC and yet I still haven't bought AC Brotherhood yet (well I've pre-ordered the PC version) so what does that tell you (apart from me having patience to wait it out?). I guess I just prefer paying "standard price" for something that looks better, plays better and includes all of the frills without having to pay for DLC. Sure I'm not helped out with the "pop it in and it'll run for sure" thing but the last time I had problems getting a PC game to run at 1920 x 1200 was before I had an LCD capable of running at that resolution.

  • ubergine #57 1 year ago

    @Dan Solo
    I sent an email to Ubisoft support about it, hopefully enough complaints will get it fixed, but with Microsofts ridiculous process for patch approval I guess I'll be playing at the same time as PS3 owners :(

  • Savatage #58 1 year ago

    @man.the.king - "I'm not sure that whatever compensation Ubisoft gets from MS for offering timed exclusivity will be enough to recover lost sales on PS3"

    We can only speculate but I can't imagine Ubisoft doing this unless MS had offered them a fairly substantial sum of cash on their part - enough to cover those losses and then some. Ubisoft is just another business after all, and like any business, the profit margin is always going to be the main factor in their decisions.

    And it's not too hard to imagine MS willingly forking over the dough. Frankly, they could use all the exclusives they can get right now - even timed exclusives of HD remakes.

    But this is just blind guesswork on my part. I could be completely wrong.

  • man.the.king #59 1 year ago

    @Savatage

    "We can only speculate but I can't imagine Ubisoft doing this unless MS had offered them a fairly substantial sum of cash on their part - enough to cover those losses and then some."

    That could be true as well, but then MS is a business too, and pretty savvy at that.

    I'm not sure MS would want to fork over more cash than would guarantee them a solid return in high-probability sales. As such, I would assume they would try to balance the incentive amount for Ubisoft with the potential for sales.

    As far as mind-share goes, I think they've got that part sown up as it is.

    But then again, what do I know? I'm not a businessman.

  • NeoTechni #60 1 year ago

    ""If you have both a 360 and a PS3, and you don't want to wait, you will buy on 360. That is extra sale for MS." "

    I own both, and now Im not buying the game at all cause of what douches they are.
    1 less sale.

  • kangarootoo #61 1 year ago

    @man.the.king

    I get that we are talking about Ubisoft. I just find it slightly unusual that some posters seem to think Ubi haven't thought of this stuff. That there might be people sat at Ubi having a discussion like -

    "We should sign a fixed period exclusivity deal"
    "Why? Won't we lose money?"
    "Err, I guess. But we should do it anyway."
    "Oh, ok".

    As I've said before, exclusivity deals DO make more money for the publisher in most cases. That is why companies keep signing up to them. If Ubi were truly going to lose money, or sales, or have some other negative result occur from this move... do we really think they would need random forum posters to point this out to them? They are one of the biggest publishers on the planet - they kind of do this stuff every day, and are pretty good at it.


    "I can't imagine Ubisoft doing this unless MS had offered them a fairly substantial sum of cash on their part - enough to cover those losses and then some"

    Exactly. In fact that is the only reason that such deals exist. Otherwise, why on EARTH does anyone think a publisher would sign up to such a deal? That some people are still saying "hmm, I guess so" to things like this kind of suggests that some posters don't know how these deals work, or why they work. That is cool, we aren't all in business as has been said..... but Ubisoft are.

  • kangarootoo #62 1 year ago

    @NeoTechni

    Your own position represents a tiny minority I'm afraid.

  • kangarootoo #63 1 year ago

    P.s. whoever mentioned the camera was right on the money. Separate options for X and Y axis reversal is really badly needed. I'm stunned it was overlooked :(