Beyond Good & Evil Reader Review

It is amazing how some games manage to pull off the seemingly impossible. How some games confound expectations and deliver a title of amazing value, depth and worth. How some games can truly change the way you see games...

And it's even more amazing that the general gaming public bloody well don't buy them, despite everyone telling you that it really is THAT good.

Which brings us neatly on into Beyond Good and Evil, arguably the closest thing to a Zelda game to be found on any non-Nintendo platform. What Beyond Good and Evil does isn't simply in the fact that it is one of the best and most memorable games of recent years, it's that it never ceases to surprise, entertain and keep you wanting more. It mixes genres and never seems to be confused in what it does. The story never ceases to be anything less than thoroughly gripping from start to finish. It's always exceptionally beautiful... there's just so much that makes this simply one of the most enticing games out there.

The story is beautifully unconventional, following our fearless heroine Jade as she tries to uncover the truth about the Domz, assisting the underground rebel press IRIS (why name it after a Goo-Goo Dolls song?). Ably assisted to start with by her porky Uncle Pey'j and later by Double H, Jade soon realises that there is much more to this than originally meets the eye, and that her role in events isn't limited to merely uncovering the sinister goings on behind the military coup... weaving a believable amount of political intrigue with a good splash of sci-fi is where most games fail, yet here, it's all roses.

The games action is also remarkable, seeing as it spans many genres, sometimes in quick succession, and always seems to flow very naturally. From classic Zelda-style combat, through to some more stealthy Metal Gear antics and a good splash of driving combat, it is always a pleasure to press ever onward through the beautiful land of Hillys. With an almost depressingly insane amount of detail, each environment feels alive, each area as rich and believable as the last. It's a credit to Michel Ancel's eye for detail, because you are not left wanting...

There are, of course, imprefections in this which hold it back from being the true Zelda-beater that it could have been. Some collision detection is wonky, some of the side-missions could have been more appealing, the racing circuits aren't quite as good as they could have been, and the cruncher is that this game is surprisingly short. An amazing, exhilerating experience, but short and sweet. Seeing as these aren't exactly minor issues, it has to be taken into account.

Beyond Good and Evil ends on a cliffhanger, which means we'll have to wait until they let Michel Ancel work on a sequel (Oh please, go on Ubisoft, this game deserves it!) - a cliffhanger which is surprising, shocking and quite sad too. It's no surprise, seing as this was the first in a planned trilogy, so hopefully in the future we'll see what really happens next in this amazing little land they called Hillys...

Beyond Good and Evil can't simply be summed up in words. It makes the player relate on an emotional level at times, holds the interest even when things slow down a notch, it's got charm and it's got all the ingredients that make it a right corker of a title. There isn't really anything out there quite like it.

These days, this game is likely to be found in the bargain bins for less than a tenner - which I saw recently. If you see it, with companions like T3 and Men in Black and other awful pieces of bargain-bin tripe, do the world - and yourself - a favour and take it home with you. Part with your cash and indulge in simply one of the best games out there. It's short, it's got its problems, but its still a great game which I hope, one day, will be hailed as a true classic of this generation of gaming. It really deserves so much more than to be forgotten, to be left in a bargain bin with some true crimes of gaming...

To see this in a bargain bin... it makes you realise, there is no justice in the world...