Retrospective: Beyond Good & Evil

By John Walker Published 8 February, 2009

Photograph-'em-up.

Thank goodness, yes it is. There's a horrible tension when you return to a game that's entered legend. What if it was hype? What if things have moved on so far that it creaks and you feel silly trying to play it? Worst of all, what if you've been desperately hoping for an oft-suggested sequel, getting excited at the prospect of its existence, and then you discover the original wasn't what you remembered? Thank goodness, Beyond Good & Evil is still every bit as wonderful.

Hillys, a planet under siege by an alien enemy known as the DomZ, is the home of Jade, a photographic journalist and foster parent to the area's increasing population of orphans. It's an odd place, where various anthropomorphised species co-exist in a city made up of a collection of islands. Frequent attacks from the DomZ mean life is constantly interrupted with bombardments from horrendous beasts, while many citizens are kidnapped, and never heard of again.

Jade, on her private island, in her lighthouse home, is immediately one of gaming's most completely lovely people. Not only is she the most modestly attractive videogame character ever to have stolen our hearts, but she dedicates all her spare time to raising orphans. Living with her "uncle", Pey'j, a pig-like creature who helps Jade raise the kids as well as working on mechanical projects in his workshop, times are tough. The electricity is cut off due to late payment right as an attack arrives, leaving them without a shield. This leads to the kidnapping DomZ beasts trapping a number of Jade's adopted children. These alien foes get seven shades of crap pummelled out of them as you're introduced to Jade's dai-jo staff-based combat.

'Retrospective: Beyond Good & Evil' Screenshot 1

Jade looks sad! Now I feel sad.

Needing money, Jade picks up work cataloguing Hillys' flora and fauna for a database. Which means as the game begins, your first post-fight task is to walk around your island, taking photographs.

It's a remarkably gentle introduction, letting you explore all the nooks and crannies of the lighthouse and surrounding area. You quickly get used to using the camera, snapping pictures of the various species of children living with you, your pet dog, and the wild creatures that live nearby. With enough on film, you receive your first payment, and get the electricity back on. It's so mundane, so calm, that it's hard to imagine any game daring to open this way. But it sets a mood that's essential to understanding everything that's going to follow. Jade is a calm, practical person, thrown into remarkable circumstances. She's not an action hero, and isn't going to become one.

What struck me most, returning to this after many years, was quite how unlike anything else the game was. There are comparisons to be drawn, certainly. The gorgeous chunky cartoon world (still adorable after over five years, thanks in part to smart design in the first place, and partly due to the PC version happily scaling to enormous resolutions) and third-person action are in some ways traditional, recalling Ratchet & Clank. That mixture of relaxed exploration punctuated by frantic action. However, this is a whole other kind of relaxed.

'Retrospective: Beyond Good & Evil' Screenshot 2

The gang, from left to right: HH, Jade, Secundo and Uncle Pey'j

The story's broken up into four distinct chapters: the early exploration and discovery of the city, The Factory, the Slaughterhouse, and finally the Moon. However, between each you're left to your own devices in a remarkably unhurried fashion. I'm so sick of games telling me I can choose what I want to do, while screaming in my ear that I need to be hurrying somewhere else. While perhaps Jade has good reasons for pressing on as the plot progresses, the game doesn't fuss at you if you want to compete in one of the hovercraft races, or chase pirates, or hunt in caves for pearls, or just go and have a chat with the kids milling around the lighthouse or sunbathing on the cliffs. Maybe play a game with a shark in the bar (a shark, geddit?!). Or, most of all, using a scanner you've purchased, go on the hunt for other species you haven't photographed yet. There's a marvellous story to play through, and the game's distinctly different styles appear in those narrative sections, but BG&E isn't hurrying you. It's a quiet, gentle game, and it wants you to feel that, to relax into it.

Hillys is apparently being protected by a military force called The Alpha Section. Their constant, omnipresent messages on TV, radio and floating video screens, assure citizens that without them the DomZ would kill them all, and how grateful they should be to their Alpha Section overlords. Unsurprisingly, this is less than truthful. Jade soon discovers an underground movement of rebels called The IRIS Network, who are plotting against the Alpha Section, who they maintain are in league with the DomZ. Joining IRIS, Jade's photojournalistic skills are put to good use, as she's sent into the Alpha Section areas to photograph illicit activity and send it back to IRIS, who then publish it in their underground literature aimed at undermining the authorities.

Each of the three Alpha Section areas shifts the style of play into a combination of puzzle solving and stealth, and for once in the history of the universe, this doesn't mean it starts to suck. Games that aren't primarily about stealth, but then suddenly switch gears and demand you creep everywhere, tend to fall apart pretty quickly. Jade's tip-toeing is instantly fun, and not painfully slow thanks to her super-slinky forward rolling. As you sneak from room to room, you're given the choice of trying to sneak past guards, or taking them out by attacking them from behind. Either comes with risks, and neither is punitive.

Perhaps the secret to the success of the game's differing approaches is the simplicity. This does occasionally lead to a muddling of the controls, with multiple options assigned to buttons, switching in and out as the circumstances require. But it also means Jade's capable of an array of different styles without your needing a third thumb. This also counts for combat, which is really nothing more than hammering a single button, and occasionally drawing on the skills of your buddy. Generally whacking at random gets the job done, but that's fine here, in a game that's far more interested in your photographing creatures than smashing their heads in.

The buddies in question are Pey'j, and later HH, a member of IRIS who works for the Alpha Section. Both muck in for fights, but more importantly can stomp hard enough to launch baddies in the air, letting Jade pull of a snazzy slo-mo smackdown, mostly used for solving combat-based puzzles. Having these two around, HH after Pey'j has tragically been kidnapped, also gives Jade someone to chat to as she progresses, and importantly, offers the interaction to reveal the depths of emotion in the game.

'Retrospective: Beyond Good & Evil' Screenshot 3

And yet green lipstick hasn't caught on for the rest of the world.

Pey'j's kidnapping is oddly horrifying. Jade's reaction is powerful, and provides far more incentive to move on with the story than nags or forced progression ever could. He's got to be rescued! Jade loves him!

But later in the game, when the lighthouse is destroyed and the children are missing, is the game's most masterful moment. Jade, sat on the floor of the ruined lighthouse, hugging her knees and ignoring HH's futile attempts to comfort her, is heart-wrenching. Then as HH gives up, leans against the wall and his head tips back in defeat - this is how cut-scenes are done, people. This is how they are great. And it's not the last time the game plans to pull the emotional rug from underneath you.

BG&E is a game that knows that ever-increasing difficulty, non-stop action, and incessant dangled carrots are not necessary. Just being consistently good is what matters. Being consistently good in a vivid world, with complicated and honest characters, and the most likeable lead in gaming history - that's how you become something really special. That's not to mention the wonderful score, and the superb voice acting (all apart from the Governer/photograph woman, who is eye-scrunchingly bad in an otherwise amazing cast).

'Retrospective: Beyond Good & Evil' Screenshot 5

Oh, can it really be true?

Of course, it's also how you don't sell many copies. The game was never a success, despite being critically adored, and remembered fondly by very many people. That it is finally receiving a sequel still feels like a trick being played on the keen. It was always meant to be a trilogy, and anyone who's watched past the credits on the original will look at the three lonely screenshots we've seen so far and hug themselves with glee when they see the bandage on Pey'j's arm, and know that it's being faithful.

I can't recommend revisiting Hillys again enough. And despite originally playing it on the PS2, I strongly suggest getting the PC version from Steam if you can. Quite how a five year old game can run at 1680x1050 I'm not sure, but it certainly does. Quick tip: turn off anti-aliasing. At higher resolutions you don't need it, and it fixes a bug which otherwise causes texture-flashing that can make it pretty unplayable. Switched off, the game just looks fantastic.

There, made it the whole way through without declaring that I'm in love with Jade and her lovely green lips.

Picture of John.

About John Walker

Read more articles from John by visiting the John Walker archive page.

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Comments (97) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • jonsaan #1 3 years ago

    Gawd. Barely a week goes past without someone mentiong this very average game. Yes, I did play it. Meh.

  • Mysjkin7 #2 3 years ago

    See also http://ww w.brainygamer.com/the_brainy_ga...

  • Sanzai #3 3 years ago

    Excellent retrospective that should give people who haven't played this before a good idea of what so many of us appreciated in the game years ago.

    I still have my Gamecube version but if the sequel comes to PC then I'm almost certainly going to buy it. Hopefully they can get the original voice actors back.

  • paul_haine #4 3 years ago

    My favourite bit in Beyond Good & Evil:

    When you're running away from some guy shooting at you, into the camera, across some rooftops, and then suddenly the game starts slowing down, gently and seamlessly takes control away from you, and turns into a cutscene where Jade leaps into the air and is caught by Double H. Perfectly done.

  • PinkSpider #5 3 years ago

    I loved the mechanics of it but it didnt grasp me. Shame.

    However that was 4 years ago and people change so may give it another go.

    Loving the retrospective stuff also.

  • morriss #6 3 years ago

    You missed a 10/10 at the end!!!

    Magic game. I'm so glad I got a BC PS3 so I can play it whenever I like.

  • Chtulie #7 3 years ago

    Still a bit of placeholder left in one of the captions, the one naming all the allies.

  • Brainboy #8 3 years ago

    Absolutely mesmerising game. Quite definitely one of my favourite action adventure games of all time. The story and cutscenes, particularly in the second half, are very well-executed, they really pull at your emotions.

    On that note, I almost cried when I saw a bunch of copies of the PC version hidden behind some mediocre games at a store a few years ago. BG&E was priced at 1 Euro, and still nobody was buying it. I stealthily moved a few copies to the front of the shelf and hoped that I would make some person's day if they decided to pick it up.

  • Kazzahdrane #9 3 years ago

    One of the best things about this game is how well it's aged, or rather not aged. Many of its features and approaches were ahead of its time.

  • élbéróss #10 3 years ago

    great story and characters and you can't not laugh at the pig!! i think this game was just way ahead of itself, but its got cult status now, hopefully the sequel won't ruin it.

  • Yossarian #11 3 years ago

    Was there any praise for BG&E's amazing music in this article? I don't remember. But then there are too many great things about this game to mention.

  • Chufty #12 3 years ago

    It's only a fiver on Steam. Maybe it's worth a try...

  • Obiwanshinobi #13 3 years ago

    What struck me most, returning to this after many years, was quite how unlike anything else the game was. There are comparisons to be drawn, certainly. The gorgeous chunky cartoon world (still adorable after over five years, thanks in part to smart design in the first place, and partly due to the PC version happily scaling to enormous resolutions) and third-person action are in some ways traditional, recalling Ratchet & Clank. That mixture of relaxed exploration punctuated by frantic action. However, this is a whole other kind of relaxed.

    Something keeps telling me you haven't played many console games. Zelda, anyone?

    Quite how a five year old game can run at 1680x1050 I'm not sure, but it certainly does.

    PC game running at such resolution? Incredible. No, wait, it used to happen even in XX century, with Quake 2 engine (Heretic II, Kingpin).
    Edited by 1 at 08/02/09 @ 10:41

  • Scimarad #14 3 years ago

    One of my favourite games EVER.

  • Burkey123 #15 3 years ago

    Ive never played this. :(
    I would play it right now except my ps3 doesn't have BC! Stupid Sony!
    Edited by 1 at 08/02/09 @ 10:39

  • Chalee #16 3 years ago

    Missed this first time round - definitely worth a try at EUR5 on steam!

  • makeamazing #17 3 years ago

    Never played it, think i will stick with Xcom or ceasar 3 for old time game playing!

  • BartonFink #18 3 years ago

    Great article John one of my favorite games ever, and as morriss said, the only thing it's missing at the end is a 10/10.
    Would love to see a sequel.

  • NumberNone #19 3 years ago

    Played this on PS2 when originally released. That was a decent Christmas for Ubisfot with this, Sands of Time. A truly awesome experience. I bought the PC version when the sequel was announced and replayed it, falling for it all over again. Great to see a game that lives up to the nostaglic spark you feel when remembering it. The sequel, along with Team Ico's next gen effort, will probably turn out to be a genuinely beautiful; experience. And that sequel teaser is awesome...must have watched that about a millino times already. BG&E 2 cannot come soon enough.....great retrospective. :)

  • webcider #20 3 years ago

    Hmm a few years since i played this, partly do to UBISOFTS lack of gamepad support in the PC version.
    However it was truly great experience i assume its just as fun to play now as back there. as there really hadn't been anything quite like it. But ubisoft please add gamepad support its fucking killing me.

    Soundtrack is one of the few really great soundtracks the west have delivered to the game industry.

  • dominalien #21 3 years ago

    Fond memories.

  • ViciousOverWind #22 3 years ago

    I love love love love love BG&E :D

    That and Psychonauts are the two most overlooked games in the history of gaming.

  • Fixxxer #23 3 years ago

    7/10

    The factory style bit was a pretty crap, miserable, dingy level. I really don't understand the hype but I suppose I did complete it which is something.

  • ardamillo #24 3 years ago

    Shame it's not backwards compatible on the 360, otherwise I'd give it a spin for old times' sake.

  • Tomo #25 3 years ago

    I never got on with this although I didn't play it for that long. It's probably something I should definitely give another go.

  • skybluesam86 #26 3 years ago

    Hmm a few years since i played this, partly do to UBISOFTS lack of gamepad support in the PC version.

    That was one thing that bugged me for a while. It took me a little while to get used to the mouse and keyboard controls. I'm not a natural PC gamer, I just got it on PC because I didn't have a PS2, and it was cheaper than the Cube.
    Saying that, I've got a French Cube copy of the game I bought on holiday, expecting an English language option >_<

    It is a lovely game though. I really should finish it...

  • Ninja_Tino #27 3 years ago

    I played the game when it came out and loved it and recently have started it again with the company of my 7 year old neice who simply adores it! Can't wait for the sequal!

  • kestral #28 3 years ago

    Fantastic

  • lucky_jim #29 3 years ago

    Bah, all of you declaring BG&E to be "average" should be banned from ever playing games again, you clearly don't know what you're talking about. One of the finest games of all time.

  • a_random_gnome #30 3 years ago

    What's more this beautiful game (my all time favourite outside the adventure genre) hasn't aged a day, proving just how timeless good design, quality storytelling and ingenious art direction are. Thanks for making me reinstall the thing EG!

  • Sutekh #31 3 years ago

    Great game. Absolutely loved it.

  • Ceatlan #32 3 years ago

    I loved everything about this game, apart from the sodding vehicular racing sections, they just sucked all the joy that built up in the rest of the game away from me. Particularly a part where you were racing across a collapsing road section where loads of jumps meant instant death if you failed. I just couldn't understand why anyone would think those parts were fun compared to the joyous platform sections.

    I didn't mind the vehicular hub world part though.
    Edited by 1 at 08/02/09 @ 12:38

  • Krelle #33 3 years ago

    "Best game of the year it came out" I remember myself thinking. Back then, not many did agree.

    Its funny what time does with games like ICO, BG&E, Psychonauts. You think you might be crazy. Everyone else jerking off to their halos and gran turismos (both wonderful games/series btw). But time proves you just had a bit of luck, picking up a game noone else saw. Also, reading gaming mags during your childhood helped finding those gems.

  • XENgamer #34 3 years ago

    I'd been tempted to get this from Steam a couple of days ago, now I'm convinced!

  • Farfarer #35 3 years ago

    One of the best games ever created with characters that almost match up to The Longest Journey in quality. A good retrospective, sums it up well.

    Chtulie: It's Secundo.
    Edited by 1 at 08/02/09 @ 13:06

  • Bahamafish #36 3 years ago

    it was definately the best game of the last generation for me. How I just wish it was Backwards compatible.

    I kinda feel like playing JSRF now.

  • Lexx87 #37 3 years ago

    Never played this either, have bought it now thanks to this though! Have been meaning to play it for years.

  • ChadSexington #38 3 years ago

    Beyond Good & Evil is shit.

  • sonicgoo #39 3 years ago

    It may not have sold much at first, but I can only imagine it had (has!) a hell of a long tail...

  • Brainboy #40 3 years ago

    @Yossarian: The music was spectacular indeed. Ubisoft released the soundtrack as a download at some point, you can get it here: http://www.myspac e.com/HyllianMusic

  • 9of9 #41 3 years ago

    Ah, yes, Beyond Good & Evil.

    In light of the all-around fantastic reviews and the fact the demo was superb. I caved in and bought the game for the PC. A strong female lead? Soothing introduction? Great artstyle? It looked tremendously promising, even though doubts tingled at the back of my mind that the game seemed just a little too consolised, just a little too kids-oriented...

    Unfortunately it all goes downhill after the beginning. The action is bland and generic and, despite what the article's author says, has such an enormous difficulty curve that I never did complete the game entirely.

    But worst of all, the plot - in spite of the title - is atrocious and the most banal imaginable. The cheesy stormtroopers, who make no show of hiding the fact they're eeeeebil from the very beginning, the ragtag rebels, the square-jawed HH... I really don't remember a game that made me cringe so much. For a game that's called Beyond Good & Evil, it certainly does a fantastic job of keeping to the old tropes of black-and-white.

    Still, there's hope that the sequel will learn from past mistakes - keeping the characters and artstyle, the things that really shone in the original, and planting them into more original gameplay, since this series deserves so much more than just being a generic platformer. And dare I hope for a decent story? Yes, yes I dare.
    Edited by 1 at 08/02/09 @ 14:31

  • polymorph #42 3 years ago

    I picked this up on pc a few years back for a fiver, played it for a few hours then my pc bit the dust!!
    Really should start playing it again, i thoroughly enjoyed what i got to see of it.
    Looks like im hunting around in the loft this afternoon.

  • Lemming81 #43 3 years ago

    |It's an alright game. But about a 3rd the length it should have been.

    it's definetly not worthy of the praise heaped upon it though.

  • botherer #44 3 years ago

    HappyCarrot - you can always snap the seal later, after certain events : )

    Yes, I did criminally under-mention the score, beyond a throwaway comment in the fourth-from-last paragraph. I'd already gotten over 1500 words, and had to stop somewhere. But it deserves enormous praise.

    Thanks for pointing out mistakes - I've asked Tom to fix them.

  • wizbob #45 3 years ago

    This game was an absolute masterpiece, it had such a strong plot and set of characters. The different gameplay styles (platform, racing, stealth) were also seamlessly integrated into the story, particularly the race you had to deliberately run off-course from in order to gain access to a hidden facility . The art design, locations and music never descended to desert/lava/ice world cliches. It was a bit short though and I suspect that it was disappointing for people who bought it expecting a straight-laced sci-fi adventure or some kind of platform beat-em up.

  • SixFootHalfling #46 3 years ago

    Shamethe PC version is a bitch on Vista, I can get it running at around 25fps, with all the detail turned to lowest, hardware acceleration off, and the res to 640*480, on a laptop, I run left 4 dead on at medium settings at 1280*800, still its worth it.

    For Ł5 this is probably the best value for money on Steam, even beating the orange box

    @lemming81

    Your obviously a troll but still - FUCK OFF
    Edited by 1 at 08/02/09 @ 15:25

  • botherer #47 3 years ago

    SixFoot - have you tried turning anti-aliasing off? That seems to fix it for most people.

    If not, check out the Steam Forum page on the game - there's a lot of tips for getting it running.

  • JohnnyWashnGo #48 3 years ago

    I played this game on the Gamecube many years ago and loved every minute of it. Saying that, I would hate to return to it now for fear of ruining those great memories.

    Yes, the game is short and yes, it never really challenges you to any great extent, but the story is worth playing through the game for. Perhaps a little hackneyed when you think about it, but never dull.

    I am looking forward to the eventual sequel as the first game left you on a massive cliffhanger :)

  • rowsdower #49 3 years ago

    I have it running perfectly on Vista, you need to disable Vertex Processing and Anti-Aliasing to get it working well.

    Lovely review, BG&E is one of my favourite games and I find myself still recommending it to people to this day.

  • Chalee #50 3 years ago

    Got it earlier today from Steam - at EUR5 this must be the best value for money I ever got from a game :)

    Thanks EG!

  • Kami #51 3 years ago

    I stand by my reader review on this. This is the kind of game that reminds me why I love playing games (and why I do kinda like writing about them on a hobby basis). It's beautiful, warm. It is dramatic but cleverly never goes too emo, lifting the mood with some very clever and amusing jokes. It blends different genres seamlessly. The story is tight and compelling, the cutscenes amazing, and even if the game is short and rather easy - so what? It's replayable, and still even now as said a genius piece of gaming which can be picked up for a fiver (or less in some shops bargain bins).

    I do understand why some don't like it. I just disagree. BG&E was one of the few games I'd say were the best ever made. It was unpretentious, a game to be enjoyed rather than blasted through. Once I'd realised that, and restarted it, I began to notice the silly details that made me smile.

    The sequel had better be as good. It looks gorgeous (if a little far from the brash cartoony world I enjoyed), and the attention to detail is amazing. They'd better follow on well... and explain to me exactly what the %Ł^$ that extra bit of ending after the credits was about...

  • Ranger_Ryu #52 3 years ago

    I loved this game but I'm stuck on the end boss for the time being, will have to have another pop at it later.
    Edited by 1 at 08/02/09 @ 17:04

  • Bahamafish #53 3 years ago

    try turning around the pad when fighting the last boss :-)

  • coolbritannia #54 3 years ago

    Distinctly overrated game IMO, I'm glad others love it, but I found it to be a complete non starter.

  • TheComedian #55 3 years ago

    Superb game! I loved Pey'j and HH and the gameplay was a dream.

    One of my top ten fave games ever (for what it's worth)

    However, I seem to have two niggles that everyone else seems to see as strengths in the game.

    1) I never actually liked Jade all that much. She served her purpose as my avatar in a virtual world - but nothing more. Especially after the lighthouse is destroyed, her behaviour seems schizophrenic and puzzling. Her relationship with others was portrayed well, but a s character in her own right, I just wasn't blown away.

    2) The story was a bit crap. Granted, I read one hell of a lot of good books and watch only the most plot-driven, tght movies; but still, the story seemed very weak. When people stop accepting that video games' stories shouldn't be as good as those in other mediums, we might be able to raise our expectations.

  • siro #56 3 years ago

    I thought I had to crash the party, but luckily coolbritannia went ahead... Tried this game twice, and played a considerable part both times.

    Certainly not a bad game, but this is unbelievably overhyped.

  • UncleLou #57 3 years ago

    Certainly not a bad game, but this is unbelievably overhyped.

    Er, nope. People played it, and loved it. That's not the same as "overhyped", whether you like the game or not.

  • cardboardMonster #58 3 years ago

    I liked it. To my mind, it was a more visually interesting Star Fox Adventures, and highlighted the importance of visual and cinematic aesthetics in videogames. It remains a game that is better than the sum of its parts, due to its unique and engaging characters and will undoubtedly divide opinion as a result.

  • FenderMaster #59 3 years ago

    I'm tempted to track this one down and give it a shot, but after doing the same for Psychonauts, (which IMO was a terrible platformer, with unfunny dialogue and ugly art direction) I might not... The gameplay doesn't look anything special to me...

  • Farfarer #60 3 years ago

    "Psychonauts, (which IMO was a terrible platformer, with unfunny dialogue and ugly art direction)"
    Ah, so you're blind and crippled in your hands with a sense of humour to match that of a dead fish.

    's about the only logical explanation for that comment.

  • udat #61 3 years ago

    BG&E is one of the finest games ever. I am still in love with Jade. I hope the sequel keeps the design and style of the original - the teaser screenshots look a bit "realistic" I think.

  • Freek #62 3 years ago

    The final boss though...Oh my god, I wanted to kill who ever designed that last bitt. Murder brutally, chop him into little bitts and sprinkle him around the game development community as a dark lesson never to make something that frustratingly bad again.

    But otherwise a great game, hope the sequal actually gets made since it´s gone awfully quite since the teaser movie.

  • jimboton #63 3 years ago

    Great game, shame that Ubi has already stated their intention to dumb down gameplay in orther to reach the casual market.

  • Azazel #64 3 years ago

    @warzin:

    Good point. I knew she looked familiar.

  • Abvance #65 3 years ago

    Played it on PS2 it's a great game.

  • botherer #66 3 years ago

    FenderMaster - If you found the writing in Psychonauts unfunny, then no, you certainly shouldn't try BG&E. Not because the humour is similar in any way, but because you shouldn't play anything, ever.

    And yes, at one point when writing this I was going to do a compare and contrast with Alyx. But then I forgot.

  • Freezair #67 3 years ago

    Is it sad that I had a little mini-paroxysm of happiness when I saw that this article *gasp* actually treats HH like, oh my god, a member of the main cast and not some foul, unimportant side-character who exists only to spite the Pey'j-lovers of the world? I mean, I love the pig too, but it seems like a lot of the writing about this game either minimizes his importance (my response: Way to ignore 2/3rds of the game there) or blows him off altogether. Which is a darn shame, because he's uniquely charming in his own way. The game wouldn't be the same without him or Pey'j, so blowing off either one is basically ignoring a third of the game's soul. Plus, I don't think I've ever seen such a dead-on send-up of the Action Movie Hero Boy before. ;)

    I'm a bit disappointed you didn't mention the music, though. It is by turns gorgeous (such as the overworld or lighthouse themes), beautifully atmospheric (the mineshaft and sneaking music), outright hilarious (the battle theme for the egg-shaped robots--the one they "sing"--and the first and last race music themes), and just plain catchy ("Propaganda! [Just a bit, man!]";). There's also that awwweeesome spiral-shaped text input interface, which probably doesn't sound cool just talking about it, but seriously--once you've used it, everything else seems terrible in comparison. It's probably the best console text input I've ever seen.

    I'm cool with people not liking the game, but it's one of my all-time favorites--that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. I'm not that in to the overarching story, but I love the characters and how they exist within it, and, damn... That lighthouse scene drove me to tears. Plus, I think there's a tendency to take this game a bit too seriously--I view it as essentially a dramedy, devoted to equal parts emotional torque machine and slapstick comedy. And for the most part, I think it does it well. ;)

  • siro #68 3 years ago

    UncleLou: I still think it's one of those cases where everyone praises it, because it's "cool" to love it. Similar to the Dreamcast for example. I still got a DC in my room, but it's certainly not among the best consoles ever. :) Just putting it into perspective, ratings back then for BG&E were spot on, ranging in the low 80s. Everything above that is "underground insider crowd / forumite hype".

  • botherer #69 3 years ago

    siro - One problem with your argument is that it would depend on people not being able to articulate why they love the game. I hope I've gone some way to doing that in this article, such that you cannot dismiss my affection for the game as an attempt to be "cool".

    The other enormous problem with claiming people like it to look cool is, well, it's nonsense, isn't it? Standing in the club, leaning against the wall, telling people you're a big fan of the 2005 action game Beyond Good & Evil, isn't *famous* for its allure.

    But most of all, telling people that they're lying about enjoying something is plain ridiculous. I've found, over the hundreds of years of this job, that when someone says, "everyone praises it, because it's 'cool' to love it", what this really means is, "I don't get it, and I feel left out."

  • Mudo #70 3 years ago

    I loved this game but got to the point (between the slaughterhouse and the moon, I believe) where you need to buy the flight upgrades for your hovercraft, which cost a lot of orbs, and I could never be arsed with the 'sidequest' orb collecting. Apparently there were loads of orbs up some volcano or something but really I just wanted to continue the main plot.
    I got to that point, didn't have nearly enough orbs, and just turned the game off. And couldn't turn it back on.

    A shame really. I suppose it means I didn't love it all that much.
    Though... if there existed a cheat code to get x number of orbs I would go back and play it right now. Alas.

    (I'm calling the garage currency orbs but they're probably called pearls or spheres or dollars or something, so do forgive me)
    Edited by 1 at 09/02/09 @ 00:27

  • UncleLou #71 3 years ago

    But most of all, telling people that they're lying about enjoying something is plain ridiculous. I've found, over the hundreds of years of this job, that when someone says, "everyone praises it, because it's 'cool' to love it", what this really means is, "I don't get it, and I feel left out."

    Exactly.

    I don't know what's wrong with a simple "I don't like it". No, people on the internet always seem to go a step further.

  • Slipstream #72 3 years ago

    Er, nope. People played it, and loved it. That's not the same as "overhyped", whether you like the game or not.

    Well said, I guess I don't need to add my part now. =)

    Anyhow, yes an AMAZING game, totally blew out of the water as I wasn't expecting this game to grow on me as it did. (see Chrono Trigger for the same effect xD)

    I always thought that this game took alot of brave steps succesfully, and it's good to see that John Walker feels the same way too!

    I am so happy that a sequel may be on the books, however I do worry that with Ubi's so-so track record as of late and their philosophy of "Actually we don't care about reviews because load of mainstreamers bought our shit Wii games" the sequel could potentially suffer, but let's hope not. =)

  • Rodney #73 3 years ago

    I really loved this game.

    I am still dissapointed this and Rallisport 2 are not B/C on the 360. two of my favourite games ever Microsoft you fools! (don’t tell the filthy money grabbers, but I'd pay money to play these again, even though I still own them).

    Making the sequal more accessible is fine in my book because I think some people not familiar with computer game conventions might be stumped by some of the mentioned difficulty spikes, and it’s everybody should be able to enjoy. As long as the sequal retains the beautiful art design and charming characters then I'll be happy.

  • JayScott #74 3 years ago

    It truly was a golden xmas for Ubisoft that year (2003), with Sands of Time, Splinter Cell and the super-stylish if only functional shooter XIII all landing within weeks of each other. To my mind BG&E was the best of the lot of them, and this retrospective really nails many of the reasons it struck a chord with me. A wonderful game; I just hope they don't screw up the long-awaited sequel.

  • The_B #75 3 years ago

    By the way, yes it is a bargain on Steam, but if you're in the UK there is an even cheaper option to get this awesome game.

    Yes, that's right. Ł0.00 - basically you just pay Ł2.99 P&P.

  • marilena #76 3 years ago

    Since I have my share of popular games I dislike, I won't lay too much into the people who disliked Beyond Good & Evil. But I think they're wrong :).

    And yes, I did play it, right to the end, I even beat the end boss after much struggle. Just turn your keyboard/pad upside down and play like that.

    It's a brilliant, brilliant game. And no, it's not Nietzsche, but it's one of the very few games I ever played where I really loved the writing/mood/direction/whatever you want to call it, but don't call it "story" because it demeans it. It has a great, lighthearted mood, many funny bits, some fantastic set pieces, a few moments when it switches gears perfectly towards a more somber mood, great character design, amazing music, very good cut-scenes and some well set-up moments of semi-free-form beauty, usually when you get to photograph some gorgeous sea creature.

    And yes, HH is mentioned too little, he was a great companion.

  • pjmaybe #77 3 years ago

    There's only one single weak bit in the entire game IMHO and it's that fucking stupid "reverse the controls" boss fight right at the end - almost ruined the entire thing but thankfully the game saved itself with a masterful and nasty twist after the credits!

    Been playing this again myself recently. Must be the season for it. The insta-death stealth bits are a bit pap but the rest of the game more than makes up for those.

    And Jade looks so much better in this than she appears to look in the new teaser (where they seem to have reverted back to the original concept they had for her - bah)

  • Eraser #78 3 years ago

    Seeing the new Beyond Good & Evil teaser trailer actually made me buy an XBox 360.

  • Eraser #79 3 years ago

    Seeing the new Beyond Good & Evil teaser trailer actually made me buy an XBox 360.

  • spekkeh #80 3 years ago

    ObiwanShinobi:
    Something keeps telling me you haven't played many console games. Zelda, anyone?

    Yeah I agree, this game has Zelda written all over it. But it's a good kind of rip off, able to stand on its own two feet. However I don't get the reviewers praise over the stealthy bits in the factory, I found them too long and annoying. For me it's more like an 8 or 9, but one that does retain that score over the years. Warm feelings, but no masterpiece such as the zeldas that it was copying in control style.
    Edited by 1 at 09/02/09 @ 13:38

  • Fleisch #81 3 years ago

    thankfully the Wii was backwards compatible and about the only thing i play on it now is B&G for the gamecube!

    such a great game.

  • Evolution #82 3 years ago

    Fantastic game, according to Ancel the GC version was the "definitive" one for some reason. Played it on the PS2 myself but what a purchase, can't wait for the sequel.

  • Feet #83 3 years ago

    I played through it recently when the trailer for 2 came out and it's a game that will stand the test of time. Just so wonderfully wonderful.

  • Grayvern #84 3 years ago

    Glad to see some spreading of the wonderfulness of Beyond good and evil, and thanks to Walker, i hadn't noticed the bandage yet.

  • MORZTAN #85 3 years ago

    Only 90 comments... The love for this beauty is still not high enough...

  • Mayhem64 #86 3 years ago

    Brilliant game, loved playing it from start to end. Please give it a go folks if you've not tried it!

  • BrokenSymmetry #87 3 years ago

    Excellent, excellent article! And the spiraling text input deservers another mention. That this has never been copied is mind-boggling.

    Also a tip for pad-lovers: I played it with the 360 pad, using the Pinnacle pad-support software ([link url=http://www.pinnaclegameprofiler.com),]http://www.pinna clegameprofiler.com),[/link] and after customzing the inputs to be almost the same as the original Xbox version that works great!

  • koopa #88 3 years ago

    I loved this game and I didn't mind its short length, it's a great little action adventure. But I still think it gets a bit too much press, plus it irritates me when someone says it's better than Zelda.

  • Schiraman #89 3 years ago

    Hmm... I never played this game due to the demo being terrible (it was some kind of tedious boss fight while controlling a hovercraft IIRC), I wonder how many other people were put off by the same thing?

    Mind you, I'm now put off by people mentioning stealth sections... I pretty much universally hate stealth mechanics in games, especially in games from a few years ago when it became insanely fashionable to jam a stealth level into every single game.

    As for Psychonauts: I'm not really sure what the fuss is about there. I played the first few levels and honestly it seemed like a pretty mediocre platformer with some ok humour. I'm not saying it's a bad game, but I don't get why people seem to think it's such a work of genius. Matter of taste, I guess.

  • MORZTAN #90 3 years ago

    @Shiraman

    The first few levels? Then you haven't even scraped the surface of Psychonauts. It get's better by each level, and when you complete it, you will se what the fuss is about.

  • onyxbox #91 3 years ago

    I just like the whole Fifth Element Vibe it had.

  • FenderMaster #92 3 years ago

    @MORZTAN

    Well I got to that boardgame level with Napoleon, and imo the gameplay only gets worse. Some concepts are interesting, like the twisted Milkman conspiracy and Godzilla Raz, but the problem ist that it just doesn't play particularly well imo...

    And the writing, while ok by videogame standards, hardly rivals a decent cartoon like Simpsns, Futurama, Family Guy, South Park etc.

    Is there some twist at the end that makes it all worth while? Because I've been thinking about going back and finishing it, it's just that every time I load it up, i just don't find it very fun....

  • Baron_Crumbly #93 3 years ago

    Next up: Psychonauts Retrospective

    (Do want)

  • Sar #94 3 years ago

    @siro:

    "UncleLou: I still think it's one of those cases where everyone praises it, because it's "cool" to love it."


    Frankly, bullshit.

    I personally have been evangelising this game to anyone that will listen for the better part of the 5˝ years since its release when I bought it (PC version). It's a fantastic game with a warm heart that deserved a lot more commercial success than it ever gained.

    The relationship between Pey'j and Jade is one of the most genuine I've ever come across in a game, and you can really feel the affection they have for one another.

    The atmosphere the game produces is nothing short of superb, with the musical score underpinning the emotional ebbs and flows as well as any Hollywood flick. And unlike most, I didn't really have that much of a problem with the final boss, and beat it after a handful of re-tries.

    I remember collecting all the pearls, all the photos, basically 100%ing the game, I loved it (and still do) that much.

    I genuinely feel sorry for those who don't appreciate this masterpiece for what it is. Maybe it's been over hyped (and I realise the irony here), but it is definitely a game that everyone should play through at least once, to see how games should be made.

    And koopa: It is better than the majority of Zelda games, and I'm a huge fan of, and have played all the Zelda games made. It has the same action and puzzle elements of Zelda, but has something that Zelda for me has never really displayed a lot of, and that's emotion.

    And I'm hoping for some pay-off with the original's post-credits twist in the sequel.

    I still have it installed on my PC and it looks as gorgeous now as it ever did.
    Edited by 1 at 09/02/09 @ 19:17

  • TuftyMcTavish #95 3 years ago

    Fantastic game. One of my all time favourites that I remember well to this day, and one I couldn't stop playing until I'd completed it, which was rather rare for me at the time.

  • Oceadge #96 3 years ago

    It's a shame they never fixed the prob;em where if you reverse the y-axis it also reverses the x-axis. I bought it on release on the PC but never got to play it because I was waiting on a patch that never came.

  • Nikanoru #97 3 years ago

    "And koopa: It is better than the majority of Zelda games, and I'm a huge fan of, and have played all the Zelda games made. It has the same action and puzzle elements of Zelda, but has something that Zelda for me has never really displayed a lot of, and that's emotion. "


    Now, I like BG&E a lot, but I have to stop you there. I cannot imagine for the life of me how some people come to this conclusion. The combat in BG&E is incredibly shallow and controls horribly compared to anything but perhaps the very first NES Zelda. Compared to Zelda's highly interactive environments, the game overworld in BG&E, while seemingly not too small at first sight, has so few details and things to do that they can be counted on one hand, making it feel tiny, and again, shallow. The "dungeons" are linear and limited, with very little in terms of puzzles. Again, every single Zelda game greatly trumps it in this regard.

    BG&E is a wonderful experience, kind of like an interactive feature film, where you're free to run around somewhat. But as a game, I'm sorry to say, it's just kind of limited, especially compared to the Zelda series.

    As for emotion, well, apparently you have played Twilight Princess (for more than ten minutes I hope). The range and colourfulness of characters in that game beats BG&E's any day IMO, but perhaps that's because I've been exposed to the latter's brand of French comic book stereotypes for too long.