ic-games Review - Beyond Good & Evil - Reviews, Previews and Interviews for PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and Wii

ic-games Review - Beyond Good & Evil - Reviews, Previews and Interviews for PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and Wii ic-games Review - Home - Review, Preview and Interview for PC, Xbox,Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and Wii

Beyond Good & Evil

Information
Reviewer: Llyr Davies
Developer: N/A
Publisher: Ubisoft
Reviewed: GameCube
Genre: Action Adventure
UK Release: 27th Feb 2004
Article Date: 20th Jul 2005
Difficulty: Medium
Retail Price: 16.99
Price Comparison:
0

Score Breakdown

Experience:
Game Play:
Graphics:
Sound:
Overall Score: 90%

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Pros

Wonderfully worked and beautifully presented

Cons

Nothing to note

Screenshots

3 of 20

In our new feature, we are taking a fresh look at classic games of yesteryear, this time we take a look at Ubisoft's brilliant action adventure, Beyond Good & Evil currently available at budget prices.

Beyond Good and Evil opens beautifully. Lush graphics and an atmospheric score create what is simply a very special intro to a very special game. The cool calm score suddenly recedes to a rousing chorus as a fantastic light show in the skies sees your character, Jade and her talking pig companion Peyj, under attack from an alien race later revealed to you to be a race known as the Domz. After some lovely special effects, a quick battle against a horrible alien with your trusty Dai-ho fighting stick and some help from your Uncle Pey-j (literally your pig of an uncle who adopted you when you were a child), you meet the Alpha Sections - an army of soldiers apparently dedicated to protecting your homeworld. However, you soon realise something's not quite tight about the Alpha Section's involvment.

Beyond Good and Evil is set on a fantastically beautiful overworld known as Hyllis. Following the battle that introduces you to the threat on the world, and your Dai-ho battling skills, your are introduced to two of the most essential elements of the game, your camera and your hovercraft. The Hyllis natural museum wants you to take pictures of local wildlife because the conflict surrounding the planet has caused some of the wildlife to disappear. Taking pictures of these animals and birds earns you credits and pearls which can be spent on buying upgrades for your hovercraft or health meter. The camera is also used as the game's first-person mode which can be useful for some of the stealthier sections of the game. The hovercraft is used to navigate your way around the game-world. The various upgrades that you can acquire allow you to progress through the game letting you access new areas and attempt various side-quests, such as hovercraft racing and smuggler caves. The camera and hovercraft allow a sense of freedom throughout the game and really gives you the feeling that you're a budding journalist trying to uncover the truth behind masses of propaganda.

Throughout the game you will be ordered to various dungeons. While these may not be very numerous on the whole (with only 5 or 6 actually being related to the storyline), these dungeons are massive and contain many different styles of puzzles. Each dungeon is also vastly different from the next and therefore each dungeon has it's own wide range of tasks to complete, from simple switch puzzles to nail-biting stealth sections, meaning that they're rarely a chore to explore. Stealth is a valuable weapon throughout BG&E, but you're rarely forced to use it, allowing you to tackle problems in your own way. Puzzles vary greatly, and at times have a Grim Fandango-ish quality, involving both item combination and character interaction, and most of these puzzles are very enjoyable. Many of the puzzles use a two-character system, some of which are mere simple two-button puzzles however some of the characters that assist you have special abilities such as Pey'j's special power-slam and mechanical skills and Agent Double H's (a character you meet later on in the game) massive strength. You never get to choose your partner but the difference in the abilities of your associates allow for more variety in the puzzles.

Probably Beyond Good and Evil's greatest success is its ability to convey a vibrant, living, breathing world. Communicating with characters allows you to develop the storyline and publishing some of your pictures from many of the dungeons influences the people around you, causing protests and raising support against the Alpha Sections. The actual people of Hyllis are a mixed bunch, with loads of different talking animals inhabiting the streets. You'll quickly find the town to be bustling with activity. When you first meet the Jamaican-accented rhinos running a hovercraft garage, you'll wonder if Michel Ancel (the game’s creator) was "quite alright", but after an hour or so of playing you'll actually come to care for the Hyllians, a rare achievement on Ubi Soft's behalf. The sheer absurdity of the game’s setting is justified by the activity and speech of the Hyllians, creating a sense of community. Despite the colour and vibrancy of the world, Michel Ancel has also managed to inject some intrigue into the game by creating the sense of a dystopian society unaware of its oppression. Propaganda and political posters litter the world and this really does add much to the game’s already absorbing qualities.

The actual gameplay mechanics are very similar to that of the 3D Zeldas, with use of the context-sensitive 'action button' for various tasks an items being assigned to many of the other buttons. Even an auto-jump is present. However, crouch and sneak buttons are used for the stealthier sections of the game. The real-time battle system is also very effective in the fact that you never have to lock on to anything in particular, yet you always have the feeling of control over who you're attacking. You just point the control stick in the general direction of the enemy and tap away to swing your Dai-ho in an increasingly majestic manner. There seems to be a somewhat invisible auto-lock that follows whichever general direction you’re moving. It's all very slick and feels much tighter and more responsive than the clumsy lock-on feature used in the Legend of Zelda series. However, it does feel at times that you're button-bashing. Apart from one or two special moves, much of the time you’re simply dodging and slashing away, but the creativeness of the enemies you fight and the variety of ways you have to approach them means that this style of fighting isn’t really a major issue.

As previously mentioned, Beyond Good and Evil is an extremely beautiful-looking game. Ubi Soft have clearly made the effort to make the visuals in this game the most spectacular to appear in any action adventure to date. Surroundings alter greatly from area to area and therefore each location has its own distinct character. Textures are rarely repeated so each section is fairly recognisable, and these textures are frighteningly detailed. The water effects are stunning, especially the sunset's rays dancing and flickering as you hover and bounce across the sea in your hovercraft. You certainly can't help but sit back and admire the scenery as planes fly majestically through the air and boats glide effortlessly across the waters. It’s hauntingly beautiful, but it’s complemented wonderfully by some truly inspired audio. The soundtrack to BG&E can only be described as fantastic. The calm music that revolves around Hyllis gives way to sinister and often rousing music during the game's few yet large dungeons. The tempo raises or slows to suit the mood of the scene and creates a thoroughly atmospheric experience throughout. It has the ability to exhilarate and serenade the player into a truly magical gaming world.

Beyond Good & Evil is all solid, familiar adventure gaming territory, but it's all been wonderfully worked and beautifully presented so that it’s an utter joy to play. The atmosphere and gameplay are pitched spot-on throughout, with a satisfying blend of both action and stealth elements sitting alongside some enjoyably diverting extras, such as hovercraft racing and other minigames. Beyond Good and Evil is an absorbing and incredibly rich experience that's difficult to fault. It may not be creative on the gameplay front, but it’s high production values and technical excellence means that this is one of the most captivating experiences to have been produced in the past five years.

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