Max Cola
03-12-2006, 10:00 PM
http://img480.imageshack.us/img480/3701/b0000d1jak08lzzzzzzz4cz.jpg
The best game no one's ever played.
Story: From the very beginning of the game, you can tell this will be something special, as we jump right into the action. You are Jade, a young "action reporter" who also runs a shelter for orphaned kids out of a lighthouse on her home planet of Hillys. For many years, Hillys has been at war with a nasty alien race called the DomZ, and despite the apparent assistance of galactic police the Alpha Sections, people are still being kidnapped... Obviously, something fishy is going on, and it's your job to find out the truth. Easily one of my favorite video game storylines, and the characters are wonderfully endearing and likable (Double H FTW). 10/10
Graphics: Gorgeous. Even on the PS2 version of the game, you can tell Hillys is a beautiful world which deserves saving. And it's not just the graphics that make this game such a pleasure to look at; the art style is brilliant as well. Every location and NPC has a distinct appearance, so you'll never get bored by reused textures or models. Things look a little spotty when you get a spaceship later on and can see things from a different angle, but otherwise it's all very lovely. 10/10
Sound: I <3 this game's soundtrack. Soooo much. From pumping techno to delicate piano to reggae to funky alien cantina music, every piece fits the action perfectly and it all sounds wonderful. If you can find the soundtrack online, download it. You'll love it. And that's not all that's good about the sound in this game: the voice acting is strong and emotive, and every line is pulled off convincingly, whether it's spoken by a latin hologram or a stout pigman. Sound effects are pretty tandard, though I always love hearing the enemy soldiers cry out as you kick them in the backside :) 10/10
Gameplay: The gameplay in BG&E is probably the least special part of the game. It's by no means bad, it's just not as unique and wonderful as the presentation. The best comparison I can come up with is one of the 3D Legend of Zeldas, with a little bit of Pokemon Snap and some light stealth mixed in, and just a pinch of a racing game. You travel the watery overworld in a hovercraft (which is much, much faster and more fun than Link's silly little red boat), and in the game's sole city you can walk around chatting with the locals and buying stuff. In the "dungeons" you generally have the basic exploring, puzzle solving and fighting. The latter is pretty simple and is done with only one button - this game isn't reallyabout fighting, though, so it's OK. As you proceed through the story, you'll find yourself sneaking around a lot more than fighting (sometimes, you CAN fight, but you're usually outranked and outnumbered anyway). Now, I HATE stealth games, and I still liked the stealth in BG&E. It's never too hard, and dying is never a big deal anyway - sae points are frequent and there are invisible checkpoints in every room.
The Pokemon Snap bit comes from Jade's camera, which works as a scanner and targeting reticule for her projectile weapon. You can take pictures with it, too - weird, huh? Often times you'll use it to accomplish a mission objective, but you can also take pictures of wildlife and get paid money by the local science center. You'll also earn pearls for upgrading your hovercraft, which is essential for completing the game. Neat how it all works together like that, huh? Oh yeah, the racing bit is a minigame you can play to earn more money and pearls, and it's pretty damn fun - I especially like the Smuggler Runs. Anyway - in summary, BG&E's gameplay is nothing new, but it's quite fun. 8/10
Control: No complaints here, everything is responsive and works like it should. 10/10
Replayability: Sadly, Beyond Good and Evil is a very short game - I can beat it in one sitting if I skip the extras. Going after the secret stuff (all pearls, MDiscs and photographs) tacks a few more hours on there, though. Short, but so, so sweet. 8/10
Bottom Line: I'm biased as fuck about this game, of course, and there's no chance of it getting any less than a 10/10 from me; it's definitely among my favorite games and will likely stay that way for a long time. The gameplay is fun, the story is brilliant, and the audio and video are wonderful. I just wish more people had bought it, because then we might have actually seen a sequel ;_; CURSE YOU GAMING PUBLIC! CURSE YOUUUUUUU!!! Overall grade: 10/10
The best game no one's ever played.
Story: From the very beginning of the game, you can tell this will be something special, as we jump right into the action. You are Jade, a young "action reporter" who also runs a shelter for orphaned kids out of a lighthouse on her home planet of Hillys. For many years, Hillys has been at war with a nasty alien race called the DomZ, and despite the apparent assistance of galactic police the Alpha Sections, people are still being kidnapped... Obviously, something fishy is going on, and it's your job to find out the truth. Easily one of my favorite video game storylines, and the characters are wonderfully endearing and likable (Double H FTW). 10/10
Graphics: Gorgeous. Even on the PS2 version of the game, you can tell Hillys is a beautiful world which deserves saving. And it's not just the graphics that make this game such a pleasure to look at; the art style is brilliant as well. Every location and NPC has a distinct appearance, so you'll never get bored by reused textures or models. Things look a little spotty when you get a spaceship later on and can see things from a different angle, but otherwise it's all very lovely. 10/10
Sound: I <3 this game's soundtrack. Soooo much. From pumping techno to delicate piano to reggae to funky alien cantina music, every piece fits the action perfectly and it all sounds wonderful. If you can find the soundtrack online, download it. You'll love it. And that's not all that's good about the sound in this game: the voice acting is strong and emotive, and every line is pulled off convincingly, whether it's spoken by a latin hologram or a stout pigman. Sound effects are pretty tandard, though I always love hearing the enemy soldiers cry out as you kick them in the backside :) 10/10
Gameplay: The gameplay in BG&E is probably the least special part of the game. It's by no means bad, it's just not as unique and wonderful as the presentation. The best comparison I can come up with is one of the 3D Legend of Zeldas, with a little bit of Pokemon Snap and some light stealth mixed in, and just a pinch of a racing game. You travel the watery overworld in a hovercraft (which is much, much faster and more fun than Link's silly little red boat), and in the game's sole city you can walk around chatting with the locals and buying stuff. In the "dungeons" you generally have the basic exploring, puzzle solving and fighting. The latter is pretty simple and is done with only one button - this game isn't reallyabout fighting, though, so it's OK. As you proceed through the story, you'll find yourself sneaking around a lot more than fighting (sometimes, you CAN fight, but you're usually outranked and outnumbered anyway). Now, I HATE stealth games, and I still liked the stealth in BG&E. It's never too hard, and dying is never a big deal anyway - sae points are frequent and there are invisible checkpoints in every room.
The Pokemon Snap bit comes from Jade's camera, which works as a scanner and targeting reticule for her projectile weapon. You can take pictures with it, too - weird, huh? Often times you'll use it to accomplish a mission objective, but you can also take pictures of wildlife and get paid money by the local science center. You'll also earn pearls for upgrading your hovercraft, which is essential for completing the game. Neat how it all works together like that, huh? Oh yeah, the racing bit is a minigame you can play to earn more money and pearls, and it's pretty damn fun - I especially like the Smuggler Runs. Anyway - in summary, BG&E's gameplay is nothing new, but it's quite fun. 8/10
Control: No complaints here, everything is responsive and works like it should. 10/10
Replayability: Sadly, Beyond Good and Evil is a very short game - I can beat it in one sitting if I skip the extras. Going after the secret stuff (all pearls, MDiscs and photographs) tacks a few more hours on there, though. Short, but so, so sweet. 8/10
Bottom Line: I'm biased as fuck about this game, of course, and there's no chance of it getting any less than a 10/10 from me; it's definitely among my favorite games and will likely stay that way for a long time. The gameplay is fun, the story is brilliant, and the audio and video are wonderful. I just wish more people had bought it, because then we might have actually seen a sequel ;_; CURSE YOU GAMING PUBLIC! CURSE YOUUUUUUU!!! Overall grade: 10/10