Beyond Good & Evil
For me, Beyond Good & Evil is one of those games that you wanted to get when it came out, but you just honestly couldn’t afford it. Then, months and months after it’s been out, the price has been reduced, and you have a random $20 floating around in your pocket, you finally decided to pick up the game and play through it. After having completed the game, it didn’t take me long to establish that my $20 was well spent, and it definitely reminded me of why I was interested in picking up the game to begin with.

Graphics:

Though the game is almost two years old, it’s still absolutely breathtaking by today’s standards. The environments, character designs, and everything else are absolutely stunning. It’s clear that Ubisoft put a lot of time and effort into making this game look good, and it definitely shows. Levels are designed very well, and the whole world that the game takes place in is excellently crafted. What Ubisoft has accomplished here is a completely engaging fictional world that is absolutely gorgeous. It would truly be a difficult task to not completely enjoy what Ubisoft has created for this game.

Sound and Music:

Ubisoft yet again succeeds with an excellent soundtrack and wonderful voice acting. The music definitely helps set the tone for the game in multiple different ways. If the mood is supposed to be suspenseful, then the music fits it perfectly. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there’s the music that plays inside the Akuda Bar. If I were to imagine myself inside a bar on a distant planet surrounded by weird new species of people, I’d definitely envision hearing the song that they created for it playing in the background. The voice acting is another thing that helps draw you into the game even more. Voices were cast excellently, and I don’t think I would be able to imagine any of the characters differently. They may just be voice actors, but they’re definitely a lot better at acting them some big name celebrities out there. The emotion and experiences that the voice actors help create will sometimes even make you forget that you’re playing a game. That’s just how well of a job these voice actors did. Kudos!

Storyline:

Beyond Good & Evil has a wonderfully crafted storyline to help make the game that more interesting. The story revolves around Jade, a young woman who has been sheltering kids who have lost their parents to the Domz. The Domz are en evil race of alien creatures that, as you may have guessed it, have been kidnapping people to suck their life energy dry. Through a series of introductory levels, you’ll quickly learn that not all is as it seems. You’ll soon be introduced to the Iris Network, a secret media organization that believes the Alpha Sections (the elite soldiers of the planet) are actually in cahoots with the Domz and have been kidnapping the people for them. After hearing their side of the story, you decide to become a reporter for the Iris Network in order to discover the truth behind everything that is happening. Throughout the game you’ll investigate specific areas of the planet and take pictures of all the suspicious activity you see. As the game progresses, you soon begin to learn the truth behind the Domz, the Alpha Section, the Iris Network, and as an excellent plot twist, you find out the truth about yourself. It’s hard to say much else about the story without giving anything away, but you can rest assured that Beyond Good & Evil will not disappoint when it comes to this category.

Gameplay:

If you’ve played Starfox Adventures, then you’ll pretty much have an idea of how this game plays. The main difference between the two games is that Starfox Adventures sucks, and Beyond Good & Evil doesn’t one bit. I would like to have compared the game to Zelda, but in honestly, it truly does feel more like what Starfox Adventures could have been. Anyway, the game follows you in the third-person point of view as you explore the different areas of Hillys, which is an entire planet with only a few masses of islands on it. Yet again, the fighting system can be compared to Starfox Adventures, straight down to the fact that you use a staff. However, the main difference here is that you actually get to control when and where you swing, as opposed to continually pressing the A button and managing to beat all the enemies. As you go from area to area, you’ll have to take pictures in order to show proof behind what the Iris Network is reporting on. At first I thought this would be a hassle (sorta like scanning in the Metroid Prime games). Luckily, it wasn’t even a hassle at all. The game manages to implement the picture taking process into the game without it becoming annoying or repetitive. The one thing I was a bit upset about though was the insane amount of stealth tactics that are required within the game. Though it’s basically an adventure title, you are required to sneak around forbidden areas way too often. Much to my surprise, I found a lot of the stealth in this game harder than that in actual stealth titles, such as Metal Gear Solid. However, it did add a bit more challenge to the game, and despite the fact that the difficulty sometimes got on my nerves; this is definitely a game worth striving to beating. Lastly, since you are on islands, you must use your hovercraft to navigate from one spot to another. The hovercraft works perfectly within the setting of the game, and using it is a cinch. Throughout the game you’ll use pearls that you find to buy upgrades for the hovercraft (don’t worry about missing any upgrades, since they are all mandatory and required by the storyline), and eventually you’ll find a spaceship that leads you to the final area of the game. Along with that, there are even a few hovercraft racing levels that you’ll get to compete in. As I previously stated, this game feels a lot like Starfox Adventures. The difference here being that you have more control over the fight system, there are no annoying fetch quests, and the gameplay is generally more enjoyable and engaging.

Controls:

The controls are just as simple as you would expect from a Zelda game. The analog stick will move Jade around, the B button will allow you to dodge attacks, X will use the current item you have selected from your inventory, Y will allow your partner to do something (such as break open a gate or step on a switch), L is used to crouch silently during stealth areas, R is used to make Jade run, Z activates the camera, and the C-stick is used to aim with your camera. As for the A button, it serves as the generic action button. You’ll use the A button to activate keypads, talk to characters, take pictures, and most importantly: to attack. The game’s battle camera is automatic, and sometimes it will give you a few troubles when you’re in battle, but for the most part it’s not a serious issue. The controls work very well with the title, which make the game that much easier to just pick up and play.

Replayability:

My main complaint with the replay value is that, if you’ve already reached the final area of the game, you cannot go back and do any of it. Then again, there really isn’t that much to do in the first place. As I stated earlier, you will collect pearls as you progress throughout the game. Most of them are required, since you need them to reach the final area, but there are a select few that are hidden throughout Hillys. Tracking them down isn’t too difficult, and it honestly won’t give you that much extra to do. However, there is also a picture taking “mini-game” of sorts. In the beginning of the game, you get contacted by the science and research center, who want you to use your camera to help inventory all the animal species on the planet. You’ll encounter many of these animals through the main story, so if you take the pictures as you see them, there won’t be that many left to hunt down. As I’ve done with many other games, the main replay value I’d suggest you complete here is playing through the game again. The storyline and gameplay are definitely worth seeing and playing again, not to mention the game is only about ten hours long. Remember though, if you plan to hunt down the pearls/animals, be sure you do it before you head out into space. Because once you’re in space, there aint no coming back.

All in all, Beyond Good & Evil is a perfect example of how to create an excellent adventure title. The storyline is beautifully crafted, the gameplay presents only very minor flaws, and the replay value isn’t honestly that big of an issue. Oh, not to mention the fact the game simply looks and sounds pretty damn good. It’s really a shame that this game didn’t sell too well when it came out, because it really does deserve a sequel. Either way, at only $20, this is a definite must buy for anyone who calls themselves an adventure game fan.
Graphics: 9.5/10
Sound and Music: 9.0/10
Storyline: 9.7/10
Gameplay: 9.5/10
Controls: 9.0/10
Replayability: 7.5/10
9.4
Out of 10
Out of 10