We're in this dream of a game right now and we don't want to wake up and start again- it has to continue and any interruption is akin to a fire alarm going off in a cinema during your favourite fantasy movie. Lovely stuff.
It is, apart from a few choice technical hiccups, a marvellous game...[It] leaves you feeling warm and happy every time you finish playing it, and in this medium there can be no greater triumph than that.
Every now and then, however, you strike solid gold, and if "Super Mario 64" is videogaming's "A Hard Day's Night," then Beyond Good & Evil is surely its "Let it Be." [Dec 2003, p.98]
Mixing Walt Disney's colorful whimsy, the industrial distopias of French cinematographers Jeunet and Carot ("City of Lost Children"), and "Zelda" mastermind Shigeru Miyamoto's genius for flexible gameplay, BG&E is mesmerizing, ominous, and, most of all, memorable. [Dec 2003, p.200]
Rather than force you from one style of gameplay to another depending on which level you're on, BG&E blends the transitions together almost seamlessly. The additional styles never really encroach on the main crux of the adventure; they're always peripheral and therefore serve to enrich the experience, rather than dilute it. [Dec 2003, p.114]
It's an 'experience' as much as a game, meaning that it will leave as many people cold as it grabs by the right half of the brain. Beyond good, then, but not quite excellent. [Christmas 2003, p.104]
This game is something poetic, something wonderful and fascinating, something difficult to explain in simple words. This is a unique work of art, a game that can touch your soul like no other.
Let's start from the premise that I can say with confidence that yes! Beyond good & Evil is my absolute favourite video game without a shadow of a doubt. I consider this game as the most underrated game in game history. Because of the love I feel for this game, it is difficult for me to write a review trying to express all the immense qualities that this game contains.
The soundtrack of this game are together with the atmosphere and setting the most wonderful thing in this game, in fact this work is composed in my opinion by the best soundtrack I've ever heard in a video game, a soundtrack composed by unique tracks able to convey unique and indelible emotions to the player. the setting is simply unique and unforgettable, it's almost a mixture between the world of fairy tales and the fantasy/futuristic one. The atmosphere of the game instead is of an absolute calm almost wanting to convey a sense of mystery, immensity, wonder, peace and contemplation. the gameplay is a hybrid that combines stages of combat, stealth and free roaming with the Hovercraft and the Beluga, the best part of the Gameplay in my opinion are the photos, in fact Jade (protagonist of the game) has the ability to take pictures of all creatures of the planet in exchange for compensation in-game.
I must say that there is a lot to say I limited myself to a mini introduction of a work in my opinion massive. I hope the game will one day have the success it deserves, as it is one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had.
Truly ahead of it's time. I still enjoy the game today. Well-written characters, an amazing story, fun and diverse gameplay that involved combat, photography, driving and a bunch of minigames. It had so much to offer. The world and the graphics are still beautiful today. I played this as a child and even 16 years later, I still love this to death.
No games from this era even comes close to this game. The well-planned and -constructed game gives you both old and new memories for old and new gamers. No reason to play something else, even in 2019. Graphics are of course beaten by now, but the story is what matters, especially in old games, which new games lack very much on. Ubisoft really made a complex story that many developers to this day cant achieve something similar to this game. Three words to describe the game: Story-driven, beautiful and intense. Looking forward to the long-awaited prequel!
SummaryThe planet of Hyllis has fallen under siege by a ruthless alien race. Despite the assurances of the Alpha Section defense squad, the war drags on, terrorizing the once-beautiful planet and crushing the faith of the people. From the rubble of a tiny island rises Jade - a rebellious young action reporter left traumatized by a brutal attack...