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Beyond Good and Evil
by Jolex Del Pilar
Saturday, October 11 2003
Take a look at a world crafted by the same minds who created the Rayman series.
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Title:
Beyond Good and Evil
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Platform:
PC Windows
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Publisher:
Ubi Soft |
Developer:
Ubi Soft France |
#
of Players: 1 |
Genre:
Action/Adventure
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Origin:
France
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Expected
Release:
October 28th, 2003 |
Grapevine:
The game is being developed by the same minds who created the Rayman series of gaming. |
Beyond Good and Evil was first shown at the E3 Expo this year in L.A. At that time however, the game was only shown in a trailer and wasn't playable on the floor. Recently however, we were able to play through some of the early levels of the game, and it's looking more and more like Beyond Good and Evil has sleeper hit potential.
First off, the game is a Michel Ancel creation. If that doesn't mean anything to you then perhaps the Rayman series of gaming does. From the original Rayman all the way to Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc, Ancel has been integral to the development of the series. One thing that was great about the Rayman series was the unique attention to detail in the game world. Fortunately, none of that has been lost in Beyond Good and Evil.
The game takes place on a world called Hyllis, a world that is engulfed in war, an aliens versus humans struggle. The people of the planet are growing tired of the conflict and don't beleive that the human government is doing enough to stop alien attacks upon the planet.
The story revolves around a woman named Jade. An Action Reporter/Photographer, Jade has lived on the planet since she was born. Recently attacks have been heavy enough on the planet that many children are without parents. Jade owns a lighthouse where she houses some of these "lost" children. She also lives with her adoptive uncle, a pig-man with an attitude named Pey'J, who has a knack for repairing things that break (computers, vehicles, etc). Jade and her uncle are determined to find out the causes behind the war and whether the government is telling the population the whole truth.
The game's world is a unique mixture of lush, nature, and advanced technology. Fantasy and sci-fi seem to meet on the world of Hyllis. Floating ships move slowly through the air over a landscape that is dotted by castles that look like they belong in a story about King Arthur. The graphical appeal of the game is obvious though, and it's easy to see that a lot of time went into creating a very lively world. Nothing seems static in the game, and it really does seem alive with activity, which in turn leads to a greater immersion factor.
The gameplay is varied. It can involve anything from combat, hovercraft travel, to picture taking. Combat in the game is handled in a very similar manner to games like Jax and Daxter, or the Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. It's melee based, and your character will execute combinations of moves with each successive button press. The picture taking game is actually a source of revenue. Scientist on the planet have been unable to catalog new species because of the war. So they pay you money for each new species you take a picture of, which you will need to buy items and repair your vehicles.
After playing through the game, there's no denying that there is a little excitement building up on our side on the release of this game. It looks like it has the potential to be a real hit with gamers when it comes out later this month. Whether the full game lives up to the standards set by the early beta remains to be seen, but from what we've experienced so far, the game would have to falter greatly during its late stages of development to disappoint us. Look for this one near the end of October to the beginning of November.
--- Jolex Del Pilar
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