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Beyond Good and Evil
by Jeremy Gard
Saturday, November 29 2003
Ubisoft's game feels like Zelda but manages to stand on it's own.
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Title:
Beyond Good and Evil
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Platform:
Xbox
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Publisher:
Ubisoft |
Developer:
Ubi Soft France |
#
of Players: 1 |
Genre:
Action/Adventure
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Origin:
France
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Expected
Release:
November 2003 |
Grapevine:
Although the game borrows a few elements from Zelda, Ancel's gameworld is beautifully creative, and in some ways more interesting than Hyrule. |
Lies…Conspiracies…Propaganda…sounds like something out of the Cold War, doesn’t it? Well, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m describing some of the content in Beyond Good and Evil, the new action/adventure from Ubisoft.
In Beyond Good and Evil, you play Jade, a young freelance reporter who is caught in the middle of a conspiracy. An alien race known as the Domz has invaded the island city of Hillys and is “waging war” with an elite army of soldiers known as the Alpha Sections. Jade, and her half-human, half-pig adopted uncle Pey’j have taken in orphans from the war and take care of them in their lighthouse. As the story unfolds, Jade comes in contact and employed by IRIS, a rebel group whose purpose is to uncover the Alpha Sections’ true intentions. Jade has her trusty dai-jo stick to fight off enemies, a hovercraft and a space craft to travel, and camera to provide evidence of the truth to the people of Hillys. As Jade, a player will explore the islands of Hillys to try and unravel the mystery of whose telling the truth. The complex story and plot twists bring the player to an ending that leaves one only to conclude that the sides in the war are…beyond good and evil…
Okay, enough corny lines, lets look at the game. The gameplay is great. Anyone can pick up a controller and start playing immediately. In fact, the very first instance one takes a hold of Jade, they are stuck in the middle of a battle and must fight multiple enemies (not to mention a mini-boss afterwards). This game tries to take advantage of the superior button set-up on the XBOX and succeeds for the most part. Nevertheless, unless one has an S-type controller, the black button can be a pain in the butt to hit, and it is used frequently. I’m afraid I also found a few bugs in this game. However, those bugs were very few in number. I have had a camera stuck behind a door, a partner talk to me in a mine while he was actually on the moon (I guess it was some kind of voice activation glitch…don’t ask me) and some invisible walls while in the space craft.
The graphics are beautiful. The people of Hillys consist of many different types of sapiens, and they are all beautifully designed and animated. The art design has a cartoon feel while not being flamboyant or too kiddy-like. The environment is home to water ripples, shadows, and detailed animal species. These shadows, as well as fog and light can be used to Jade’s advantage in sneaking past her enemies or planning a surprise attack. The environment along with Jade’s ability to wall crawl and hang from ledges heavily adds a tactical element to the game.
Jade's can pull off someone pretty amazing moves in the thick of battle.
Just as astounding as the graphics is the audio. The voice-acting in this game is great, from the soft sound of Jade’s voice to the hick, grungy sound of Pey’j. The soundtrack is just as great. It has the ability to pull one into the game and carry their emotions along with them. It helps to attach the player to the story. I was really taken in by the music myself. I must say it was the best soundtrack I have heard in a while.
When it comes to presentation, this game once again excels. The cinematics are gorgeous, giving intense detail to the characters and their surroundings. They also keep a good emphasis on facial expression and reactions (celebration and dialogue after a battle) to help pull the player’s emotions into the mix. The production of this game was superb, bottom line.
The replay value in this game is decent. There is no multi-player or unlockables. However, this game is like watching a good movie again. Once the game is beaten, it is easy for a player to pick up a controller and start playing again. Aside from the main storyline, there are a number of side-quests one can complete providing a goal for the next time through. Different strategies and techniques can be utilized on another run through the game if one is looking for more of a challenge (i.e. kill every Alpha soldier, don’t kill a single soldier, etc.)
In short, this game is a kill for the suggested twenty dollar retail price Ubisoft has asked retailers to use. The game is comprised of great graphics, a beautiful soundtrack and awesome voice-acting, expressive cinematics and a decent replay value for a non multi-player game. For those in search of a game with conspiracies or plot twists, here is your game.
--- Jeremy Gard
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