JOE: There’s a lot to like about Beyond Good & Evil, the best action-adventure game since Zelda: The Wind Waker (GC). You play as Jade, a plucky freelance photojournalist working for a rebel organization out to prove that the planet’s militaristic government is hiding sinister secrets from the populace. In you charge, camera in hand, to get the truth.
But you don’t just take pictures in BG&E, you get to drive a speedy hovercraft, sneak through top-secret installations, coordinate with a partner to solve puzzles (much like in Ico for PS2), and beat up foes with a big stick. Not only does the game do all of these things well, but it also imparts a constant, magical feeling of exploration as you discover more about its involving story and the colorful inhabitants of the lighthearted, Fifth Element–like world around you.
If you’ve ever thought you’d prefer a short game that’s consistently great over one that’s artificially extended with stupid, unfun bits, you were thinking of BG&E. It’s short (about 10 hours), but very sweet. It’s not so easy that you’ll breeze through it, nor is it too hard to be frustrating. That makes BG&E good for casual players (and even your non-gaming girlfriend), but you’ll surely dig it yourself.
SHAWN: Long after you’ve shot your last roll of celluloid and blown the lid on a body-snatching conspiracy, you’ll reminisce about your stay on planet Hyllis. 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. Unlike other ambitious games that try to be too many things to too many players, BG&E pulls its components together beautifully. Your hovercraft handles well, letting you explore pristine waterways, chase crooks, and run races without hassle. The first-rate stealth sections escalate tension rather than induce stress with tedious trial and error. Even your responsive starship is a joy to pilot. Only BG&E’s relative brevity and puzzles that get recycled toward the game’s end disappoint.
GAMENOW—ETHAN: Hey Eidos, pay attention: This is the game the last Tomb Raider should have been. BG&E is packed with personality and girl power, and more importantly, it controls like a dream. The play mechanics borrow from the Zelda template in all the right ways (autojumping, enemy targeting, etc.), and the game delivers enough original material keep things fresh. For instance, Jade’s camera is an integral tool—a single shutter click can take down an entire government if you’re stealthy enough to be in the right place at the right time. Similar creativity manifests itself in Jade’s darkly beautiful, Disney-esque world (although bouts of choppiness blight its otherwise fine graphics). An interesting story and entertaining cut-scenes round out this worthwhile package.
Good: Astounding gameplay variety
Bad: You’ll wish Jade’s staff were a bit more effective in fights
Don’t Adjust Your TV: The whole game is indeed letterboxed
Rating:
Joe 8.5
Shawn 9.0
Ethan 8.0
Master of Muppets
Beyond Good & Evil is the product of more than three years of work by Michel Ancel, the brains behind Ubisoft’s popular Rayman platform-game series. That is to say, the first two titles in the Rayman series. Ancel skipped Rayman 3 to work on BG&E. That might explain why the game received a 6.5 and 7, while the first two Raymans rated high enough to get Game of the Month awards.
She Works Hard for Her Money
Shutterbug
Use your camera to uncover evidence of government misdeeds or take pics of weird animals for money.
Built for Speed
Beat hovercraft races to bring in bonus bucks. The crafts control well, and the missions are easy and fun.
Hidden and Dangerous
Sneak into enemy installations to uncover the truth for the people, this time pro bono.
Copyright © 2003 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Electronic Gaming Monthly.
