Morgan Jolley

Beyond Good & Evil...Wow!

I got BG&E from EBGames.com for $22 shipped. What a steal!

The game is done entirely letterboxed (not anamorphic, IIRC, but you could zoom/stretch it) and the graphics are amazing. Little touches in the environments let you know that the entire game world was fully realized from the beginning. It's so well done in terms of visuals that some sections feel more like you're watching a CGI movie than playing a videogame.

The story is equally intriguing and a lot deeper than the initial previews made it out to be. There's a LOT going on that you end up getting thrown right into. The picture-taking concept is pretty cool and doesn't seem gimmicky at all.

The level designs are very Zelda-esque in that they seem large and intricate, but if you follow the right path then you will be led easily right through them. Some parts of the game (IMO) could be used to teach a course in level design, that's how intuitive, smart, and well-done they are.

I don't know how far I am through the game yet, but I think I'm probably at least 40% through. It doesn't seem like I'll get to do as much as I would have liked, but that just makes me want them to do a sequel even more.

I really like this game. I hope the lower price has sparked more sales and that more people realize how good it is.

Andy Sheets

I just finished it last night. It's a very good game. Aside from some occasional twitchiness with the camera, there are no major weaknesses in the game (well, okay, some of the voice acting is a bit cheesy ). It looks gorgeous and the controls feel very natural. When you have to fight it feels good, but the stealth sections also feel good, which is even more welcome since so many games have been putting stealth gameplay in only to be half-assed and frustrating.

Steve Y

Great game. This is for people who like to immerse themselves in games rather than rush through them - more really for the Zelda fans than the Final Fantasy crowd. Personally, I take my games in smaller bites and thus it takes me a little longer to complete those "weekend games" everyone complains about. I've put in ten hours and I'm not too close to completing it yet (I've had it for a few weeks). I'd say that's worth way more than $9.99 (Circuit City had a one-week sale on the PS2 version - lucky me).

I love the world. It reminds me of a cross between the "Skies of Arcadia" universe, Hyrule, and a Miyazaki anime. Some of the enemies remind me of the creepy ghostly insects in that Final Fantasy movie. The voice acting I've actually found to be quite good overall. The great story is so seamlessly integrated into the gameplay experience that you really feel like you're part of the plot. (I love how the game just pushes you into the story without endless tutorials / exposition)

There are some camera glitches now and again, and the tons of polygons on-screen (the city reminded me of Jak II with all the hovercrafts flying around) sometimes slow down the framerate, but most of the time it's not a problem. The art design and overall "feel" of the game are unique and a lot of work obviously went the animation and textures. During the stealth sequences (which are scary and inventive) I held my breath more than once. The puzzle sections are also very rewarding and ingenious (dealing with all those electrical problems in the factory...)

I knew I really loved the game when I finally made it out into open water and began pointing my camera around the ocean and a giant whale jumped up out of the ocean and slammed back under the waves with a tremendous splash...

The combat, like that in "Prince of Persia", is not overly complicated but feels, for lack of a better phrase, "kick-ass". (I must say, I disagreed with those who hated the POP combat - it just never got old for me)

This is definitely a sleeper "hit" (I also have hopes that it will pick up more $ales but I have no illusions). You just want to see a game successful when it has so much work put into it and ends up working so well. Besides, I want a sequel.

Along with Prince of Persia, this is one of my favorite games of the year.

~s

Morgan Jolley

Honestly, given a lot more resources and development time, I'm sure they could have created an entire planet for this game to take place on and allowed it to expand even farther. This game deserves to be spun off into an MMORPG or something because the game world is just so fluid and realistic.

They should make the game into a movie like they did with Shenmue I, it would be pretty good.

john doran

yeah - this is an absolutely awesome game; i loved every second i played it. if only they could have made a longer version...

JamesH

I thought it was a good length. I'd rather have a game that is pure enjoyment the whole way through than one that is artificially extended through meaningless garbage(ie: Zelda WW). I get more length out of something like BG&E anyway since the seamless pace makes it stand up well to multiple playthroughs down the line.

Sadly I got it the week before the price drop, but it was still worth the money. If anyone is wondering why this game is so good, it's because the man behind Rayman 2 created it. From the looks of it, he devoted all his time to BG&E and little or none to Rayman 3.




I skipped out on the game for a while for the exact same reason. It turned out to be a big mistake.

john doran

fair enough - me too. which is precisely what i meant: i wished that it could have been 20 or 30 hours of the same seamless, enjoyable game.

also, i didn't feel there was any meaningless garbage in zelda: WW....

JamesH

For me it was the sailing. I didn't like spending 40% of my playtime on an activity I found boring within the first 2 minutes. I had played it in small doses to see if I could make my way through, but I quit for good when the triforce hunt began.

Morgan Jolley

Honestly, this game is damn near perfect. Only took me about 11-12 hours to complete, but it was an extremely well-spent 11-12 hours. The thing at the end after the credits opens a sequel, and I REALLY hope they do it.

Richard_T