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24 of 25 found the following review helpful:
 Comparison of versionsDec 19, 2005
By Jeffrey G. Jones
I'm a big fan of this game, but most of the reviews have already done justice to its quality (let's say that if Roger Ebert played it, he would understand that games CAN be an entirely valid and socially relevant art form). What they haven't covered, at least that I've seen, is a comparison between the PS2, Xbox, GCN, and PC versions of the game. If you only have one of those platforms, then obviously, buy it for that one - but if you have a choice, which one is better?
First I tried the Xbox version in a store, but initially passed on it. When I went back again to buy it, it was gone. So I bought the PS2 version and played it through, then sold it. Today I found a brand-new copy of the GC game (yes, they ARE out there), and now I'm playing through it again. I haven't played the PC version - it is by far the most popular, which leads me to believe they know something I don't, but I don't have a system that's suitable for trying it out.
- They pretty much all look and play the same - that is, above average, with a lot of fine and unique detail, but occasionally muddy textures (still better than, say, Morrowind). There is an unevenness when turning the environment that sometimes feels like slowdown, sometimes like a framerate drop. Of the three, the Xbox version looks the cleanest, followed closely by the GCN. The PS2 has noticeably inferior texture work and more slowdown. Where the GCN version shines, in my opinion, is in the water effects, which are smooth and lovely, especially out in the open.
- Load times are roughly equal for the Xbox (which has the advantage of a hard drive) and the GCN (which has the advantage of a smaller disk). The PS2 version lags behind, but it isn't game-breaking.
- Controls are equally fluid on all three consoles, and your preference is probably going to lie with which controller you like best. For this game, I like the GCN controller layout, with its intuitive Z-control for the camera, the best of the three.
- The quality of the sound is similar for all three in the standard modes, but only the GCN version supports Dolby Surround Pro Logic II, a feature which does its part in enhancing the cinematic experience.
Of course, the biggest difference, at least currently, is the price. The PS2 and PC versions were over-produced, so they're easily obtained and dirt cheap. The Xbox and GCN versions are considerably harder to find, and the GCN version in particular is almost a collector's item. (I certainly prize my copy.) But as I said, this game is definitely out there. And if you really can't find it anywhere.. then buy it here and save yourself the hassle. BG&E is one of the standout games of the entire generation.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
One of those hard to find gamesSep 30, 2004
By Richard Veysey
I don't mean by my title that this game is hard to find. More that a game as well done as this only comes around once and a while. I spent about 20 hours exploring the world of Hylis. 20 hours which seemed to be only 10-15 hours. Time passes much faster outside the little bubble of blissful ignorance that will form around you while playing this game because, frankly, the outside world will seem to fade as you almost become Jade, becoming increasingly immersed in the beautiful yet dark world of Beyond Good and Evil.
The game opens with an alien attack by creatures known as the Domz. After a simple battle, you recieve your camera and can begin exploring your small island home, which also happens to be a lighthouse. When you first get the camera, you'll recieve one of the game's main side quests: photographing all the world's animals. This quest continues throught the game and takes a bit of work to complete, although you won't regret it. It is one of the most entertaining mini-games I have ever seen, keeping you entertained durring and between misions. After you've finished photographing the animals and exploring the environment, you begin you're adventure by recieving a speedboat from your best friend and companion, Pay'j.
Before I go on to mention anything else, I should probably go into detail about the environment. Although the game's graphics are often very cartoony, the cartoon world of Hylis comes alive in the form of the teeming life you see everywhere around you. There are the small things, such as the detailed rock walls of caverns, to the way the water moves, to all the people walking out on the streets. Everything just seems so alive that it will seem almost magical. The game also has a wonderful distance engine, which allows the player to see things from a very large distance, such as a whale leaping from the water, or other boats, or even the larger details of the game's several islands.
While running around taking pictures and fighting evil is fun, it is just as much fun to cruise around on the speed boat and the rocket ship, once you get it. While there is some fighting and picture taking to be had aboard the ship, it was not quite frequent enough for me, and I had to just make due with the 3 boat race courses and the four smugglers caverns, with the occasional Domz attack.
The main collectible in this game is the pearl, and pearls are required to progress through the game, with some additional pearls added in to give you more choice as to what quests to perform to progress in the game. The games quests vary. While you will get pearls automatically for progression in the game's rich plot, you will also have to take pictures of animals, fight some hidden Domz, win boat races, defeat smugglers, infiltrate government buildings in which pearls are held, and other little quests, many involving the perchase of pearls. Also, to avoid all the annoying serching that most games have to get the last collectibles, you can buy an item that will label pearl and animal locations on your map so that you have an idea of where to look, although it won't tell you how to get them.
The puzzles in the game are very well done, and, for the most part, simple. There is one puzzle later on that is quite well done because it is hard without being contrived or ridiculously pointless or anything else that can be complained about. Other puzzles involve finding clever ways of sneaking past guards or getting over a wall. It's one of those games where solving puzzles isn't extremely difficult as long as you look for the game's hints, yet still give a very rewarding feeling after their completion.
Almost done... This game isn't exactly an action game. Like in most RPGs, you can't fall of edges into bottomless pits, although enemies can kill you. Jade will do most jumping and action oriented moves by herself, leaving you to fight monsters and solve puzzles. The controls are very responsive and should never frustrate the player, especially with the fantastic camera, which places itself in basically the best position almost automatically, although there are sometimes when it would be nice to be able to move it. This makes doing battle simple, although it's not to hard to begin with. Most enemies are slow to attack and give you plenty of time to prepare a good strategy to dealing with them.
To wrap up, I need to mention the two most surprising things about this game. First off, it had almost no bugs that I could find. I found one spot where I fell through a floor, but I can only blame myself for that one, and it was easy to avoid the spot once I knew what I did to get into it. Did I mention that there are save points EVERYWHERE, so you never have to worry about getting really far and then getting stuck having to turn it off and losing 30 minutes of playing. Also, being killed only places you back at the entrance of a room, making some of the more frustrating sneaking bits much less so. The other bug was simply a quest desription bug on Salene which described the Pay'j quest as the "escaping the Slaughterhouse" quest. Other than that, I had no problems with the game's mechanics. Another surprise in this game was the increadible music, which had a great Latin feel and really got your feet moving and sometimes your head moving from side to side.
This game's story line never lets up and keeps you on the edge of your seat right up till the fantastic final battle. There were even several spots (especially the lighthouse bit near the end), when I almost cried because of the game's extremely emotional presentation. The only irritating thing is that the game seems to have one of those 'prepare for a sequal' endings, with some little loose ends to tie up, yet I have heard no plans for one as of yet. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled, I guess.
Anyway, if you're still reading this (I didn't realize I had this much to say about BG&E, sorry), this game goes beyond good and bad and reaches a level which few games attain of utter perfection. Every little thing in this game is thrown at you in just the right amount to entertain you, yet keep you begging for more. If you can find this game used, it makes a great addition to anyone's collection, but even new it's still a great deal for a great game.
17 of 20 found the following review helpful:
Buy it so Ubisoft will make a sequel.Jan 12, 2004
By Mark Gilbert
If a game has the Ubisoft logo on it its usually going to be good. But this game wasn't, It was beyond fantastic. An incredible story with many plot-twists, and amazingly fun gameplay. And a world that is really brought to life. Now, I have one or two bones to pick here though. First off, the world that you play the whole game through isn't quite as large as the ads make is sound. And the game isn't quite as open-ended as the ads make is sound. Also, you don't get the spaceship till the end of the game. Now normaly those would be bad complantes, but Beyond Good & Evil is an incredible game anyway. If you're wonder if its worth the money? Let's just say I would pay $80 dollars for this game. It is unbelevibly fantastic.
Anyway, now for a rundown of what the game consists of. Mostly the exploration is simple puzzles in incredible environments, and in battle you have first off, your normal Dai-jo stick attacks, and then there's the charge-up energyattack special. And finaly the complicated Gyrodisk launcher, which isn't really a weapon...
In exploring Hyllis(sp?) bay, you drive you jet powered hovercraft around the water. And later on, the spaceship allthe way up and to the moon. Also, large bosses usually don't attack you right away, because its one of the major side-quests to take pictures of all the species on the planet. So, its more realistic that way, infact it is a very very very realistcly rendered game.
And the many stealth segments are unsusually fun, or more interesting than fun really. It is still fun.
The story: The planet of hyllis is being attacked by the aliens known as the DomZ(that's not pernounced dom-Zee incase you were wondering). It starts out with Jade meditating at the base of the lighthouse where she lives, when a DomZ meteor attack starts.
After a lot happens including a few DomZ spectors trying to kidnap some of the other residents. Jade is sen't on a mission, unaware that it is a situation test for joining the Iris Network, the group of "terroists" that battle the Alpha Sections, a group of elite soldiers that supposedly "protect" the population. After that a long and engaging story unfolds, culminating in a huge battle with the DomZ lord, on the moon, and a huge space battle with the Alpha Section's leader. I don't want to give anything away. But I will give one thing away, so if you don't want to read it skip the next line.
[Jade is actually half DomZ by the name of Shauni, but dosn't know it, and unlocks a great hidden power in fighting them.]
Anyway, this is an incredible game that everyone should get. Graphics - 5/5
Sound - 5/5
Control - 4.5/5
FunFactor - 5/5
Overall - 5/5
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 A vast and amazing game!Dec 18, 2003
By Andrew Dobson
"AKA 'Tom Preston"
ok, "pokemon snap" for the N64 used snapping pictures as a new idea for a video game. This game pushes that envelope even farther. You are Jade, a journalist on a planet that is being bombarded by alien atacks. The ALPHA group protect and serve the public, or so they are assumed to. Your mission is to infiltrate the ALPHA group, uncover the goverment secrets and bring back photographic proof to the public that a major conspiracy is underway. Day and Night pass quickly though they don't have much effect on your playing. One of the side missions is to photograph every speicies of alien life on the planet. Since there are over 500, you're gonna be doing alot of snapping between missions. the play controle is excelent, and the graphics are amazing. This world that UBiSoft has create is massive and ever changing. Many of the things you can interact with easily. There are lots of people to talk to, and you are given more than just 1 thing to ask for each one, giving you much more control over how you want to gather information. The picture taking aspect is really nifty and setup so that it's easy to switch back and fourth between the camera and stealth. There is a very nicely cast group of actors doing the voices and you never get bored with them (they very rarely repeat themselves, instead they are more action oriented: giving you advice and talking to you as you go through the levels). I give this game a 4 because of the picture ratings. unlike Pkemon Snap which graded you on the ability you had in taking pictures, this game just requires you to have the character centered. They don't even have to be pointing at the camera (something i've noticed when i've taken pictures of the back of people's heads and yet the pictures are accepted!) all in all, this game is very detailed. Their use of cinematic scenes are exceptionally well done and the modeling of the characters is top-notch. If you're looking for something different, i'd stronly recommend this game. Rated T for comic mischief and violence
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Beyond Good and Evil is beyond good... its greatOct 01, 2006
By Cameron Usman
Ubisoft has done really good in building my consumer trust this game console generation and it is due to titles like this one. It is a brand new franchise yet it has the kind of production values in terms of graphics, voice acting, soundtrack, etc that you would expect from a well established game franchise.
This game is often compared to Zelda. The comparision is viable but not totally accurate. While Zelda is about free-roaming exploration this one has a more linear discovery. BG&E game world is much smaller than what you get in a Zelda game and it is a sci-fi alien invasion setting rather than the sword & soccery fantasy setting the Zelda games have.
In this game you a reporter that goes on different jobs to take pictures and submit the evidence of the alien activities. Expose goverment involvement and the works. The game will provide around 15-20 hrs of gametime. It is worth playing through for anybody that enjoys the Zelda games... some things are even done better (like the photography) than Zelda games but just don't expect the same size of world to explore, or the same type of combat/gameplay, or the same variety of diverse enemies and boss battles as a Zelda game.
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