Beyond Good and Evil HD
PlayStation 3
When this game was released back in 2003, it opened to generally positive reviews. Sales of the game, however, were abysmal. It had originally been planned to be the opening act of a three part trilogy, but because sales of the game were so poor, these sequels were scrapped. Copies of this game became very hard to find. Everyone who had played the game really liked it, but commercially it was a failure. As a result, Beyond Good and Evil quickly obtained "cult" status.
This cult status intrigued me. I was one of the many gamers who did not play it upon its initial release. But when I saw a used copy of it on sale for the PlayStation 2 back in '07, I scooped it up. I wanted to see what the fuss was all about.
I actually didn't like the game. I didn't get into the story. I didn't like the characters. The sneaking around game play was weird to me. I thought it was very overrated. However, I have to say that I never really gave the game a chance. I was drunk a lot back then. Like, black out drunk. I was probably only semi coherent half the time when I would play this game. I was obsessed with American Idol back then, and would play the following video over and over again in the background while playing this game:
You don't have to tell me. I know I am weird. So suffice it to say I wasn't really focusing on the game and giving it the legitimate shot that it deserved. I did beat the game, but as far as retaining any information about it other than I didn't like it that much, forget about it.
Years passed. 9 to be exact. The retooled HD version of this game became available on the PlayStation 3 for dirt cheap. I knew that I didn't like the game very much, but I also knew I hadn't given it a proper chance. So I got it.
I will say that I do like the game a lot better the second time around. But as far as all the copious amounts of praise that have been heaped on it over the years - I still think the game is a bit overrated.
The game throws you right into the middle of a complex story with little to no background information. You play as Jade, a journalist from the land of Hillys. As the game progresses, you are able to determine that the land of Hillys is under attack by alien forces. The government is supposed to be protecting the people of Hillys from these attacks, but often show up too late to do anything about the situation.
Armed with your trusty camera and a few butt kicking sidekicks, you embark on a mission to prove that the aliens and the government are in cahoots, and that the government is actually involved in human trafficking that supplies the aliens with live captives for their nefarious purposes. Whatever those purposes may be.
This game is a weird combination of many other games you may or may not have played. The overworld contains a large amount of pearls, which are collectibles akin to the stars in Super Mario 64. The pearls are used as currency which you use to upgrade your equipment in order to advance the game's story.
Also, Jade is paid to take pictures of animals for research. Along your path you are constantly stopping to take pictures of the wildlife before continuing on in your journey. This reminds me a little of Pokemon Snap. Stealth is preferable to outright combat in this game, ala Metal Gear Solid. On the occasions when you are forced to fight, battles play out a little bit like Zelda. The camera locks on to your nearest enemy, and Jade wields a staff to fight them off.
The game also features RPG like character interaction, where you can walk around and talk to people. Buy things. Gamble and play mini games. Transportation through Hillys is done mainly over the water, where you pilot a boat. Grand Theft Auto on water comes to mind here. You can't steal anything, but you can get in trouble and you can destroy civilians. There are races.
It is really hard to categorize the game because there is such variety in its styles. And therin lies a little bit of the problem for me. It does a lot of these different play styles "pretty good". But excellent? Hmmm....
I think the main draw of the game is supposed to be its story line. The conspiracy/human trafficking plot is fairly interesting. I am sure in its day, this was considered a super amazing and original story. But now, meh. Almost every game that comes out has a better story than this. It doesn't help that the game does a poor job of setting things up. It just expects you to know what is going on.
Where is Hillys? Who are the Dom-Z? Why are there people people but then are pig people and shark people as well? What is going on???
The game is a little goofy. If I had to compare its basic visual presentation to a movie, I guess it would be the 5th Element. I know that a lot of people like the 5th Element, so if you think this sounds good - more power to you! I, though, was not a big fan.
I really wanted to like the story line, but I didn't get too excited about it. That means that the action and the game play had to carry the title for me. It... kind of did. As I say, the game does a lot of things pretty good, but never excellent.
I was bored a lot of the time. Not only by the story, but by the mazes and dungeons in the game as well. I would get stuck in them a lot, only to have to look up the solution online. And then I'd see that the solution would be some incredibly odd, obscure action that you never would have thought to do in a million years. And this is just in the dungeons. In the overworld, there were more than a few occasions where I didn't know what to do or where to go next.
The fighting didn't interest me, the sneaking around was very tedious and trial and error based. As I said, the puzzles and a lot of their solutions were very vague. I actually found my favorite part of the game to be its photography aspect, which I never would have seen coming beforehand. That, and simply exploring Hillys in the boat and looking for pearls.
The game never excited me at any one time. It was all just kind of... eh. I like the ambition of the title. I like how they tried to do something different here. I really do. It just didn't quite come together for me. I wasn't feeling it.
Not to say I hated the game or that I would dissuade you from playing it. Different strokes for different folks. This game has a big cult following for a reason. I can see why people would like it.
Sure the game doesn't do a good job introducing you to the story line. But with a little digging and dedication things become cleared up pretty quickly.
The world of the game is stunning. Graphically, everything looks really good. In fact, I didn't notice much difference in the HD version from the original PS2 version I played almost ten years ago. So the game does withstand the test of time. The world of Hillys is super detailed, full of all kinds of colorful, interesting characters. The atmospheric effects like the rippling water, the luminescent cave crystals, the red glow of security beams, all add to the game's very, very immersive universe.
The game's voice acting and musical score are top notch as well. Put out the lights, pop on some headphones, and totally lose yourself in this game.
Massive props to Ubisoft for creating such an amazing looking and sounding world.
But pretty graphics, fun characters, and a nice highly detailed game world weren't quite enough to win me over. When it comes down to it, I play a game because I want to be entertained and I want to have fun. I wasn't having a whole lot of fun here. The whole game just seems a little too dour story wise, and its multiple game play modes uninspired. If it had just picked a genre, stuck to it, and excelled at that genre, I might have really liked it.
Instead I think the game tried to do too much and fell on its face a bit.
Also, the game is very short. I played it sparingly off and on and still finished it in a week or two. And that was with getting stuck a bunch of times and having to look online for help. A dedicated player could probably beat this in a couple of sittings.
I know it sounds like I am being unfairly harsh on this game. I can't lie that expectations didn't play a role here. I wanted so much to love it! I had heard so many good things about it. I know that I didn't give it a proper chance back in '07. But maybe there was a reason for that. I didn't really think the game was that good back then either.
Which is really too bad. I know this game has a big following and I wanted to be swept up in the following and rant and rave about the injustices of the series being cancelled online. But instead, I find myself nodding my head, glad it ended when it did.
The game does a lot of things right, and I know that there are a lot of people out there that really like the game. And I can acknowledge the things the game does right. Unfortunately, I play games to have fun and this one was seriously lacking in the fun department for me. It's not like the game is poorly made or is crap or anything, I just couldn't get into it.
In break up terms - it's not you Beyond Good and Evil. It's me.
Considering I didn't like the game a whole lot, this grade seems a little generous. But I do have to take into account the high quality of the game, and the fact that I didn't have a bad time playing it. Just not a particularly good one.
Overall:
C-
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