Publisher: Ubisoft

Rated: T

Genre: Action, Adventure

Platforms: GameCube, Xbox, PS2 and PC

Ubisoft is one of those developer/publishers that just has a knack for making good games with rich storylines, stunning graphics and gameplay, and immersive sound. The Splinter Cell series and Prince of Persia Trilogy are just some of their crowning achievements. This review, however, is not on one of their big hits, it's on a game that is on the level of the games I mentioned above, or better, but very few people even know about it. In fact, so few people have bought this game that it's been noted by some websites as “the best game that nobody ever played”. I'm referring to Ubisoft's Beyond Good & Evil.

The storyline of Beyond Good & Evil follows the mission of a young reporter/photographer, Jade, as she tries to uncover the truth behind the war that has befallen her planet, Hillys, and the cause of the mysterious disappearances of many of its citizens. Jade meets a large number of interesting characters and species along the the way, and as the story progresses through the game it goes further into detail about her life, adopted family, the people of Hillys and their struggle through the war.

The further the story goes, the more Jade finds that things are not always what they seem and that the people who appear to be protecting the citizens of Hillys may be the ones harming them the most.

Gameplay

Exploring the planet of Hillys in a hovercraft, taking pictures of its animal life and fighting enemies using martial arts, all while uncovering a government plot (wouldn't want me to spoil it for you would you?) are just some of the gameplay aspects that really make Beyond Good & Evil stand out as an amazing game. The controls, themselves, are very well laid out. Whether you're running, fighting, exploring, controlling the game camera or Jade's camera, going places in the hovercraft or using the secondary characters, Pey'J or Double H, to fight or perform an action, the controls are fluid and flow with each other. The only thing that got to me with the camera controls was that I had to play around with the settings for a bit until I found the setup I liked.

Every moment of gameplay, something different is happening emotionally, not exactly a norm in most games. There are moments in the game that can be funny, shock you and maybe even make you cry. It's this great use of emotion in the gameplay, along with the story, that really keeps you in the game.

Environment and Graphics

Creating an entire planet, complete with various, original animal and plant life is no easy task, but Ubisoft brings it together very well. That's not to say that other game developers or publishers don't do amazing environments too, this game's just stands out among the greats. The different locations on Hillys range from bright and colourful to dark and cold depending on the mood necessary for each one. Jade explores outside on the open water, inside the city, her home, caves, factories and more, and the colours, lighting and textures are well suited to each location on the planet.

The design of each character is very nice and smooth. Each main character has their own very unique look and design, and even the other characters on Hillys are very well done. Looking at the characters close up doesn't make them look any worse. In fact, especially during cutscenes, they look great close up. The textures on the clothing and the bodies are wonderful and the facial movements are also just as smooth and impressive.

Cutscenes are done in real time and work very well with the flow and the look of the gameplay and environment. They also add a great deal to the emotion of each particular moment they appear.

Sound

As with any game where sound is necessary in bringing a player more into the environment and immersing them in the experience, it should be expected that Beyond Good & Evil would deliver. Well it does, and then some.

Everything from the minuscule things, like footsteps, to bigger things, like battle sounds have their own unique and proper sound. The voice acting was just plain stunning. Each voice actor did an amazing job to well fit the voices to their character. Whether it was Jade's deep range of emotion, Double H's heroic banter, or the downright disturbing DomZ voice, the voice actors were well chosen and deserve a lot of credit for enhancing the game. The music, though, was what got to me the most. During cutscenes or regular gameplay, the music well reflected whatever was happening at the moment. It really got to me during the emotional scenes.

As mentioned in my first review, I do have the nice advantage of having a surround sound system with Dolby Pro Logic II. Beyond Good & Evil works with that and makes good use of it, not only with the in game sounds, but also with the music, coming together in a package that just sounds great.

Conclusion

If what I've heard about the sales of Beyond Good & Evil is true, that saddens me. This is one of those games that I would hope to become a franchise, or at least have a sequel. With good gameplay, a great environment and characters, an immersive soundtrack and a truly rich story, this game deserves to have been played by more people. Beyond Good & Evil might not be Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or be as unique as Eternal Darkness, but it's high up on my favourites list.

Gameplay: 9.5

Environment and Graphics: 9.5

Sound: 9.8

Story: 10

Fun: 9.5

Overall: 9.5

Please note, overall score is not averaged.