Beyond Good & Evil
Description official descriptions
In the future, on the planet Hillys, the population suffers from constant attacks from the alien DomZ. The situation is gradually getting worse, as the rate of DomZ kidnapings increases. The Alpha Section forces, who are in charge of protecting citizens, seem to be completely ineffective, not even fighting the DomZ. In the midst of this situation, the secretive organization IRIS alleges that the Alpha Section is involved in a massive government conspiracy, and seeks to expose the truth through journalism.
The player controls a young reporter and photographer named Jade with her companions Pey'j and Double H. After experiencing first-hand a DomZ attack, she is contacted by IRIS, who recruits her as an action reporter. Jade is now tasked with infiltrating the Alpha Section, exposing the government conspiracy, and ultimately finding the truth for herself.
Beyond Good & Evil is an action game with diverse gameplay. Much of the game is based on stealth and puzzles, but there are sequences of racing, shooting, combat, and platform action. Jade fights with her staff and also uses various abilities to execute long-ranged attacks and solve puzzles. Many of the puzzles require switching between the characters and using their special abilities; often it is necessary to coordinate the actions of two characters to achieve precise co-operation that leads to a puzzle's solution. Besides hostile areas with puzzles and enemies, there is also a city and other friendly areas to explore, where various items and gadgets can (and sometimes must) be bought. There are several mini-games and even an online ranking system (used by entering codes online after they are assigned in-game when the game is saved).
Spellings
- За гранью добра и зла - Russian spelling
- 撕裂的天堂 - Chinese spelling (simplified)
- 神鬼冒險 - Chinese spelling (traditional)
- 超越善恶 - Ubisoft Store Chinese spelling (simplified)
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Credits (PlayStation 2 version)
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[ full credits ] |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 87% (based on 104 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 295 ratings with 16 reviews)
The Good
To tell you the truth, I wasn't expecting that much from Beyond Good & Evil when I first heard about it. Coming from the same brainmatter that brought Rayman to life, I considered it another platform game with a little French humour and some fairly decent game time.
Boy was I wrong.
BG&E is an entertaining and enjoyable title that mixes a range of different genres together into one tidy little package. The presentation is second to none, arguably one of the better looking titles for some time thanks to its colourful cast of characters and the detail of the created world within. Think the detail of Ocarina of Time with some of that already mentioned Rayman zany humour, and a dash of Splinter Cell to boot.
The Bad
Every game has its problems, of course. I found some of the camera controls to be a little iffy at times, but every title in the known universe of platform games has had its fair share of issues with this (hell, Mario 64 did too).
The Bottom Line
It's a crying shame that so many gamers didn't take BG&E on, simply because it wasn't a brand named title. It isn't in the minority either, since there have been other games in a similar class of brilliance that didn't trouble the charts (Sony's Ico comes to mind). It isn't out of a lack of trying though, as Ubi Soft have published a fantastic title. Just a crying shame so many looked over it upon release.
If you haven't tried Beyond Good & Evil thus yet, then now's the best chance as any to pick it up on the cheap. It's a platform title with a distinct difference, and it deserves all the respect it can get.
GameCube · by Kartanym (12418) · 2004
Who spilled Oddworld in my Splinter Cell?
The Good
The peaceful planet of Hillys is under attack by the vicious DomZ. Luckily the Alpha Section has established a base on Hillys and defends the aquatic world, but who are the IRIS network and why are they trying to discredit the Alphas? Are they DomZ collaborators or are they tied in to a deeper truth about the Alphas?
Enter Jade, a freelance photojournalist and foster parent to children orphaned by the conflict. Together with her “Uncle” Pey’j (a gruff, but lovable boar) they travel around Hillys on a hovercraft taking pictures in locations most people can’t get to. But as the game begins, the war comes to their island home, forcing them to take a more active role in the conflict.
Hillys is a typical one-planet, one-city, sci-fi world, but it is incredibly alive. Apart from the aerial and naval vehicle traffic, Hillys’s seas, skies and lands swim, fly and crawl with life. Jade’s first assignment (and one that will follow her throughout the game) is to create a photographic catalog of all the life on the planet. Using her camera, Jade will have to learn how to take a photo using the zoom feature and proper framing. This is key to the game and quite easy (unlike Bounty Hunter’s similar bounty marking system). For each animal photographed, Jade receives credits and once a roll of film is taken she earns a reward, often a Pearl.
Credits and Pearls make up Hillys’s economic system. Vending machines and conventional sellers accept credits, but the garage that services the hovercraft only accepts the more expensive (and much rarer) Pearls. Taking pictures is the easiest way for Jade to make money, but there are two ways to gamble (which work much better than Pazaak—take notes, George) and hovercraft races Jade can enter.
In addition to taking pictures and piloting a hovercraft, Jade is also an energetic explorer and skilled martial artist—the two go hand-in-hand. Often to get to where the pictures are, Jade will have to find her way through a “dungeon”—be it a cave or military complex, doing the tradition button pushing, inventory finding type things—and fighting a variety of enemies. Jade has a Daï-jo fighting stick (3rd person combat) and later attains a glove mounted disk-launcher (FPS-type action). She also fights in concert with her companions, utilizing a super-attack that they can perform.
Beyond Good & Evil has stealth portions. There are some challenging areas, but nothing I found impossible. Also, many of the stealth levels are pseudo-stealth, meaning that stealth is simply used to avoid combat. If you are detected, then you fight your way out.
Much of Beyond Good & Evil's open-ended design makes it feel like a role-playing game rather than a typical 3rd person action/adventure game. There is great emphasis on character development; Jade is emotionally invested in the story (as opposed to some videogame characters who seem disinterested in what’s going on around them) and the supporting characters acknowledge Jade and relate to their environments.
Beyond Good & Evil has stellar graphics with very fluid, distinctive animation. The game also has a wonderful soundtrack that had me hanging around in the bar just to listen to the “Buddy Holly – Propaganda” songs. Did I mention that I love this game?
The Bad
Beyond Good & Evil took me around 12 hours to complete; it seems short, but good games often do. Most of the game is very open-ended, letting you explore as much of Hillys as possible, but there’s a certain point where the game becomes linear until the end. I would have appreciated knowing that there was a point of no return.
Some of the stealth areas can be frustrating, but I personally felt a high level of accomplishment when I got through them.
And the dumbest complaint I heard about the game is that it ends on a cliff-hanger. It doesn’t. Finishing the game is completely satisfying, BUT the designers (perhaps too optimistically) left an opening for a sequel.
The Bottom Line
Here’s the biggest thing Beyond Good & Evil has going against it: a female protagonist and bloodless combat. Sales tanked, but gamers missed out on something great. Carlson & Peeters!
PlayStation 2 · by Terrence Bosky (5397) · 2004
The Good
- lovely graphic style & character design
- fitting soundtrack
The Bad
- too linear
- not much exploring to do
- too easy
- the sophisticated gamer may find the whole experience "too shallow"
The Bottom Line
Well, this game was for a long time on my list of games to get my hands on as it was considered to be a insiders tip.
To my disappointment this game didn't catch me.
The controls and interactivity with the world and during fighting are limited to actions that can be done with one or two buttons - you don't have really the freedom of doing much more than needed. My personal feeling is that you can't really explore the world - but rather follow a more or less a "given" path through the game and just pressing some buttons here and there to perform "predetermined" actions as you advance.
The photo shooting task becomes dull after a while.
The cartoon setting and the characters are modeled quite good - and the voice acting is pretty good too - some characters like the Reggae listening rhinos are quite memorable.
But in an overall view the game is boring - during puzzle solving and also during fighting. Sorry, but this game is only average.
Windows · by cosmo ruski (39) · 2011
Trivia
1001 Video Games
Beyond Good & Evil appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Jade
Jade's character design is actually based on her French voice actress Emma De Caunes.
Nietzsche
In an interview on LadyGamers.com, Tyrone Miller explains how the game relates to Nietzsche:
Many people assume that Beyond Good & Evil is a reference to the Friedrich Nietzsche book by the same name. Although you could probably make an argument – this game really has no connection to the German philosopher. As an action reporter, players need to investigate beyond the superficial facts of what is good and what is evil – which is dictated through government propaganda in the game. The player has to see what nobody else can see, what is hidden to the people of Hyllis. This theme is relevant to issues we face today – understanding the reasons behind the apparent facts.
Promotional websites
The publishers registered the websites for both the iris network (www.irisnetwork.net) and the Hyllian gov. (www.hylliannews.com) both featuring promotional material and assorted stuff.
Save games code
All the saved games in Beyond Good & Evil are marked with an "Internet Code". The purpose of this code is two-fold, first it enables you to go to the official website and check your ranking against all the other BG&E players in the world. Secondly, upon completion of the main game, you'll be able to use your saved game code on the official website and obtain instructions on how to go about obtaining missing MDisk #13 within the game.
Soundtrack
- In the Beginning
- Dancing With Domz
- Home Sweet Home
- Hyllian Suite
- Mammago's Garage
- Isle de Noir
- Mineshaft Madness
- Say Cheese, Fellas
- Akuda House Propaganda
- Ancient Chinese Secrets
- Don't Fear the Reaper
- Fear the Reaper
- Fun and Mini-Games
- Funky Bar 100
- When Domz Attack
- Slaughterhouse Scramble
- Sneaky Jade Suite
- Organic Beauty
- Violent Jade Suite
- Heart of Darkness
- Metal Gear Domz
- Something Completely Different
- Behind Enemy Lines
- Free Your Mind
- Thoughtful Reflections
- Enfants Disparus
- Above and Beyond
- Unacceptable Losses
- In Hot Pursuit
- Sins of the Father
- Redemption
In February 2004, Ubisoft released MP3s of Beyond Good & Evil soundtrack to NintendoInsider.com. These are still available for download, but as of April 2005, downloaders must register with the web site and go to the Members-Only Board to receive a frequently changing password.
Title
According to Michel Ancel, the game was originally to be named Between Good & Evil, but the marketing department did not like that name, so it was changed to Beyond Good & Evil.
The original title I gave the game was Between Good & Evil (see my first logo included) - which the marketing department didn’t like back then. For me, the meaning of this title is that you are always in the middle of an internal and external conflict, based on our conception of good and evil. In this game and in our world, propaganda thinks in our place; tells us these are our enemies and these are our friends. When you go beyond the appearances, you discover your own truth. That’s the theme of the game and marketing finally accepted this title, and just replaced the between by beyond, which fits better with the vast universe and story.
Awards
- 4Players
- 2003 – Best PC Action-Adventure Game of the Year
- 2003 – Best Console Direction of the Year
- 2003 – Best PC Music of the Year
- 2003 – Best PC Direction of the Year
- 2003 – Biggest PC Surprise of the Year
- EGM
- February 2006 (Issue #200) - #171 out of 200 of the "Greatest Games of Their Time"
- GameSpy
- 2003 – #3 Game of the Year
- 2003 – #2 GameCube Game of the Year
- PC Powerplay (Germany)
- Issue 06/2005 - #8 Likeable Secondary Character (for Pey'j)
Information also contributed by Big John WV, Mark Ennis, Sciere, Terrence Bosky, WildKard, WindowsKiller and Zovni
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Related Sites +
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Beyond Good & Evil
Official Web Site -
Beyond Good & Evil Revolution
A Beyond Good & Evil fansite forum -
Developer Interview
Xequted interviews Michel Ancel about Beyond Good & Evil. (March 5, 2004) -
Download Page
Obtain the Windows Patches from this UbiSoft's download page. -
GameFaqs Guides
Strategies and Walkthroughs for BG&E on all platforms -
Khryon's Walkthrough for Windows version
posted on Gameboomers.com
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Kotario.
PlayStation 3 added by Lain Crowley. Xbox 360 added by Sciere. Xbox One added by MAT.
Additional contributors: Jeanne, Zack Green, Sciere, Ilya Atkin, Klaster_1, firespot, lasttoblame, Paulus18950, Cantillon, Patrick Bregger, FatherJack, 一旁冷笑.
Game added December 11, 2003. Last modified March 11, 2024.