Beyond Good & Evil

aka: Between Good & Evil, Beyond Good & Evil HD, Project BG&E
Moby ID: 11290
PlayStation 2 Specs
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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)

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (PlayStation 2 version)

318 People (219 developers, 99 thanks) · View all

Directed by
Project Producer
Story
Dialogues
Game Design
Music Composed and Performed by
Sound Designers
Cinematics Orchestration
Drums & Percussions
Sound Effects
Sound Assistant
Technical Manager
Jade Engine & Tools Developers
3D Research
Console Lead Developers
Animation Tools Developers
[ 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)

Courageous as Snake, destined as Sora, and gorgeous as Rayne makes the essence of Jade.

The Good
One of those games I run away from ever since the first time I heard about it. Yet this game shares a lot in common with another game I approached with same method, only to accept it as masterpiece once I opened the package, Kingdom Hearts. This is probably the only (or at least one of a very few) game that I didn't have any sound problem when playing, must be 'cos it didn't feature any cinematics with typical movie format, but I was pleasantly surprised nevertheless. The world is quite detailed and creates a feeling like the one in Anachronox, enough to explore, yet every step makes a new adventure. Only this time, main protagonist is really a beautiful gal if I do say so myself, Jade's the name. Along with her friends, and a handful of jokes, she'll drive you forward like no game before it. Controls are really nicely balanced for PS2 controller and work real nice without giving you trouble of memorizing too much stuff to do. This game makes a unique experience mixing stealth, arcade, adventure, with a nice touching yet simple story.

The Bad
The main title of this game is simply beautiful but is scarcely used in the game itself, think they should've released a single with several different version of that tune along with the game, would be a great plus. Making of featurette under extras looks like patched up fast and finishing before it started with not much to offer. On top of all that, ending wasn't that delightful, especially with 'so called' open ability for a possible sequel.

The Bottom Line
Features you may expect to find in this game:

  • a sci-fi fantasy story that is quite shorter than is rather simple, but the way it was told makes it worthwhile adventure you'll remember
  • great music throughout the game, especially when it comes to minigames
  • you get to use your camera a lot, and believe me, one would never consider it to be such a fun shooting all those species and stuff
  • a dynamic trio with a great relationship and funny attitude that works really well
  • lots of fun with minigames in a way of Shufflepuck Cafe, and hovercraft races
  • great controls whether you're in command of Jade, hovercraft, or a spaceship
  • a huge conspiracy to break up to your own amazement in the ultimate end
  • even more sneaking than in Metal Gear Solid
  • lots of characters that create a feeling of Star Wars cantina
  • unforgettable adventure experience right alongside with Jade
  • PlayStation 2 · by MAT (240759) · 2012

    Not that good

    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

    A gem ... so sadly ignored

    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

    [ View all 16 player reviews ]

    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

    1. In the Beginning
    2. Dancing With Domz
    3. Home Sweet Home
    4. Hyllian Suite
    5. Mammago's Garage
    6. Isle de Noir
    7. Mineshaft Madness
    8. Say Cheese, Fellas
    9. Akuda House Propaganda
    10. Ancient Chinese Secrets
    11. Don't Fear the Reaper
    12. Fear the Reaper
    13. Fun and Mini-Games
    14. Funky Bar 100
    15. When Domz Attack
    16. Slaughterhouse Scramble
    17. Sneaky Jade Suite
    18. Organic Beauty
    19. Violent Jade Suite
    20. Heart of Darkness
    21. Metal Gear Domz
    22. Something Completely Different
    23. Behind Enemy Lines
    24. Free Your Mind
    25. Thoughtful Reflections
    26. Enfants Disparus
    27. Above and Beyond
    28. Unacceptable Losses
    29. In Hot Pursuit
    30. Sins of the Father
    31. 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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    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.