Beyond Good & Evil - Not Picture Perfect
- Thread starter Fanghawk
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What? No comments for this yet??
You've just reminded me this is on my 360 account, HD version. Probably a better experience than your PC one, from the sounds of it.
Everything mentioned here is exactly how I feel about the game. Jade is a wonderful protagonist, a brilliant example of a non-sexualised female. Yet stylish too. I always loved her trousers. Cos I'm a little weird.
The Pokémon snap element, too is a great world building idea and yes, I couldn't help trying to snap boss monsters before they chewed my face off. It creates a unique moment of panic, induced by greed and curiosity.
Admittedly, the combat mechanics are limited compared to current games. Nothing a sequel couldn't improve though..*cough*Cough*
let's not forget to mention the Jamaican rhino vehicle-mechanics with background reggae on their radio.
You've just reminded me this is on my 360 account, HD version. Probably a better experience than your PC one, from the sounds of it.
Everything mentioned here is exactly how I feel about the game. Jade is a wonderful protagonist, a brilliant example of a non-sexualised female. Yet stylish too. I always loved her trousers. Cos I'm a little weird.
The Pokémon snap element, too is a great world building idea and yes, I couldn't help trying to snap boss monsters before they chewed my face off. It creates a unique moment of panic, induced by greed and curiosity.
Admittedly, the combat mechanics are limited compared to current games. Nothing a sequel couldn't improve though..*cough*Cough*
let's not forget to mention the Jamaican rhino vehicle-mechanics with background reggae on their radio.
I have to agree with the article on this one. BGE is definitely a case of the sum being more than it's parts. If you really break down the game, outside of maybe Jade herself, there isn't much here you haven't seen before and seen done better. Not to say that any of the mechanics and modes it liberally cribs from other games are really poorly done, it's just that they have that grab bag feel compared to their contemporaries. The game really does shine, though, if you look at it as an entire experience. In that light, it's definitely still well worth playing.
I love the 360 HD version except for one thing: you can only invert ALL camera, or none. I like inverted Y axis but not X axis, which means no matter how I play I'm having think 'backwards'. Sigh. Yes obviously playing inverted means I'm functionally broken, but still, whyyyyyy!Xsjadoblayde said:
OK, complaint over.
I played the PC port too. It's a shame that it was such a bad port. I actually had to check off one thing in the advanced settings and I was lucky enough to set the screen resolution correctly on the first go (just did my native, usually I go lower so the game runs better) because it wouldn't let me change it after and it ran fine. The controls weren't optimized for keyboard and mouse and the camera was controlled by WASD and the mouse and it made vehicles atrocious because of this glitch that would make the camera get stuck to the side if you used WASD and the mouse at the same time.
That said, I didn't judge the game for it, I know it was a cheap cash grab by Ubisoft and that the people who put all the love into the game when it was made for consoles were probably completely uninvolved in it.
I think a sequel to this would be the only thing I'd be interested in buying from Ubisoft these days. I wish there was an easier way for creators to get the rights for properties they created out of the hands of publishers who are more than happy to just sit on them and let them decay into oblivion. It always sounded like the director was passionate about that trilogy and would have loved to go somewhere else to make it.
Hey! you forgot to mention the awesome music in this game! Am I the only one who thought the music in this game was stellar and one of its greatest strengths? It was so exotic and varied and really added to the feeling of how robust and unique Hillys was.
That said, I didn't judge the game for it, I know it was a cheap cash grab by Ubisoft and that the people who put all the love into the game when it was made for consoles were probably completely uninvolved in it.
I think a sequel to this would be the only thing I'd be interested in buying from Ubisoft these days. I wish there was an easier way for creators to get the rights for properties they created out of the hands of publishers who are more than happy to just sit on them and let them decay into oblivion. It always sounded like the director was passionate about that trilogy and would have loved to go somewhere else to make it.
Hey! you forgot to mention the awesome music in this game! Am I the only one who thought the music in this game was stellar and one of its greatest strengths? It was so exotic and varied and really added to the feeling of how robust and unique Hillys was.
You're not the only one! I found a lot of the music to be quite endearing, especially the theme "Home Sweet Home" that plays in the overworld. Such a beautiful arrangement :3inkheart_artist said:
I've had no problems playing this game.
That might be because until recently I only used Win XP exclusively and I always game on an old CRT monitor.
I don't rightly know just how many times I've re-played this game.
I love almost everything about it from the music (Propaganda!) to the critter photos and pearl collecting.
The combat and camera can feel a bit clunky and console-ish but you will quickly learn it's ins and outs.
The racing is fun, but it can indeed get a bit tedious in the very end.
The twist is refreshing but nothing really original.
More than the sum of it's parts as someone above me said.
A must play.
That might be because until recently I only used Win XP exclusively and I always game on an old CRT monitor.
I don't rightly know just how many times I've re-played this game.
I love almost everything about it from the music (Propaganda!) to the critter photos and pearl collecting.
The combat and camera can feel a bit clunky and console-ish but you will quickly learn it's ins and outs.
The racing is fun, but it can indeed get a bit tedious in the very end.
The twist is refreshing but nothing really original.
More than the sum of it's parts as someone above me said.
A must play.
I got Beyond Good and Evil on PC back when it came out in 2003. A few years ago I decided to play it again and discovered the DRM on the CD didn't work with Windows 7. After an hour or two going through google trying to find a solution to the problem I stumbled across the DRM free version on GOG, which was a site I had never heard of before then. It was my very first purchase on GOG, and I've now been a member for almost 5 years, with a current library of 71 games.
So, if nothing else, I'm glad I found out about GOG because of this game.
So, if nothing else, I'm glad I found out about GOG because of this game.
I dearly love this game, and its one of my 'go to' titles when I talk about aesthetics over graphics. Its still to me a very beautiful game, and one who's look I love over many over more technically 'advanced' titles
Unfortunately, the thing I remember most about playing this game was how BROKEN my PS2 version was. I would frequently lose progress through crashes/freezing (AND this game doesn't autosave. Save frequently, kids), lots of visual and audio glitches, killed any pacing the game had, and I would sometimes miss important cutscenes. Most notably, my game froze repeatedly before the final boss. It took 3 re-tries at least, and the one time it did work, it skipped the pre-boss cutscene (had to look it up online, and wow did I miss a lot). . For those wondering, while I did get this game used (I assume it was. Gamestop said it was new, but it wasn't in wrapping), it didn't have any marks or wear on it. The box was in worse shape than the game DVD was, and my PS2 has always been a champ. And then I have a friend who has the PC version and had a lot of audio glitches, though she still looks at the game fondly despite that.
I really want to like the game more than I do, but my derpy copy has really turned me off it. I like Jade (a little bland, but still likeable), I like Pey'j, I like the picture-taking and the world they live in, but glitches aside I still think it needs a tune-up. I'm 100% in support of a sequel to tweek the format, and Ubisoft has been holding the poor game hostage despite the stonking huge cliffhanger that was dropped more than 10 years ago. Though please, take the extra few months/year if it means ironing out the glitches so this crap doesn't happen to me again.
I really want to like the game more than I do, but my derpy copy has really turned me off it. I like Jade (a little bland, but still likeable), I like Pey'j, I like the picture-taking and the world they live in, but glitches aside I still think it needs a tune-up. I'm 100% in support of a sequel to tweek the format, and Ubisoft has been holding the poor game hostage despite the stonking huge cliffhanger that was dropped more than 10 years ago. Though please, take the extra few months/year if it means ironing out the glitches so this crap doesn't happen to me again.
I never understood why Beyond Good & Evil ended up being so overlooked when it was released. It is such an excellent game. It has flaws, many highlighted in the review, but the good in the game outweighs so much of the bad. One thing I'm surprised the review didn't touch on was the great music of the game. It ranges from the etherial and mysterious to the fun and peppy. The music fits incredibly well and adds to the game immensely.
Beyond Good & Evil is a gem of a game. A flawed one, most certainly. But it is a game I recommend quite highly. It is a shame there are so many compatibility issues with newer PCs. As well as the game stands on its own, I would love to see a sequel finally see the light of day.
Beyond Good & Evil is a gem of a game. A flawed one, most certainly. But it is a game I recommend quite highly. It is a shame there are so many compatibility issues with newer PCs. As well as the game stands on its own, I would love to see a sequel finally see the light of day.
From what I can recall, it was one of the first games where there was a real backlash over it's price versus it's length. It was also viewed at the time as a poor man's Zelda game. Not that I think either of those are really valid complaints, especially in retrospect, but that's what I remember hearing at the time.Ritchian said:
Oh man you made me laugh so hard. Propaganda was so funny, my cousin and I waiting for the game to install and suddenly hearing that song. It's so catchy.Vendor-Lazarus said:
Great game though, i've replayed it about 5 times and i love the photography aspect. Even though i never had a complete collection, always missed 3 animals somewhere. Even with the map i could not find them.
Ritchian said:
Absolutely correct, there's some amazing music there. Right from the very start even, with music perfectly setting the scene than ramping up the tension until it feels like a major boss fight. So well done.inkheart_artist said:
Sadly, it's also a section with lots of graphical tearing on modern systems, but if you can iron those out it is beautifully done.
Never played the console port versions others are mentioning, but if it irons out the faults that's a big factor when recommending it to others.
Agreed. Why such silly limitations?RossaLincoln said:
That is similar to my issue with Deadly Premonition for the 360 which really turns me off the game; where the vehicle accelerate button is left trigger whilst brake is right trigger. No option to change that or the wonky camera controls. It sounds petty in theory...but in practice, I just cannot reprogram my brain to swap those car controls over. Too many years of gaming has set in stone these rules. Too many years! In your words....Whyyyyyy??? Goddamn it! why?? There is no reason to do this!
I played the game for the first time last year, on the PS2. No nostalgia eyewear of any kind.
And it's fucking amazing.
And it's fucking amazing.
I played it for the first time just a year or two ago (the GOG version; I'd found a CD copy in a used book store, but couldn't get it to work. As someone who's always thought a game centered around playing as photographer has lots of fascinating potential, I was a bit disappointed that it had combat mechanics at all, but going full stealth may have been a commitment Ubisoft wasn't willing to make. A reasonable decision, but still a pity.
Also, I agree with the general thrust of the article, but it still needs to be said: the field of view of the human eye spans approximately 180 horizontal degrees by 130 vertical ones, a ratio of 0.72. 4:3 doesn't match this exactly, but it's pretty darned close; this was why it was the ratio Edison used. Unless David Icke is correct, and the power figures of politics and electronics manufacture have been replaced by alien lizard people with a different type of eye, "widescreen" filming is nothing more than a 1950's publicity stunt to counter the rising threat of television by being 'different'. Filmmakers started doing it; consumers (when they were given the chance, years later) started buying widescreen TV's for fear of missing out on what directors inserted into the sides; it spread to computers, and now we have the mess we're in, where nearly every new monitor made is created specifically to assuage the fears of 1953 studio executives who are probably long dead. We should be applauding games for having the guts to point out that the Emperor has no clothes; though I understand the social reluctance to do so, given how the vast majority of society has bought into it.
That doesn't actually apply here, though; the game gives you those same silly lines even in 4:3 human mode.
Also, I agree with the general thrust of the article, but it still needs to be said: the field of view of the human eye spans approximately 180 horizontal degrees by 130 vertical ones, a ratio of 0.72. 4:3 doesn't match this exactly, but it's pretty darned close; this was why it was the ratio Edison used. Unless David Icke is correct, and the power figures of politics and electronics manufacture have been replaced by alien lizard people with a different type of eye, "widescreen" filming is nothing more than a 1950's publicity stunt to counter the rising threat of television by being 'different'. Filmmakers started doing it; consumers (when they were given the chance, years later) started buying widescreen TV's for fear of missing out on what directors inserted into the sides; it spread to computers, and now we have the mess we're in, where nearly every new monitor made is created specifically to assuage the fears of 1953 studio executives who are probably long dead. We should be applauding games for having the guts to point out that the Emperor has no clothes; though I understand the social reluctance to do so, given how the vast majority of society has bought into it.
That doesn't actually apply here, though; the game gives you those same silly lines even in 4:3 human mode.