Originaly released during the 2003 holiday season, Beyond Good and Evil was unfortunately overlooked due to an over-saturated release schedule. Even though it won many awards and was nominated for "Game of the Year", gamers were just to busy with other games to give Jade and her companions the love and attention they deserved.
Now, 8 years later, gamers have finally been given a chance to redeem themselves.
Beyond Good and Evil HD follows the story of Jade, a young photo photojournalist and care-taker of children who have been orphaned by repeated attacks from the DomZ. When Jade runs out of money to run the shield that protects the children, she has to take on a photography job, which eventually gets her recruited by the IRIS Network. The Iris Network is an underground rebellion which suspects that the Alpha Sections, who are in charge of protecting the citizens of Hillys, are actually behind planet-wide disappearances.
The story itself is worth the price of the game alone, but what really makes this game stand out is its gameplay. When you try to catoragize what kind of game BG&E is, its impossible. It mixes almost every genre from action and adventure to racing and platforming, but best of all it pulls off everyone of these perfectly. The racing controls are tight and responsive. The combat is fast and smooth, making it easy to fend of multiple opponents at once. The only problems are slight camera issues and they are so small that they are almost not worth mentioning.
Beyond Good & Evil looks as good as it plays. After nearly 10 years the game is still beautiful and now with full widescreen support and HD graphics it looks even better. Cities feel alive with citizens freely walking around and interacting with the player, oceans are filled fish and breaching whales, birds flutter across the open sky, caves are filled with plant life and all sorts of creepy-crawlers, and everyone of this things is beautifully animated. The quality of animation rivals most animated movies. It's that good.
The voice acting is top-notch. Every characters lines are delivered perfectly and believably, making you care for each of the characters. The soundtrack is incredible and is one of the most rememorable parts of the game. The piano theme gives a warm feeling of home, while the reggae music that plays at "MAMAGO Garage" gives the mechanics a fun vibe that matches their personalities. Combining the music with the voice acting brings the game to life and gives it a history and it is still one of gamings best worlds to visit.
PROS
•Great Story
•Fantastic Voice Acting
•Immersive World
•Varied Gameplay
•Incredible Music
CONS
•It Has To End
•Very Minor Camera Issues
OVERALL
Beyond Good & Evil is one of the best games ever made and now its the best game on Xbox Live Arcade. Collecting all the orbs and power up hidden around the world will keep you busy long after the story ends. If you never got around to playing this game the first time around, you owe it to yourself to pick this game up. Maybe with enough support this game will finally get the sequel it deserves.
Review copy provided by the Publisher
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