"The one picture that is worth more than a thousand words..."

Introduction
Beyond Good & Evil is about a freelance reporter by the name of Jade, whom takes care of numerous children at an orphanage. Suddenly strange things start to occur and trouble brews at the orphanage. Bizarre beings attempt to kidnap the children and questions begin to stir on what, who, where, and why are these things here?

Gameplay
If you are a veteran to the 3D Legend of Zeldas (Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Wind Waker) then fighting system utilized in BG&E will seem very familiar. Jade is armed with a stick from start to finish, which allows the player to swing at various enemies. Also like Zeldas, if attack button is held down, Jade can perform a super swirling attack. The only problem here is that it gets complicated choosing the enemy you want to attack since there is no definitive lock-on mode. At the beginning of the game, Jade receives a camera, which allows her to capture pictures of an assortment of objects. You can take pictures of the different species that live on continent and receive bonuses for the amount of pictures taken. Taking pictures of rare species will in turn grant better bonuses. The game will also require the taking of pictures to provide evidence for your reports. A lot of the time you’ll be cruising in your hovercraft in order to get from point A to point B. You’ll also be visiting the mechanics shop often to upgrade your vehicle in order to advance to other areas. 9/10

Story
The story is definitely the strongest element of the game. BG&E sets up the player in a “Fifth Element” setting where walruses walk the lands and in a world where technology is beyond the stars. It is really hard to describe the story without giving it away. WOW, just WOW! 10/10

Graphics/Sound
The graphics themselves aren’t extremely astounding, although they are very impressive. The level designs are remarkably beautiful, considering the fact that there are hundreds of vehicles flying around the vicinity without slowdown. However, when fighting against a horde of enemies, there are instances where the framerate will drop to about 15fps. It’s a very minor problem and will not impede gameplay. The music in BG&E can be excellent at different moments throughout the game. The best music that was incorporated, were at the very beginning and at the end in my opinion. Battle music is also pretty tense and gets the player hyped up about kicking the crap out the enemy. Although I have noticed some pretty big sound glitches, where the music restarts right in the middle. Sometimes the music just stops and skips around. I have to admit that this was a drawback to my experience. 7/10

Final Verdict
This game is short, about 8-10 hours your first time through. So what? The impression it leaves on you will be worth your while. I actually found the length of BG&E pleasing because the story was fit for every point in the game and for a game of this magnitude, you wouldn’t want it to drag on. This game will take you on an adventure of imagination, conspiracy, and belief. Like beauty, the truth is in the eye of the beholder. 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/16/04