"The best game no one is playing..."

First off by letting me say, I am one of those people who just didn't take any interest in Beyond Good and Evil. Since E3, I wasn't really interested at all, reason being that there are so many hyped games out there that mask the true quality of this game. After playing this game, I realised that many people are missing out on this piece of art. Although it may only take 6 hours to complete, this game has some of the most addicting gameplay to ever grace any of the consoles.

The story of this game almost seems like some thing that comes out an RPG. It starts off with our lead heroine Jade being attacked by a mutant race called the DomZ. The only protection against the DomZ are sheild generators and Jades staff which she uses in combat. Her Uncle Pey'J (who is also a talking pig) assists Jade on her Journey, as well as the ill-fated Double H whom you meet up with in the latter part of the game. A Myriad of twists and turns to make any RPG gamer's head spin, and you have award winning material here.

The graphics are very pretty. The character modesl are smooth, but lack a lot of detail. The NPC's aren't as smooth as the main characters, but it's to be expected on a multi-platform game, to help in the conversion process. The world is huge, and full of life. So much so, that it is your daunting task to take a photo of every species in the world of Hillys, one of primary functions of the gameplay.
Besides the alright polygons of out heroes, the water effects are something else. No matter which console you play this on, you'll be baffled by the realistic charm of the water. It looks like real water, plain and simple. Over all this game is aesthetically pleasing, but still has some room for improvement.

BG&E sports some of the best gameplay elements of 2003. The first task of yours is to get trained in combat. It's pretty straight forward, with a flurry of different combos which vary depending on the direction of the analog control. The second-most aspect of this game, is the photography. You're given a camera, and are charged with a task of collecting photos of different species to send to the Science Centre. A meaningless task at first, but later on becomes one of your main sources for both money and Pearls, which is a source of currency on the Hillys black market. Collecting Pearls and MDisks is also a major part of this game. Collecting MDisks usually moves some of the backstory closer to the game, while giving you information on tasks to come, and enemy specs. Pearls are your reward for completing tasks, like using up a whole role of film, defeating a boss, or winning a race.

With puzzle elements that would make Prince of Persia jealous, this game is both visually and manually pleasing when solving different puzzles of the current area. Somtimes, using two different people to accomplish one goal. You will be hitting a lot of switches, but is is expected in a puzzle-esque game like BG&E. Speaking of switches, your primary mode of hitting far off switches is the Gyro Disk Glove. A glove which lets you shoot purple energy discs, which hit switches and harm the enemies.

Everything is tied so closely together in the gameplay, that you'll be addicted and glued to your seat. Whether it be a full-on battle with a giant boss, or Solid Snake-ish stealth missions, this game has it all, and is definately a rare gem when it comes to how the game is played.

The controls are pretty straight forward, but how they coincide with each other is what makes the difference. The controls are fluid, and they always work...which ironically enough, isn't always the case. As intuitive as the controls are, the camera isn't always right and is sometimes in the wrong position, which isn't good when facing hordes of enemies.

The music is just stupendous. With fully orchestrated compositions for just about every type of mood you can think of, and a place for every mood in this game, you'll find the music to be fantastical aural bliss. The voice overs ain't bad either, with a lot of emotion, and wide variety of voices, this game has it all. With sound production values as high as a large budget motion picture, you just can't go wrong with playing this game.

Unfortunately there isn't a heck of a lot to unlock in this game. A mini-game plus a few easter eggs is hardly worth any replay value. But did anyone ever replay Super Mario 3 because they could unlock secret characters or costumes...no, they played it because the game was just downright addicting...which also applies to this game, which is why I don't hold any vices toward BG&E when looking at the Replay Value.

Great production values, excellent sound quality with top-notch voice acting, as well as the most addicting gameplay we've seen in while, this game makes us remember why used to be so eager to play those good ol' fashion NES games. Sadly though, this game hasn't been played by too many people, and it's not too suprising. With games like Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando, Final Fantasy X-2, True Crime, Max Payne 2, Maximo vs Army of Zin, etc, it's not hard to pass by this game without giving it a second thought. Even though this game isn't perfect, another installment which improves upon the flaws of this game, could very well put it into the ranks of the best games of all time, like Ocarina of Time, Devil May Cry, Halo, and the Final Fantasy series. I give this game a round of applause for being completely unique and original, and for being the most innovative hybrid-genre game this Christmas season.

8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/31/04, Updated 12/15/04