"A well-told story balances out the weaker aspects of the game."

Beyond Good and Evil was made by Ubi Soft, the creators of Rayman, Splinter Cell, and Prince of Persia. While Beyond Good and Evil is not a masterpiece some some of those other games, it is a real cinematic production in the form of a game.

You take the role of Jade, a girl living in the future on the planet of Hillys, with her uncle/guardian, Pey'j (who just happens to be a big talking pig). Hillys is at war, and alien attacks are constant. The government is protecting the people of Hillys, or so it seems. Early on into the game, Jade encounters the IRIS network, an organization trying to expose the government for what it really is. As Jade, it is your job to help them gather evidence of the conspiracy for the people of Hillys to truly see. The story is well-written, and very interesting. Some sadder parts of it may really get to you. I almost cried during one of the later scenes.

Gameplay: 8/10
The gameplay of BGaE is decent. I would say that it is kind of a cross between The Legend of Zelda and Splinter Cell. Although that may sound like a weird combination, it really quite accurate. Many of the elements of BGaE are taken from Zelda; the combat, the use of various items, the use of two characters working together to get through a dungeon; it's all here. As for the Splinter Cell part, most of the game is stealth. You will have to sneak past many guards, use your camera to get a better view of your surroundings, and many other things. While the gameplay is good, there are a few problems. First, it is far too easy to get stuck. I was rushing back to GameFAQs a lot trying to find how to get past a certain door or whatnot. Second, your partners are not exactly the smartest people around. Ubi Soft could have made the AI a little better. Even guards are pretty dumb. Though fearsome looking, you can walk right past them without even noticing. When spotted, you can run, and they won't chase you. Combat is fun, when it's not frustrating. The final boss was spectacular, but it was a really tedious fight. Controls also feel a little unresponsive at times. There are many minigames that are quite fun to play, like hovercraft racing and a kind of futuristic pool. Gameplay's pretty good.

Graphics and Sound: 9/10
More like graphics get an 8 and sound gets a 10. When I said earlier that the story was well told, that was where sound comes in. The game is full of different, well fit voices and has a great soundtrack to boot. Ubi Soft did an excellent job at the voice acting and composing the music. Graphics aren't bad, but certainly could have been better. If Ubi had decided to put in at least ONE FMV, then the story would have been even better. With a story and voice acting of this quality, you would think the cinemas would be a full motion video. But sadly, this is not the case. Graphics are still nice and detailed, though.

Longetivity: 6/10
A very short game. You can beat it in a weekend, if you have a guide. Even after beating it, you probably won't want to play it again. There's not much to do after beating it, besides collecting all the pearls and stuff. That's pretty tedious, though.

Fun Factor: 8/10
While I wouldn't recommend buying this game, please rent it. It has a wonderful story that's not boring in the least bit. Do yourself a favor and check it out (and the cliffhanger ending probably suggests there will be a sequel).

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/01/04