Beyond Good & Evil

"Watch out Zelda, a new challenger has approached"

Introduction

Here is a game that is overlooked by some and goes more unrecognized then most. It is an action/adventure type game that allows you to photograph images to gain you money and help you proceed on. To me, this game seems like a combination of Zelda, Star Fox Adventures, Metroid Prime, and The Matrix. It is filled with some fun and packed with some action. Hopefully you can get a better idea of what this game is like, and determine if it is the right game for you after reading this review.

Gameplay - 8/10

I found this game to be rather fun. I consider it to be on a moderate level as far as difficulty. Some moments are slightly easy, while some pose a bit of a challenge. The controls for the Gamecube version seem to go well with this game, and I do not feel that they should pose a problem. You attack enemies in a very similar way as in Zelda and Star Fox Adventures. The whole battle system is pretty much quite the same also. This game is one player only at all times, but you do get to have someone fight along your side at some moments in the game. Taking pictures of enemies while preventing much damage from their attacks is not always an easy task, but is accomplishable. There are some situations that are like puzzles for you to solve also. There are also some moments when you will be shooting and racing, which turned out to be rather enjoyable for the most part. Besides the missions, fighting, and picture taking, you can also take some time off to play a few decent mini-games.

Story - 8/10

The story revolves around a girl named Jade. She is on a mission to find out what is causing the kidnappings that are going on in Hillys. Jade fights to defend and protect the Hillyians from the DomZ, a group of alien species. Her quest results in her sneaking around and taking pictures while collecting pearls. She will then find out the truth about what lies beyond good & evil…

Graphics/Sound - 8/10

The graphics seem to be done well. I do believe that there is room for improvement on them, though. There was one time when one of the characters was standing inside of another one, but other then that, the graphics are close to top notch. The sound comes out crisp and clear. You can easily tell what is being said by the characters, and also have the option of subtitles. I found the music to be catchy, and it seems to go along well with the game. This game seemed to have somewhat of a Metroid Prime and Matrix kind of vibe. The music, style, and missions all seemed to help trigger that vibe.

Play Time/Replayability - 6/10

This game is slightly short. It may take around 15-25 hours to beat. I feel that it is possible for someone to want to play through this again. You can always go back and try to collect all the pearls, and take pictures of any other species you may have missed. There is not too much for sidequests in this game, but it is still a good game nevertheless.

Final Recommendation (Final Score- 8/10)

I believe that this game is worth buying. It has been found to be around $20.00, so it isn’t that high of a price either. I consider it to be one of the top good Gamecube games out there. There were a few things that could have been improved upon in my opinion, but any flaws in this game were pretty much minor. Overall, I find this game to be a big gap above average.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/11/04