Beyond Good & Evil

"Great snack until main entrees arrive in 2004..."

When you pick up a multi-platform game, you expect, in a sense, to be getting what will turn out to be a generic experience. Few games honestly break from this pattern, and Beyond Good and Evil is one of those few.

As Jade, a freelance photographer, you will be put into a position to help expose government conspiracy on the planet Hillys. While you do that, you will be treated to some of the most interesting, if not best, graphics on the Xbox to date. This is where the break from the traditional multi-platform title begins, as the graphics are truly slick; images are truly imaginative, something you don’t see in many games at all, and definitely not in very many that are available for more than one system. The creatures of Hillys are very unique and special, and seeing each is truly an experience.

The game plays as well as it looks; you could teach a monkey to play this. The battle system is very sound (nothing too fancy or intricate is sometimes the best recipe), and the enemy AI, while predictable, provides the proper challenge for the game. Frustration is not something that will plague an experience with this game.

Sound in the game is the norm of all Xbox games, with Dolby Digital support. There are times that you want certain characters to just simply shut up, but that perhaps is by design, and not really a major flaw.

Beyond Good and Evil’s true genius, however, is the ability to appeal to anyone. The game offers a mature subject matter, and delivers it to a crowd that includes everyone. Adults will appreciate the LACK of gratuitous violence and sex. Children will not necessarily grasp the total gravity of the story, or the political satire therein, but can appreciate the graphics and the simple game play. It is a breath of fresh-air in the Action/RPG genre, dominated by the overly child themed Zelda. The game is rated T, but should be an E.

But, as with everything in life, there is a major problem with the game. The game can be cleared in a weekend, and for fans of this type of game, that is painfully short. While side quests, which include racing, and taking photographs of animals on Hillys do add to the enjoyment of the game, it still doesn’t add enough to keep this from being a weekend rental from Blockbuster and not a permanent item on your shelf.

Also, you will not play this game from beginning to end more than once. Simple as that; it has virtually NO replay value.

This is the first game on the Xbox from UbiSoft that isn’t a FPS or Splinter Cell that you SHOULD play. It is pure fun and not at the cost of feeling like you’re five and watching Saturday morning cartoons. However, buying it would be easier if it were $20 rather than $40.

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