Posted March 19, 2011
What can I say...
...great game.
I haven't been a console gamer since the NES and have grown to dislike the peculiarities that go along with console designed games; however, this one won me over pretty quickly. Story, character and setting taken individually would not produce something original, but together they make a game that stands out.
The controls never really got in the way of the game although I expected them to at any moment. Same goes for the camera. There were a few spots where it twitched a bit, but overall it positioned itself right where I needed it. These happened mostly during the hovercraft sections, which, while perfectly acceptable, were my least favorite part of the game. I found myself always rushing to get to the next dock so I could Jade into action. Looking back, I now realize that the camera itself is part of the puzzle at a number of small places. I'm referring to checking around corners and using Jade's camera. I have very little patience with camera angles, but here, it worked exactly as I expected.
While the game seems open ended, I always knew what to do next. The game leads you by the nose...and that's a good thing. There are places one can go that aren't required. You'll have to do a few extras to get enough pearls to buy everything you need, but I never felt like I needed to exhaust every nook of Hillys. For instance, I tried several of the looters caves and found them difficult, but whatever they contained I didn't need, so I ignored them.
I must say I did enjoy taking pictures of the wildlife. It's one of the first things you're tasked to do, and it continues throughout the whole game, but it doesn't get tiring. The whole game is sorta like that. Small varied tasks (pictures, pearls, racing, boating, fighting, puzzles, jumping, running, dodging, kicking, & hanging) make up this game. Some games focus on fighting or puzzling, but no matter how many "moves" a character has, fighting usually becomes boring. Beyond Good and Evil, being made up of so many small tasks, manages to stay fresh even when you are doing something you have done before. Fresh because, while you've done it before, you have not done it 20 times in this level. Several times, I'd forgotten a specific option was available to me and poked around the immediate world for a few minutes before going "Eureka!"
The final boss did not take me long to beat, but if it had, I might have grown tired of it. Bosses are one aspect of console gaming I dislike. Don't get me wrong, a good boss battle against a main villianous character that has been taunting you for a while can be a rewarding experience, but very often they are crutches for the developer to raise the difficulty or time required to finish the game. I hope really hard boss battles will eventually go the way of other early game conventions (like twisty, turny mazes). Beyond Good and Evil did not have any "really" difficult battles.
Also, I liked that there were several save points in the final battle. (NOTE: If you're having trouble, you can reclaim all your extra health power-ups from Peyj & Double H even after they've been captured by the end boss. That's how I finished the last stretch.)
I very much enjoyed the nearly cinematic chase scenes that crop up at several points. Those were sweet and intense. After the first one, you realize they aren't as difficult as they appear, but holy shit, when you do finish one, you completely believe that Jade escaped by the cuff of her pants.
Much has been made of Jade being one of the few strong female leads who aren't overly sexualized or objectified. To tell you the truth, there is nothing in the game or its story that I can recall requiring Jade be a woman. But she is anyway. And that, my friends, is refreshing. Characters who just happen to be women - that's how someone once explained to me the basic level of feminism video games generally lack.
I would like to think this is one of those creations, like the Velvet Underground's first album, that don't sell well initially, but became a huge influence on everyone who bought it. No, I don't think it's an apt comparison, because video games, like movies, require a ton of cash to make, whereas an album can be done on the cheap. I guess risky, original games are, well, like finding pearls.
Good luck getting the Domz to give you one.
...great game.
I haven't been a console gamer since the NES and have grown to dislike the peculiarities that go along with console designed games; however, this one won me over pretty quickly. Story, character and setting taken individually would not produce something original, but together they make a game that stands out.
The controls never really got in the way of the game although I expected them to at any moment. Same goes for the camera. There were a few spots where it twitched a bit, but overall it positioned itself right where I needed it. These happened mostly during the hovercraft sections, which, while perfectly acceptable, were my least favorite part of the game. I found myself always rushing to get to the next dock so I could Jade into action. Looking back, I now realize that the camera itself is part of the puzzle at a number of small places. I'm referring to checking around corners and using Jade's camera. I have very little patience with camera angles, but here, it worked exactly as I expected.
While the game seems open ended, I always knew what to do next. The game leads you by the nose...and that's a good thing. There are places one can go that aren't required. You'll have to do a few extras to get enough pearls to buy everything you need, but I never felt like I needed to exhaust every nook of Hillys. For instance, I tried several of the looters caves and found them difficult, but whatever they contained I didn't need, so I ignored them.
I must say I did enjoy taking pictures of the wildlife. It's one of the first things you're tasked to do, and it continues throughout the whole game, but it doesn't get tiring. The whole game is sorta like that. Small varied tasks (pictures, pearls, racing, boating, fighting, puzzles, jumping, running, dodging, kicking, & hanging) make up this game. Some games focus on fighting or puzzling, but no matter how many "moves" a character has, fighting usually becomes boring. Beyond Good and Evil, being made up of so many small tasks, manages to stay fresh even when you are doing something you have done before. Fresh because, while you've done it before, you have not done it 20 times in this level. Several times, I'd forgotten a specific option was available to me and poked around the immediate world for a few minutes before going "Eureka!"
The final boss did not take me long to beat, but if it had, I might have grown tired of it. Bosses are one aspect of console gaming I dislike. Don't get me wrong, a good boss battle against a main villianous character that has been taunting you for a while can be a rewarding experience, but very often they are crutches for the developer to raise the difficulty or time required to finish the game. I hope really hard boss battles will eventually go the way of other early game conventions (like twisty, turny mazes). Beyond Good and Evil did not have any "really" difficult battles.
Also, I liked that there were several save points in the final battle. (NOTE: If you're having trouble, you can reclaim all your extra health power-ups from Peyj & Double H even after they've been captured by the end boss. That's how I finished the last stretch.)
I very much enjoyed the nearly cinematic chase scenes that crop up at several points. Those were sweet and intense. After the first one, you realize they aren't as difficult as they appear, but holy shit, when you do finish one, you completely believe that Jade escaped by the cuff of her pants.
Much has been made of Jade being one of the few strong female leads who aren't overly sexualized or objectified. To tell you the truth, there is nothing in the game or its story that I can recall requiring Jade be a woman. But she is anyway. And that, my friends, is refreshing. Characters who just happen to be women - that's how someone once explained to me the basic level of feminism video games generally lack.
I would like to think this is one of those creations, like the Velvet Underground's first album, that don't sell well initially, but became a huge influence on everyone who bought it. No, I don't think it's an apt comparison, because video games, like movies, require a ton of cash to make, whereas an album can be done on the cheap. I guess risky, original games are, well, like finding pearls.
Good luck getting the Domz to give you one.
Post edited March 19, 2011 by menschenfresser
