Beyond Good & Evil (video game)
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- For other uses of the name Beyond Good and Evil, see Beyond Good and Evil.
| Beyond Good & Evil | |
| Missing image Bg&eboxart.jpg Beyond Good & Evil PS2 box art | |
| Developer(s) | Ubisoft |
| Publisher(s) | Ubisoft |
| Release date(s) | December 10, 2003 |
| Genre | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) |
| Platform(s) | GameCube, PS2, Xbox, PC |
Beyond Good & Evil is a video game for the GameCube, PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox platforms. It was developed by Ubisoft and released in late 2003. It focuses around the exploits of Jade, a female reporter and the game's protagonist. It has been called "the best game that nobody ever played".
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Gameplay
Beyond Good and Evil combines elements of an action-adventure game with those of a stealth-based game. While Jade has the ability to attack enemies with her Daï-jo combat staff, she can also crawl and sneak around when necessary to avoid confrontation with enemies that outnumber her or are too powerful to engage in combat. At times, it is only possible to advance or defeat a certain enemy with the help of her friends Pey'j and Double H, creating an additional element of teamwork. Pey'j and Double H are mostly AI-controlled in that the player does not ever directly control them; however, the player can tell them to execute specific actions when those actions become available.
Being a reporter, Jade has access to a camera. This camera is mostly used to take pictures of animals and to get evidence of certain actions or objects that may help to disprove the claim of the government that the DomZ have agreed to peace.
Getting around the world of Hillys is accomplished via an upgradeable hovercraft, which is also used for races and other mini-games. The main city in which the player begins serves as a hub world allowing you access to the various areas you must explore in order to expose the conspiracy.
The game also has an on-line component called "The Darkroom (http://darkroom.ubi.com/index.php)" where registered players may enter scores. The score depends on a number of variables, such as the number of "pearls" you have found, the number of pictures you have taken, the mini-games you have won, and the time taken to get there. The score works the same no matter what platform the game is played on. After entering your code, there is an online mini-game that, upon winning, gives you an in-game code unique to your save file. This code unlocks a customizable mini-game.
Development history
The game was developed by Michel Ancel, the creator of Rayman at Ubisoft's Montpellier studios in France. The game was reviewed highly, and was considered noteworthy for its immersiveness, strong voice acting, and a hauntingly beautiful score. However, unfortunate timing of the release against other titles led to disappointing sales. The game was intended to be the first part of a trilogy of games, but the game's poor sales placed those plans on indefinite hold.
Language encompassment
The North American version of the game features both English and Spanish versions. The European version, reflecting the continent's linguistic diversity, had versions in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch, each fully dubbed in the target language.
It is unclear what the "original" language of the game is, although it is most likely that it would be French, given that the game was written and designed by French designers in France. This is one of the few games available on the market that gives practically no clues as to the native language, as everything is localised, including signs.
Plot
The planet of Hillys is plagued by the frequent attacks of the alien DomZ army. The Alpha Sections, the army sent to Hillys to stop the DomZ, has been doing next to nothing to stop the kidnapping of the citizens by these aliens. The IRIS network, a group of journalists creating an underground paper to stop the Alpha Section's propaganda, has come to Hillys to stop the lies.
Meanwhile, Jade has been looking after the children whose parents have been captured by the DomZ, together with her pig-human foster father, Pey'j. Jade, like most of the citizens of Hillys, initially believes that the Alpha Sections are doing all they can to defend the planet. When money runs low, Jade is forced to take a mission to photograph a rare animal in the depths of Black Isle, an extinct volcano. She finds that the reporting mission is merely a cover for a recruitment to the IRIS Network. Seeking the truth behind the DomZ war, Jade joins them, under her chosen pseudonym Shauni. From here, Jade goes on various missions to publish reports to bring down the DomZ and the Alpha Sections. She suffers losses such as the capture of Pey'j and the children she is looking after, and travels through guarded factories and slaughterhouses investigating the conspiracy of the Alpha Sections and the DomZ, alongside fellow IRIS agent, Double H.
At the end of the game, Jade travels to the DomZ base on the moon to find that the Alpha Sections are working fully under the command of the DomZ. The Alpha Sections have been partially transformed into half-alien creatures themselves, and kidnap other humans for their masters, to drain their life force so that the DomZ themselves can live longer. It is ultimately revealed that Jade herself is not actually human; the enemies of the DomZ had stolen the life essence of the DomZ leader centuries ago, and recently transmuted it into human form: Jade herself. With that strength awakened inside her, Jade kills the DomZ high priest and frees the people of Hillys.
In a "stinger" cutscene that plays after the credits, Pey'j is shown to have some sort of DomZ device implanted in his body. The implication is that he may be a traitor.
Social commentary
Beyond Good and Evil broke one unofficial standard in video gaming in particular. The field of social commentary and critique is one that often only music and film delve into, with video gaming largely being considered 'ignorant' of issues in today's world.
While it is not uncommon for games to have intricate plots with detailed backgrounds, this game was one of the very few to break away from this norm to involve itself in consideration of a topic that causes much controversy - in this case that of press censorship and the effects of propaganda. Given the time of release and the political scene at the time, some have speculated that the coverage given to the war between Hillys and the Dom'Z was intended to be a mirror of the media situation in the United States with regards to the Iraq War. However, there is little evidence to back this claim up, and could equally be applied to any government in history that has applied or has been accused of applying press manipulation to further its own political goals.
See Also
External links
- Ubisoft Official Site (http://www.ubi.com/US/)
- Beyond Good and Evil Official Site (http://beyondgoodevil.com/us/index.php)fr:Beyond Good & Evil