2.20.2007

Note from Cameron - Here is a great review that Tom Platte, tech director of the WiiChat.com Show, put together for our show. You can find the short version of the review in episode 4 of the WiiChat.com Show. However, I highly suggest that you check out this full-length review in order to get a good idea of what the game offers.

Tom's Review for Those Cheap at Heart
Beyond Good and Evil - Review by Tom Platte

Let it be known I love RPGs and good stories. Such views may change the outcome of any and all reviews.

STORY:
I’ll get right to the meat of why this game was so good and why it let me down on occasion. First, the best part of this game: the characters. No other game has had such amusing characters. I use the word amusing because, of course, your longer games (RPGs) are going to have better character development, more dynamic characters, etc. On the other hand, Beyond Good and Evil has by far the most entertaining characters in any game I can remember playing. Although the main character suffers from the all too common cliché stock character of the enigmatic individual out to safe the world, this time with a camera, the supporting cast will blow the average gamer away. From the main characters that the player doesn’t control down to the simplest walrus-man walking the streets, each has intensity and humor not found in any characters in other such games. What other game has a pig with fart powered boots, or a blundering knight who routinely shouts “Carlson and Peeters!” (the local code of ethics), or Jamaican Rhino repair men. I guess that I’m selling the main character a little short. It is rare to see a female hero that isn’t oversexed, and despite the slightly revealing clothing, Jade is probably one of the best heroines this side of Samus. All together, the characters help to not only complement the plot, but also to provide ample amounts of comic relieve to a surprisingly dark game. Which brings me to the main story: there is only one problem with this story. I mean, it’s slightly cliché, yes, the evil alien race and the mysterious foreign army combating it are (surprise surprise) working together (you realize this within 10 minutes of booting up the disk). Without giving away too much I can say that a slightly epic story springs forth detailing the adventures of main character, Jade, and varying sidekicks, gathering information for the local resistance newspaper. This story does have a good dynamic in the “photographing evidence” portion and the characters move it along fantastically. It is also surprisingly dark for the art style and the oftentimes childish humor (which is very well done, but still Nicktoons friendly). It’s difficult to explain the reason for this darkness without revealing the plot, so I’ll move on. There is one huge problem with this game: just as your questions are beginning to be answered, the end hits you like a ton of bricks. It sucks. It’s downright horrible. The final boss leads you up to some great epiphany and instead, THE END. That’s it. My friend loves the ending, but I needed more closure, mostly because the game is short (10 hours, maybe 15 if you try everything). The developers were clearly hoping for a sequel, but that doesn’t look promising the way this one sold, so instead we’re left with a sorry excuse for an ending.

Pros: Amazing characters
Good story dynamics
“CARLSON AND PEETERS!!!!”
Cons: A bit Cliché
Horrible, horrible, horrible ending (maybe even worse than FFVII)

Story: 7/10

GAMEPLAY:
Yeah, this is really what matters I guess, at least to the “normal” gamer. So here it is plain and simple. This game does a lot of things amazingly well. The game play at first feels like a Zelda clone (the stick combat felt a lot like sword). However, as you progress through the game, you realize this game is much more based on stealth, after all it would make little sense for a rogue reporter to run busting in and beat the living crap out of all the bad guys and then collect evidence. Actually the combat and stealth systems are very like the Prince of Persia games, also produced by Ubisoft. Stealth aspects of the game were well done. They are neither too hard, nor necessarily painfully easy. However, at times the lack of enemy type (after the first “dungeon” or so get used to seeing the generic soldier enemy, as that will be more or less all you’ll be facing) leads the combat as well as the stealth to be a bit of a chore. The game makers clearly made up for this by making the aforementioned soldiers incredibly fun to defeat. If there’s one thing I can say for sure about this game is that it was meticulously put together. Puzzles were relatively easy and never felt like much of a bother, but once again, they were generally something everyone has seen before. All in all the combat, stealth and puzzles were average; entertaining, but not really innovative. Luckily all of these features functioned fantastically. Although somewhat dull, I never got frustrated with overly difficult stealth or painfully difficult combat (the exception may be the final boss, but once you figure out a pattern, even that proved manageable). I would say that overall the difficultly seemed very on par for the length of the game and the type of combat. It defiantly felt more balanced than, say, Twilight Princess (in which relatively difficult dungeons led to painfully easy bosses). However, what saves the game play from being overwhelmingly average is the photography portion of the game. Taking photographs of the wildlife is your main source of income, and is, mercifully, very entertaining. Overall the process is very reminiscent of the “scan” feature in the Metroid Prime games. (Huh, Zelda and Metroid, I wonder if Ubisoft was going for something here…). Photographs also played a big part in the main story, as you would have to collect enough photos of evidence for the ability to move farther along in the level. This was a cool feature in relation to the stealth. I really enjoyed the way the game made you feel as if you were in constant danger that was not easily overcome through your sub-par combat skills. Each “evidence” photograph not only advanced the story but felt like a true accomplishment. In addition to the photography aspect, every once in a while the game would through in a very innovative or fun sequence. Whether it be an interesting boss sequence (which, although very few in number, proved to be quite fun), or a fixed camera sprint away from guards, Beyond Good and Evil defiantly threw its share of curve balls with a skill and wit. Overall although dull at points, and unoriginal in many senses, the game play easy keeps your attention for the 10 or so hours it takes you to complete the story.

Pros: Reporting/Camera aspects well done
Fun sequences
Stealth/Fighting well designed and relatively entertaining
Cons: Fighting can easily become a chore
Needs more enemy types
Short game

Gameplay: 8/10

LITTLE STUFF:
By “Little Stuff” I mean controls/camera/sound/graphics. First of all the controls worked perfectly fine. Occasionally the “zoom” feature of the photo camera seemed sluggish, but it wasn’t a big deal. The game camera worked very well with the c-stick controlling. The fixed camera which popped up at times was helpful for solving puzzles. Every now and then, generally while fighting, the camera became a slight issue, but this occurs in all action/adventure games, so once again, no biggie. The sound was perfect. The music was amazingly done. The voice acting complemented the already amazing characters excellently. The little things the music crew accomplished in this game are likely the most amazing thing. I would go as far to say as this game has the sound of any game I’ve ever played. The graphics were cartoony in the style of Timesplitters. Character looked nice, although environments looked slightly flat. All in all not great graphically, but it is still merely a Gamecube game. These little things may seem slightly unimportant, but they are what brought at best was an average game to be a game that everyone should defiantly try to play.

Pros: Perfect sound/voice acting
Responsive controls
Well controlled camera
Cons: N/A

Little Stuff 10/10

OVERALL:
Despite the fact that Beyond Good and Evil was a very average action/adventure game, the things it did well, the little details, the characters, and the simple feeling of fun you had when playing it made it a great game. If this game were to be perfect, I would have liked to see more depth in length, more enemy types, and a good ending. I would say that if you are able to find this game in a bargain bin or used that the 10 hours are well worth around a bargain price.

Pros: Characters
Music/Voice Acting
“Reporter” aspect
Cons: THE END
Short
Not many enemy types

Overall: 8/10

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