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LTTP: Beyond Good & Evil

BG&E is beautiful. Like, actually beautiful. Just looking around while in the hovercraft (or whatever that was), and watch the day pass and see creatures fly through the air, or breach the surface was cool enough. The fact that they had the balls to actually include a female main character that wasn't 90% boobs and 10% charm, wit and personality gives me a ton of respect for the developer. The story was nice, if a bit simplistic. I can't believe this game got overlooked.

Spike said:
Actually, I was watching a gaming show this weekend, and they actually talked to Ancel and a UbiSoft rep about the Kong game.

When the interviewer asked Ancel what was next, the Ubi rep said that Ancel gets to work on whatever he wants. Ancel then said he would like to continue the BG&E story. It looks like it's going to happen.

Awesome
 
I can't believe this game got overlooked.

Well that's because

AltogetherAndrews said:
BG&E is beautiful. Like, actually beautiful. Just looking around while in the hovercraft (or whatever that was), and watch the day pass and see creatures fly through the air, or breach the surface was cool enough. The fact that they had the balls to actually include a female main character that wasn't 90% boobs and 10% charm, wit and personality gives me a ton of respect for the developer.
 
:lol That's actually what turned me off at first. I thought it was going to be like a Lisa episode of The Simpsons. Thankfully, it isn't...
 
Oddly enough, this weekend I finally started playing the game that totally overshadowed BG&E: Prince of Persia. The GC version has beautiful graphics with ProScan enabled. Aside from RE4, I'd say it's arguably the best looking 3rd party title for the GC. Combat has been mostly style over substance thus far, but it's still fun, and the puzzles and environments more than compensate. It's definitely one of the more enjoyable games I've played in the last two years.

I still have my sealed $5 copy of BG&E (thanks again, AttackYou) which I plan on getting to after PoP. I'll revisit this thread once I crack it open and put a few hours in.
 
On a side note

anyone else around here have the xbox version?

if so, do you have turn the game's sound up more than usual xbox games?

I noticed that when I first started and continued on, the game seems to have a rather subdued or low sound mix. At first I thought it was my sound system and I did some tweaking. Then I started comparing it to other xbox games like Mercenaries, Halo, etc. and noticed it just seems significantly quieter and I have to turn the game way up

anyone else make this observation???
 
AgentOtaku said:
On a side note

anyone else around here have the xbox version?

if so, do you have turn the game's sound up more than usual xbox games?

I noticed that when I first started and continued on, the game seems to have a rather subdued or low sound mix. At first I thought it was my sound system and I did some tweaking. Then I started comparing it to other xbox games like Mercenaries, Halo, etc. and noticed it just seems significantly quieter and I have to turn the game way up

anyone else make this observation???

I've noticed this as well. I have to turn the volume up pretty high whenever I put it in, yet turn my TV back down when playing anything else.

BG&E was a good game but I don't really get all of the love for it. King Kong, however, is a game that looks like it's going to get cruelly overlooked.
 
AgentOtaku said:
On a side note

anyone else around here have the xbox version?

if so, do you have turn the game's sound up more than usual xbox games?

GC version is quieter than most GC games, as well.
 
So is the PS2 version actually the worst? And the GC is the best?

I played through this about two years ago on a borrowed PS2 version. Loved it. Jade instantly became my favorite new character this generation. I bought a Gamecube version after, possibly from that CC sale, but haven't actually played it yet. Hearing that I played through the worst version (and still loved it) and own the best version makes me want to forget Kingdom Hearts for a bit and rip through this in a day again.
 
The PS2 version is universally accepted as the worst. I have the Xbox version and got PoP: SoT on GC. You can go wrong with either the xbox version or the GC version for BG&E.
 
Awesome game. Got it for the GC along with PoP and SC, and it's possibly the best game trio I've ever picked up. I don't think I've ever picked up 3 games at once that I enjoyed so much. Hell, I've never rented three games I've enjoyed so much. Ubisoft was en fuego back then. PEACE.
 
Dr. Strangelove said:
I paid $50 for this game. Bow before me... and watch me weep as I recount its sharp price drop just a few weeks later.

Still, I thought this was a wonderful game even for $50, and I would gladly shell out $50 again if we get that sequel.

my agreement with this post is total.
 
There is nothing wrong with the PS2 version. The differences are insignificant. The usual longer load times, textures not quite as good.

It has prog scan and 16:9.

The PS2 version was the main development platform, the GC and Xbox versions are the ports.

Interesting fact, the BG&E game engine was used for Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.
 
I botched a save file just before the last boss so I had no kbups etc to survive the fight...
fucking awesome game.

Jade is my favourite female videogame character for sure. I loved the whole subversive news reporter / photographer angle... and the music in the dingey hideout is fucking awesome. Was that French? In fact the whole soundtrack is great..
 
radioheadrule83 said:
I botched a save file just before the last boss so I had no kbups etc to survive the fight...
fucking awesome game.

Jade is my favourite female videogame character for sure. I loved the whole subversive news reporter / photographer angle... and the music in the dingey hideout is fucking awesome. Was that French? In fact the whole soundtrack is great..

I loved the Spanish fight song when you play that shufflepuck game in the Akuda (?) Bar.
 
Mashing said:
The PS2 version is universally accepted as the worst. I have the Xbox version and got PoP: SoT on GC. You can go wrong with either the xbox version or the GC version for BG&E.


Well, it controls better with the PS2 or Xbox controller, there are some very unual slowdown parts on the GC version, and the GC version also miss my native language + the making of.
GC is the worse version imo, there is simply less stuff in the game and the best graphic output is on Xbox (but there is more bug in that one).
 
Nick Laslett said:
Interesting fact, the BG&E game engine was used for Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.
Originally, but it was abandoned midway through development. EDIT: Um, I think I'm wrong. Though I could've sworn I read that somewhere.

RE-EDIT:
From Gamespot's "Final Hours" feature on PoP:SoT:
http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/princeofpersiathesot/story.html?sid=6079652&page=8
The camera change was a minor switch, but at the start of 2003 the team would face a much greater hurdle. In early January, the programmers realized that the JADE graphics engine was no longer capable of supporting the game's huge levels and detailed visual effects. "The programming team came in and basically said, 'Yannis, we have some bad news. We need to create a totally new rendering system for the game,'" says Mallat.

While changing the graphics engine wouldn't influence the level design or the core gameplay, Mallat says it was scary to make such a huge change to the game only three months before its first public unveiling at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. "Here we were only months before our debut to the public, and we no longer had a graphics engine. I definitely was getting worried."
But I've also seen interviews that seem to contradict that. So I have no clue.
 
FoneBone said:
Originally, but it was abandoned midway through development. EDIT: Um, I think I'm wrong. Though I could've sworn I read that somewhere.


Beyond Good and Evil, all the POP so far and also King Kong are running on Jade.
It not necessarily the same version as it's (of course) always evolving.
 
Wyzdom said:
Beyond Good and Evil, all the POP so far and also King Kong are running on Jade.
It not necessarily the same version as it's (of course) always evolving.

As evidenced by King Kong, where the game is running at like 2-3x the framerate of BG&E PS2, and with no more forced fake widescreen to save up on resources. :)

Think Ancel has said something about a BG&E 2 possibly being very different from the first game, ie, new characters and art style...
 
That's odd - when I purchased it I was trying to decide what console to get it on (as I have all 3). The overwhelming opinion here was that it was best for GC (as that's the platform it was actually designed and developed for according to Ancel himself). I loved the game and it makes me very happy that a sequel is in the works. I can't remember who pushed me to get the game here but I'm indebted to whoever it was. One of the best games (imo) this generation.
 
I got stuck in one of the stealth parts of the game and got fed up with it. I didn't see why people thought it was all that personally.
 
Dag nabt Sonarrat! I am at the end of this and was thinking, "I'll have to post a Lttp thread about this wonderful game." You beat me to it!
 
Dr_Cogent said:
I got stuck in one of the stealth parts of the game and got fed up with it. I didn't see why people thought it was all that personally.

It's a game that one really can't quantify. From a technical standpoint, the graphics are not impressive. The game is quite short and easy. The control gets the job done but there are only a handful of moves in the game. It doesn't really do anything different.

But it's one of the best games I've played this generation. I got sucked into the story. I loved the characters. Jade is one of my favorite heroes in any game ever.

It's like Kingdom Hearts - crappy camera and simple gameplay, but damn is it fun (though I'm only 90 minutes in now...). You can't convince someone who doesn't dig it why it's good, but it ultimately doesn't matter.
 
Ceb said:
As evidenced by King Kong, where the game is running at like 2-3x the framerate of BG&E PS2, and with no more forced fake widescreen to save up on resources. :)

Think Ancel has said something about a BG&E 2 possibly being very different from the first game, ie, new characters and art style...


And the engine is generating a SHITLOAD more sprites in the version they did use for King Kong.
 
ronito said:
Dag nabt Sonarrat! I am at the end of this and was thinking, "I'll have to post a Lttp thread about this wonderful game." You beat me to it!

Great minds think alike. :D The end of the generation is the natural time to take stock in the games that slipped under the radar... BG&E, Growlanser Generations (which I now own again), Gradius V, Metal Arms, VF4 Evo, ZoE2, BoF DQ... the list just goes on forever.
 
I enjoyed what I played of the game, I really did, but I was not overly enthused at continuing. I played to right after the Slaughterhouse level and then had to take back the rental, but nothing really screamed "Play me!" after that point. And then I heard some negative comments regarding the ending, didn't really want to spend the cash to pick it up again, and I deleted the save file.

It was beautiful, however, there's no questioning that.
 
There isn't anything wrong with the ending. It was designed as a trilogy. Would it really have made sense to wrap everything up perfectly?
 
The ending was weak, but the build-up to the ending, with its multiple chase sequences and boss fights, was very satisfying.

It was a great game, all in all.

I really hope we get a sequel, as wildly improbable as that would be.
 
Chrono said:
Quick question - how is the PS2 version of this game? I can't find the GCN one.

Well, no shit...

And that question has already been answered a few times. It's the worst one, which is why you can find it anywhere for $10. It might be worth it to pop a few extra dollars and get the PC version instead, or just keep hunting for the GC version. If you can find it in a store, it's going to be cheap.
 
If it matters at all, I saw a three-pack of Beyond Good and Evil, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time and Splinter Cell for PC all for $18 CDN at Costco the other day. If I had a decent USB Pad I would pick it up...I still might after Christmas.
 
I absolutely adored it up until the slaughterhouse bug >:( Thankfully I had an Action Replay so I downloaded a save from the internet at around the same point but it still killed my love for the game a little. I hope Michael Ancel goes back and continues the series at some point because I'd love to know how the story ends.
 
FoneBone said:
I really have to say that I have no idea what you're talking about.

I could be full of shit, but I didn't think BG&E was technically impressive graphically. Things such as polygons on screen and draw distance and stuff. The art was beautiful, though. Same reason why Kong is probably the best looking 360 game overall even though stuff like PGR3 pushes the hardware futher.
 
Gigglepoo said:
I could be full of shit, but I didn't think BG&E was technically impressive graphically. Things such as polygons on screen and draw distance and stuff. The art was beautiful, though. Same reason why Kong is probably the best looking 360 game overall even though stuff like PGR3 pushes the hardware futher.

I felt the same way. Some parts of it are really gorgeous, but in other places there's an obvious lack of attention to detail. The water when you're out in the open looks tremendously better than the water in any given dock, for example.
 
LM4sure said:
It was a collect-a-thon. Piece of shit game.

Wow, why the heck would you even post in a thread recalling fond memories about an older title if you didn't like said title? Maybe if you had a well-thought out post... but just have seven imflamatory words with nothing backing it up just looks like trolling.

Anyway, even though I love the first game and King Kong was almost as good, I still don't know if I would buy the sequel day one. $50 for a short game with no real replay value is a bit steep for me. I feel bad since I want games like this to exist but don't have the cash to support them right away.
 
Easily, one of the best games this generation. You are doing yourself a disservice if you don't pick it up at the $5-10 it's available for now. Ancel saying that there might be a sequel has got me all giddy.
 
My local Circuit City stores have a fuckton of the PS2 version in their clearance bins. I imagine many CC stores across the country have plenty of copies, as well.
 
Ah yes, BG&E, I quit playing after I found myself unable to get into the slaughterhouse. So I bought PoP:SoT and never got back at BG&E.
 
that thread's a pleasant read (mostly =)

You can't imagine how dishartening it was to see the game bomb the way it did, back in 2003. The saddest part was to be so severely overshadowed (and consequently outsold) by another Ubisoft product...
 
Got the Xbox version Christmas '03, loved it. Also started replaying it after renting King Kong .

But the infamous price crash of the game made me only mention fewer games as possible gifts for the next year and only those that would likely hold onto value for well after Christmas. That way, the gift giver wouldn't see their $50 gift drop in all the next weekend's ads to $20...
 
Man, what a great game. Payed 20 I think, and at the end I feel like I ripped them off. It was great. They just released it at the wrong time.
 
KiP said:
that thread's a pleasant read (mostly =)

You can't imagine how dishartening it was to see the game bomb the way it did, back in 2003. The saddest part was to be so severely overshadowed (and consequently outsold) by another Ubisoft product...
Oh, hey. I remember you posting back when the game was hitting stores. Are you still at Ubisoft?
 
I hope that product that overshadowed BG&E was not Rayman 3. It was such a big leap away from Rayman 2, and judging by how Rayman 2 and BG&E's atmospheres play, Rayman 3 is definatley why Michael should try to have at least some control over any future Rayman games.

Except Rayman 3 GBA, great one that is...

Also, the GCN version must be the worst one, because theres these weird graphical glitches I keep seeing, like boxes around sprites and shadows appearing as squares (Like the Alpha Sections when they run across lasers and it goes around their body, their shadow looks like some kind of box...) Plus the first item I needed to get at Mammagos said "Get a booster at #oFFFFFFFFFE" (Am I the only person who got this mishap?) Also the languages only have English to Spanish, so...

But the GCN version is still pretty nice. No real compression issues, great graphics, sound, quick load times, etc.

I will admit, I didnt buy the game at full price, got it for $15. But hey, I bought it twice. Thats...well...um...

Let me just say this kicks the shit out of Star Fox Adventures. Wish I paid more for this game than for SFA...
 
Oh, hey. I remember you posting back when the game was hitting stores. Are you still at Ubisoft?

I remember posting at that time... I was kinda anxious about the GAF's opinion on the game. Time has gone, since then, and I grew some sanity =)
I've been moving around for a little while, but am currently still in Ancel's team.
 
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