I've been dancing around this game for a while - I played the Xbox version at a Gamecrazy many months ago, and I was turned off by the visuals (which are somewhere south of awesome) and the general vibe of the game. I also passed on Broken Sword and Metal Arms that day, mainly because the TV was set so dark that I couldn't see what the hell I was supposed to do.
Later on, I picked it up for PS2 for $9.99. Compared to what I played of the Xbox version, it seemed like a big step back - lots more slowdown, slower load times - even the sound didn't seem quite as good. I think the Xbox version supports Dolby Digital, the PS2 version doesn't. The weird control layout hung me up for some reason, too - I got stuck right away when I couldn't figure out how to send photographs to the Science Center. So I dumped it for, I think, $3 or $4 at Gamecrazy.
Fast-forward to today. I'm selling a lot of really good games, returning copies of DDS and VQ to TRU, trading games into Best Buy, then I stop into an EB to trade in the one game that was actually worth more there than at BB - and then what catches my eye but a brand-new copy of Beyond Good & Evil - for the Gamecube. At this point, I really don't want to buy any more games - but I had been thinking that I should really track this down, since it was supposed to be the best one. I even put a deposit down for a special order at Gamecrazy, only to never get it. So there it is, a perfect display copy, marked at $19.99 - the trade-in value of my game is $12.00. I caved and bought it. I found out when I got home there was a noticeable scratch on the disk, but for some reason I wasn't ticked about it. At some point you have to just take what you get - it put some more money in Ubisoft's coffers, so I'm satisfied with that.
So then I go home and play it again, and it seems that the third time's the charm. Why it took me three tries to really love this game, I don't know - but sweet Jesus, do I now. The gameplay is smooth and elegant, always had been, but now the heart of the game has finally hit home with me. That thread a few days ago about what game you would show Roger Ebert - I said MGS then. Now, I would say BG&E. There are a few other recent games with movie-quality production values to compare it to (Advent Rising, Shadow of the Colossus, King Kong), but this is the only one that, for me, nails it down so well that you can believe you are playing a movie. The characters are real - they have families, and friends. They have problems, and arguments, and difficulties. Their poverty is tangible - so when the story proceeds, even if what happens is what happens in every game, it doesn't feel the same. It's special, and it's unique.
Later on, I picked it up for PS2 for $9.99. Compared to what I played of the Xbox version, it seemed like a big step back - lots more slowdown, slower load times - even the sound didn't seem quite as good. I think the Xbox version supports Dolby Digital, the PS2 version doesn't. The weird control layout hung me up for some reason, too - I got stuck right away when I couldn't figure out how to send photographs to the Science Center. So I dumped it for, I think, $3 or $4 at Gamecrazy.
Fast-forward to today. I'm selling a lot of really good games, returning copies of DDS and VQ to TRU, trading games into Best Buy, then I stop into an EB to trade in the one game that was actually worth more there than at BB - and then what catches my eye but a brand-new copy of Beyond Good & Evil - for the Gamecube. At this point, I really don't want to buy any more games - but I had been thinking that I should really track this down, since it was supposed to be the best one. I even put a deposit down for a special order at Gamecrazy, only to never get it. So there it is, a perfect display copy, marked at $19.99 - the trade-in value of my game is $12.00. I caved and bought it. I found out when I got home there was a noticeable scratch on the disk, but for some reason I wasn't ticked about it. At some point you have to just take what you get - it put some more money in Ubisoft's coffers, so I'm satisfied with that.
So then I go home and play it again, and it seems that the third time's the charm. Why it took me three tries to really love this game, I don't know - but sweet Jesus, do I now. The gameplay is smooth and elegant, always had been, but now the heart of the game has finally hit home with me. That thread a few days ago about what game you would show Roger Ebert - I said MGS then. Now, I would say BG&E. There are a few other recent games with movie-quality production values to compare it to (Advent Rising, Shadow of the Colossus, King Kong), but this is the only one that, for me, nails it down so well that you can believe you are playing a movie. The characters are real - they have families, and friends. They have problems, and arguments, and difficulties. Their poverty is tangible - so when the story proceeds, even if what happens is what happens in every game, it doesn't feel the same. It's special, and it's unique.
