This is a highly creative point and click game that has a unique atmosphere: one of which I’ve never experienced before. Its game length is a little on the short side, but this is a very cool original game. The art design and charm is beyond words.
You can play the demo here:
or you could download it using “cough” Bittorrent “cough” …excuse me.
Why bother advertising independent developer gems if you’re going to suggest pirating them? Surely it’s not that good if it’s not worth paying 6 bucks for. Or you have your priorities all confused. Myself, I’ve bought 3 independent gems lately and I haven’t regretted it, those being Aquaria, Mount & Blade and Eschalon: Book I. They’re not perfect games by far but they’re enjoyable, have excellent support, and their or their series’ future promises to be very bright. Independent developers ARE the future if only people don’t destroy them by pirating their efforts and making them end up working for the likes of EA where a wage is guaranteed even if they have to work on generic uninspiring bullcrap. Rant over.
A loading screen after every level? Sorry. My internet isn’t that fast.
Really? The levels don’t take that long to load, do you have dial-up?
Oh and Al3xand3er, you pretty much put me in my place. I totally agree. I got a little carried away…I’m so sick of the uninspired games that keep getting pumped out. There just isn’t any care or creative effort put into them. I would gladly pay 6 dollars for this game, hands down.
Even Lost Odyssey seems to be a tired and repetitive rehash from the rpg’s of 1998. Seriously, the only next generation games I’m looking forward to are Team ICO’s next two projects.
Well I’m stuck, right near the start too. I’ve managed to block the pipe so that creature doesn’t suck all the water from it. However, now the door to the chamber has closed. I’ve got the snail to drink out of the tub, and have made the monkey drop seeds into the pipe leading into the chamber, but it does not seem to archive anything. Not doubt I’m missing something completely obvious. :anjou_embarassed:
And yeah - independent games are definitely the way forward if you ask me, especially if we hope to see more artistic/innovative games of the like which the games industry appears to be abandoning of late. I just wish there were more advanced, yet easy to use tools out there to make the process easier for independent developers to develop a game from start to finish (XNA looks like a good start though). So lets support them when we can - and at $6 you can’t really go wrong. Your money will go to a much better cause than if you bought some rehashed Xbox Live Arcade game such as Pacman or Sonic 1 where the original developers are unlikely to see a cent.
[quote=“legaiaflame”]
Seriously, the only next generation games I’m looking forward to are Team ICO’s next two projects.[/quote]
I can’t wait for GDC! The folks at the Team ICO Gamers blog seem to believe rather strongly that we’ll be seeing a reveal at GDC!
In addition to Team ICO’s stuff, I’m really excited for LittleBigPlanet. It looks absolutely astounding and I smile every time I watch a video of it. I can hardly imagine how much I’ll smile when I actually play the game.
I’m also keeping an eye planted on Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer. Fahrenheit (a.k.a. Indigo Prophecy) had a few issues, but overall it was quite ambitious and very unique, and I expect great things from Heavy Rain.
Additionally, the PSN appears to be chock-full really unique and creative titles.
There has been some speculation recently that Michel Ancel might finally be able to make a Beyond Good & Evil 2. Whatever console it appears on will definitely be next to my TV on BGE2’s release day.
I’m also waiting with rapt attention for whatever project Hideki Kamiya heads up this generation. He was responsible for three titles that I consider to be among the top-tier masterpieces of the entire previous generation: Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe, and Okami. All three of those titles had quite an affect on me, and breathed life into their respective genres. They’re also quite different from one another… Kamiya has quite the range, and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for us next! 
@Solo: I got as far as that screen and got stuck. I had to stop playing at that point, so I never even got as far as you. The game is pretty decent so far.
Somebody else really anxious over Little Big Planet? Hopefully word of mouth will cause it be a hit just like what happened with Katamari Damacy when it first came out. Is it ONLY going to be on the PS3? Because that would suck.
I’m not sure if Ancel owns the rights to those stupid Raving Rabbids games, but Ubisoft needs to stop screwing around and let him make a satisfying conclusion to Beyond Good and Evil. Seriously. I don’t know what he’s waiting for, but cliff hangers suck.
There’s one more thing you need to do to the tub of water before making the creature drink from it.
Little Big Planet - Looks like a fantastic tech demo. And just like Line Rider, I’m sure there will be a few awesome user-created levels that will show off what the game is capable of. It will certainly generate a lot of hype around the console (as, yes, it’s a PS3 exclusive), but I don’t know if it’s going to sell any consoles to new users. It’s not really the type of game that pushes the average gamer to buy a console.
Beyond Good & Evil - I loved the game, too, but unfortunately it sold like crap. I blame bad character design (as much as I love the characters, on first glance, Jade is not very appealing as a lead character) and marketing. Ah well… what can you do?
It’s developed by Media Molecule, but is considered to be a Sony first-party title. Sony owns all the rights to it, so it is an exclusive.
[quote]
I’m not sure if Ancel owns the rights to those stupid Raving Rabbids games, but Ubisoft needs to stop screwing around and let him make a satisfying conclusion to Beyond Good and Evil. Seriously. I don’t know what he’s waiting for, but cliff hangers suck.[/quote]
The whole Raving Rabbids thing is an odd subject. The only Rayman games that Ancel developed himself were the first two (and if you ask me, it shows). He drew up the concept for the Rabbids, but ducked out of development of it. The only thing he has done since Beyond Good & Evil was King Kong, which was actually pretty sweet. I was always hoping that how well he handled a movie-based game, plus the fact that he recently was knighted alongside Miyamato would make Ubi Soft wake up and realise that he’s pretty much the best thing they’ve got going on in their company.
In regards to the possibility of a BGE2; from the Wikipedia article on Michel Ancel (which is full of references and appears to be entirely accurate as far as I can tell):
EDIT: I think Jade is beautiful, and not in a typical way. Every single aspect of her design perfectly brings out her personality, as far as I’m concerned, and it fits in perfectly with the whimsical and bizarre nature of the game world. However, I can see why it wouldn’t appeal to the masses. Everything in BGE, when taken in context, is brilliant. When taken out of context, many of the things just don’t work or don’t make sense. With that in mind, I’m honestly not sure how one would go about marketing BGE any better than Ubi did the first go-round. Then again, marketing has never been my thing. 
Solo, you have to keep making the snail drink from the bucket until something happens…
I think he’s great, but you can’t take away from the Prince of Persia team by saying that Ancel is “the best thing Ubisoft has going.” Or the GRAW team. I know neither is as fanciful as Ancel’s stuff, but they are excellent in what they set out to accomplish.
As for Jade, I agree - I think she’s a great character (except the green lipstick - why??), but in context. If you were simply shown a picture of Jade without any knowledge of what the game was about, the story, her personality, etc, I think the vast majority of people would simply say, “Hm,” and walk away. I think it’s great to have a female lead that wasn’t about sex appeal, but her lack of mass appeal was detrimental to the game.
Still, the Miyazaki-esque world, mixed with the Zelda-inspired gameplay was a great combination.
Yeah. I’ve noticed a regular PARADE of games with Xena Warrior Princess/Hercules type heroines and heroes. The fascination with Lara Croft and Gears of War type characters certainly didn’t help any.
Jade, on the other hand, as strong as she was in combat, came off to the player as VERY HUMAN. She had her hopes and fears and weaknesses. She was good with the aikido stick but her true weapons were her smarts and her camera. Her whole interaction with the other characters and the player was just a stroke of sheer genius!
About Samarost 2. Fun game but not really intuitive. I had to look at the walkthrough a total of four times. Man I suck. Right now I’m downloading the demo for Aquaria. Huge file.
Beyond Good and Evil isn’t the first game to fall victim to bad marketing. It’s up to the people to stop looking to the “heavy hitting” licenses and actually READ the reviews to see what the game’s all about. Or at the very least rent. Beyond Good and Evil was one of the most cinematic, superbly polished games of all time. It made me feel like I was actually living an adventure. But nobody would’ve known that just looking at the box. Here are some other games that fell victim to bad marketing.
Okami–The fate of this game just saddens me. The box art certainly wasn’t ugly. You got to play a god of all things. Many magazines couldn’t contain themselves from slapping “game of the year” on it or gushing over it. Why did it not sell more?
Guardian Heroes–HIDEOUS box art. Possibly only topped by the box art for the first Megaman. Not sure what compelled me to pick it up. But it’s hands down one of the best action games of all time.
Ico–Another case of box art driving people away. I actually never blinked an eye at this one until some people here started raving about it. Now it’s my counts fifth favorite game of all time.
Sky Gunner–It was the box art that actually attracted me to this game. If I recall, it got ZILCH in advertisement.
Zack and Wiki–Like Psychonauts, I’ve yet to play this game. But from what I gather, it’s another example of a good game that people will likely pass up.
Psychonauts–See above.
Odin Sphere–Hopefully Persona 3 will attract a bigger following to Atlus so that games like this don’t slip through the cracks.
[quote=“dragoon lover”]
Okami–The fate of this game just saddens me. The box art certainly wasn’t ugly. You got to play a god of all things. Many magazines couldn’t contain themselves from slapping “game of the year” on it or gushing over it. Why did it not sell more?[/quote]
I totally agree.
At least with that example, an American Capcom employee saw how good the game was and pushed for a version to be made on the Wii; effectively giving the game a second chance.
I really hope that version gets more attention.
I’ve never played Beyond Good and Evil, I guess this is as good a time as any to check it out.
Ah! Aquaria! I’m in love!
On another note, I must’ve been one of the few people to actually enjoy photographing all the little alien lifeforms to catalogue in BGE. Seeing that alien whale breach out of the water and timing it to get that perfect shot was really freaking sweet. When I didn’t feel like Lois Lane, I felt like Jaques Cousteau. Love it.
[quote=“Abadd”]I think he’s great, but you can’t take away from the Prince of Persia team by saying that Ancel is “the best thing Ubisoft has going.” Or the GRAW team. I know neither is as fanciful as Ancel’s stuff, but they are excellent in what they set out to accomplish.
[/quote]
Just so we’re clear, as I prefer my words not to be misconstrued, I never meant to imply that they weren’t excellent in what they set out to accomplish, nor did I presume to take anything away from the other talent at Ubi. I love a lot of the games that Ubi Soft puts out, and I’ve loved them for a while now. My belief that Ancel is the greatest talent in the company does not suddenly neutralize the rest of the talent within the company, nor does it mean that his games are the only ones that I enjoy from them. Ubi puts out a wide variety of content: most of it is good, although there’s been plenty that either doesn’t appeal to me or were flops. But either way, I appreciate the company’s varied catalogue and rather wide swathe of exclusive talent.
@dragoon lover: The whole photography aspect of the game was one of my favorite things about the experience. It further reinforced the fact that everything within BGE’s world makes some kind of actual sense. The game isn’t filled with a bunch of random filler, everything feels as though it has a purpose. How does Jade make money? A JOB! A simple concept, but one that few games actually put into action. It really forced you to pay attention to the beautiful environments around you. I never had the chance to glaze over like I do with most games. I was constantly alert, ready to get that next shot!
I love the fact that when things in the environment naturally hold crystals, and Secundo will then transfer these crystals to interested parties in return for credits. It’s a very simple twist on your basic platforming/adventure collection elements, but one that really helped immerse me in the game’s world. BGE is filled with an uncanny attention to detail. There are no random invisible barriers, or anything else that might suck you out of the world. The game was designed in every capacity, down to the tiniest details, to fully immerse the player and make them believe in its characters and their cause.
@legaia: In case you can’t tell, I LOVE Beyond Good & Evil! Judging by my general impression of your tastes, I’m willing to wager that you’ll have an incredible time with the game. Just try to clear your mind of whatever expectations you may have of it, be they positive or negative, and just enjoy the ride. I’d be interested to hear what you think of it!
Thanks, Alucard von Elru I’m looking forward to it. Just bought the game new off of Amazon for 15 bucks! Is that a good deal?
I would’ve eagerly paid $50 for such a great game. Back when it was still in print, they dropped the price to attract more people to experience it. Still didn’t work.