Sometimes a game just slips under the radar. Whatever the reason for this occurring, be it bad marketing, classification problems or a strange concept, some games just fail to find their audience. Here at Player2.net.au we want to highlight these rough gems and that is where “In Case You Missed It” comes in. Some games just deserve a second chance.
In Case You Missed It – Beyond Good and Evil
One thing that has been missing from games throughout time is pig people. This lack of “porko-sapien” representation in games was a serious issue but luckily this shortfall was noticed by Rayman creator Michael Ancel and was promptly rectified when the Action/Adventure “Beyond Good and Evil” was unleashed in late 2003 by Ubisoft. This Zelda-inspired game featured a wonderfully realised universe where animals had evolved to a human-like state and aliens are behind a conspiracy to kidnap and enslave these amazing creatures.
Players took control of Jade, a photographer/orphanage manager who gets dragged into this wild conspiracy. She is assisted by her uncle Pey’J (The aforementioned pig man) as she begins her quest to discover just exactly what is happening to the denizens of this stunning and strange world. Jade was unique for many reasons but most notably for being a female video game character that wasn’t over sexualised. Unlike other female leads of the time, Jade was never sold on her looks or sex appeal. She wore cargo pants and a jacket not tiny shorts and a tight singlet and there was no poorly conceived advertising campaign that was aimed at drooling teenage boys. At the time this was almost unheard of (and is unfortunately still a common occurrence to this very day).
With a mix of traditional adventuring, vehicle combat, a great photography mechanic, some mind-bending puzzles and one of the best stories in a video game to this day, Beyond Good and Evil is a game that deserved more attention than it got. Luckily because of the cult following it developed, it got a HD re-release on the 360/PC/PS3 giving the masses that missed it a chance to enjoy this masterful game.
With Ubisoft telling everyone that a sequel is in development but offering no other detail apart from a few grumblings recently, this may be the only time players get to experience this truly enchanting game universe. This title deserves your hard earned cash as this sort of originality and storytelling sadly doesn’t come around often.
*Please note Beyond Good and Evil will be free on UPLAY from the 12th of October
Matt Hewson
