[Intrepid Homoludens]

Aw, thanks! You know I always love you, ragsie-poo-licious!

But can I at least pinch you? In EAX full digital stereo?

[ragnar]

Is it enough if I scream in stereo?

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Maybe. Let me adjust the settings.

BTW, you played Beyond Good & Evil yet?

[ragnar]

I've played the demo. I really like the variety of game play, but I think it has a too childish outlook in some way. Also, I didn't get that good grip on the story either. But I still want to play the game some time. Perhaps I'll buy it when the price is lower.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

At least here in the U.S. price is a low as it'll get (even for consoles), so it may already be very cheap where you are.

Yeah, when I first heard about the game I was put back by the cutesie cartoony look, a style I never really warmed up to (I hate Poke-me-man and Mario). But the deeper I got into it the more the story moved up front and center (and that was fairly early), and I actually began to care for the characters. It's deceptive, the game looks annoyingly cute, but it really is much deeper than you'd expect, and on several levels - story, characters, the obscenely rich variety of gameplay, and the extent of exploration (often a reward for beating a few minigames here and there). There are places in the gameworld accessible only through accomplishing certain goals and winning a few little optional challenges. I can't even begin to count how many sub-goals I've thus far discovered.

One of the best things is that everything, and I mean everything, is all delicately yet tightly intertwined, the connecting threads course through every single nook and cranny of the game's story and world, even down to individual characters mentioning on the side some marginal or prominent details that you can investigate if you want to. Think of this game as Deus Ex meets Grim Fandango conceptually.

[AGA]

Ragnar: Gameplay has it for £12.99, which is dirt-cheap for such an awesome game. If they don' t ship outside the UK, Play also have it for £17.99...

[Henke]

Originally Posted by ragnar

I've played the demo. I really like the variety of game play, but I think it has a too childish outlook in some way. Also, I didn't get that good grip on the story either. But I still want to play the game some time. Perhaps I'll buy it when the price is lower.

You want a lower price then 160 kronor!?!?!?

[VoodooFX]

One thing i hate about my country is that prices of games are not adapting to those in rest of the world, so i still find games being full-priced, while everywhere else they've seen price cuts. Lame

[CaveBear]

Originally Posted by Henke

You want a lower price then 160 kronor!?!?!?

Hmmm... I'm in the U.S. and got BG&E for $20 which is about 140 Danish kroner (I'm Danish), but I agree with you though, Ragnar's comment was a bit weird considering the regular price of a game in Denmark is 400 KR ($60)!

[ragnar]

Ok, ok. I now see it's at 149kr (~$20) at webhallen.se, but last time I checked for it (at the time I bought some other games such as BS3) a couple of weeks ago it was at 299kr. I think I'll wait some more time before buying it though, so I can collect up some more games I want to buy.

[redhotray]

You certainly cannot go wrong with it, Ragnar.

It seems a lot of people have been offput by the graphics of the game, but I really don't know why.

It's like Wind Waker, the Zelda game released last year. Everybody hated on the graphics, yet it turned out to be one of the most pleasurable gaming experiences I've played in a long time!

Personally, I love BG&E graphics, and Wind Wakers for that matter.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Ha! No need to reprimand the venerable ragsie, ray, he's on our side now! [stoopid cartoony evil laugh]MUUUAHAHAHAHA --- *cough cough*!!![/stoopid cartoony evil laugh] As I stated previously the 'kiddie' look of the game really is deceptive, you're ultimately drawn and hooked into it by the sheer depth, complexity, and scope of the gameworld, the sympathetic characters, and the sensitive story. What I've even noticed is that the game and story have never even once attempted to be obsequious, there really is a certain undercurrent of maturity and wisdom about its message, it game never relies on its superficial 'cute factor' to get you.

[ragnar]

Yes, I'm (at least partly) on your side. I have too many games to play atm, but I guess I will buy it eventually.

[Helen]

Thats it, I keep seeing this game over at EB games, and I keep looking at it, well you have all made up my mind for me, I think last time I checked I could get it for PS2 used for $17.99, Im goin for it.

[dnldnl]

Originally Posted by Helen

Thats it, I keep seeing this game over at EB games, and I keep looking at it, well you have all made up my mind for me, I think last time I checked I could get it for PS2 used for $17.99, Im goin for it.

You won't regret it

[jjacob]

Oh this game fills me up with good memories, damn do I love this game.

Spoiler:

But that bloody final boss is a bitch, I swear I was on the verge of getting RSI when I finished the game..

[remixor]

Originally Posted by Helen

Thats it, I keep seeing this game over at EB games, and I keep looking at it, well you have all made up my mind for me, I think last time I checked I could get it for PS2 used for $17.99, Im goin for it.

I think it retails for $19.99, so if you can buy it new please do. It hasn't sold very well and you might as well support Ubisoft.

[redhotray]

Absolutely, Ubisoft need all the support they can get right now (at least in terms of producing a sequal to BG&E).

Glad you've joined the light side Helen, let us know what you think of the game.

[TM3]

BG&E was almost a dream come true for me! An immersive world to explore, a compelling epic story, a cast of well-made/well-voiced characters, and origianlity (gameplay variety and photography).

Despite it being short and a bit easy, it just has that nice charm that most games don't give me often. Everything just felt kind of nice and cozy in a way. There was alot of things it had going for it to have that charm which impresses me. The feeling of freedom when driving your hovercraft on the waters of Hyllis. The affection and humor between Jade and her Uncle Pey'j. The sense of satisfaction when getting a pearl or recieving credits. The impressive sense of dedication that Double H has (not mention it's pretty hillarious to me when he head butts into doors). The feeling of "KICK ASS" when pulling off a combo on an enemy.

These may seem like little things but I felt they really helped give that charm this action/adventure had. Anyone else feel like that?

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by TM3

These may seem like little things but I felt they really helped give that charm this action/adventure had. Anyone else feel like that?

I do, absolutely. In evident ways, BG&E presages the direction that next generation adventure games will go (although it has a huge amount of action and combat, it's really the idea of an insane amount of exploration and interactivity within the gameworld and with characters I'm talking about). We already have other games on the horizon similar to it, like Dreamfall and Fahrenheit. You can 'hang around' in Hillys and the city literally for hours if you want, participating in the races, chasing looters in caverns, upgrading your vehicles, exploring forbidden areas, or merely enjoying the views and the day/night cycles (I only wish there had been weather cycles, like thunderstorms and fog, ah well). And all this after you've beaten the game proper.

As I had stated in previous posts, everything in this game is relatively rich, deep, and well thought out. I can only hope that other adventure gamers here can discover this game, in many ways it's far deeper and immersive than, say, a few hours of Post Mortem or any other conventional adventure where you play it once, then uninstall. In BG&E you're encouraged to linger, to ponder, to enjoy the views, and to explore (and this has a LOT to do with it being in 3D). What standard adventure game lets you do that?