I can echo all of what was said above: Great art design, great music, and above all, great story -- very rare in video games, and indeed Beyond Good and Evil's story and characters have more "meat" than most sci-fi blockbuster films.
The reasons why this game was overlooked are simple. One, the game is mis-named; the title really doesn't describe the game in any meaningful way. The second and far more important reason is that, in the U.S. anyway, this game was released during the "Christmas Rush" that plagues the gaming industry. In an effort to capitalize on holiday sales, game publishers save every game they've spent any money on and then release them all during November and December. It's inevitable that some games -- often very good ones, and especially those that are left-of-center -- are going to get lost in the shuffle.
The director of this game, Michel Ancel (also the creator of Rayman, one of my favorite VG characters), is one of video gaming's true visionaries. Any of his games are at least worth a look, and BG&E is worth more than that.
One note of hope is the fact that it has happened in the past that games that didn't do well initially have gone on to become "cult classics" and actually spawned sequels! Maybe this can happen with this great, overlooked game.
The reasons why this game was overlooked are simple. One, the game is mis-named; the title really doesn't describe the game in any meaningful way. The second and far more important reason is that, in the U.S. anyway, this game was released during the "Christmas Rush" that plagues the gaming industry. In an effort to capitalize on holiday sales, game publishers save every game they've spent any money on and then release them all during November and December. It's inevitable that some games -- often very good ones, and especially those that are left-of-center -- are going to get lost in the shuffle.
The director of this game, Michel Ancel (also the creator of Rayman, one of my favorite VG characters), is one of video gaming's true visionaries. Any of his games are at least worth a look, and BG&E is worth more than that.
One note of hope is the fact that it has happened in the past that games that didn't do well initially have gone on to become "cult classics" and actually spawned sequels! Maybe this can happen with this great, overlooked game.