Beyond Good & Evil Hands-on

Ubi Soft, a company still known to most as the home of limbless hero, Rayman, is making some pretty big waves in the industry these days. With hot properties like the Tom Clancy license, Prince of Persia, XIII, Ape Escape, and Far Cry, the company is determined to be the most diverse and perhaps innovative publisher/developer in the industry.

Another one of its big holiday titles is Beyond Good & Evil, a game brought to us by none other than Michel Ancel, creator of, you guessed it, Rayman. Whether you catch the obscure Nietzsche reference or not is unimportant. What is worth noting about the game is its epic scope in regards to not only game design, but also in its narrative subject matter. With a truly believable, living, breathing world, and an engaging, sophisticated story that philosophizes as much as it entertains, Beyond Good & Evil may set the standard in what we can expect from interactive entertainment.

Though we've talked much about Beyond Good & Evil in earlier previews, a number of alterations have made their way into the game, albeit mostly on a purely aesthetic level. Immediately noticeable is the main heroine's new look. Forget the old, innocent look of Jade with her cropped white shirt and tomboyish charm. Now sporting a new, green outfit, complete with emerald headband, Jade has a tougher, more weathered look. The change was implemented because Jade's old image didn't capture her two most important characteristics: that she's an action reporter/photographer, and that she's out to expose a conspiracy.

Additionally, the new and improved Jade features a number of added polygons that help smooth out the rough edges and make for a cleaner, rounder, and more organic model. We must admit that we're big fans of the new getup and refined character model not only because it simply looks better, but because the new aesthetic does a great job of symbolizing Jade's personality and mission.

Video Preview Available! If you're an IGN Insider you can have access to our must-see video complement to this preview. See tons of awesome in-game footage and hear all about IGN's impressions of the game from Fran Mirabella. Download it Now! | 1 2 Next » Share This Article Hottest Xbox Previews Dinosaur Hunting Hands-On For those who wished Dino Crisis 3 took place on plan... Conker: Playing with Yourself Jaws: Unleashed Need For Speed: Most Wanted Demo Dinosaur Hunting Connections for Beyond Good & Evil (Xbox) Popular games in this genre: 1. Batman: Arkham Asylum (X360) 2. Fable II (X360) 3. Fable II (Limited Edition) (X360) 4. Infamous (PS3) 5. Assassin's Creed II (X360) Popular games on this platform: 1. Halo 2 (Xbox) 2. Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox) 3. NCAA Football 2003 (Xbox) 4. NCAA Football 2004 (Xbox) 5. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox) Loading posts... Most recent contributions for Beyond Good & Evil: Loading contributions... Game Details Beyond Good & Evil Beyond Good & Evil Beyond Good & Evil Published by: Ubisoft Published by: Ubisoft Published by: Ubisoft Developed by: Ubisoft Developed by: Ubisoft Developed by: Ubisoft Genre: Third-Person Action Adventure Number of Players: 1 Release Date: US: November 11, 2003 MSRP: $17.99 T for Teen: Comic Mischief, Violence Also Available On: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PC, GameCube Buy Game » '); } }); }); } 9.0 IGN SCORE "Amazing" 8.8 Press Score - 21 Ratings 8.9 Reader Score - 1734 Ratings 0.0 0.0 Optional: Write a full review Around the Network Beyond Good & Evil at TeamXbox Beyond Good & Evil at GameSpy Beyond Good & Evil at GameStats Beyond Good & Evil at CheatsCodesGuides Beyond Good & Evil at IGN Beyond Good & Evil at AskMen Beyond Good & Evil Guide at IGN