Missed out on the Original? Shame on you, now would be a good opportunity to picking a classic but in HD.
Beyond Good and Evil was made by the same team that created the Rayman series, most people would say that this game was a genius for its story telling and fantastic visuals back in 2003 for the PS2/Xbox/Cube and PC. Now it's been released in HD for the PS3/360 and a good chance to play the game if you've missed out first time round.
The plot takes places in the world of Hillys where a war has broken on the peaceful planet by the DomZ; they attack the lighthouse where the main protagonist Jade who is a reporter and tries to protect the Orphans from the DomZ. With help from her Uncle who is a pig called Pey'j, Jade and Pey'j start to get suspicious on what's really going behind the DomZ attacks and the secret rumours about The Alpha Sections from kidnapping people on the planet. Throughout the main story you'll be going under-cover and taking photographs in facilities in Hillys.
Gameplay: Beyond Good and Evil is an action-adventure with a mix of puzzle-solving and stealth being added in. You play as Jade and its gameplay is set in a third-person perspective. You can run by holding the R2 button down and using the left analog stick to move, you can move stealthily by holding down the L2 where you can crouch down. During stealth missions while sneaking around enemies you can kick them behind there back if they have a Green-Tank on their back which can make it less easy to sneak around or distract other enemy's attention.
During combat your only weapon is your Dai-jo combat stick where you will be fighting enemies, monsters and bosses, your partner will also help you out during combat or when trying to solve a puzzle you can press the Triangle button to perform a special attack which will be in slow-motion and aiming where you want to attack or swing away at.
Throughout gameplay you'll be required to collecting Pearls which is its currency which you'll be using to upgrade your Hovercraft which also plays a role in the game which is like your main vehicle to move around the world of Hillys and getting through places you're not supposed to go to. You will need a certain amount of Pearls to upgrade your Hovercraft to press on to the story, but however as you collect Pearls some will be part of the story by defeating a boss or getting support from the citizens.
There will certain times where you'll need to buy Pearls from market stands, or entering Hovercraft races or chasing down looters. Another feature which is added in which is taking photos of different kind of animals on the planet, this is a great way to earn some money, each role of film will earn you a prize from a camera piece or a Pearl.
Graphics and Sound: Anyone who did play the original Beyond Good and Evil, there isn't any new changes but the graphics do look a little clearer and look totally well done. For a game that was released back in 2003 and 2004 you can see a huge difference from the original version and the HD version. The art direction and animation have aged gracefully and the world, while static, is very cleverly designed.
It still has the odd problem when it comes to camera control which can occur at certain points of the game where the camera will go freely anywhere but you can use the right analog stick to move the camera around. Since it's only released as a downloadable title you can try the demo before purchasing the full game which will take 1503 MB on your PS3.
The voice acting is still the same as it was back then, fans of the series will been saying quotes and memorable lines from the game. But for those who have not played the original the world of Hillys is set in a European style environment you may hear the odd Spanish and French accents from various characters and townspeople.
Eight years later the soundtrack is still unique and memorable to hear from the battle theme music to the Mammago's Garage, but some of the tracks are quite emotional and making you feel shock as you witness what you see in various parts of the game.
Overall: If you missed out on the Original now would be the best time to pick up the HD version. Fans who have played the original there hasn't been any huge changes but there is trophy support which only have 12 trophies so it is easy to get 100% for it.
Beating the game can easily take you up to 12 hours or less but there are a lot of secrets, leaderboards and collectables to hunt down. As a fan of the original game, I was really happy to see a HD version of Beyond Good and Evil and it really did bring back a lot of memories for me, but for £7.99 it's worth your money on picking up a classic for your collection.