The Escapist reports that sometime in the Land of 2011, a high-definition remake of cult classic Beyond Good & Evil will be coming to PSN and XBLA. New textures, higher-poly models, remastered soundtrack. Nothing else about the game (including the vexing controls) are set to be changed, but this game is worth your time if you’ve missed it.Β Which I did. Despite trying several times to get into it. And owning it on two platforms. Three if you count the Steam sale.
Seriously, though, Beyond Good & Evil is one of those Really Important games that have honest to god literary merit and thought-provoking tendrils of goodness running through their very core. French creator Michel Ancel knocked this one out of the park, and it’s a pity that the game never achieved much in sales figures. Keep your eye out for the HD remake, or if you don’t mind old textures, lower-poly models, and a not-remastered soundtrack, grab it on Steam or in an Xbox bin today.
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OooOo! I love me some BG&E and to play it in HD would make me do the happy dance. I played it on the Gamecube and loved every second of it…
well, except the ending where they did that… thing.
Awesome! I LOVED BG&E! In fact, I was about to start playing the original again (PS2). I’ll just wait for this.
Wow, I’m now 2 for 2 in hearing about HD remakes of classic games just as I plan on revisiting them. First it was Ico, now BG&E. Anyone have any old classics they want to see re-made in HD? Let me know and I’ll convince myself that I want to replay them and we’ll have a remake announcement within a week.
This was kind of a surprise. As much as I love this game (and I do!) I know it failed commercially. I thought they’d be re-making more of their blockbuster hits as opposed to the good games.
Makes me feel giddy.
Owning a PC version (played through it twice), I can’t but wonder will the HD version be actually higher definitioned than what I already have. I mean, the PC version went to the resolution that was considered high at the time and is still today higher than what you’re getting with PS3s and Xboxen of our time.
Still, a brilliant, brilliant game that I will probably end up buying again. I was planning of playing the PS2 version one of these days but will now wait for the HD remake…
My question is the same as Meho’s: will this look better than it did when I played it on PC in 2003?
That aside, maybe this introduces BG&E to a new batch of people, so hooray for that.
This game is in my top 5 list. It transcends what the written word can say about it. One must feel and experience it firsthand.
Excellent! Perhaps this will tide the world over and maintain investor interest in the sequel, which has gone so very quiet π
Beyond Good and Evil is, in some senses, just a third person platform adventure.
.. it’s just also the best one ever made, with a compelling story, varied gameplay and a beautiful art style too.
Sheer, simple, pure entertainment, and a very polished product.
Lovely game, which’d have to be to hook on a console style occasional platforming third person sometimes bordering on anime game. Or: long list of things that annoy me.
The original soundtrack was Tastyodd [TM] and speaks to why the game was so good, I think. BG&E was the third way game: Japanese + US styles squeezed through mainland European cheese cloth.
This is great news, BG&E was terrific. I expect the higher resolution textures and new effects etc. to HD-ify the game. HD resolutions have never been a problem with PCs!
Very interesting Toger because the only problem I had with BG&E was the bit at the end:
Spoilers to follow.
I presume you mean the bit where the controls get reversed and that creature attacks you at random on that bloody raft in a sea of blur?
Spoiler end.
There was so much that annoyed me about BG&E and so much I liked. And I never did finish it.
Big goofy sidekick, eh. Cutesy almost-anime style, eh. Platforming, eh. Amazingly imagined gameworld, yay. Great story, yay. Crazy nuts boat racing that should have driven me nuts but instead I liked, yay. Soundtrack, yay. I’d like to give this one another go and this seems like a good excuse.
That was exactly “the thing” I was talking about Gregg! That was when I threw the controller across the room. π
Wanna hear something really sad? As I mentioned, I played it through two times, both times on a PC I came all the way to the end. I played that STUPID endboss fight with reversed controls and shit TWICE and the game crashed immediately after the end of the fight. On two different PCs, natch. I have literally never seen the end of this game. I guess third time is the charm…
Yes indeedy, that was vein-popping territory right there. Psychonauts had a similar totally uncalled for difficulty spike near the end. They’re just painful and leave a really nasty taste in the mouth. Like a stiletto covered in doody.
Hmm, that’s one for Ernest Adam’s βBad Game Designer, No Twinkie!β database…
xtal – I tried to email you this: “+1 for noticing the Nick Cave reference.” I am the all seeing eye. π
Birthday Party Activision Presents Braid: Zoomusicgirl. My tingly bits are afeared ashudder and ready, so ripe. ‘Tis prom night.
I gave up on Psychonauts. Watched videos to enjoy the clever story because trying to 3D Sonic it had me all stabby.
Btw Scout, that goofy sidekick goes sideways late in the game. Do play it.
Come on Fink, spoiler warnings please π I know most people here have played it but just in case anybody hasn’t. I know Lewis hasn’t, and should.
@Meho: I’d flip.
I never once thought the game had an anime quality to it. I always thought it looked very western with a quirky European bent. It reminded me more of Don Bluth and Disney than anything particularly eastern.
This is another one of those revered classics that I’ve never played that I’m glad is getting the HD treatment. What the hell was I doing during the PS2 years?!
I know, I missed a lot through the PS2 years as well thanks to uni and my PC. Mat, was it you who’d not played Ico and Shadow of the Colossus? If it was, then I envy you for being able to play those two — and now this — for the first time!
Sideways covers a lot of lateral ground. π I’ve never played Ico and only part of Shadow, so Lewis can spoil those for me.
It’s not anime but there’s influence, and the Disney as well. Third way.
That it does π
I don’t think Lewis has played them either — the rigours of being an MMO zealot.
I got past that bit with the sidekick. I think I was actually somewhere in the last third when I lost steam. Also everyone was freaking out about the upside down ending and I was beginning to feel the fear. I think I hopped over to Anachronox and got totally sucked in.
The “upside -down” ending wasn’t a big deal for me Mike. I don’t remember the details (it’s been years) but the ending wasn’t too tough (for me anyway.)
I praised BGE and Psychonauts endlessly and spent a lot of time playing both. I’m no fan of twitch games, but those were works of art.
You guys needed to try to look beyond the silliness; the message was deep and vitally important. It still is.
I was hoping for a sequel! Not a remake!
The sequel IS in the works. Ancel claims that he and a very small team are currently at it, making sure the game has its own spirit/ tone/ whatever (that is, avoiding design by committee feel). But when it comes out is anyone’s guess…