| Beyond Good & Evil | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Ubisoft Montpellier |
| Publisher(s) | Ubisoft |
| Year released | 2003 |
| System(s) | Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
| Designer(s) | Michel Ancel |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Players | 1 |
| Modes | Single player |
| Latest version | 1.01 |
| Rating(s) |     |
Beyond Good & Evil is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Ubisoft and released in late 2003 for the Nintendo GameCube, Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.
The game focuses on the exploits of Jade, a female investigative reporter and martial artist, to reveal a planet-wide alien conspiracy with the help of a boar-like humanoid named Pey'j, a spy code-named Double H, and the "IRIS Network" resistance movement. Tyrone Miller, a public relations manager for Ubisoft, said the title comes from a "need to investigate beyond the superficial facts of what is good and what is evil."
Beyond Good & Evil, initially designed by Michel Ancel, the creator of the Rayman series, as the first of a trilogy, was a commercial failure due to its ill-timed release and lack of popularity. However, it received critical acclaim, becoming a cult classic. The game has received two awards at the Imagina Games Awards and several nominations at the Game Developers Choice Awards and the Interactive Achievement Awards. An HD version of the game has been released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A sequel, Beyond Good & Evil 2, is in development.
Beyond Good and Evil takes place in the year 2435 on the peaceful mining planet of Hillys, where a mix of human and anthropomorphic animal species co-exist with the native wildlife. The planet's architecture and technology consists of rustic and futuristic elements. The planet is under siege by insect-like alien DomZ forces. The DomZ abduct beings on Hillys, and either drain their life force for their own, or implant them with spores that convert them into creatures that work for the DomZ. A military dictatorship called the "Alpha Sections" emerges to defend the populace. However, the Alpha Sections seem unable to stop the DomZ attacks despite their public assurances. An underground group of journalists, the IRIS Network, attempt to uncover the secrets of the DomZ and the Alpha Sections and expose the truth to the population of Hillys.
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North American cover art.
