Originally posted by RoQuEr
I got burned the first time

While It Lasts
If there is any real problem with Beyond Good & Evil, it's that the whole thing wraps up in about 10 to 12 hours. To some extent, given its grand themes, one might expect the game to stretch to epic length -- though to be fair, the story comes to a satisfying conclusion without feeling rushed or scattered. Perhaps a bigger part of the disappointment, though, is that, like a good novel finally finishing, the characters and story are so compelling that you won't want your time with them to end. That's a very good thing to be able to say about a game, regardless of its length.

Closing Comments
It's easy enough to tally up Beyond Good & Evil's accomplishments in game play, level design, and outright eye candy, and declare it a success. But there's something more here to which all of these technical and design accomplishments are only a means to and end.
You see, BG&E is one of those rare games that shines from all points with an unmistakable quality of intelligence and personality. It's in the sharp writing and excellent voice acting. It's in the constantly inventive yet believable world of Hyllis and in the story's intriguing twists and emotional impact. Or in little details, wonderfully presented: Pey'j and Jade leaping into an embrace after a big fight, or Jade's face registering pity and horror with the subtlest change of expression. It's one thing to create a game full of pretty graphics and big action; it's something else to give us a story worth caring about involving characters we believe in.

Ultimately, for all its similarities to Zelda, this is where Beyond Good & Evil finds its own ground. Not only does it avoid many of the frustrations of the games it draws from (and yes, that includes Zelda's flat story and tedious item-chasing), but it is pierced throughout with humor, intelligence, and humanity. While it's over a bit before you'd want it to be, Beyond Good & Evil tells its story with amazing pizzazz and polish. Even better, it's a story well worth telling.

-- David Adams

Originally posted by balancer
Another one that lasts 10-12 hrs

While the game's repetitive nature and short length take away from its overall impact, Beyond Good & Evil is a fantastic-looking game that tells its story well. It may be short enough to rent and complete in a day or two, but fans of action adventure games will find enough to love in the game's overall design to make it worth purchasing.

By Jeff Gerstmann