Beyond industry rumors: Beyond Good & Evil 2 in development?
Near the end of 2007, Surfer Girl leaked video game insider information revealing that Ubisoft is reportedly designing a sequel to the highly-overlooked Beyond Good & Evil.
Created for PC, Gamecube, PS2 and Xbox, the 2003 title was highly-acclaimed by critics but saw lackluster sales when it was released to the public. In fact, it wasn’t long before the game could be picked-up in the discount den.
Rumors are that Michel Ancel, creator of Rayman, initially wanted the fast-paced Wii title to be a traditional platformer, not a series of mini-games. However, another developer stepped up and delivered Rayman: Raving Rabbits, much to Ancel’s detest.
Ubisoft then gave Ancel the authority to greenlight a project of his choosing, which is the supposed Beyond Good & Evil 2.
At launch, Beyond Good & Evil saw stiff competition from industry giants, such as the highly-innovative Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell.
Beyond Good & Evil was ranked as 47th in PC Gamers’ top 100 list of the best PC games.
The game featured an enriching story filled with corporate conspiracies and a young female journalist out to uncover the truth. The gameplay followed in the footsteps of any action-adventure Zelda-type game, where combat and puzzle solving were integral to the story’s progression.
The game also featured several moments for stealth, ranging anywhere from sneaking past unsuspected enemies to photographing corporate, alien and military malfeasance. Variations in gameplay even allowed for players to obtain an upgradeable hovercraft that was used to traverse the watery world, as well as gain access to a racing mini-game.
Players were quickly immersed in the game’s intrigue and rich musical score, and the cliffhanger ending only left gamers wanting more. It was one of those games that was highly-praised by those fortunate enough to play it. Much like the Playstation exclusive Legend of Dragoon, the lack of attention due to other anticipated titles left Beyond Good & Evil lost in video game history to collect dust on video game store shelves.
It is reported that Ancel told Nintendo Power that he is working on a new title that “means a lot to him” and that he would like to create a Beyond Good & Evil sequel. Whether or not the two are related is yet to be seen.
It’s quite easy to envision how the Wii’s control scheme could be used in the combat and picture taking — seen in games like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess — as well as the the game’s hovercraft driving, with controls like Mario Kart Wii and Excite Truck.
Here’s to hoping that Beyond Good & Evil 2 goes beyond rumors and that the game gets developed, showing gamer nation the sort of immersive titles the Wii can bring to the industry.
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Timothy W. Young | February 28, 2008
