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Born for Wii: Beyond Good & Evil
When Friedrich Nietzsche wrote his famous philosophical work Beyond Good and Evil in the late 19th century, odds are he didn't think that it would be a source of inspiration for video games over a century later. Namco proved him wrong with their trilogy of Xenosaga RPGs, each of which had a subtitle referencing a Nietzsche work (such as "Jenseits von Gut und Böse"). But it's another wannabe trilogy that owes its moniker to Nietzsche that's up for recognition. Beyond Good & Evil was published at the height of the Christmas rush in December 2003, and despite its war-on-all-fronts release on the GameCube, PS2, Xbox, and PC, it simply failed to sell. The game received widespread critical acclaim, but competition from other games caused it to be given a jarring price drop mere weeks after its release. Even so, those in the know played Beyond Good & Evil and saw it for what it was -- a fantastic adventure with a unique world and an appealing cast of heroes. And though it took four years, Ubisoft finally gave a sequel the green light -- so it's time to show the original game some much-deserved love. %Gallery-27033%
Get all the Ubidays 08 content at Big Download
By now you've undoubtedly seen the trailers for Beyond Good & Evil 2, Prince of Persia and Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X., but more than likely you've only witnessed the Ubisoft library in standard def blurriness. Well our little brother site , Big Download has you covered with high-def downloads for all of Ubisoft's upcoming games. Head over to Big Download now, or click on each title below to bring you to its respective download page. Beyond Good & Evil 2 Teaser Prince of Persia Teaser Speed Drawing (Prince) Speed Drawing (Elika, the Prince's new ally) Shaun White Snowboarding Intro Trailer Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Trailer Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway Trailer
Beyond Good & Evil 2 'done for the new generation'
Did the long-awaited dream suddenly become an inescapable nightmare? Speaking to Next Generation, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot describes the recently announced Beyond Good & Evil sequel as a game done "for the new generation that's come into videogames." That's not you or me, folks, that's the person over there doing yoga on a Wii balance board. Yves notes that the game will be made "more accessible," a supposed improvement from a title that was "probably a little too difficult for the general gamers at that time." Says Guillemot: "We had a different audience at that time. We had more core gamers than casual gamers than we have today." Let's not be dense about this -- Beyond Good & Evil was a beloved, abysmal commercial failure that caused the industry to bust a gut whenever a continuation was mentioned. We can hardly begrudge Ubisoft for wanting loads of people to actually buy it this time around. However, it's is a very fine line to walk, and the desires of core and casual gamers don't necessarily agree. Guillemot himself admits that "so many customers were extremely happy with the game," and we can only hope that he doesn't see Fit to pull their pants down just because it'll make the casuals giggle. For now, we'll have to trust in series (OMG it's a series now!) creator, Michel Ancel, being able to deliver the game as he envisions it. Heck, the man's paid his dues in Rabbids by now, hasn't he? Ubisoft owes him. %Gallery-23890%
Where to find Beyond Good & Evil
We realize that with yesterday's announcement of "Beyond Good & Evil 2," some folks may have tragically missed out on the first entry in the series. We've put together a quick list of places where those not familiar to the series can get the game and meet up with Jade, Pey'j and -- our favorite personal assistant -- Segundo. Steam (PC) -- $10 GameTap (PC) -- $1 for the first month, $10 after that. GameFly (Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube) -- Various rental plan prices, but currently copies are subject to availability. GameStop -- Currently, we can only find the somewhat dodgy PS2 version available online for $8. Check your local shop and you may get very lucky. Those who find a GameCube version can rely on the Wii's backwards compatibility to play the game, and PS3 owners can pop in the PS2 game if their systems support BC. The Xbox 360 currently does not offer backwards compatibility for the Xbox version of BG&E. We're sure there are more corners of the internet to find Jade & Co., but it appears that $10 is what you're likely to pay.
Download the Ubidays 2008 trailers here
If you're interested in owning an HD copy of the Beyond Good & Evil 2 teaser trailer (and really, who isn't?), our file sharing friends at BigDownload (Update: and GameDaily) are offering all the HD trailers from yesterday's Ubidays 2008 event as, erm, big downloads. Check out all the trailers below, including two Prince of Persia speed sketches of the Prince and Elika (here's a game: count the number of times the artist changes brush settings). Beyond Good & Evil 2 teaser (217 MB) Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway trailer (111 MB) Prince of Persia teaser (62 MB) Prince of Persia speed drawing: Prince (9.4 MB) Prince of Persia speed drawing: Elika (13 MB) Raving Rabbids TV Party gameplay trailer (59 MB) Raving Rabbids TV Party teaser (55 MB) Tom Clancy's EndWar trailer (111 MB) Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. trailer (181 MB) Shaun White Snowboarding intro (150 MB) Shaun White Snowboarding trailer (110 MB) Soul Calibur IV Yoda gameplay trailer (25 MB) Soul Calibur IV Darth Vader gameplay trailer (31 MB) Soul Calibur IV cinematical trailer (106 MB) Rabbids, Persian Princes and Beyond Good & Evil 2? Check out all our coverage (and a bountiful amount of screenshots) from Ubisoft's Ubidays 2008 event.
Ubidays 2008 screenshot roundup
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Ubidays_2008_screenshot_roundup_Princes_Pigs_and_Rabbids'; More rabbids! More abso-freaking-lutely gorgeous new Prince of Persia screens! More Beyond Good & Evil! There's been a lot of great eye candy coming out of Ubisoft's Ubidays 2008 Event. Check out all the new screenshots below (also after the break). %Gallery-23908% %Gallery-23890%
Beyond Good & Evil 2 announced
Click for high-resolution image. var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Beyond_Good_Evil_2_announced'; Saving the very best for last at Ubidays 2008, CEO Yves Guillemot had a final note to reveal. That would be Beyond Good and Evil 2. A platform hasn't been announced yet, but we're hoping it comes our way. It just looks absolutely gorgeous. Make sure you check out Joystiq's gallery below and watch out for the debut trailer that's up at Joystiq. Gallery: Beyond Good & Evil 2
Beyond Good & Evil 2 revealed [Update]
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Beyond_Good_Evil_2_announced'; At the end of the Ubidays 2008 conference today, CEO Yves Guillemot left the audience stunned with a final teaser--Michel Ancel's Beyond Good & Evil 2. We've heard rumblings of BG&E2's development in the past and Ubisoft has finally come clean on the sequel to the critically acclaimed title. We will have the official teaser trailer, showing off the ragged Uncle Pey'j and an older Jade, as soon as its mad available. Update: Check out the teaser trailer starring everyone's favorite hog, Uncle Pey'j and a glimpse at an older Jade after the break. Gallery: Beyond Good & Evil 2 [via Joystiq]
Ubisoft reveals Beyond Good & Evil 2
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Beyond_Good_Evil_2_announced'; Looks like the rumors were true! Now, before you start getting your hopes up, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Once done, then give a click on one of the images below. Those graphics are pretty darn sweet, eh? Well, we're not saying the Wii isn't capable of such graphics, just that the likelihood of this being an Xbox 360 and PS3 reveal is high. We're not going to rule out the game arriving on Wii, though. The first title was multi-platform (this blogger has the GameCube port of the first title), so let's hope Ubisoft puts the second game out on all systems. After checking out the screens, head past the break for a video. Gallery: Beyond Good & Evil 2
Beyond Good & Evil 2 revealed at Ubidays 2008
click to enlarge var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Beyond_Good_Evil_2_announced'; Closing out the Ubidays 2008 live conference, CEO Yves Guillemot left the audience with one final teaser: the next project from designer Michel Ancel. While the trailer stops short of naming its subject, we'd recognize that schnozzle anywhere. Why that's Uncle Pey'j of course! And look at dear Jade, she's gone and grown out her hair. The "Beyond Good & Evil 2" debut trailer is posted after the break! (Beware: Graphic fly snorting ensues.) %Gallery-23890%
Beyond Good and Evil 2 in preproduction, awaiting approval
The first Beyond Good & Evil was hailed by critics but largely ignored by the gaming populace when it was released several years ago. Was it the female lead? Was it the graphical style? Was it the lack of hard-headed space marines wielding impossibly large weapons? Who knows -- but it didn't fare too well on shelves. Not one to be discouraged, Michel Ancel, the man behind the original game, has been working on a sequel for over a year. Aside from the year of preproduction, Ancel says his team is "currently doing market research. But for the moment, it's in the early stages, and Ubisoft still hasn't agreed to it." The gameplay, Ancel describes, will be similar to the original. A large variety of levels and "emotional" gameplay -- characters we truly care about. No platforms or release date are mentioned, but with Ubidays coming right up, perhaps there will be an official announcement regarding the game at that time. [via Gamespot]
Is Beyond Good & Evil 2 in production despite lack of approval from Ubi?
Those of you with weak hearts, you might want to double up on your medication for this one. Michel Ancel, the dude responsible for the amazing Beyond Good & Evil and the Rayman games, has apparently confirmed with a French magazine that not only is work on Beyond Good & Evil 2 underway, but it's been worked on for over a year. We doubt there are words that can describe how you're feeling right now, so just hug your monitor right this instant. Go ahead, we're doing the same. Okay, done? Good. Now, the only problem with all of this is that Ancel also said that Ubisoft did not green-light the project. With a total of 10-12 people working on the pre-production, we've got our fingers permanently crossed in hopes that Ubisoft will see that this sequel needs to happen. Also, we're going to keep this one labeled as a rumor, for now, considering how often we hear about a sequel to this game, only to have our hopes and dreams shattered. If you work at Ubisoft and are reading this, tell your bosses that everyone wants this! Oh, and tell them to make it for the Wii, as well. [Via Joystiq]
Rumor: Beyond Good & Evil 2 in pre-production
OK, don't get too excited just yet. Videogaming24/7 translated a piece from JeuxVideo*, which states that Ubisoft's Michel Ancel allegedly confirmed Beyond Good & Evil 2 has been in pre-production for the last year. Apparently, 10-12 people have been working on the project, but the Ubisoft suits aren't sure whether to move forward. Beyond Good & Evil has become the stuff of industry folklore at this point. A great game that just released at the wrong time and suffered terribly at retail for it. Even if this sequel rumor is true, it would still be years away from seeing release (sad face), but at least we'd eventually get to hang with Jade, Pey'J and Segundo once again. *Internet cookies for the person that can give us a proper translation of the French story.
Rumor: Beyond Good & Evil sequel in the works
According to a post on PSLegion that outlines the latest rumors from PSM3's "Insider," Ubisoft may still release a sequel to the 2003 critically acclaimed title, Beyond Good & Evil. While the third-person adventure game was revered as a critical darling when it hit last-gen consoles and PC, the title was a commercial disaster. Within months of its release BG&E had been reduced from $50 to $20 but could never achieve the success seen by other popular Ubisoft debuts that year; Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. Other Xbox 360 related rumors from "The Insider" include: Prepare for a Leisure Suit Larry movie ... (*sigh*) EA is returning to Springfield for another Simpsons game ... (Are bug fixes optional?) Call of Duty 5, currently in development by Treyarch have been working on the game for two years, far longer than the standard nine month process ... (Nine months? That explains CoD3. Ba-Zing!) Rumorang the BG&E sequel talk for now, but we've heard this before and we hope it's legit!
