Beyond Good & Evil Game Club Episode 2: Factory workers

What do you think of the city? Did you get hooked on any mini games? I thought the city was fine. I thought it had a real lively feel to it. But its small size made me feel like I was playing a video game. Especially during the very first part when the Alphas wouldn't let me past them. It just screamed "You are playing a video game!!" But as a whole I had an enjoyable time there. I didn't really get hooked on an mini games. I liked the hoverraces more than any other but I didn't spend any more than a few minutes doing anything. What do you think of the dungeon? Did you like the bosses? The puzzles? I really enjoyed this Dungeon up until after the first boss. After the first dungeon was so quick I kind of assumed that the game would consist of a lot of quick dungeons. So after I defeated the reaper and got back into my hovercraft to collect the pearl, I thought I was done in the Factory. Then the level just kept going. By the end I was ready for it to be done. For a change of scenery. I wouldn't have even minded if I came back to the factory either later in game or after a brief detour. As far as the stealth mission aspect went. I enjoyed the core of it, though I found myself fighting the camera constantly. Also, I understand the purpose was to not get caught but by the end I felt like the level was too restrictive to get out a jam through a fight. To compound this frustration by the end of the level I was down to 3 hearts with no healing items so one hit from the guards would instakill me. Have your views on Pey'j or Jade changed from the beginning, or do you still feel the same? I dont think there was any actions taken by either character to change my opinion of them. Both seem to remain in character throughout. If Anything Pey'j seems even more likable after finding his video. Do you trust IRIS? (Don't answer this if you've already beaten the game!) It never really occurred to me not to trust IRIS. Its so commonplace to just assume that the rebels are the good guys. Its made pretty clear by the end of the factory that the Alpha sector are at the very least brainwashed into being bad. And the Domz are up to some sort of shenanigans so It seems to make sense that IRIS are the good guys. The title of the game though does leave some questions. Perhaps everyone is being duped. What do you want to see from later levels? I feel like this game really comes alive when you are out in the open exploring the world and interacting with people. I recognize that the loneliness is the appeal of a lot of dungeon heavy games but I wish there was a way to incorporated the open island feel of the overworld with the more combat heavy parts. The first few Jack and Dexter games did a really good job of this. Are you starting to understand why this game has grown to become so popular? I think that this is a very solid game that was overlooked because of the timing it came out. Also the poor marketing taken with it. Good games will always find a way to rise to the top. I don't know if this is one of the greatest games of all time,I wouldn't even say it was the best of it's type in it's generation (Psychonauts) but it is a good game and that deserved attention.

On a side note. I also find myself trying to Z trigger a lot and instead of zeroing in the camera I just pull up Jade's camera. I feel by this point the locking mechanic in games like this should have been standard

That darn city, I got stuck on that puck game, couldnt beat him for a pearl, 3 or 4 tries. Great little game though! I played the cocoanut game also and that one was cake. I didn't get too lost in the city, I wanted to get going on the quest. During the factory, I found that grate and the save section before I saved double H. I was confused and trying to take pictures from the wrong side and really confused. But finally I went all the way around and found him then worked our way through that section. The bosses were CAKE, (portal reference) And the cake was real, real easy that is (super corny I know). But my thoughts on Pey'j and Jade haven't changed. They are both still pretty cool characters and I would like to see more conversation from Jade to get a better idea of her personality. I somewhat trust iris, we are on the same path right now, but I don't like them with a little bad taste in the back of my mouth. I feel like at this point they could be the lesser of the two evils... I'm looking forward to other cool new weapons, any other new partners to help fight and the storyline to really unfold! Thanks again for this idea!! Enjoying FF3 on my Android phone when I can't play this!

My copy is a little buggy too. I'm playing on a PS2 Slim and have a lot of audio glitches where a sound effect will load and get stuck and loop repeatedly until the game loads something new. I understand that it's only a problem on the slim and not the older fat PS2. Not game-breaking, just a little annoying. Also interestingly I can only activate progressive scan from the main menu. It wont work once you load your save and file and try to set progressive scan from the game menu. The factory was a little confusing. I didn't have much use for the map and I didn't know that fixing the elevator after the mini boss was my next objective. I was felt lucky to have figure it out. The best part of that dungeon was the stealth. I liked crawling along the the side of the moving crate to avoid detection and I liked how forgiving the AI was after triggering an alarm. The game is also unclear on this part but the keys you gain at the factory will work on the doors in the city too so head back and go through all those locked doors for fun mini-missions. To answer the panel's question about giving things to your companion characters; You can give heart containers to your support characters by selecting your pouch from your pause menu, select the heart container, don't release the select button and mover the cursor over to the icon of your support character. You can give them health items this way too. After Pey'j was kidnapped at the Factory the heart container I gave him was left on the floor for me to reclaim. This game is a classic because of it's interesting story and fantastic art design. I just parked my hovercraft at the main intersection of the city and watch all the traffic fly by. I liked how there was a flying fire engine that was extinguishing a fire caused by the last DomZ attack. The game seems to be filled with little touches like that. Did anyone notice before Pey'j was kidnapped that if you looked at him with your camera for a second he would raise his hand wave hello? I don't see any reason not to trust IRIS. They only seem interested in gaining information and since it's clear the Alpha Sections are in cahoots with the DomZ. I'm looking forward to seeing the art direction of the slaughter house and I hope the game goes really dark and I have to take pictures of the horrors within and it gives Jade a little PTSD.

I like the city, even though it's mostly water area. It has a ton of things to do though, and the minigames and side missions are all awesome. The dungeon is nice, but the stealth is rather easy due to the Alpha guards having weak points, as well as the lack of punishment. This changes later however, so I guess this is really just supposed to be more of an introduction to the mechanic, which to be fair is slightly more complex than the others. I find that it's interesting to see how Jade and Pey'j react to this different environment. The first dungeon was pretty light hearted, without any sense of real danger. This dungeon is much darker and more menacing, and as a result the characters are much more insecure about the mission. I still have plenty of minigames to play, so I'm looking forward to that, but I especially look forward to the next dungeon, which is my favourite, for reason's I'll explain next time. My undestanding is that the game is as popular as it is because of the way it blends several different styles of gameplay together, with each mechanic naturally flowing into the next. I've never seen genre mixing done this well in any game before or since.

Next dungeon is your favorite? NOW YOU GOT ME ALL EXCITED.

Whoops, I probably shouldn't have said that then, seeing as I can't guarantee that you (or anyone else) will enjoy it as much. But yeah, explanation in the next one. :) Also, *reasons

Ok, first if all, the camera is not my friend (the game camera, not Jade's camera.) Maybe it was always a little touchy, but it never really bothered me till the factory. It made sneaking a little unwieldy, but the monkey wrench was not seriously thrown until the reaper showed up... Also, the voice acting isn't so great. Is it just me or has it gone down hill? The exceptions are, thankfully Jade and (usually) Pey'j. Now that that's out of the way, on to the good stuff. The city, like so much else on Hyllis, feels alive and im still having fun exploring it, although i have to admit i haven't spent much tike looking around. I went straight for the factory after last week's episode because I wanted to know what happens next. All in all, I wasn't disappointed. Taking pictures of objectives still makes me feel like a spy. I quickly found the photo op for the x-rayed crate and was keeping an eye out for an unmasked Alpha agent when the stealth portion really got underway. I really thought I had them when I threw a disc at an Alpha's face and another one rushed over to help him. But no. So I made my way further in to the factory. My favorite part of this episode has to be sidling along the ledge underneath the window to a control room and staring, mouth agape, as the hideous face of an Alpha slowly panned into view. Just as I'd started to wonder if I'd missed my oportunity somewhere along the way, there it was. My oponion of Jade and Pey'j hasn't changed. Liked them on Black Isle and I liked them in the factory. I imagine I might even like them in a box with a fox, or on a train in the rain, and given what I've seen so far, those two scenarios don't seem altogether implausible. That's another thing I like about this game. What I'd like to see in the Slaughterhouse is more character development. The MDisc Pey'j gave to Jade was good, and those few lines Jade had at the end (after the ridiculously easy boss fight) were also good, but i expected more. So more is what I'd like to see in the next stretch of the playthrough.

Agreed re: camera. SORTA a mess.

What do you think of the dungeon? Did you like the bosses? The puzzles? I really liked the factory, i liked how it became a serious game from fart boots in black isle to conspiracy stuff (human trafficing). I really enjoyed the infiltration parts, it's really nice to be able to be sneaky for the whole level without being noticed and it makes so more sense than kicking buts. It's not really infiltration, it's more like a puzzles, so enjoyable !! Have your views on Pey'j or Jade changed from the beginning, or do you still feel the same? It's interesting to see the reactions of Jade and Pey'j, Jade is getting more interested in the conspiracy while Pey'j is really worried. We can guess that Pey'j had lived lots of stuff, Jade is still more intrepid. I liked how they get you attached to Pey'j with humor, and cooperative game mechanics. Are you starting to understand why this game has grown to become so popular? I see why people like this game so much, the gameplay blends so well with the story and the characters. The little upgrades in the gameplay keep me interested. Indeed, there was moskito in the lab "Aedes Raymanis", cameo of Rayman games : http://t.co/E1jl3vbe The slaughterhouse is going to be a pain in the *** because of bugs in the HD remake : camera, falling through the floor etc. In last episode, you talked about Pey'j saying "not equiped for that", when you wanted him to perform a super action, it was a HD bug. Too bad that none of the team played the old gen version to see the difference (better camera, better button mapping, graphics, loadings etc).

KNEW IT! Take that, other people on the show!

For me, I can answer every question positively. Had no major gripes. I wanted to say that what really hooked me was the open ness. There's no such thing as starting something and getting stuck there. You're welcome to go back, or whatever, with no limitations. Also, the side quests feel like they're a natural part of the game, and not a side-quest, per say. So I had no problem working on them. Cause it was fun, and also there was an immediate pay off.

What do you think of the city? Did you get hooked on any mini games? I totally loved the bar area, and the feeling of being in this quasi-futuristic Mediterranean plaza. The game really succeeds at building an other-worldy vibe that makes you just wanna immerse yourself in it without really caring about how farm animals and humans end up populating a planet and talking to each other. The mini games were fun but easy...I only remember the air hockey and shell one, were there any others? What do you think of the dungeon? Did you like the bosses? The puzzles? The factory and the short level after it (when you get the key to enter that door across from the bar) were a good challenge, and pretty interesting. The checkpoints are very forgiving when you die, so I tried mostly to fight the Alpha soldiers, which was a lot more fun than dealing with the boring stealth (not that I don't like stealth gameplay, but I agree with another commenter here who said it hasn't aged well in this game). So far I haven't really felt challenged by the puzzles or the bosses. The two-legged one you fight with Double H was ridiculously easy. Have your views on Pey'j or Jade changed from the beginning, or do you still feel the same? I liked seeing their relationship fleshed out with a little more backstory during the factory level, and the nice (if unsurprising) twist of Pey'j getting kidnapped just when you get a sense of their bond. Do you trust IRIS? (Don't answer this if you've already beaten the game!) Yes...I don't think this is a game with any real deep or complex characters, to tell you the truth. I didn't spend much time talking to them at the IRIS base but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a shifty one in their ranks. What do you want to see from later levels? More challenging puzzles, less linearity, and some interesting equipment upgrades. The M-disk throwing thing is cool, so I'm excited to see what new gear is next. There was a part in the lower level of the Factory with two glass-looking pillars in front of an electric barrier that I couldn't pass, so it seems like the game has that Metroid-esque exploration element where I can revisit areas with new upgrades, and that is awesome. Are you starting to understand why this game has grown to become so popular? I think so...it seems like a game that is acutely aware of what it is: a simple but enjoyable action/adventure, and doesn't try to over-complicate things or be more than that. The pacing is really good, and it always keeps you wondering what comes next. My only major gripe might be the controls...the camera moves rrreeaaaally slow and the hovercraft is janky as all hell, but this could be because I'm playing on the PC and emulating keyboard movements via a gamepad, and hence no analogue movement (Ubisoft didn't include native gamepad support in this).

I'm still very much enjoying the game. The Factory was a fun level to explore and Double H seems like a cool character and he should be a more than adequate companion to Jade. I actually had grown attached to Pey'j and reloaded the game because I thought it was my setting off the alarm was what got him captured! With regards to IRIS I am suspiccious of the fact that no one knows who the commander/leader of the branch in Hillys is.

Here we are at part two and I'm still digging it. I wish I had a little more time before the story escalated so drastically but it all works out for me anyways. Okay, onto the questions. The city is pretty great but I wish it was bigger. It feels very lively with all the people walking around and going about their business but locale-wise it's claustrophobic, I wish there was more to explore inside it, more open areas. Dungeons are still cool but I hope I don't have to deal with too much more unpolished stealth gameplay cause if there is a gameplay type that has not aged well, it's stealth. Characters are still great but I'm not entirely sold on the big plot twist which to me seemed to come out of nowhere and just felt out of place to what I had already seen. I think IRIS is pretty trustworthy, we've seen what the enemy is up to and that is pretty terrible unless there's some strange double agent stuff going on, I think they are great. Finally, I want to see more everything the game has been giving me which is currently its greatest strength. Puzzles are different and interesting placed between different actiony sections. Everything is pretty well paced and if I can judge whats left from where I am now plot wise, I think it will be over before its bag of tricks is empty. So still enjoying and ready for more. P.S. Your little video graphic leads me to believe that next month will be Psychonauts, can you confirm or deny this as I would have to shake down my copy from a buddy before he leaves for college soon.

If next month were Psychonauts, they'd totally be reading my backlog! I started that game a couple months ago but got halfway through and stopped for some reason, been looking to pick it back up again.

We'll get to that one at some point :)

I can has mp3 download? iTunes won't play nice.

Added a link to the MP3 in the article!

Thanks for having me on guys! Was a blast - I look forward to finishing this game out :)