![]() It’s clear that this is the endgame that Ubisoft is after: a massive, dynamic world that can be explored alone or with friends, and lets players tell their own unique stories in a shared space. The minutiae of Beyond Good & Evil 2’s over-arching story and specific details may not be anywhere close to finalized, but the sheer ambition of the development leads, along with their enthusiasm and passion for the project was not only staggering, but infectious. So, while I’ll take my experience alongside a fist-sized grain of salt, I’ll eagerly be following development along with the rest of the other Space Monkeys. That said, I’ve never seen a game show me such a large playable space while simultaneously boasting such detailed visuals, and the team’s goal to be back in a year’s time with a populated playable demo was equally reassuring. I’ve been burned by games that boast similar concepts during development, only to have the final product be a shell of it’s idealized self. It’s this staggering number of potential moving parts - as well as the massive scale of the playable areas we were shown (and the ones that have yet to be revealed) - that make my inner skeptic wonder what we’ll see when the game finally launches. ![]() Shipping lanes connect each of the cities on the planet, for instance - if you sabotage a supply chain, you may see those effects appear in the city that’s no longer receiving those good. “We’d love to have that feeling of evolution,” Ancel says, explaining their idea for autonomous crew members, saying “One could be a slave, and then he joined your crew and then he leveled up and you customized him or he customized himself with the money he got from you.” This notion extends to the rest of the world, too, that systems and people will behave as we’d expect them too, regardless of (or at least up until) player interaction. You can try to equip your crew members as you want them outfitted, but you may also find some who follow their own path. It’s all based on the sense of logic that the team wants to drive the world. Regardless of who you meet, you’re almost assured that they would be unique to your story - It would be like using Middle Earth’s Nemesis System to build your Mass Effect squad. You may meet a stealthy human who uses stealth and cunning to infiltrate and sabotage enemy ships or an escaped Hybrid who can not only throw down in a fight but also happens to be a genius mechanic. Instead of meeting a cast of pre-defined characters, you’ll encounter various NPC’s during your travels who can possess a set of randomly-assigned archetypal characteristics. ![]() While high-ranking, “important” characters - like the reveal trailer’s porcine crime lord Zhou Yuzhu, for instance - will be persistent across everyone’s game, second-or-third tier supporting characters and crew members will likely not be so ubiquitous. ![]() What’s fascinating about this side of the game’s planned progression - what I found to be the most interesting concept that was shared with our group - is that many of your crew members will be unique to your adventure and yours alone. “ And since it’s the center of interstellar trade in the 24th century. “Obviously that’s one of the most important themes for us - freedom,” says the game’s Narrative Director, Gabrielle Shrager. Yes, while the animalistic Hybrids of the original may have been free and honest citizens, the Hybrids we'll meet at this point in history will be either slaves, liberated, or on the run. Set roughly one generation - maybe 20 - 40 years - before the events of Beyond Good & Evil, this chapter focuses on a time when System 3 was newly colonized by humans and their still-enslaved genetically-engineered Hybrids. That said, this sequel-that’s-actually-a-prequel isn’t focused on Jade or her friends - it tells a new story in the same world, though it’s a very different version than in the original. To see such fine detail in a mere tech demo was both stunning and reassuring - and made the ideas that the team had for Beyond’s story and world seem much more achievable.įor the uninitiated like myself (yes, I know, shame on me): 2003’s Beyond Good & Evil was a semi-linear stealth/action game set in a Sci-Fi future populated by humans and sentient animal chimera’s called Hybrids, that focused on a young photojournalist name Jade and her ragtag band of allies save their planet from a deadly conspiracy. As we approached the statue, it was especially impressive to see that every bolt and weld on the plates of the statue’s head, were visible. From here, as my jaw hung slack, he activated a jetpack and began flying towards the statue of Ganesh - which had appeared to only be a few feet high, and now loomed ahead of us like some gargantuan titan in a greek myth.
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