PixlBit

Hey Guys! First off, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope everyone's gaming needs are being satisfied this holiday if they havn't already. I know personally I was lucky enough to play a bulk of the huge titles of the year as they came out, so I'm using this Christmas to pick up a few games that I've missed out on. First off is the highly adored Team Ico Collection, featuring Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. I'm definitely looking forward to playing this after hearing so many good things about the game over the years. I hear the HD makeover did it a great justice which is good to know. Ill probably start it early next year, because for now I have a couple of other games on my plate, like AC: Brotherhood (which i've backlogged for over a year atm) and a title that I'll be talking about in a bit. Next off is a game that I tried to beat off of a rental, but was too sidetracked and couldn't finish and that game is Enslaved. I know that its not the best game in the world, but the characters and the world were pretty  interesting, and I enjoyed what they were doing with the story. On top of that, something about it gives me a refreshing feeling, perhaps its my affinity for action adventure titles. Not only that, but it was about 9 bucks on amazon, so I figured "why not?"

The last game that I want to discuss is a game that I actually picked up on cyber monday but didn't start till a few days ago, and that game is Beyond Good and Evil HD (for 360). Like the games in the Team Ico Collection, I've heard fantastic things about this game and how it was considered one of the most notable hidden gems of the last generation. I almost picked it up on a few accounts for the Gamecube, but I'm glad I held out for the HD re-release, mainly because of convinience. Anyway, I've played about an hour's worth (maybe a bit more) and I've gotta say, there definitely is something about the game that draws me to it. Sure, there are some quirks of the last generation still tied to the game (like odd camera angles and quirky controls) but there are a lot of things that they did right with this game as well. One thing I was surprised to find out, is that the combat system is free flow, sort of like the Prince of Persia: Sands Trilogy(which was also done by Ubisoft) and most recently the Batman: Arkham Series. I read that BG&E came out the same day as the amazing Prince of Persia: SoT, so I can understand why this was swept under the rug, but it was interesting to see the origins of one of my favorite types of fighting systems. Another aspect I like about the game is the camera. Using the camera to get information on animals, money and map data is pretty interesting, and reminds me of scanning in Metroid Prime in some ways, as well as Baten Kaitos (money in that game was also gained by taking photo's of monsters). Those two games happen to be some of my favorites of all time, so thats a very good thing. 

BG&E gives off a generally good "aura". By that I mean, when I play it, I get good vibes from the world and characters, and I feel interested to keep playing. Jade seems to be a great character so far, doing great justice to female protagonists. She proves that not all characters need to be over-sexualized to be interesting. Pey'j is also a cool character, providing a role that is not only the reliable partner type, but also a father figure, which is pretty rare and is a theme that I personally havn't seen explored too often in games (though I feel the upcoming "The Last of Us" might call back to that theme). Anyway, the story seems to carry some weight to it, but is not afraid to throw some humor in the way as well, which is fine by me. All it does is give the characters and the game itself personality, which is important (to me at least). 

Yes, I'm still early in the game but so far so good. I'm looking forward to learning more about the plot and seeing what kind of twists and turns await the characters. Not only that but I'm interested to see what direction the game goes as far as gameplay further down the line. I am aware that stealth comes into play at some point so that should be interesting. I'm pretty glad I picked the game up though. Discovering hidden gems is a pretty satisfying thing these days.

With that, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays again! If you've played BG&E, feel free to leave me a (spoiler free) comment of your impressions of the game or thoughts on the sequel that may be coming out, or just what you got for Christmas! lol