Admit it, you knew this one would be at the top of this list, and rightly so. The 2003 holiday season was a crowded time to release a new IP out into the wild - audiences were hungry for blockbusters and tired but familiar sequels, and publishers obliged. In that climate, a complex, multifaceted game like Ubisoft's Beyond Good & Evil was always going to be a tough proposition. These days we like to sound off with intellectual arguments for why this genre-defying adventure is one of the greatest achievements in gaming history, but when it was originally launched it was met with a cavernous division of critical opinion. The people who are paid to tell us whether a game is good or bad just couldn't seem to decide on this one - it was lauded for its intriguing characters and spellbinding narrative on one side, and then derided for hackneyed, misdirected storytelling by others. The gameplay and combat mechanics were equally praised and denounced. Conversely, gamers who picked this one up from the throng of big name titles released at the same time were utterly bewitched. Finely tuned stealth, spliced with compelling exploration and a spirited female protagonist who stood out in an industry filled with burly, bearded macho stereotypes, Beyond Good & Evil proved a delightful and endearing adventure. Even though very few people actually bothered to buy it back then, it has gone on to become one of the most loved cult classics of all time, despite commercial failure. Now, Ubisoft, if we can just see some proof of solid progress on that sequel, that would be great, thanks.
Game-obsessed since the moment I could twiddle both thumbs independently. Equally enthralled by all the genres of music that your parents warned you about.
