I'm a pretty new gamer, and have had really good (but limited) gaming experiences thus far. I need to do a lot of research before buying any game- because for me (being a Dad of two little kids) games are not just a matter of investing money, but also precious time.

I figure that fans of BG&E must have exceptional taste. BG&E was for me one of the best experiences ever among many things I've experienced -be it games, movies, books, art, theatre, and music. It totally captivated me /consumed me during the two times I have played through it.

Any game a BG&E fan can recommend that I haven't already tried will definitely be worth looking in to. I'm about to dive into Rayman 2 (FINALLY found a copy-"Rayman 10th Anniversary" edition).

I think that it really depends on the person you are. It's the same with food: some like fries and others just can't stand it.

You said that you really liked 'Beyond Good and Evil'. All I can think of is 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'. I think it's the best game I ever played in my entire life.
But yeah, it's old. From 1998 on the Nintendo 64. But if you own a GameCube, you can still play a Zelda ('The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker' is also really really good). And here - the Netherlands - we could get a disk, which contained 'Ocarina of Time' from 1998, that you could play on your GameCube. It may not look so great, but it's really the best game out there if you're looking for a game simmilar to 'Beyond Good and Evil'.

But Michel Ancel - the man who created 'Beyond Good and Evil' - said that it would be a trilogy. So you could always wait for the next BG&E-game to come out. I personally think that the next BG&E-game will be announced next year, but that's another subject.

But a game like 'Beyond Good and Evil' in my opinion would by 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time' or 'The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker'. Next year - second quarter - a new Zelda game for the GameCube will be released, which looks to be the best of all the Zelda's yet. So when it's out, you could buy that one to get a really great time with the game.
But for the time being, I would say you buy 'The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker' with the extra disk containing 'Ocarina of Time'. In my opinion, it's deffinally the best game ever created, so you won't throw your money away if you buy it.

Here are some similar games

1) as a WORLD:

Little Big Adventure 1 & 2 (highly recommend it! It's very similar!)

Outcast (not very similar)

2) As environmental, logical puzzles

(In almost all of these games the hero has to cooperate with friends to explore and understand the environment.)

Prince of Persia series
Project Eden
The Lost Vikings ---> very old game
Another World ---> very old game, for hardcore gamers

3) As a humanity (saving people, caring for your friends)

ICO (for PS2) - two cursed childern (a boy and a girl) have to escape from a castle. I highly recommend it!!! You can read my review on the forum (Shadow of the Colossus thread).

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Abe's Exoddus - the hero is a slave, he must save the people in the level; The game has some very original ideas, but is also very lethal and annoying, so you may not like it.

4) As a dark story and atmosphere

Sanitarium
Inquisition
(these are not similar to BGE but I like them very much)


6) Free games or retro remakes
(These games again are not so similar to BGE, but I just like them)

Imogen (a sorcerer changes his shape, turning into different animals)

Head over Heels (two creatures, having different skills have to explore interactive environment)

Rox (Boulder Dash remake with some unique puzzles and interactions). Unfortunatelly, it disappeared from the net.

If you want a very expansive story with conspiracies and uncovering the truth, I highly recommend Deus Ex on pc or playstation 2. It plays like a first-person shooter, but with a lot of stealth, talking and RPG-influences(like an upgrading system).

Another game about a conspiracy, altbeit of a different kind, is Fahrenheit(also known as Indigo Prophecy). It's an adventure-game with some pretty unique controls(whether you like the controls is a different matter). Just try it, it's a great experience. It's on pc, ps2 and xbox.

These games are nothing like BG&E in terms of gameplay, but in story and atmosphere they have things in common and they're great games as well.

Well, I'll list some of my favorite games.

Prince of Persia trilogy. This is an amazing trilogy. Personally, I like it better than BGE but it's all about tastes.

God of War. Very epic and fun. THis one, however, is not recommended for kids.

Shadow of the Colossus. This is such a beautiful and amazing experience. THis game is unique and very hard to describe.

Legend of Zelda. The classic Legend of Zelda. I would recommend Ocarina of Time (the best), Wind Waker, Majora's Mask and the upcoming Twilight Princess.

Kingdom Hearts. This is a great RPG with Disney characters. Let yourself not be fooled by Disney, this is a very mature game with a dark storyline and best for all audiences.

Star Fox Adventures. It kinds plays like Beyond Good and Evil. I would recommend it if you have a Gamecube.

And that's it right now. I think those games are similar to BGE in one way or another. God of War is more for adults, I just included it because it's really fun.

Wow, only a hand-full of replies to this post and it looks like I already have lots of good games to check out. What is especially cool is that I haven't even heard of quite a few of them. It should not be hard to gather a small collection of games that are in the same league as a game like "Beyond Good and Evil" in terms of creativity, orignality, and fun. Thanks for the recommendations eveyone!

Now I have to figure out what kind of game console to buy. So far I've been playing all my games on PC, which has been fine, but I feel its time to expand my horizons. Thought I was leaning towards the GameCube, but I don't know for sure. There obviously are lots of great games for PlayStation as well.

Of the small number of games I've played so far, the ones I liked best and feel are very worthwhile are:

1) Psychonauts- please buy this game if you haven't yet. Like BG&E, it is an original WORK OF ART, and like BG&E it is a lot of fun. Sadly, like Beyond Good and Evil, Psychonauts seems to be not selling very well and may end up having only a very small (but very dedicated) following.

2)Rayman 3- bought this one after playing BG&E because of the Ancel connection (eventhough he didn't actually work on this one). Its a beautiful looking game, and fun, and very silly. I'm really looking forward to playing Ancel's Rayman 2 (I've been looking for Rayman 2 ever since I finished BG&E, and have finally now found a copy).

3)POP Sands of Time. Loved this one, being able to rewind time is such a great idea. I am not sure about the others in the series, the reviews seem so mixed.

4)Homeworld - An older game I found on the "discount" rack. A strategy game set in outer space with a very simple, but very immersive single player storyline. The graphics are beautiful and you really get the sense of travelling through space. The cutscenes are very unique, -artful black and white segments that do a great job of carrying the story forward. Eventhough I was addicted to this strategy game while I played it, I don't really feel compelled to try other strategy games.

Well, that's it, those are the games I liked. BG&E is my favourite so far.

Sounds like your off to a great start ulysses. I can give some good PC recommendations, it being my platform of choice:

If violence/blood and gore is not and issue (I know you mentioned you had two kids) Then for seeing what the PC and gaming in general is capable technologically, then check out Half-Life 2 and F.E.A.R.

Deus Ex and it's sequel, DX Invisible War are great hybrid shooters.

Battlefield 2 and again, Half-Life 2 are great games if you want solid shooter multiplayer action. Half-Life 2 has limitless expandability with a gigantic community of gamers that create mods - modifications of the original game - and release them for free. This means you are constantly finding new content to play, single and multiplayer, and the game will always be fresh.

Diablo 2 is a classic if you want a great dungeon hack and slash RPG. The multiplayer is very solid as well. This is a game that I still play, it's replayability is through the roof.

Heroes of Might and Magic 3 is a great turn based strategy that will have you addicted, but won't necessarily require lots of your attention. I find it's gameplay style is a bit of an aquired taste, however. It's a classic, so you should be able to find it for cheap.

The Max Payne games are the best when it comse down to a Noir feel to games. The stories are great, the shootouts are spectacular, and the effects are top notch. I highly recommend getting the first and it's sequel, both 20 dollars each. This is one of my favorite game series of all time. It did slow-mo bullet time better than the Matrix did with it's game, and set the standard for slow-mo effects in games.

The Sims 2 is a very fun, and family friendly game that'll keep you entertained for a long time. It's a unique people simulator, where you "build" a family, build a house for them, and completely furnish it the way you want, then watch them go about their lives in this home. I don't know why it's so fun, but it is.

Civilization 4 is a fantastic turn based strategy game, which will get you addicted and will consume many many hours of your life. So maybe not the best option with kids around. Civilization 2 is just as good a game, just 2D based, so it'll run on older systems.

As I've recently discovered, The Movies (as in the game called The Movies) Is very very fun, and lets your creativity run wild. Again, this is a sim/tycoon type game, so time is required.

For PS2, I recommend all of the Metal Gear Solid series if your enjoy a great story interwoven into fun gameplay - much like BGE. Also, you must play Shadow of the Colossus. The game is the most dominant art statement I have ever seen in gaming. In my opinion, the game must be seen by every gamer out there.

For Gamecube, Eternal Darkness is worth chekcing out for some fun, and interesting singleplayer action. The replay value isn't very good, so you'll probably only enjoy it for one play through.

There's a few of my picks that might interest you. Most of the PC games are worth grabbing the demos first to see what you think before going out to make a purchase. http://www.gamespot.com is a great online resource for chekcing out games and downloading demos and other media.

Of course, how could I have forgotten about Eternal Darkness? How silly of me, that game is one of the best games on the Gamecube! Although I do believe the replay value is massive. You can play it three times and have different kinds of enemies and the magick comes in a different order. And some of the cutscenes change, which also changes the story. In my case, the replay value is great, but I guess that's personal.

And on the Gamecube there's also a very good Metal Gear Solid game: Twin Snakes. It's a remake of the original and it's very good.

Grim Fandango is a very very good old Lucas Arts Adventure for PC....one of the best adventures!

I am right alongside Cyrill1989 in that Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker are excellent games. OoT is the better of the two, though it doesn't have quite as immersive of a story as BG&E (in truth, no game I've played does, but OoT's story is still well written and presented). But I highly recommend it if you can come up with it on an actual N64 or on a GameCube.

As for myself, World of Warcraft has gobbled up most of my game time over the past year. MMO's can be a lot of fun, but they are also huge time sinks. WoW is a very well made game, though, with beautiful graphics, simple but effective gameplay mechanics, and plenty to do to keep you occupied. Many of the quests in the game are as involved as entire games on their own right (the Linken quest in Un'Goro crater is based on the original Legend of Zelda, and it takes longer to complete than the original Zelda game does. I also poked away at the Myzreal quest in Arathi Highlands for over a month before finishing it, though I did a lot of other stuff during that time as well).

BG&E is a rare breed. I have never encountered another game that got me so emotionally involved with what was going on. But there are other good games out there. Good luck in your quest to find them.

For the most immersive story I've ever played, there's Final Fantasy VII. My favourite game. But you gotta like random battles and turn-based fighting for being able to enjoy that game.

Relentless: Twinsen's Adventure (aka Little Big Adventure): Just about the best Action/Adventure game made in the history of the Universe. Good luck getting your hands on one, though. Game was made in 1994.

But the save-system is sooooo horrible....:P

What other games does this BG&E fan like?

These are the greatest games ever made:

• Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - The greatest game ever made. Period. A true masterpiece.
• Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
• Chrono Trigger
• Chrono Cross

Here are some more recent games that I enjoyed very much (not in any order):

• Psychonauts
• Fable: The Lost Chapters
• Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
• Legacy of Kain series - Quite violent, but this series probably has one of the greatest stories I've seen in a game
• Half Life 2
• Silent Hill 3 - This may be the least popular Silent Hill game, but it's my favorite.
• Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude - Let me explain. This may not be the greatest. You will either like it or hate it, but I kind of enjoyed it.

I just know I'm forgetting something in that list...

But lastly, I must mention World of Warcraft. I just recently started playing it, and it's absolutely amazing. I may soon add this to my list of Greatest Games Ever Made.

Don't forget the monthly dues

Serious Sam TFE& TSE
Serious Sam 2
Quake 1-4
Doom-Doom 3
Rainbow Six
Ghost Recon
Armed and Dangerous
Battlefield 1942
Splinter Cell
Call of Duty
SSX-SSX On Tour
Tony Hawk Pro Skater-Underground

I generally go for much louder than BG&E, as you can see.

quote:

Originally posted by Ralexand1988:
But the save-system is sooooo horrible....:P

If by "horrible" you mean the "best save-system ever made."

Seriously, you NEVER had to worry about saving. And if you lost the game, you'd restart the saved game with full health. The only "down-side" is that you couldn't save the specific location of Twinsen and how many enemies in the scene were killed. Personally, I think that only added more challange to the game.

Games today don't have enough challange. That is, it's not very creative. You either have to fight overwhealming odds or survive with little health.

it was totally frustrating, imo.....but okay...

Greatest Games ever made:

Final Fantasy VI(III)
Zelda 64: Ocarina Of Time

Other Classics I've enjoyed:

Chronotrigger
Treasure Hunter G
Secret Of Mana
Secret Of Mana 3
POP Series
Zelda Series
BG&E (Of Course)
Super Metroid
Wild Arms Series
Kya: Dark Lineage
ICO
Fahrenheit
Mario & Luigi Superstar Sage
Lunar Series
Final Fantasy IV, V, VII, IX, X

Currently Playing:

POP:T2T
Shadow Hearts 2: Covenant

Wishlist:

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Final Fantasy XII
Wild Arms: Alter Code F
Tomb Raider Legend

BG&E 2 (Of Course)

Most frustrating game I've played of all time:

Solomon's Key (NES)

As a few others have already pointed out ICO is the way to go...