How Beyond Good & Evil was ahead of its time (and why it’s still relevant today)

by Andy Humphreys, Games

 

Something of a curiosity even when it originally launched in 2003, Beyond Good & Evil is a flawed-but-intriguing gem of a game. It falls very neatly into that cult-classic category of left-field games that were critically acclaimed at launch, but ‘had difficulty finding an audience’ — publisher-speak for ‘it tanked’.

BG&E is fondly remembered by those that discovered it on launch, and again by those who played the 2011 HD remake (still available digitally on PS3 and Xbox 360, and still really playable).

Now, with the official announcement that a sequel is in development after years of rumour and speculation, let’s revisit the original, and explore what made it unique and ahead of its time with some of its features.

Secrets of a Stolen Kiss: Themes of Adolescence in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

by Andy Humphreys, Movies

David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a movie rich in themes of coming-of-age, maturity and adolescent love, and in no scene are these themes more obvious than in that of Harry and Ginny’s secret kiss in the Room of Requirement. This scene stands as a particular example of the maturation of these characters. It is a coming-of-age in microcosm; a scene where direction, performance, cinematography and score come together in one story beat that illustrates perfectly the tumultuous nature of adolescence.