I'm... just not sure I understand. Does it make sense for her to be there? Are there things I'm forgetting about the original? How much earlier does this take place?

In the original, I'm pretty sure it's stated at some point that she grew up on the planet that game takes place on, so they're probably just retconning it. They'll probably end it with Jade developing amnesia or something, where she's then sent off to the planet of the first game, with Pey'j acting as her guardian.

What I'm curious about, is the main woman from the trailers: Shauni. You know, the one that jumps into space during the most recent trailer. Shauni was the special name that Jade was given by those priests in the first game. I wonder what that connection is all about.

The devs did a commentary on the game's new trailer with IGN. While refusing to spoil Jade's origin or history with Pey'j, they said she's an infamous pirate hunter at this point. Presumably she's a Domz agent, but who knows exactly what her deal is at this point. Was she raised by Domz but is Shauni's kid? Engineered somehow? They were so vague about the revelations at the end of 1(you stole the Domz emperor's mystical powers somehow, they call you by the name Shauni, and that's about all I recall) that they can kinda do whatever and excuse it with "she knocked her head and forgot" afterwards.

Incoming half-remembered spoilers from the original:

Near the start of the game Jade says she's been an orphan living with Pey'j as long as she can remember, with no memory of her parents or past. Then, at the end of the game, its revealed she's some sort of superbeing (maybe) connected to the bad guys and that Pey'j was keeping it a secret from her (maybe).

Between those two things they can sort of do whatever they want with Jade in a prequel and so long as the game ends with her getting amnesia (or in a future game if this is a multigame storyline) it doesn't break the continuity with the original.

@fezrock: @redhotchilimist: @relkin: Okay, thanks y'all. That makes sense, even if it isn't a wholly original approach to the situation. Maybe I'll pick the first one up again if it goes on sale sometime and jog my memory of it.

Why is it called Beyond Good and Evil 2 if it is a prequel? I've never understood why movies and games do that.

I agree it's weird, but it's been known as Beyond Good and Evil 2 for so, so long that I think keeping the name gives it a certain amount of weight, just the idea that this game is finally coming out.

Are we sure this is still a prequel? Did they state that again after this new trailer? Because I could have sworn they were originally pitching it as 100 years before the first game, and that really wouldn't make sense.

@genericbrotagonist: They called it a prequel on stage immediately after revealing the new trailer.

I think on the Beastcast or one of the E3 videos Vinny explains some of the details he learned from the behind closed doors stuff. A population of people traveled to a new place, but in the travel they became irradiated and can no longer breed. To maintain the population they clone themselves, then that sorta weaves into some bio-engineering and the different animals are different working classes. So BG&E1 Jade is just many clones later version of Mad Jade it seems.

Surely this game will end in an amnesia/time travel/cloning situation, Jade was a magic person in the first game but I'm sure she wasn't a space pirate. I'm curious about how the game will present the story, especially with you playing a custom character.

From what Vinny said, everyone has a clone.

With that narrative justification they could even say that the first Beyond Good and Evil is 3 or 5 generations ahead in time in a different galaxy, if they wanted to.