When I first heard about Beyond Good and Evil (from now on BGAE), the planet Hyllis that it is set on, its large population of multi cultural aliens, your sidekick being a pig and that you play a female reporter, it didn't really strike me as a game that I would normally be interested in. I'm here to tell you right now that this game features an original story line, interesting characters, some fantastic graphics and gameplay that should not be overlooked by adventure gaming fans, or even anyone mildly interested in a game that isn't a repetitive mindless clone of countless other games that have come before it.

The biggest crime Xbox gamers could make when BGAE is released is to pick it up from the shelf of their local store, glance at the back and then return it, instead purchasing another yearly updated sports title or some other lackluster, rushed out movie tie-in. BGAE features characters, gameplay, graphics, controls and story that haven't impressed me this much since the last Zelda game I played, Ocarina of Time on my old N64.

Being a big fan of Renaissance art and the architecture from that time I was instantly drawn to the dreamy yet real world look of the landscapes and cities in the game. They feature a realistic appearance that looks like it could have been based on Venice or some other amazing ancient European city. BGAE is an extremely original game brought to us by the creator of Rayman, Michel Ancel. He definitely had a vision for this game and while it's not without a disappointment or two all that it's asking for are gamers to expand their tastes a little and give it ago. Trust me, if you pick this game up and can't find yourself drawn into it enough to play through at least once then it's back to Dead or Alive volleyball with you.

Beyond Good & Evil places you in the role of a young reporter named Jade. She lives in a lighthouse on the planet Hyllis with a group of kids and your sidekick, a small pig man named Pey'J. Hyllis is made up of a large multi-cultural population of aliens and humans that is at war with an Alien race known as the DomZ. Protecting Hyllis is the elite military group called the Alpha Section. Though they claim to protect Hyllis, a percentage of the population is unsure about them as they seem to have a knack of always turning up after an attack. There are many unanswered questions, and through the course of the game the story touches on eternal themes such as free speech, rebellion, trust and friendship.

With her camera, Jade can take photographs of the wildlife that are then exchanged for credits. Her skill becomes known and soon you are asked to photograph a male and female pair of a shy, rare creature that live deep in the underground caverns of Hyllis. This is where the first puzzle solving aspect of the game comes into play and while not particularly mind bending, they require a bit of thought from time to time. Explosive chests and barrels can be detonated, and switches can be pushed to open up blocked areas. You might even need to locate a tool that Pey'J can then use to open gates but nothing was ever too much of a challenge and you can progress steadily through the start of the game without any real trouble. The real challenge comes when you actually find the two creatures that you've been asked to photograph. I don't want to ruin anything for you but it all goes pear shaped pretty quickly and Pey'J comes to help you out. Afterwards you find out it was all just a test of your abilities and that you've been invited to join the Hyllis rebellion, a group concerned that the Alpha Section isn't telling the truth and might have more to do with the Alien threat than anyone dares consider.

The storyline might sound clichéd and a veiled reference to what is happening in many parts of the world right now but there is much more to the story and is never preachy in tone. Through the game Jade transforms from reporter, adventurer through to full blown revolutionary and your journey takes you through varied landscapes over land and water. The plot doesn't really contain a lot of surprises, pretty much what you expect to happen is what ends up happening and BGAE isn't exactly what you would call a long game which is a shame as there aren't many games out there that contain characters as great as those Michel Ancel has created here. Jade and Pey'J share a bond that you warm to right from the start and I guess I was just saddened to have it all end so quickly.

There has been so much thought and detail put into BGAE and it shows everywhere in the game. To travel around Hyllis you and Pey'J can hop into your hovercraft that can be upgraded at the local garage. Your photography earns you credits and through the game you also collect pearls that can also be used for currency. There are loads of pearls to collect and what adventure game would be complete without some kind of side-quest though they are useful in the game and not just there for the sake of it. The travel in the game switches between scooting around in your hovercraft and also on foot. You aren't defenseless at any time in the game as your hovercraft is very nimble and contains a laser blaster to defend itself. When on foot Jade has a staff that she can use to attack and defend herself and the ability to dodge blows. You always seem to be up against a number of enemies and the fighting system has a combo system that sees your attack get more powerful the more blows you land. Jade can also perform a super attack that you trigger by holding down the attack button for a few seconds. It looks great but takes too long to power up and I didn't find myself using it a lot of the time except by mistake.

If you have Pey'J alongside, you can also order him to attack by pressing the ‘B' button. He does a jump that temporarily stuns enemies which allows you to move in for a few fast attacks. Sometimes his attack will knock enemies off their feet, you then move in for a slow motion, ‘Matrix' style attack that looks great and lets you target the baddies while you are moving. The combat system is pretty simple but the responsive controls and moves that you can perform make it easy and enjoyable to use. Some might feel that the fighting system is too easy and ‘dumbed down' but it seems to be the direction that a lot of games are taking these days, and like Prince of Persia, I don't mind as the game is still a challenge and doesn't need to be any harder than it is.

Although not a massive world, Hyllis is fun to explore and the beautiful graphics mixed with an interesting, original story filled with characters that you actually begin to care about is not an easy task to pull off in a game. The sound and voice acting in the game is superb and easily a match in terms of quality to the rest of the game. I can't remember any moment in the game where the voice acting fell into cheesiness and in particular, the voice of Jade is exceptionally well acted. It would have been nice to see some more areas to explore, if even simply for the sake of having more beautiful vistas to look at, but that's a minor complaint.

The games presentation, graphics, music score and story all make Beyond Good and Evil an almost faultless title that borders on something hovering between gaming and movie magic.