Created by Michel Ancel, the man responsible for the Rayman franchise, Beyond Good & Evil is a sci-fi third-person action adventure game. Beyond Good & Evil centers on a character named Jade, a female reporter on the watery world of Hyllis who earns money by traveling via hovercraft to exotic locations to photograph rare species and events. However, Jade's home, the island city of Hillys, is under attack from the DomZ, an aggressive race of aliens. The Alpha Section has taken over military operations in the planet and has used its might to try to stop the DomZ invasion. But it seems that even the mighty Alpha Section can't hold off the entire alien attack. After the aliens attack a secluded lighthouse where Jade, her adoptive uncle Pey'j (portly half-hog, half-human who is a skilled mechanic) and adopted orphans live, the pair of investigative journalists begin suspecting things. After the aliens attack a secluded lighthouse where Jade, her Uncle Pey'j (portly half-hog, half-human) and adopted orphans live, the pair of investigative journalists begin suspecting things. Jade agrees to work for a revolutionary faction known as IRIS and she must use her skills to gather evidence to discover the truth behind the alien invasion and the vast conspiracy between the government and the aliens.

The gameplay is what you'd expect from an action-adventure game, it mixes exploration, on-foot adventuring, hovercraft driving, photography, combat, stealth elements, puzzles and teamwork. Objectives vary, but throughout the game you (as Jade) will have to take pictures of evidence, evade guards, solve puzzle and earn Pearls which there are a large number to uncover - can be used to buy useful and sometimes crucial upgrades for the hovercraft. Basically, the gameplay itself is divided up into several different areas:  exploration, combat, stealth, and vehicle sequences. You'll be doing plenty of combat on foot, but the real meat of the gameplay comes from its puzzle-solving. Both the puzzles and combat are never really frustrating, though the combat is simple and there's a little bit repetition in the puzzles. Teamwork plays an important role in the game too. To solve puzzles and defeat enemies, you will need a helping hand from your sidekicks. There are also some stealth levels where you must sneak around to avoid being sighted by heavily armed guards. As I mentioned, you will also control a hovercraft, which can shoot, and you'll upgrade it over time to fire more powerful blasts, as well as give it the ability to jump. The game controls (mouse + keyboard) are very simple, fully configurable, and easy to master. The only problem I had with the action elements is that the camera can occasionally get stuck behind walls, but not so much that it hinders play. Honestly, I never yelled at the screen in anger or frustration (unlike Prince of Persia: Sands of Time).

All in all, Beyond Good & Evil is a pleasant surprise and a joy to play. My only gripe is that it is too short, but then that only means I was sorry when it ended! :) Is it worth buying? Definitely! You will complete it in a day or two, but EB sells the game for only $19.99! For all of you who are hesitant about getting this game, my suggestion is try the demo (156MB) and see if you like it.

System Requirements
Minimum: CPU 700 MHz, 64MB RAM (128MB with ME/2000/XP), Direct X 9 compatible Video Card* with T&L and 32MB RAM ~GeForce2, DirectX 9 sound card, 2.2GB HDD space
Recommended: CPU 1.3 GHz, 128MB RAM (256MB with ME/2000/XP), Direct X 9 compatible Video Card* with T&L and 64MB RAM ~ GeForce3, Sound Card with EAX, 2.2GB HDD space

*Video Cards Supported:
Radeon 9800, Radeon 9700, Radeon 9600, Radeon 9500, Radeon 9200, Radeon 9100(wasn't tested), Radeon 9000, Radeon 8500, Radeon 7500, Radeon 7200, GeForce FX 5900, GeForce FX 5800, GeForce FX 5600, GeForce FX 5200, GeForce 4 Ti 4600/4400/4200, GeForce 4 MX 460/440, GeForce 3 Ti200/500, GeForce 3, GeForce 2 GTS/Ultra, GeForce 2 MX, GeForce 1 DDR/SDR