While many titles suffer an imbalance in priority given by the designers, Beyond Good and Evil benefits from having its own game engine, designed to offer the flexibility required for action, fighting, adventure, travelling / racing and shooting. While the engine's future usefulness would appear to be limited by the approach of new, more complex consoles, the core components have already been reworked for each current-generation machine to make the most of this all-format release.

That Sony wanted this as a PlayStation 2 exclusive last year has perhaps done Beyond Good and Evil more harm than anything. Of course, Beyond Good and Evil also had its own sablemate, Prince of Persia, to contend with. In the battle for hearts and minds, probably the biggest difference between the two was that Prince of Persia had a legacy.

Both games have hit the Xbox and other formats at the same time, delayed for months beyond their PS2 debuts and entering the market in its quietest quarter for sales, but on a late wave of quality new releases all vying for attention. However, Beyond Good and Evil deserves plenty of attention. Not only does it offer an original storyline, but an extraordinarily low RRP that represents one of the best new release buys in months.

Starting out on an island on the planet Hyllis, you play the role of a freelance reporter named Jade in the aftermath of the latest attack from the DomZ, an alien force that has been kidnapping locals. The attacks left Jade an orphan years ago, which makes her an ideal recruit as an investigator into the goings-on around Hyllis along with her adopted uncle ¨C a half-hog sidekick that provides standard co-op assistance during the platforming and fighting sections ¨C and Double H, a former army sergeant whom Jade meets once she is recruited to uncover a government conspiracy concerning the DomZ.

Jade's own basic equipment consists of an aikido staff for one-button combat and a camera she uses to photograph Hyllian species (including enemies) for the local natural society. The funds this provides allows Jade to purchase replenishing items and power-ups among other things.

Beyond Good and Evil initially fails to captivate. Is it the slightly incongruous accents? The lack of character exploration in a setting that is naturally foreign and stange? Even the choice of sidekicks fails to bring Jade herself closer to the player's heart. The lengthy prelude to the real meat of the adventure, once Jade becomes a member of the IRIS network and discovers the truth behind the alien invasions and the corrupted state forces, further hampers the spirit, but those wanting to take their time in establishing the plot will serve designer Michael Ansel's intention of providing freedom as well as adventure and discovery well.

However, frequent save points make the initial proceedings that much more bearable, and once this is out of the way Beyond Good and Evil is a different beast. There is plenty to do, and further progression is never a chore thanks to unambiguous dialogue, enjoyable travelling sections and the variety of locales and tasks available (including plenty of mini-games to earn funds or de-stress before saving).

But it's Jade's resolute drive to uncover the conspiracy that the player must empathise with in order to become immersed. As they say, Beyond Good and Evil is Zelda Lite, and Ancel points to efficiency as his prime inspiration from Miyamoto as opposed to concentration of gameplay.

The Jade game engine, as it's called, has graphical achievement understandably high on its agenda, and graphically the game is up there with the rest of the best. That's not to say the Xbox or any other version provides anything particulalry spectacular or groundbreaking, but there are plenty of titles that fall short of where BG&E goes first time with a new engine and broad spectrum gameplay.