Combining a powerful graphics engine and Miyazaki-inspired visual style, Beyond Good and Evil was one of the best looking games at E3 this year. The game gives you incredibly lush, detailed worlds and vast horizons to explore. Not all of its impact is in the graphics, however, there's a detailed storyline, a huge world to explore, and many ways to enjoy yourself in the game.

You take on the role of Jade, an orphan on a peaceful planet called Hyllis. Now grown and a successful photographer who practices martial arts in her free time, Jade takes care of orphans herself. When alien invaders arrive and begin stealing the souls of her friends, Jade is forced to take action and get to the bottom of the conspiracy against her planet. Hyllis is a massive world, and you'll be able to explore other planets as well. The game is simply huge, with an incredible variety of beautifully designed environments for you to fight and sneak your way through. To get to these worlds you will need a ride, and Jade can provide. You start with a hovercraft that lets you navigate the Venice inspired canals of her home town. Through finishing side quests and taking pictures of rare and exotic animals, you can get enough money to upgrade your hovercraft into a jet, and later even get a spaceship. In one demonstration the lights in an otherwise empty room were turned off revealing faintly glowing creatures which brought in a lot of money.

You won't be alone on your quest to save your planet. Jade's adopted uncle, a pig man who is a mechanic, will come with you. He needs to be protected from monsters and other attackers, but he'll earn his keep by clearing the way to new areas as you gather more tools for him. Eventually he gets a weapon of his own and can help you in a fight instead of simply hanging back and getting beat on. The developers boast that there will be 4 or 5 more companions who will all have their own set of special skills and weapons and will end up guarding Jade as much as she protects them.

Uncovering a conspiracy takes gathering evidence and someone's got to get past enemy guards to capture intelligence for the rebellion. Armed with a camera, an aikido staff, and a discus, Jade can either fight her way through her enemies or sneak past them. The controls feel well thought out and are easy to learn, a good thing given the variety of different vehicles you'll drive and minigames you will play. The animation for her fighting moves is excellent and fluid, giving Jade a very life-like feel.

Everything in the game seems to live and breathe in a realistic manner consistent with it's almost anime style, a credit to the artists and animators working on this title. The reflections on the water are impressive as you are cruising around Hyllis and the lighting effects are beautiful. They are used to great effect without being a distraction. The Jade Engine, also being used to create Prince of Persia, really shows its power and flexibility in the wide range of environments you encounter and the scope of the areas you can explore

With a strong female lead, a powerful story, and a good sense of humor, Beyond Good and Evil is an ambitious title that looks to be living up to its promise. The game will be released on all three major consoles including PC just in time for the holidays.