Beyond Good & Evil originally launched in 2003 and was warmly received by critics, however the game failed to sell well despite the praise from reviewers and so fans of the title have been waiting eight years for a sequel to what many consider one of the unsung classics of last generation. Now, Ubisoft are re-launching Beyond Good & Evil as a downloadable title on the Xbox LIVE Arcade and Playstation Network with a new 'HD' look, the game costs a very reasonable 800 Microsoft Points on XBLA but after 8 years is it worth even this small price of admission or has the magic faded?

Whilst BG&E HD cannot substitute a sequel, it may appease some fans who have been wanting to revisit the title. The PC version of the game is readily available on a number of digital distribution websites already so what does the XBLA version offer over its PC counterpart? Firstly, the XBLA iteration is hands down the best looking version available with crisp and gorgeous HD visuals and an artstyle that still looks fresh and impresses. Of course certain areas of the game are beginning to show there age but it can still hold its own. On top of that, I encountered several bugs/glitches when playing through the PC version on modern hardware, the majority of which have thankfully been completely ironed out for this version.

Everything else really comes down to preference, this is essentially exactly the same game we played back in 2003, of course this version comes with 12 achievements worth 200 Gamerscore in total for you completionists as well as the aforementioned HD visuals, but if you've already played through the game recently you may struggle to find a reason to play through it again. If you have played the PC iteration you maybe won't be 'wowed' by the games visuals, it does look very crisp but considering the PC version supports a good range of resolutions natively you may feel that the 'HD' label is a little misleading, the XBLA version does look slightly crisper, but maybe not enough to warrant purchasing the game on the 360, at least not for the visuals alone. On the flip side, if you havn't played the game since its original release in standard definition (Or at least for some time) then i'm sure you'll find the HD goodness a huge improvement. The animations are also abolsutely spot on, from the way Jade stands to the subtle movement of her hair whilst running, I also paticularly like the way she interacts with the MDisc terminals, inserting the disc into the slot, little things like that just add to the immersion.

Visuals aside, the game is as fun as it was eight years ago (And, in some areas, as frustrating too) for those of you who are playing BG&E for the first time have you got a journey ahead of you. You play as Jade, the games protagonist. She's a journalist-cum-fostercarer who needs some cash and so takes on a mission that will change her life forever. Along the way you'll meet a wonderful cast of colourful characters inluding Pey'J, Jades Uncle who just happens to be an anthropomorphic pig. Beyond Good & Evil has been labelled as an 'Action-Adventure' game and I suppose that's as good a description as any, if a little unjust. See, the game blends so many different gameplay mechanics that it really is hard to pin it to a single genre. Stealth sequences? Check, combat elements? Check, vehicular sections? Check. On top of that the game throws in light platforming, puzzling, mini-games and more. It really is a mixed bag of tricks and many games that have tried blending genres over the years have failed miserably but somehow, not only does BG&E manage to pull it off, it does so spectacularly.

That's not to say that sometimes things don't get frustrating, there is quite a heavy emphasis on stealth throughout but especially towards the end of the game which may put some gamers off if they're more the type that likes to go in 'all guns blazing' so to speak. On top of that the camera can still be quirky at times which resulted in me falling from a ledge during a platform sequence on more than one occassion (Though in fairness it doesn't seem to be as sensitive as it is on the PC, which makes certain areas of the game much less difficult.) These little gripes aren't really noticeable at the start of the game but as you progress through the story they will start to become more obvious and you may well find yourself needing to switch off and take a break from the game to alleviate some frustration. That said, BG&E is never really that difficult as the game allows you to purchase 'Stakos' which will restore one heart of health or a box of 'K-Bubs' which will fully restore all of your health. To clarify, your 'health bar' consists of little hearts, you can gain extra hearts by finding or purchasing PA1's which will permanently add an extra heart. The Hovercraft also has its own durability meter, when in the hovercraft the hearts are replaced with spanner icons and you can permanently increase them much in the same way you can your health by collecting Meca Impulsors in place of PA1's. It's a tried and tested system that doesn't take any risks and so healing up is never really an issue. If you do happen to die, the game simply restarts you at the start of the area you died in. Despite not being the most challenging game however, that is easily overlooked since BG&E oozes with charm. Again, as mentioned earlier in the review, you will meet some wonderful characters (As well as some wonderfully villainous ones) that are all brought to life by a captivating (If at times predictable) story of war, betrayal, love and loss

The vehicle sections of the game are also handled really well, allowing you to jump into your trusty Hovercraft and explore some of the games areas via water as opposed to on foot. There are also races you can participate in which, upon winning, will bag you a reward. You can also upgrade your hovercraft throughout the game with extras such as a speed boost and a 'jump' ability.

The controls for both on-foot and hovercraft work well and are quite intuitive.Whilst on-foot The left shoulder button activates your personal camera whilst the right shoulder button takes photo's, whilst in camera view you can zoom in and out by moving the left thumbstick up and down and rotate your view with the right thumbstick. The view can be controlled with the right thumbstick whilst clicking it will re-center the camera. During combat, pressing X repeatedly will attack enemies with Jades staff initiating a combo whilst holding down the X button will allow Jade to charge up her power attack, release the button to perform this move, the X button acts as a context sensitive button when out of combat, allowing you to interact with switches/buttons and also take items from vending machines or pick them up. The A button allows you to dodge during combat whilst out of combat you will peform a forward roll. Left trigger allows you to crouch and sneak past enemies whilst right trigger allows you to sprint. The view can be controlled with the right thumbstick whilst clicking it will re-center the camera. The B button uses whatever item you have selected such as food, to cycle your selected item use left and right on the D-Pad. The back button brings up the map and allows you to look at your objectives and Up/Down on the D-Pad opens your inventory.

Whilst in the hovercraft the controls are very similiar, X fires the hovercrafts weapons, left shoulder button activates the camera, right trigger activates your speed boost once you've purchased it an the A button enables the hovercraft's 'jump' ability, again when you have upgraded to it.

The camera is used to take photos throughout the game, but it's not just a gimmick. The camera is vital to most of your missions, for example one of the very first missions you receive asks you to take photo's of as many creatures as possible on Hillys, this mission spans the majority of the game and you'll constantly be uncovering new animals to photo, each reel of film you fill will earn you a special reward. The camera has other nice uses but i'll allow you to find them out for yourself.

I've avoided talking too much about the story up until this point and there is a reason for that. Even though the game has been out for nearly 8 years now, i'm hoping (As i'm sure are many others) that being re-released on the XBLA and the PSN will bring in a whole new generation of fans for this little gem and finally give Ubisoft the motivation to bring us a sequel. With that said, I will briefly summarise the premise of the game just so anything i've said elsewhere in this review relating to the story actually makes sense. The game takes place on a small mining planet called Hillys which is under siege by an alien species known as the DomZ. A new elite military group has been established to aid in Hillys' defence against the DomZ, they are known as the Alpha Section. There is also a rebel organisation known as the IRIS Network who have been labelled as terrorists by the general population. The setting is a strange one to describe, Hillys' architecture seems to be European inspired, with long canals and waterways through the major cities allowing you to pilot your hovercraft through them easily, the buildings themselves have a European look about them. Technology wise the game blends elements of modern day society with sci-fi. Things like Email are the norm, cars look much the same as they do today with one major exception - They can hover. Laser guns appear to be the flavour of the month yet Jade prefers melee combat and fights with a decorative staff. You'll see spaceships and other sci-fi elements as you progress through the game however and anthropomorphic species are aplenty.

That's as much as i'm willing to say regarding the story and setting because honestly, you need to discover it for yourself. The voice talent is spot on and moves the story along at a steady pace, the characters are simply fantastic, all have their own personalities and Pey'J is one of my favourite supporting characters of all time. Clumsy yet brave and set in his ways, Pey'J may come across as cliche'd at first, however before long you'll find yourself falling in love with his bold personality and the way he constantly pokes fun at himself about being a pig (Bacon jokes are the order of the day here folks.)

The sound also deserves a mention, the musical score is fantastic and consisitently sets the mood throughout, the sound effects themselves are great and as stated above, the voiceovers are brilliant. This game deserved more attention back in 2003 and it most definately deserves even more now because it is still as much of a classic today as it was 8 years ago, making it easily one of the most entertaining titles available on the XBLA and for 800 points it's an absolute steal. As I said earlier, Beyond Good & Evil HD cannot substitute a sequel, but if this sells well on XBLA and PSN then maybe before too long we'll finally get to see the follow-up some of us have been waiting 8 years for, here's hoping...

Beyond Good & Evil HD Gets An Official Game-Pad: 9/10