Advent Rising
Added June 2nd, 2005 by Serenity Now
Introduction:
After years of anticipation, Majesco Games and the young-guns down at GlyphX Inc. have finally released their brand new adventure, Advent Rising. This first installment of a three part series puts you in the boots of a hero that must save the human race from extinction. Advent Rising is an action/adventure game that has great music (and I mean great), but how does it play? Did it live up to its huge amount of hype? Well, you’ll have to keep reading to find out!
Gameplay:
Advent Rising plays like almost every other third-person adventure game, with a few exceptions. First, you can switch to first-person view for an easier look to take out the bad guys. Second, the controls are very different and what some may even call ‘’unique’’ and sometimes ''weird.'' The biggest problem I had was how you automatically target your enemies. This wouldn’t be a problem if your lock-on button was anything other than the right analog stick. A perfect example of the problems I encountered would be when you’re walking up steps and suddenly turn. You’ll automatically be brought back down the stairs, or, in some cases, thrown off a ledge. This can get quite frustrating, especially if there’s a large amount of enemies nearby.
After years of anticipation, Majesco Games and the young-guns down at GlyphX Inc. have finally released their brand new adventure, Advent Rising. This first installment of a three part series puts you in the boots of a hero that must save the human race from extinction. Advent Rising is an action/adventure game that has great music (and I mean great), but how does it play? Did it live up to its huge amount of hype? Well, you’ll have to keep reading to find out!
Gameplay:
Advent Rising plays like almost every other third-person adventure game, with a few exceptions. First, you can switch to first-person view for an easier look to take out the bad guys. Second, the controls are very different and what some may even call ‘’unique’’ and sometimes ''weird.'' The biggest problem I had was how you automatically target your enemies. This wouldn’t be a problem if your lock-on button was anything other than the right analog stick. A perfect example of the problems I encountered would be when you’re walking up steps and suddenly turn. You’ll automatically be brought back down the stairs, or, in some cases, thrown off a ledge. This can get quite frustrating, especially if there’s a large amount of enemies nearby.
Yes, Advent Rising does indeed have vehicles, and yes, you can run over your foes. With no multiplayer though, this really doesn’t matter much. I would have loved to see some online death-match modes incorporated, but once again, Advent Rising disappoints. The sheer amount of glitches at times can be unbearable. You’ll be riding along in your automobile when you come to a jump - you slam the gas pedal and hit the boost button only to be stuck in a pile of rubble once you hit the ''ramp.'' And when I mean stuck, I mean stuck. There’s a glitch and everything freezes. Luckily, the start button still works and you can load your last checkpoint. That was just one example of the many glitches found in Advent Rising. I found myself wanting to enjoy this game, and trying to have a good time, but when it all comes down to it, I just couldn’t. I seriously wish they would have delayed the release in order to fix these problems. I’m tired of being a beta tester. Did I mention the major frame-rate problems? Every time there’s an explosion or, well, every time your character moves (it’s that bad), the frame-rate drops big time. However, it only drops for a few seconds and then resumes to a steady rate.
Advent Rising does some things right though, such as level design. The problem is, the environments are too big, and that’s probably the reason why there are frame-rate issues. I did however enjoy how there are save points about every five to ten minutes. Some games make it so if you die you have to restart the entire level. I’m glad this isn’t the case here. Another thing I liked is how later on in the game you obtain certain ''powers,'' such as levitation, time shift, and other unique ‘’out of this world’’ abilities. Advent Rising isn’t a bad game, it just isn’t a great game. If they would have spent some more time polishing it, it probably would have been a fantastic experience. Damn shame really.
The story in Advent Rising is kind of generic. I’m not going to make a non-epic story sound epic. You play as Gideon Wyeth - a Military Academy graduate. There are basically two ‘’civilizations’’ of aliens. One good, one evil. One is out to seek and destroy the human race, while the other basically worships humans. You have to take down the baddies before they end life for everyone as we know it. Everything is presented extremely well, but it’s still not a very deep anecdote.
Graphics:
Colorful, bright, and most of all, charming. Technically, Advent Rising is a below-average looking game, but artistically it shines. However, I didn’t like the character design. It reminds me too much of the ghastly ''Drake of the 99 Dragons.'' Help! Wow, bad memories there. I would say this game has smooth animations, but I would be lying. The frame-rate drops not only affect the gameplay, but they certainly affect the graphics.
Advent Rising does some things right though, such as level design. The problem is, the environments are too big, and that’s probably the reason why there are frame-rate issues. I did however enjoy how there are save points about every five to ten minutes. Some games make it so if you die you have to restart the entire level. I’m glad this isn’t the case here. Another thing I liked is how later on in the game you obtain certain ''powers,'' such as levitation, time shift, and other unique ‘’out of this world’’ abilities. Advent Rising isn’t a bad game, it just isn’t a great game. If they would have spent some more time polishing it, it probably would have been a fantastic experience. Damn shame really.
The story in Advent Rising is kind of generic. I’m not going to make a non-epic story sound epic. You play as Gideon Wyeth - a Military Academy graduate. There are basically two ‘’civilizations’’ of aliens. One good, one evil. One is out to seek and destroy the human race, while the other basically worships humans. You have to take down the baddies before they end life for everyone as we know it. Everything is presented extremely well, but it’s still not a very deep anecdote.
Graphics:
Colorful, bright, and most of all, charming. Technically, Advent Rising is a below-average looking game, but artistically it shines. However, I didn’t like the character design. It reminds me too much of the ghastly ''Drake of the 99 Dragons.'' Help! Wow, bad memories there. I would say this game has smooth animations, but I would be lying. The frame-rate drops not only affect the gameplay, but they certainly affect the graphics.
The colorful deepness of Advent Rising is overshadowed by the game’s grainy textures. They’re just not detailed enough. They definitely didn’t take advantage of the power of the Xbox. What they left out there they do make up for with the huge environments. Particle effects and cut-scenes are decent as well, but nothing mind-blowing. All and all, Advent Rising is an average looking game that really doesn’t put the Unreal Warfare Engine into full use. So, if you’re looking for a game to show off your Xbox’s graphics, this isn’t it. Its unique art style is incredible though.
Audio:
Tommy Tallarico did the audio in Advent Rising. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again - the man is a genius. Tommy is a big fan of live orchestra in video games, so of course Advent Rising has this. Everything just flows so well (unlike the frame-rate). The music changes often depending on what you’re doing and where you’re at. It really is amazing - everything from piano scores, to full-out orchestra scores. It makes the game seem like an epic adventure. But really, it’s Tommy, what did you expect?
The voice acting is pretty well done. However there are some cheesy lines like ‘’Right in the jewels!’’ Explosions all sound massive and ''movie-like.'' My favorite thing about this game is its audio. It almost makes me forget about this game’s many flaws. Overall, the auditory value is simply stunning, and the bar and expectations for music and sound effects for games everywhere has once again been raised by none other than Tommy Tallarico.
Controls:
The setup in Advent Rising is not your average third-person control scheme. One of the key factors that comes into play is how you lock-on enemies. You have to ‘’flick’’ the right analog stick. This is a problem because the right analog stick is also used for the camera. What does this mean? Well, you’ll be going around a corner but instead of turning you’ll target an enemy, and if that enemy is behind you, you’ll be pulled back and forced to turn around. This makes it so you basically have no control over your character. Like I said before, this can get frustrating.
Another key factor in the controls is how you pick up your weapons. When you get close to a weapon you’ll be faced with a choice. You can either press X to pick up the weapon with your left hand, or press Y to pick up the weapon with your right hand. All this means is that if you press X you’ll use the left trigger to shoot, and if you press Y you’ll have to use the right trigger to shoot. Yes, you can carry a gun in each hand at the same time. You can also switch to first-person view by pressing the back button. To throw grenades you simply press the white button. You can only use melee combat in third-person view, but if you try to in first-person view you’ll automatically be switched back to the third-person perspective. To execute a melee attack press the B button. You can also dive in Advent Rising by pressing X, or, if you’re moving sideways, you’ll do a little ''pivot.'' My only complaint with the controls is how you target your enemies. It can be fun at first ‘’flicking’’ the right analog stick to lock-on enemies, but in the long run it’s just plain frustrating.
Replay:
After beating the single-player campaign once, there really isn’t much content to keep you coming back. This game can be completed in around eight to twelve hours. Not much considering this game costs $49.99. It is fun while it lasts though, if you can get past all the glitches that is. There isn’t any multiplayer in Advent Rising, which is strange as this is a shooter. Why not an online death-match mode? Even if it just had an offline one, it would have helped. If you must play this game, I suggest you rent it. A short single-player campaign is just not worth full price, especially for such a mediocre game.
Audio:
Tommy Tallarico did the audio in Advent Rising. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again - the man is a genius. Tommy is a big fan of live orchestra in video games, so of course Advent Rising has this. Everything just flows so well (unlike the frame-rate). The music changes often depending on what you’re doing and where you’re at. It really is amazing - everything from piano scores, to full-out orchestra scores. It makes the game seem like an epic adventure. But really, it’s Tommy, what did you expect?
The voice acting is pretty well done. However there are some cheesy lines like ‘’Right in the jewels!’’ Explosions all sound massive and ''movie-like.'' My favorite thing about this game is its audio. It almost makes me forget about this game’s many flaws. Overall, the auditory value is simply stunning, and the bar and expectations for music and sound effects for games everywhere has once again been raised by none other than Tommy Tallarico.
Controls:
The setup in Advent Rising is not your average third-person control scheme. One of the key factors that comes into play is how you lock-on enemies. You have to ‘’flick’’ the right analog stick. This is a problem because the right analog stick is also used for the camera. What does this mean? Well, you’ll be going around a corner but instead of turning you’ll target an enemy, and if that enemy is behind you, you’ll be pulled back and forced to turn around. This makes it so you basically have no control over your character. Like I said before, this can get frustrating.
Another key factor in the controls is how you pick up your weapons. When you get close to a weapon you’ll be faced with a choice. You can either press X to pick up the weapon with your left hand, or press Y to pick up the weapon with your right hand. All this means is that if you press X you’ll use the left trigger to shoot, and if you press Y you’ll have to use the right trigger to shoot. Yes, you can carry a gun in each hand at the same time. You can also switch to first-person view by pressing the back button. To throw grenades you simply press the white button. You can only use melee combat in third-person view, but if you try to in first-person view you’ll automatically be switched back to the third-person perspective. To execute a melee attack press the B button. You can also dive in Advent Rising by pressing X, or, if you’re moving sideways, you’ll do a little ''pivot.'' My only complaint with the controls is how you target your enemies. It can be fun at first ‘’flicking’’ the right analog stick to lock-on enemies, but in the long run it’s just plain frustrating.
Replay:
After beating the single-player campaign once, there really isn’t much content to keep you coming back. This game can be completed in around eight to twelve hours. Not much considering this game costs $49.99. It is fun while it lasts though, if you can get past all the glitches that is. There isn’t any multiplayer in Advent Rising, which is strange as this is a shooter. Why not an online death-match mode? Even if it just had an offline one, it would have helped. If you must play this game, I suggest you rent it. A short single-player campaign is just not worth full price, especially for such a mediocre game.
Summary:
Advent Rising promised the world to gamers, but its only excellent feature is its audio. If it wasn’t chock full of glitches it would have been an enjoyable experience, but since it is full of bugs, it’s just maddening (at times). And with a moderately short single-player campaign, it’s just not worth a purchase. The amazing music helps sooth the pain when there’s a frame-rate drop, but when you get stuck in an invisible wall there’s nothing that can help the torment you’ll be experiencing. In a nutshell, Advent Rising is under-polished, under-developed, and just doesn’t play like a finished product. If you can get past that, rent this one. Hopefully in the sequel these problems will be fixed because this franchise does have excellent potential. Its art direction and audio are fantastic, but that’s about all here, due to its many glitches.
Advent Rising promised the world to gamers, but its only excellent feature is its audio. If it wasn’t chock full of glitches it would have been an enjoyable experience, but since it is full of bugs, it’s just maddening (at times). And with a moderately short single-player campaign, it’s just not worth a purchase. The amazing music helps sooth the pain when there’s a frame-rate drop, but when you get stuck in an invisible wall there’s nothing that can help the torment you’ll be experiencing. In a nutshell, Advent Rising is under-polished, under-developed, and just doesn’t play like a finished product. If you can get past that, rent this one. Hopefully in the sequel these problems will be fixed because this franchise does have excellent potential. Its art direction and audio are fantastic, but that’s about all here, due to its many glitches.
