 | | Advent Rising is the first of three games to be worked on by famed sci-fi writer Orson Scott Card |
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Advent Rising is one of the hardest games I've had to review. A small part of me finds it the most exciting console game I've played in ages, but the rest finds it highly flawed and a colossal let down.
Before we get into that though, let's get the introductions out of the way. Advent is the first of an epic sci-fi trilogy planned for Xbox, PC and what we can only presume will later be Xbox 360. Gameplay-wise it's an odd concoction of Max Payne and Psi-Ops, with vehicle and space-based segments thrown in to boot.
In terms of atmosphere and setting though, it hints back more to the likes of Wing Commander, Freelancer and other such operatic space sagas. You control Gideon, a square-jawed pilot who's latest mission is the honour of playing ambassador to an alien race's first contact with human beings (told you, epic). You take control of Gideon a few hours before said mission begins, and through a pleasing tutorial that's mixed into the storyline, you get into a bar fight alongside your brother, thus learning the ropes of combat and control.
Soon enough, you embark on your mission proper, where you discover the aliens are actually here to bring you a warning. The human race is apparently doomed for extinction at the hand of a
second alien species known as the Seekers, who just happen to be on their way to deal out death and destruction at that exact moment - these kind chaps are simply here to give you the heads up. Soon enough, the Seekers do indeed show up, cueing a three way gang-bang with you + good aliens vs. bad aliens.
 | | Simple in-engine cut-scenes like this are mixed with full-blown CGI goodness to surprisingly great effect |
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To go into more detail would be a shame though, as even though the above monstrosity of a paragraph doesn't demonstrate it, the storyline is one of the coolest parts of Advent. Any fan of science fiction will get a big kick out of the plot and premise, as they're both familiar yet captivating, borrowing heavy influences from everything from Halo to Star Trek. It only really loses points for the sheer breakneck speed of which it propels forward, when it could take its time a little more and give the characters the odd moment to breathe. On the whole though, I was thoroughly entertained by both Advent's plot, and means of storytelling.
This is all helped by the game's incredible front-end presentation. Striking you early on is just how good the voice acting is, which is joined by (more or less) pleasing dialogue and some truly ace cut-scenes. Best of all however, is the music, which has the beauty, majesty and oomph of a top of the line film score. We're talking Howard Shore/John Williams style shit here, and the main theme alone is enough to make you scour for MP3 sites.
Chuck all these elements together, and your first impression of Advent Rising is a misleading one of greatness. The opening sets the tone perfectly, and really makes you feel like you're watching a Hollywood movie. Cut-scenes and in-engine cinematics blur together seamlessly during this introduction, so much so that when you're suddenly in control of the game you don't even realise it.
Once it really kicks in though, you start to realise a few things aren't quite right here...
Chugging On Disc
 | | Advent Rising is an odd looking game. Pretty, yet lacking any kind of detail whatsoever |
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Primarily, the frame rate is
horrendous...in fact I'd even call it inexcusable. What's worse is the game thinks it's using a better engine that it is, forever chucking huge amounts of characters and effects on screen at once, yet it doesn't really have the horse power to back it up.
It's sad really. Even though a lot of thought seems to be have gone into its creation, this stunningly realised world that's clearly the work of talented artists and designers comes off as oddly flat and two dimensional due to poor tech. Textures lack detail and are low in resolution, there's enough jaggies to poke your eye out and it could oddly pass for the KOTOR engine at times.
Ultimately the graphics are somewhat basic and dated, but the art direction and scope can't be ignored. It's that sodding framerate that really gets to me the most though, and I'm not normally a big complainer of such things either. These are some of the worst lapses I've ever encountered on any system, and as a result, it makes the combat a heck of a lot trickier than it should be.
And how about that combat? Like much of this game, it's equal parts coolness and horror. Despite defaulting to the third person, it uses your typical first person shooter style layout, with the addition of the right analogue acting as a lock-on reticule. The idea is you "flick" the stick towards enemies you want to target, and the game takes care of the rest.
 | | Advent Rising < Max Payne |
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In theory that's great - the combat is so fast paced and busy that it's one of the few games I've ever played where auto-lock on is a welcome addition, letting you mow down endless waves of grunts at high speed while still maintaining a modicum of skill and finesse - but its downfall is the way it constantly locks onto stuff when you don't want it to. Any time you swing the analogue around to garner a look at your surroundings, it'll latch onto any enemies in the vicinity, and it's
oh so annoying.
It's worth mentioning that you can switch in first person mode at any point, with which the game instantly feels like something completely different. All auto-targeting is lost, and it mutates into a Halo wanna-be, but pumped up on steroids and five times as fast. Really though, this first person view doesn't look or feel particularly polished, more tacked on at the last minute, much like the one seen in The Suffering.
When it works, this crazy hectic combat is great fun, but when the cracks start to show, it immediately falters. I'm sad to say that it also reminded me of the combat engine from Enter The Matrix in a bizarre way, something I feel my duty to warn you of for your own safety, even if Advent is a far superior game.
It kinda pains me to dog on this game because for everything that stinks to high heaven about it, there's a plus point to counter act it. I almost wish this was a damn movie in fact, as the characters, world and story are immensely entertaining, even if the gameplay isn't. At times I felt like I was playing through these flawed fight scenes merely to reach the golden reward of that next cinematic.
Causing Havok
At one point in the story, somewhat out of nowhere and quicker than you can say, "use the Force, Luke", you're taught magical powers. From here the game takes on more of a Second Sight-vibe and guns become more and more redundant with each further power you unlock. Even if it feels like someone just whacked on god-mode as far the difficulty goes, these super powers do make the game infinitely more entertaining, I must say.
 | | Vehicular levels are pure trial and error, but I must say I had a blast with 'em never the less |
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Truth be told though, it never approaches that same level of fun and hilarity that Second Sight or Psi-Ops did. The physics are there (if a little jerky), and the sheer force of the powers is a sight to behold...yet it just doesn't feel as solid as its peers. Still, for physics junkies who relish the thought of tossing bad guys off starships into the dark abyss of space, Advent will most likely hold some decent entertainment value.
As mentioned, vehicle segments also pop up regularly. The car-based sequences were actually my fave part of the game, looking and handling almost identically to the Warthog moments of Halo. At one point you're making a fast-paced outdoor escape under enemy fire, when they begin shelling the surrounding roads with great force, and just like that, your path begins exploding and deforming all over the place. Navigating the crumbling roads and incoming shells was a brief moment of brilliance further hinting at the underlying potential of this game...that just never truly delivers.
Here's to the Future
For all its flaws though, as the first title from brand new development company Glyphx, one has to applaud Advent's effort, if nothing else. It may be far from perfect, but it's so damn ambitious it still deserves a pat on the head and a grope on the bum.
 | | Occasionally the game thinks it's Halo |
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Here's a debut title that mixes in some of the craziest, loudest action ever seen, with physics, super powers, vehicles, a stunning soundtrack and a killer plotline. I can't even remember the last time a powerhouse veteran like EA took on something so epic, let alone a newcomer such as Glyphx. And yep, when the good bits do pop their head out, you can see the work of possessed geniuses buried down there somewhere.
The good news is that sequels are on their way, and I find myself immensely excited for that reason. I yearn to see more of this universe and to find out where the story goes next, but even more so I just can't wait to see how Glyphx learn from this game and expand upon it for the follow-up. No doubt it'll result in a much more cohesive and shiny experience.
But it could be years before we see that first sequel, and in the meantime I have a hard time recommending Advent. It's a game you should most definitely play, but perhaps not at full-price. Maybe the PC follow-up will help as far as the performance goes, but then again this is a game that feels built from the ground-up around a gamepad, and I highly doubt its ability to port to keyboard 'n' mouse.
An Xbox rental might just be in order for that reason peeps. Don't miss out on it...just...don't buy it.
