Advent Rising

[glaurung]

there's a new advent rising trailer over at gamespot...

 

i haven't really heard too much about this one, but it seems pretty nutty - the script is actually being penned by orson scott card, and even the broad-strokes storyline seems really robust.

 

and the music for the trailer....does anyone know if that's an original composition for the game, or has it been appropriated by the developers? it has to be one of the most intense orchestral scores i've ever heard. i keep playing it over and over and over again...

 

i'm pretty excited about the possibilities for this one.

[Kain rising]

I'm interested in how this one turns out, but after watching the trailer, I'm concerned about how it looks. The quality of the graphics in the trailer didn't impress me very much.

[glaurung]

well, they're certainly stylized to a considerable degree, and the feed that i saw was lo-res, small, and blocky, so i'm not sure that it's any real indication of the quality even of the current build (it's pre-alpha right now), let alone the final version.

 

and even so, i still liked what i saw.

 

i'm hopeful. very hopeful.

[Mark E]

the script is actually being penned by orson scott card

 

While I would normally laud this as a good thing, OSC has penned an entire game before and it was released and quickly filed into obscurity. Which is interesting because I had seen it in a LucasArts product catalogue some time before, but it ended up switching devs and being released by another company entirely.

 

Now, OSC did a good job on some of his LucasArts work, but he wrote the game I can't remember and The Dig as well, not a terribly great piece of fiction either. So it seems like he has better results contributing instead of flat-out writing, a la the insults in Monkey Island 1.

[Camp]

I'm semi-excited about this one as well. It's one of the lesser known titles I'm really looking forward to hearing more about come E3 time. It's got a lot to live up to and a first time development team (and publisher) can only add to the challenge.

[Kain rising]

Originally posted by glaurung@Mar 18 2004, 11:40 AM

well, they're certainly stylized to a considerable degree, and the feed that i saw was lo-res, small, and blocky, so i'm not sure that it's any real indication of the quality even of the current build (it's pre-alpha right now), let alone the final version.

 

and even so, i still liked what i saw.

 

i'm hopeful. very hopeful.

Agreed, that's what I'm thinking & hoping as well - wasn't meaning to sound like I was completely writing the game off yet

[Romier S]

New information on Advent Rising on Gamepost. Amongst the new info is a set release date of May 3rd, 2005! The game seems to have gone through a remarkable amount of polish and is looking damn good. You can read more about it here:

 

Advent Rising

 

At first glance, Advent Rising is a typical third-person shooter, but the game has a couple of mechanical tricks up its sleeve that should significantly enhance the basic gameplay experience. The Xbox controller's left stick controls movement and the right stick controls view and aiming. As director Donald Mustard points out, this setup doesn't keep both thumbs occupied at all times, essentially giving you only the left and right triggers with which to shoot and perform other abilities. Advent's "flick targeting" system lets you literally flick the right stick toward an enemy target to have your reticle lock onto that enemy, allowing you to then use the full array of face buttons to switch weapons, invoke your special powers, dodge, and so on--all while wielding a weapon independently in each hand. The flick targeting has undergone a lot of balancing over the course of development, and we found it easy to switch between several enemies even in the heat of battle.

 

You can also take a look at the latest trailer here:

 

Advent Rising Trailer

[Camp]

This one launches tomorrow. Anyone getting it? I've had mine paid for for quite some time. Early buzz sounds like reviews will be quite favorable.

[Romier S]

I'll be picking it up Camp. The storyline intrigues me though I've heard some some things about the game from a trusted friend that gave me pause. I'll still give it a whirl though. The new trailers for the game look decent (and this month has been utterly BORING in terms of game releases).

[Orpheus]

I'm thinking about grabbing it as well since I'm a Card junky. It's onsale at Outpost.com right now for $38 with free shipping.

[Chris F]

I'm thinking about grabbing it as well since I'm a Card junky. It's onsale at Outpost.com[/url'] right now for $38 with free shipping.

Thanks for that link Trav! I was looking for a lower price on it, and that did the trick!

[dogbert]

First review is out and about: GameSpy give it 2.5 out of 5

[Romier S]

IGN also has thier review up:

 

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/620/620664p1.html

 

Advent Rising is a perfect example of a game that falls into our 7 range. It has some first-rate elements along with some glaring flaws, but looking at the score alone does not do this title justice. If gamers are willing to adjust to the flick targeting system and forgive the poor framerate, it has a lot to offer in terms of gameplay, story, and sound. I was able to ignore these technical shortcomings in most areas and enjoy the excellent cut-scenes and character development. Hopefully this series isn't cut short and the next installment of Advent Rising will clear up some of the issues discussed in this review.

 

IGN's Ratings for Advent Rising (Xbox)

 

8.5 Presentation

The cutscenes are excellent along with the story, dialogue, game options, and menus.

7.0 Graphics

There are some great special effects and the alien designs and cityscapes are brilliant but everything is dragged down by the chunky frame rate. Also, the texture work is almot nil.

9.0 Sound

The score rivals that of your typical summer blockbuster film, i.e, it's excellent. Voice acting and weapon effects will also have you cranking the speakers.

7.5 Gameplay

Flick targeting works well and Giddeon’s growing powers are extremely satisfying. Unfortunately, technical hiccups hold everything back.

6.0 Lasting Appeal

The game is relatively short at 8-10 hours, but it may warrant a second play through after players get used to combining all of Giddeon’s abilities.

7.8 OVERALL

(out of 10 / not an average)

I'm thinking of holding off for the PC version for a more stable framerate (plus it's only 29.99)...

[EnemaEms]

I'm going to rent this from Gamefly. I want to play the game just for the story, so this will be a perfect rental for me.

 

-Dean-

[Romier S]

Advent Rising is now mine. Picked it up this afternoon after work. I plan to play a little bit before jumping on Live. I'll come back with some impressions for you.

[Chris F]

Advent Rising is now mine. Picked it up this afternoon after work. I plan to play a little bit before jumping on Live. I'll come back with some impressions for you.

Mine as well. The intro before the tutorial was cool, and I'm enjoying the combat so far, although it's taking a little getting used to.

[Derrik Draven]

Rental.

 

Gamespot wasn't very kind with a 5.7 (mediocre) rating.

 

I will say that of all of Gamespot's reviewers, I like Alex Navarro the best simply because he is the least wooden of them all, and actually has some presence in front of the camera.

[Dan B.]

Here's the G-Spot review:

 

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/adventrising/index.html

 

Advent Rising is a severely disappointing effort on all fronts, and it just isn't worth playing.

[Romier S]

I've only played the game for about an hour before I hopped onto Xbox Live to play some Dead or Alive. What I played of it was decent. I do like the flick targeting system quite a bit, though it can really cause some issues with the camera control until you get the hang of it. The story is pretty straightforward so far, but could go into some interesting directions. The voice acting is solid and the musical score has been a big highlight for me.

 

Visually the game is merely serviceable. The hitches and framerate drops that Gamespot describes are there even in the early stages and seem to happen out of nowhere. It hasn't affected gameplay for me as of yet but you'll definitely wonder why the framerate just seems to drop out. It's even more perpexling considering the game isn't really pushing much of anything in the visuals department. Unlike Gamespot, I do like the art direction behind the game. The aliens, weaponry, etc definitely have a good look to them but they are failed by the technical shortcomings (bland textures, heavy aliasing, and some terrible models).

 

Thus far I'm not blown away by the game but I certainly don't think it's terrible either. In fact, I'm rather liking what I've played of it despite the problems mentioned. I'll definitely want to play more before making any final judgements on the graphics/gameplay. Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to do so tommorrow night or during the weekend.

[Tranquility]

I really wanted to get this one but it seems its getting mediocre reviews everywhere. A lot of the problems are stemming from technical issues though, so maybe the PC version will iron some of those out.

[EnemaEms]

the musical score has been a big highlight for me.

The musical score was done by Tommy Tallarico of G4TV fame. Glad to here he did something worth a damn.

 

-Dean-

[Tranquility]

Rental.

 

Gamespot wasn't very kind with a 5.7 (mediocre) rating.

 

I will say that of all of Gamespot's reviewers' date=' I like Alex Navarro the best simply because he is the least wooden of them all, and actually has some presence in front of the camera.[/quote']

 

He's best in sports game reviews though. He doesn't have that usual dry gamespot style. You should check out his Burning Questions feature that he does every week (they missed last week though because of E3).

[Chris F]

I'll echo Romiers sentiments about Advent Rising so far, since I think we're probably at the same point in the game now.

 

I'm enjoying the story, and the first few levels. Graphics are adequate, but nothing special. I do like the character designs though, and the voice acting is very good so far.

 

The slowdown is apparent, but it doesn't detract TOO much from the enjoyment of the game.

 

This game goes in my category of - Good, but not 50$ good so far.

[Brandondragons]

I just finished the game last night.

 

Thoughts:

 

1) Once the credits roll DO NOT TURN OFF THE GAME...not only is there a movie, you get more gameplay (not a lot mind you, but more). This bit of brilliance puzzled the heck out of me.

 

2) The music in this game (when the game didn't have sound drops) was amazing. It really is some of the best work I have ever heard. The actors weren't bad either with Will Somethingorother (from Batman Beyond) playing the main character.

 

3) The story isn't written by Card. I understand he helped with the dialogue and allowed his name to be on the game. The story of the game wasn't bad but some of the rip-offs (especially Star Wars and Halo) are blatant. The vehicles in the game were especially lame.

 

4) AI wasn't top notch but it was a fun action game. A lot of stuff to blast and when you get your special powers it adds a lot of fun. The programmers also made good use of the powers for boss fights.

 

5) I called Majesco the day after I purchased the game to complain about frame rates. The customer service rep told me they were playing the game and they had no issues. With that in mind Majesco might want to adopt a good drug testing policy before releasing their next game. The stuttering in this game is horrendous.

 

Bottom Line: I had a good time, but with 8-10 hrs of game play and no multiplayer, I am really glad I got this one with credit and not cash.

[Romier S]

5) I called Majesco the day after I purchased the game to complain about frame rates. The customer service rep told me they were playing the game and they had no issues. With that in mind Majesco might want to adopt a good drug testing policy before releasing their next game. The stuttering in this game is horrendous.

 

:lmfao That made me laugh.

 

Apparently the framerate issues are worse on some particular drives than others. The Samsung drive supposedly runs the game the best with the Philips and Thompson coming in after. I installed the game onto my modded Xbox to see if it would improve the framerates but I still see some serious drops later during the

Aurelia siege

,and even in the same places during the opening of Advent Rising. I plan to pick up the PC version when it hits bargain bins and see how it compares. Hopefully a good patch or two should help things along.

 

Some of the glitches are inexcuseable. I had to reload checkpoints three times during my play though due to the vehicles getting stuck in the environment. Not to mention some serious clipping problems, enemies floating in the air after dying when they should be sprawled out on the ground etc.

 

Overall, Advent Rising has to be one of the most frustrating experiences out there. Not because it's outright bad, but more because there is a really good game buried underneath the technical mess that shipped to retail.

 

It's really hard to just outright dislike the game. It has an interesting story that's well told and worth playing through the game to experience IMHO (if only for the music, which as mentioned is wonderful). Some of the firefights and powers can be very fun to play around with as well. It's unfortunate that everything feels so clunky and unfinished. Advent tries very hard to be epic (it also tries very hard to be Halo), but it needed more time in the oven (which is funny to say considering how long the game has been in development).