Ah, yes, Advent Rising. I played it on the Xbox, mind you, so I'm not wise to the differences in the PC version. Yes, the Xbox game was rather buggy; my game froze a half-dozen times, and the sound cut in and out sometimes. I think the game demanded a little more than the Xbox had to give (future installments might well be Xbox 360).
But as to the content of the game, it's truly engrossing. The story drives the game, and it is an excellent story, very promising. The way the story was told was just a little scaled-down, as if Orson Scott Card thought perhaps it might go over the heads of gamers - which it doesn't, and if they succeed in putting out a sequel, I expect they will gauge correctly from our reactions and up the ante. Not only does the story make you feel for the characters, but more importantly it makes you see things in a different light. In Advent, humans are a glorified myth, something seen by the alien races as precious and wonderful, and one can't help but see humanity from a different perspective while playing. It's rather inspiring.
Graphics-wise, there are ups and downs. Certain locations fail to impress, for there are some underdetailed landscapes and objects, but generally it gets better toward the end. Some of the landscapes are quite lovely. But the most stunning visuals in the game are those of the "powers" you receive. The force push, when fully charged, sends a wave of energy that is just incredible. The whole of the boss battle which you can fight only if you wait through to the end of the credits is fought with the powers, and it's quite impressive.
Lack of saves is a bothersome aspect, as there are checkpoints, but these disappear if you turn off the game. Only level beginnings are really saved. This caused me a little frustration, until I learned to watch for level changes.
Guns are fun in this one - especially the ability to dual-wield rocket launchers and similar large weapons. My favorite was the Faust (a 90-cal. concussion pistol), which sounded truly awesome.
Yes, it is rather short, but that's not a concern with prices as low as they are. Everyone should give this a try, and if we want to see (more stable and uniformly detailed!) sequels, we need to support it. This could easily be a cult game, and that's a good thing.
Later.
|