n the fringes of human-explored space, a gigantic alien vessel has suddenly appeared, temporarily transforming hotshot fighter pilots Gideon Wyath and his celeb-famous brother Ethan into first-contact diplomats. The tidings these aliens (called Aurelians) come bearing, however, are anything but cheerful—another race of aggressively homicidal aliens known as Seekers are presently on their way en masse with a singular imperative: kill all the humans.
Thus commences Advent Rising, the first in a proposed trilogy of operatic sci-fi action games co-scripted by one of the grandmasters of science fiction himself, Orson Scott Card. Using a simple third-person action-oriented control scheme, players assume the role of Gideon Wyath as he discovers the Aurelians have arrived to offer aid and support because of an ancient intergalactic prophecy that venerates humans as mythical beings with "godlike" powers, destined to "deliver" the universe. The Seekers arrive shortly thereafter, catapulting Gideon and his friends into a series of frenetic zero-sum retreats. Temporarily hidden aboard the escaping Aurelian spacecraft, Gideon discovers the beginnings of his link to the Aurelians' mysterious prophecy.
Advent Rising is a first-person shooter in the Halo tradition, ideally controlled in third-person mode but alternately sporting a first-person option. Movement is handled with the left joystick, while the right is used to pan and tilt the camera. Using a system Majesco refers to as "flick-targeting," locking onto an enemy is accomplished by "flicking" the right joystick toward a target. In a nod to Halo 2, both single- as well as dual-weapon wielding is supported, allowing players to mix or match weapon technology in either hand.
In addition to both human and alien projectile weapons, players will eventually be able to unleash superhuman abilities such as levitating objects to propel at enemies or releasing rippling waves of destructive gravitational energy, and as the game shifts locales from claustrophobic spaceship corridors to vast planetscapes, players will have to pilot a multi-manned ATV called the Scythe as well as operate anti-aircraft turrets. While there is no online multiplayer, Advent Rising supports Xbox Live downloadable content, including maps and movies.
A promising trilogy begins
It's been a rough summer for A-grade sci-fi interactive entertainment, and unfortunately Advent Rising won't be ending that dry spell, but it will pan out a bit of narrative gold for anyone who wishes the stories in these games could be leagues better. In an ADD culture, Card's script for Advent Rising stands apart with its lengthy (but never boring) cinematic and often metaphysical excursions. With the hit-and-miss voice acting, it won't be nominated for any Hugos or Nebulas, but it has a lot that's missing from all the other critically acclaimed Xbox eye-poppers, and at the narrative level, it ranks an easy A+.
Unfortunately, a lot of buggy gameplay pretty much crashes the narrative out of the gate. First, the game has serious frame-rate issues—we're talking single digits at times, and nothing spells "argh" like getting lazed while jerking the controller at the speed of a slideshow. Another problem is the game's audio, which pops, crackles and sometimes cuts out completely, and there are times when the audio volume inexplicably drops several decibels between cutscenes. Top this off with spots in which the game actually crashes (that's right—as in completely power-cycle the Xbox), and no amount of captivating storytelling can save Advent Rising from self-inflicted mediocrity.
That's not to say there aren't occasionally great stretches of fun here. About midgame, Gideon begins wielding mystical powers, the first of which allow him to pick up objects and hurl them at his opponents. He can also pick up his opponents and hurl them. Couple this with the game's few anti-grav environs, and it adds up to all manner of freeform Matrix-style fun. With the bugs out of the way, dynamic gameplay like this could have given Halo 2 an easy run for its money.
Remaining pros and cons include huge, lavishly designed space and planetary maps, and overall great looking creature design, though at this point if you've seen one toothy reptilian armor-plated alien you've them all. The flick-targeting system used in combat is almost brilliant—until it starts to fight with camera control (both use the same joystick), such that the basic need to rotate the camera for a better viewing angle plays havoc with multiple targets in a fast-paced battle. There's also an unusually compelling musical score composed and arranged by three industry vets, and even pop singer Charlotte Martin steps in to contribute a vocal track to the production.
Advent Rising is a real mixed bag for sci-fi fans. It has so much we've been clamoring for in terms of the depth and scope of Card's script, but it unfortunately missteps, trips and occasionally falls flat on its face with its "almost-finished" gameplay. With an average play length of around 12 hours and no online multiplayer, this is probably worth a rental in an otherwise barren gaming season. Let's hope the proposed sequels deliver more than just potential greatness.
Take heed, empty-headed corporate shills of the world, this is where interactive storytelling should be going, even if the gameplay itself is comparatively weak-kneed.
—Matt
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