Serious Issues
Now that we've gotten you hooked on the story, we need to warn you about gameplay. Advent Rising is a well-conceived, well-written and, alas, poorly-implemented game. There are many, many points during the game where the frame rate drops below an acceptable level. Usually it is during a frenetic firefight that then becomes very difficult to win while everything is choppy. Also, camera angles, while they are overall very good, can be downright atrocious at times. Many times during combat the camera would shift views leaving us in the situation of being shot and not knowing what to do about it. Let's face it, this game has some serious flaws.
Flick Your Stick
Combat in Advent Rising can get frenetic in a hurry. This is a good thing. Flick-Targeting is a control scheme where players target enemies by flicking the right thumbstick in their direction. It takes a little getting used to, but after mastering the art of the flick it becomes possible to pull off acrobatic moves while still targeting precisely. It's great, for example, to be able to jump off walls while firing two machine guns at separate enemies.
Combat is enhanced by the ability to dual-wield insanely powerful weapons (which you'll need to use to fight the insanely powerful Seekers). Gideon also develops amazing superhuman powers including energy blasts, levitation and energy shields. During battle, players can switch from third- to first-person mode by pressing Select. Try to stay a slight bit disciplined with the firepower because you can run out of bullets in a hurry. Then you'll have to avoid the enemy until you can re-arm yourself and it's much more fun to blast them to bits.
Vehicles are one aspect of Advent Rising that is implemented properly. It's possible to engage in combat in the air and on the land. The control scheme is easily mastered for both flying and driving. The left thumb stick is the throttle and the right thumb stick controls your direction. It is awfully fun to run down Seekers while driving the Scythe, which is a very-big, heavily-armed dune buggy. Transitions in and out of vehicles are smooth.
An interesting aspect of game play is that there are periods where you play through the cut scenes. This goes a long way towards creating an immersive world. One minute you're watching your character boarding a ship and the next minute you're flying. The credits are still scrolling across the screen and you've started your first mission.
Sound quality is excellent throughout the game. With Dolby Digital 5.1, you get positional sound effects, which are very helpful during battles. The soundtrack is powerful and almost completely enveloping at times. It's performed by an award-winning 70 piece Hollywood orchestra and members of a legendary tabernacle choir. Live orchestral and vocal elements are weaknesses. If poor camera angles and low frame rates bother you then skip utilized to create a variety of musical themes played throughout the game. A powerful theme makes the game more thrilling.
If you love a good science fiction story then Advent Rising's strengths will outweigh its this one.
