First Encounter

Majesco Games' new science fiction action-adventure epic Advent Rising (developed by GlyphX) is one of the most ambitious games on Xbox® to date—and better yet, it's an Xbox exclusive on consoles. Advent Rising, which boasts a story and dialogue written by Hugo and Nebula award-winning author Orson Scott Card (famous for books like Ender's Game and Tales of Alvin Maker), tells the tale of humanity's last stand in a distant future. Our hero, hotshot star pilot Gideon Wyeth, is swept up in a war between two alien cultures: the Seekers that wants humans wiped out, and the Aurelians that view humans as long-lost gods. With the Aurleians' help, Gideon can unlock powers lying latent in humans and take the war to the Seekers' doorstep … if he survives the destruction of the rest of the human race.

Gideon Wyeth, last man breathing.

You begin the game as Gideon, and your first task is to dock your shuttle at a space station orbiting a human colony world. Earth, or at least a place that's called the "human homeworld" is long gone, destroyed in a cataclysm that happened so long ago, most humans doubt "Earth" ever existed. The shuttle run teaches the basic movement controls (which are more or less the same for Gideon on foot as they are in space) and throws you right into the action with a quick series of training sessions. Here you get a handle on Advent Rising's innovative "flick targeting" system.

Though you can shift to first person and play the game as a traditional first-person shooter, you spend most of the time in third person, using flick targeting to handle hordes of enemies. Flick targeting is extremely intuitive and useful both for firing weapons and for using the Jedi-style powers you develop later in the game. Gideon learns how to lift objects and enemies (size matters not, he can hurl a stone column as easily as a seeker elite), send out a wave of knock-back energy, set up a shield when cover is scarce, blast energy from his hands, even vaporize the air itself and shoot shards of ice that decimate enemy lines. The game also includes a small assortment of vehicles (such as a Warthog-like ATV) and heavy turrets for taking out enemy ships, but eventually you end up relying almost entirely on Gideon's unlocked abilities.

Say goodbye to most of the human race!

Gideon can carry two weapons with no size limit (Two rocket launchers? Now we're talkin'!) and by flicking the right trigger in the direction of an enemy, lock on and unload in a single motion. Weapons and subsequent powers are mapped to the L and R triggers. Weapons and powers level up with continued use, and once you get a power or weapon to level three, you can use the alternate firing method. To do this, press and hold the black button, then pull the designated trigger for that weapon or power, and you can (for example) turn a Seeker Acolyte rifle into a powerful grenade launcher. Gideon even automatically targets two enemies at once if there's more than one onscreen. As if that weren't enough, you also get to toss grenades – awfully handy when you're low on health and a whole new posse of Seekers drops into your lap!

The Scythe is one sturdy little armed ATV.

Advent Rising is only the first episode of a planned trilogy, and though the game is nicely self-contained, the set-up for the rest of the series already has us counting the days until the planned sequel is announced (whatever you do, don't skip watching the credits!). The labyrinthine story twists and turns too much to spoil here, but there are definitely key decision points that will make every game a different experience. Who you save? Who you leave behind? Do you kill or simply stun and enemy? All of these on-the-fly decisions shape the eventual story.

Advent Rising looks as good as it plays, too, with original design and a unique visual style that looks great in the numerous story-related cutscenes as well as during play. The sound design is magnificent, with a score by noted composer Tommy Tallarico and a theme song performed by singer and pianist Charlotte Martin. The voice acting is top notch—Majesco and GlyphX made sure to cast actors who know voice acting, instead of just celebrities, and it shows in the quality. Gideon, for example, is voiced by Will Friedle (Terry McGinnis on the animated Batman Beyond). Other noteworthy talent includes voice acting legend Michael Bell and Jedi Outcast™'s Jan Ors, Vanessa Marshall.

Use powers to strengthen them.

It's a good thing Advent Rising has so much replay value, because Majesco has announced a contest that might win you a cool million bucks for finding hidden icons within the game. The icons will come in a special downloadable content package, and you can read more about the details here.

By Danny Chihdo

Comments about this article?