Advent Rising is an immersive and very fun to play game that simply lacks the polish to make it truly shine.
Advent Rising is ‘space opera’ sci-fi epic adventure where you are the savior of the galaxy. It is being developed by Glyphx, a new studio aiming to create a cinematic compelling singleplayer experience that is focused on immersive storytelling and backed up by solid and intense action. Though they haven’t delivered fully on the pre-release hype I believe they’ve delivered on a fun to play, exciting action game. The biggest complaint that can be levied against this game is that it''s technical performance chugs at times. I''ve seen a few hiccups here and there myself, mostly in transition from cutscene to gameplay and I''ve had the game just about lock up on me three times. But other than that I''ve had a smooth gaming experience that really has satisfied me. The frame rate issues, as I mentioned, only happened to me three times during the training mission, which is where most people have reported problems. I haven''t had any other problems with freezing or lagging out during gameplay.
Also a lot of the movies, thoughtfully scripted in my opinion, also seem to lack a certain level of refinement one would have hoped for in a game as highly anticipated as this one. The textures on the character models and environments are not of the highest quality yet they aren''t ugly by any means.
Unless you''re a complete graphics snob you should be quite happy with the overall look and feel of the game. There is a distinct artistic style that is very cartoonish. Some people rather like the look while others find it distracting. I myself love the jumping and fighting animations but your main character Gideon walks…funny. . Yet you can see the direction the development team was heading in with the animation and overall look of your character. He’s supposed to be a superhuman badass and his stance and his movements are trying to depict a person who’s demeanor is shouting “I am not to be f***ed with”! I think they almost pulled it off.
Gameplay in a word…WOW! I love the visceral feel of the action in this game and the up in your face, balls to the wall pace of the fighting sequences. The first half of the game is a fight for your life that at times can be a mean feat. Later, as you advance and begin to learn your true potential as a Human, you gain a plethora of psychic abilities. It’s at that point in the story that the gameplay really hits it’s stride and never looks back. You gain six new psychic abilities including the ability to telekinetically throw enemies around and make energy shields for yourself, as well as improve your jumping and dodging skills to the point that Neo himself would be proud. The true beauty of the gameplay however is that with the variety of options at your disposal you really can play the game your way. There is no right or wrong approach to any one area. If it feels right then do it. I sometimes enjoy dying just so I get the chance to kick some major alien ass in an all new and imaginative way.
The sound is another highpoint for Advent Rising. Voice acting is up to par for videogames though not Hollywood caliber which I don’t mind because hey this is a videogame. The music score is outstanding and for the most part is utilized well throughout the game. The music occasionally hitches and sometimes drowns out some dialogue but overall it gets the job done nicely and really adds the cinematic feel I think the game designers were hoping for.
Overall I have to give Advent Rising credit where credit is due. True there have been many people bashing on AR for having poor frame rates and underwhelming presentation however there have been just as many people lauding its innovative gameplay and compelling story. All that I can say is that I really enjoy this game. It''s FUN. To me, that''s all that matters.
Score:
- Guapito
Advent Rising is ‘space opera’ sci-fi epic adventure where you are the savior of the galaxy. It is being developed by Glyphx, a new studio aiming to create a cinematic compelling singleplayer experience that is focused on immersive storytelling and backed up by solid and intense action. Though they haven’t delivered fully on the pre-release hype I believe they’ve delivered on a fun to play, exciting action game. The biggest complaint that can be levied against this game is that it''s technical performance chugs at times. I''ve seen a few hiccups here and there myself, mostly in transition from cutscene to gameplay and I''ve had the game just about lock up on me three times. But other than that I''ve had a smooth gaming experience that really has satisfied me. The frame rate issues, as I mentioned, only happened to me three times during the training mission, which is where most people have reported problems. I haven''t had any other problems with freezing or lagging out during gameplay.
Also a lot of the movies, thoughtfully scripted in my opinion, also seem to lack a certain level of refinement one would have hoped for in a game as highly anticipated as this one. The textures on the character models and environments are not of the highest quality yet they aren''t ugly by any means.
Gameplay in a word…WOW! I love the visceral feel of the action in this game and the up in your face, balls to the wall pace of the fighting sequences. The first half of the game is a fight for your life that at times can be a mean feat. Later, as you advance and begin to learn your true potential as a Human, you gain a plethora of psychic abilities. It’s at that point in the story that the gameplay really hits it’s stride and never looks back. You gain six new psychic abilities including the ability to telekinetically throw enemies around and make energy shields for yourself, as well as improve your jumping and dodging skills to the point that Neo himself would be proud. The true beauty of the gameplay however is that with the variety of options at your disposal you really can play the game your way. There is no right or wrong approach to any one area. If it feels right then do it. I sometimes enjoy dying just so I get the chance to kick some major alien ass in an all new and imaginative way.
The sound is another highpoint for Advent Rising. Voice acting is up to par for videogames though not Hollywood caliber which I don’t mind because hey this is a videogame. The music score is outstanding and for the most part is utilized well throughout the game. The music occasionally hitches and sometimes drowns out some dialogue but overall it gets the job done nicely and really adds the cinematic feel I think the game designers were hoping for.
Overall I have to give Advent Rising credit where credit is due. True there have been many people bashing on AR for having poor frame rates and underwhelming presentation however there have been just as many people lauding its innovative gameplay and compelling story. All that I can say is that I really enjoy this game. It''s FUN. To me, that''s all that matters.
Score:
83%
- Guapito
