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Rushed production, but still fun!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

It's obvious that the creators of this game didn't have (or take) the time needed to finish it up properly. While I expected the pre-rendered video cut-scenes to be low-res and blurry (it's a port from XBox after all) I didn't expect such jerkiness and especially not such severe clipping (wow, that alien's cape is hanging though his legs!).

Also falling somewhere between irritating and amusing is the inconstancy in the main character's modeling in the cut scenes. One minute he'll have long hair that hangs over his eyes, the next minute it's a military cut. It's as if somebody started changing him to something new, and ran out of time. Also, in another cut scene, a person who supposedly died is shown for a moment sitting in the seat of the person that you saved in their place. That's just poor production.

Some of the graphics (and especially textures) ARE uninspired and dull, but overall the game looks alright. I got high frame-rates on my mid-range computer with an economy graphics card. Sound is also not very good. Sometimes the noises of battle are too loud to hear dialog that characters are saying to you, and subtitles are only provided for the cut scenes.

Other than weird cut scenes and occasionally sloppy controls, I haven't found this game to be buggy at all. I really had a lot of fun with it, and wish they would have had a chance to write at least a sequel if not both final parts of the trilogy. Even by itself, this game is worth grabbing from the bargain bin for its fun gameplay, occasionally inspiring storyline, and excellent soundtrack.

This is the best game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: May 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

First off this game has incredable cut scenes and grafics
The story line is one of the best I have ever seen
You make choices in the game
the super powers are the best
the guns are sweet

An underated classic

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

For some reason, this game was given horrible reviews. That is, at first. Places like IGN and others marked it down badly, for really foolish and miniscule things.
Advent Rising, is one of my favorite games of ALL TIME.
It has a story to die for, and a main protagonist that really completes the deal.
The gameplay is fun, it is new, inventive, and after you finish the game, you are at a lost for words. It leaves you sort of hanging, but there is no signs of a sequel. Hopefully there will be, but regardless, its a great game. Just buy it, and play it. Its cheap, and is a great game, which will make you a fan of the series. Forget what places like IGN say, and read the reviews here, directly from the people who have played it.
Do this, and give it a chance.
One chance, and you'll love this game.

Very disappointing game.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 7
Date: March 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I'm an Orson Scott Card fan so I really wanted to like it--but it's just a terrible game. The psychic powers are so overwhelming they feel like cheats. With several of the powers you can clear the entire screen of baddies once every two seconds or so for the entire game so the only way to have fun is to intentionally weaken yourself. The weapons are unsatisfying and a confusing chore to select.

The best thing about the "flick targeting system" is that you can ignore it. The baddies come in Serious Sam type waves to be mowed down by your double guns plus smart-bomb psychic powers, so precise targeting is pretty silly. Navigating your character is frustrating. You can stand next to a platform you're supposed to grab onto and jump many times before your hands latch on to the edge. I died from that and the buggy jump controls more than from fighting the bad guys.

About half the sound effects are flat out missing, so many actions have little impact. Overall the game feels very untested and buggy. The story is kinda cool but VERY lightweight next to Card's novels. The characters maintain their same flippant attitude no matter how many of their own people die around them. If you're used to playing quality FPS games like H-L2, FEAR, Call of Duty, etc you will be disappointed.

Review by a lifelong PC Gamer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: April 18, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The negative comments that have been made against this game are completely unfair. It is a great game, and all those for whom it just isn't good enough can go play World of Warcraft or some other game that meets there overrated expectations. If you want a good story and some good action then you should buy this game. It might be shorter than a lot of other games but it has a very engaging story, which despite a few flaws is still one of the best that I have ever seen. I personally hope that they come out with the sequel and soon. They just need to make sure that it is ready because there biggest mistake with the X-Box version of this game was that they came out with it before they had gotten all the glitches out.

This Game simply sucks

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 40
Date: July 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Never have I ever seen anything with this many glitches, it's almost impossible to even play. Besides that, there are also MANY other flaws, the names are inconsistent, for example, you have Gideon and Maryn, both fantasy names, and you have Ethan and Olivia, both modern names. The character models are EXTREMELY simple, and so is the dull storyline. The dialogue is also very strange, the characters are always making jokes with each other, despite their planet blowing up and all their loved ones dying. The framerate makes the whole game look like a slideshow. Bottom line, DO NOT BUY THIS GAME, DO NOT RENT THIS GAME, DO NOT WANT IT AS A PRESENT, SIMPLY IGNORE IT. I can't wait for majesto to totally bomb when the try to sell TWO sequels! HAAHAHA, like that's ever gonna happen...

Great story, great game.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 24, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I just finnished Advent Rising and half to say I am impressed. I bought this over a year ago the first week it came out, played it for a week got bored and deleted it from my hard drive. Well, a few weeks ago I decided to finnish it and that I did. I really got into the story this time and I'm glad I finnished it because the ending is worth it. Advent Rising is not the best game I've played in the genre but it has a wonderful story that you will find in very few games and keeps the action in the game play.I gave it a 4 for the story it tells. Try it and just have fun!

Great Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I've read somewhere that this game has twice the story and twice the gameplay as Halo. Now I believe it. It's a great game with a great story by none other than Orson Scott Card.

Great Game, to short for me.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

A love this game, the end was great, I usually don't wait to see the credits but I didn't except the game to continue after them. The soundtrack amazing. I give it a 4 starts overall because is to short it lets you wanting for more.

What was Orson Scott Card thinking?

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 21, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Make no mistake; this was a promising idea. The initial concept is interesting and the gameplay, especially when your character's powers reach a godlike magnitude, can be fun. However, none of that adds up to a game worth the value of the box it comes in.
First off, the game is not finished. Ever played KOTOR 2? Hated the fact that the ending seemed rushed and unfinished? Not only is this ending even less polished; it cuts off on purpose. Without the phantom sequels to fill in the plot holes, this is a terrifically weak story, something I'm frankly surprised an author like Card would be willing to put his name on. The characters are ill-defined and not particularly interesting or charming. The game makes vague references to Card's books, but neither attempts to explain the setting to non-fans nor explain what has happened between the books and Advent Rising (for instance, why does the destruction of Edumea bring the human race near extinction? What happened to all the other planets colonized by humanity?). The plot that does exist in the game is bare-bones. For example, at one point a bounty hunter is sent after main character Gideon Wyeth, and says that he'd been hoping to capture him alive. Why? Who wants him alive and what do they want him for? Perhaps these questions were meant to be answered in the sequels that will likely never come out. If so, it's a pretty flimsy excuse, and not a very good way to endear yourself to your audience... unless there is a large audience of people who like paying for a full story in a number of full-priced installments.
If you are one of those people, you will be disappointed because unless things change quite a bit, you aren't going to be able to get the rest of the series for love or money. And if you aren't, you'll be as bitterly disappointed as I was.

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