EvaUnit02 on 21/11/2009 at 12:16
I just noticed that Advent Rising is on GoG.com. How does this game rate (specifically the polished PC version) amongst TTLG denizens? I've heard mixed things about it over the years.
It was made by the team responsible for Shadow Complex, apparently.
Cheers.
gunsmoke on 21/11/2009 at 12:28
I have it for Xbox and PC. I like it a lot, but the story is a cliffhanger as it was meant as a trilogy. The gun play and psi-powers are fun, if arcadey.
Sulphur on 21/11/2009 at 15:47
I played it a couple of years ago. My memory's fuzzy about the specifics, but it was an all right game. It's pretty much a third-person Halo clone with an unoriginal story bolstered by some pretty good character dialogue (courtesy of Orson Scott Card).
It played well enough and you get some neat powers and stuff. Enemy AI's pretty dumb, but the firefights are fun once you meet the aliens and they unlock your innate mystical abilities Jedi Force Powers™. There are times when targeting shit with your powers gets wonky and can frustrate, but that mostly occurred during boss fights and wasn't too often.
gunsmoke hit the nail on the head when he said it felt a little arcadey - that's the first adjective that comes to mind when I think back about the gameplay as a whole.
The graphics are probably going to be slightly naff now, considering they weren't exactly bleeding edge in 2005 either. I'd say it's worth a pop for the fiver or thereabouts GOG's charging if any of the above interests you; if nothing else, the soundtrack's worth a listen or two.
gunsmoke on 21/11/2009 at 16:47
Yeah, Sulphur, I came close to mentioning the blatant Halo infuences but in the end it doesn't negatively affect the game. The aliens and the espcecially the vehicles (the vehicles even use the same control scheme) are blatant, though.
I really wish a proper conclusion to the trilogy came about like they planned. The story was interesting enough, but was only just getting started. I have a feeling the next 2 games' stories would have kicked it up a notch.
The game was almost cancelled, and a lot of the problems could have been ironed out if it had been properly supported by a bigger publisher. Majesco didn't throw money at it, they just allowed it to squeak by enough to get shipped.
Oh, and there are pros and cons to the PC port. The Xbox version suffered from and erratic framerate in parts, but had a superior (IMHO) control scheme. It has a very innovative 'flick-targeting' system which uses the right stick to flick between targets. It ends up really strange on the PC, as the game's combat system was developed specifically for a dual-analog setup, and found a way to have good, fast 3rd-person combat without succumbing to the usual controller woes. In an extremely hectic firefight, you feel in control not just freaking out wildly trying to hit anything that is moving. That also allows you to use better , more varied tactics in a battle that in most games would simply consist of 'spray and pray' with the machine gun. It played to a controller's strengths, as opposed to just dealing with the weaknesses.
The PC version also looks a bit better, but it is mostly just increased texture resolution and screen resolution.
Sulphur on 21/11/2009 at 17:15
Very true. Flick targeting isn't of much use with a mouse and keyboard in normal combat situations, of course. You don't need it with the precision a mouse gives you. I'm sure it was a much bigger help with a controller.
I also found it interesting that, on the PC, when you dual-wield weapons, they're each given their respective mouse button to use. Feels weird at first (it's a very literal console control mapping i.e., left bumper = fire weapon in left hand, right bumper = fire weapon in right), but you get used to it.
gunsmoke on 21/11/2009 at 18:35
Quote Posted by Sulphur
I also found it interesting that, on the PC, when you dual-wield weapons, they're each given their respective mouse button to use. Feels weird at first (it's a very literal console control mapping i.e., left bumper = fire weapon in left hand, right bumper = fire weapon in right), but you get used to it.
Ah yes. Very literal, but effective. I was glad it didn't require a 'modifier key' to use the off-hand weapon/power, like 'Shift+L Click' for example. The game can have some wild firefights, and the control scheme they ended up using on the PC was about as good as it could be, all things considered. Like I said, the system was designed to make a controller shine, and in the end the mouse/keyboard had to be comprimised for once. Bizarro world, lol.
Freddo on 24/11/2009 at 03:48
I enjoyed the game quite a lot, and replayed the game several times since I bought it back in 2006. It's like a third person Halo/Jedi Knight action kind of thing, and it works rather well. Only played the PC version, but I liked the controls.
The only thing that sucks is, like others mentioned, the ending.
Malf on 24/11/2009 at 07:16
It's not that the ending sucks really, rather that it promises more to come which unfortunately never did.
