Advent Rising

 Xbox
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 71 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 49 out of 71
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 71
  3. Negative: 13 out of 71
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  1. GameMan2005
    Aug 22, 2023
    8
    This game might be a meme because of the contest, but it's honestly fairly solid.
  2. LordKinoda
    Jan 24, 2011
    6
    Potential. That's definently the best word to describe this game. Unfortunately it doesn't reach it's fullest. The story is definently awesome, and might just be enough to hold you over for dealing with the games annoying flaws. The framerate gets to be seriously annoying at some points in the game, and the action could of been handled better, mostly the targeting system. It was a good tryPotential. That's definently the best word to describe this game. Unfortunately it doesn't reach it's fullest. The story is definently awesome, and might just be enough to hold you over for dealing with the games annoying flaws. The framerate gets to be seriously annoying at some points in the game, and the action could of been handled better, mostly the targeting system. It was a good try at something new, but ultimately didn't have enough polish. It feels as though the developers were super rushed or something and put out an unfinished game. Alot of the mechanics are just too buggy. I think if they had given the game another six months or so for fine tuning, it could of been in the top 20 games of all time for sure. As I said, the story and what grahics you are allowed to perceive without framerate issues are the best things about the game. If you're a sci-fi junkie like myself, you might be able to muddle through the game just to enjoy the story. The game definently sets it up like this is going to be the first chapter in a trilogy, or maybe a big series of games. I know I would of been chomping at the bit for them to come out with a sequel with more spit and polish. Who knows, maybe they wil some day. As it stands, all I'll say is the one word I stared my review with. Potential.… Expand
  3. AlexD
    Jul 25, 2009
    7
    Starts out wonderfully - the opening scenes are as big and beautifuly as 2001 A Space Oddity. But the extensive tedious combat is simply button mashing devoid of tactics. Driving the Scythe vehicle (think: Halo Warthog) is unsatifying and frustrating. I think they may have been a resonable story in there somewhere but it's obscured by lousy gameplay mechanics. IMO, Fire Warrior on Starts out wonderfully - the opening scenes are as big and beautifuly as 2001 A Space Oddity. But the extensive tedious combat is simply button mashing devoid of tactics. Driving the Scythe vehicle (think: Halo Warthog) is unsatifying and frustrating. I think they may have been a resonable story in there somewhere but it's obscured by lousy gameplay mechanics. IMO, Fire Warrior on the PS2 is a much better game. I'll rate AR a lucky 7 'cos I believe the developers tried hard but were hampered by some bad design decisions.… Expand
  4. KatK
    May 11, 2008
    9
    Best game I've played. While Halo and Halo II are good games, Advent Rising is a cut above. Ultimately you are only limited by your imagination. I've read criticism of the long cut scenes but to understand how and why you are a part of the story is integral to creating not just a game but a true adventure.
  5. NaviarW.
    Jul 23, 2007
    10
    Advent Rising has flaws but, Overall. This is one of the greatist games of all time. The Score is arguably, better then Halo. The story is one of love, action, belief and responsibility. Most deffinetly up there with The Matrix, Star Wars and other greats. the gameplay is where the game falls. Although it has the best lock-on system I have ever played, it is lock-on. But I think the game Advent Rising has flaws but, Overall. This is one of the greatist games of all time. The Score is arguably, better then Halo. The story is one of love, action, belief and responsibility. Most deffinetly up there with The Matrix, Star Wars and other greats. the gameplay is where the game falls. Although it has the best lock-on system I have ever played, it is lock-on. But I think the game picks itself back up and keeps going because of its pace. The fact that you change weapons and special abilitys and to duel wiled them, dozens of combinations are possible. This game was ahead of, not only it's time but, it's generation. Just look at games comming out later this year and games comming out next year. Stranglehold, Uncharted, Fracture, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed! Advent Rising is my favorite game of all time and the sadest thing to happen in video game history, for me, is the cancellation of the rest of the Advent Trilogy.… Expand
  6. AlexM.
    Jul 15, 2007
    9
    This game was intense. Sure, there were lag issues, glitches, and bugs, but the story is what really counts. i think they should make a second one. i know i would buy it.
  7. KevinC.
    Mar 24, 2007
    7
    Advent rising would have been a better game if they had fixed the targeting system and there are more videos in the game then game play.
  8. Davin
    May 8, 2006
    1
    Extremely disappointing. I expected a far better plot from OSC than what was presented. The Christian imagery and symbology are nothing less than overwhelming. I prefer my religion outside of my XBOX. I could have lived with the themes had the gameplay not been absolutely atrocious. The targeting mechanism(which doesn't always work) is tied to the camera (which doesn't always Extremely disappointing. I expected a far better plot from OSC than what was presented. The Christian imagery and symbology are nothing less than overwhelming. I prefer my religion outside of my XBOX. I could have lived with the themes had the gameplay not been absolutely atrocious. The targeting mechanism(which doesn't always work) is tied to the camera (which doesn't always work). And the simple act of picking up a weapon is an exercise in futility. The cutscenes are pretty, though often they're simply filler. If you like OSC, rent the game, turn on God mode, and blitz through this trash. Otherwise, pray that the sequel is far better than the original.… Expand
  9. Elijah
    May 3, 2006
    4
    Simply put Advent Rising is massively dissapointing. I was very excited about finally playing this game and hoped Orson Scott Card's involvement would make a difference, was i ever wrong. The story was no were near as good as i thought it would be. The way the action gets started is quite stupid. Good aliens meet with "amazing" humans regret to inform them that there all going to be Simply put Advent Rising is massively dissapointing. I was very excited about finally playing this game and hoped Orson Scott Card's involvement would make a difference, was i ever wrong. The story was no were near as good as i thought it would be. The way the action gets started is quite stupid. Good aliens meet with "amazing" humans regret to inform them that there all going to be killed in a day or two and that there sorry. Humans go oh well and leave and the main character says "Well except for finding out the human race is doomed i'd say that went well" HA HA HA that's clever! And there's a lot more stupid lines to but i wouldn't want to ruin the game for you. Then true predictable fashion the "Seekers" show up out of nowhere and start blowing shit up, real tantalizing. Then the fight begins! The flaws with game besides the story hmmm this could take awhile. For one thing the graphics are mediocore and the character models are terrible and incredibly repetive. You can duel wield weapons and have a fun time holding the trigger button until the "seekers" die. The aiming system is stupid and will cause frustration. The powers you get help a little bit but your basically doing the same thing throughout the whole game and it's really not very difficult at all once you get your powers. The vehicle controls are horrendous and you'll often find yourself driving off mountains and falling in rivers constantly and flipping over every other second. Advent Rising is a massive letdown on every level in fact the only thing i like about the game was the music. Advent Rising isn't worth buying even from the bargain bin. I don't know if the sequel could possibly fix all of Advent's problems.… Expand
  10. JamieP.
    Mar 9, 2006
    9
    Advent rising is an ambitious game and luckily the gameplay squares up to the story. It is is fast paced, intense and challenging. Sure the framerate is a little a choppy and the auto-targeting a bit fiddly but the exellent weapons and superhuman powers more that makes up for its faults. A must for sci-fi fans and gamers alike. Though I had some trouble actually finding this any where, weird.
  11. TommiK.
    Jan 24, 2006
    10
    This game is what Star wars wanted to be!
  12. WillM.
    Jan 1, 2006
    8
    Overall, this game is excellent, but the lack of varied gameplay, enemies (only two different types of enemies: Seekers and some special bosses), and a short game bring it down, but not much. The story is excellently-done and the new "flick targeting" works extremely well. There were only frame rate problems when there was a lot of enemies but really I needed to figure out what was going Overall, this game is excellent, but the lack of varied gameplay, enemies (only two different types of enemies: Seekers and some special bosses), and a short game bring it down, but not much. The story is excellently-done and the new "flick targeting" works extremely well. There were only frame rate problems when there was a lot of enemies but really I needed to figure out what was going on also. Another thing was that the first-person mode was horrible to control and Majesco, where the hell is my million dollars?… Expand
  13. Evilash
    Aug 17, 2005
    9
    Let me start by saying that I'm not going to get picky about graphics, control or frame rate. My review is based on my overall feeling about the game as a whole, and let me say that this game is stellar. If you're at all interested in futuristic sci-fi games that involve psychic abilities where you can pick up aliens three times your size and telekinetically lift them and slam Let me start by saying that I'm not going to get picky about graphics, control or frame rate. My review is based on my overall feeling about the game as a whole, and let me say that this game is stellar. If you're at all interested in futuristic sci-fi games that involve psychic abilities where you can pick up aliens three times your size and telekinetically lift them and slam them against the wall, then this game is for you. The story and music in this game really suck you in and makes you want to get home as soon as possible to finish this game and see what else happens.… Expand
  14. StephanP.
    Jul 7, 2005
    9
    I've heard the complaints...bad graphics, glitches, bad framerates, annoying flick-targeting system, dodge and pick up item being the same button. I have to say they weren't problems for me. The graphics I think are gorgeous--certainly on par with things like Jade Empire. They are stylized and some moments are particularly stunning. Glitches? My game never crashed once...and the I've heard the complaints...bad graphics, glitches, bad framerates, annoying flick-targeting system, dodge and pick up item being the same button. I have to say they weren't problems for me. The graphics I think are gorgeous--certainly on par with things like Jade Empire. They are stylized and some moments are particularly stunning. Glitches? My game never crashed once...and the same can not be said about KotOR: Sith Lords. Framerate--I didn't notice anything that took me out of emersion. I only had flick-targeting problems once in a while. Never once did I dodge when I wanted to pick up a weapon or vice-versa. My game experience was not marred by a lot of the problems people have complained about. What I can say it that this game is really fun. It successfully captures a very cinematic experience in a way that few games do. The story line is interesting, the music and voice acting is good. The direction is also very good...the game does a good job of making you feel tense and under pressure...especially in the first half where you spend a lot of time running for your life. There are also really nice little details...for example the main character Gideon ends up getting a scar on his temple after a battle that is visible for the rest of the game. Perhaps this isn't for FPS graphics snobs...but that isn't what sort of game this is. There is some great stuff after the credits (so be sure to wait for it). The lasts about 20 hours. I hope it gets lots of sales, I want Part 2 of the trilogy! -- Oh and kudos to Majesco for not giving a cliffhanger ending that negates the game we just played. If you liked 007: Everything or Nothing, I think you'd like this.… Expand
  15. KyleM.
    Jul 5, 2005
    4
    I just finished playing this,because i've been busy with gta sanadres.everybody is right,the graphics are horrible,it,s got choppy gameplay,the framemate problems suck overall this game was way overated!!!!!don't waste 50 of your hard earned bucks.buy something worth your money.stay away from this game!!!!
  16. RyanFordG.
    Jul 1, 2005
    3
    This was one of my most highly anticipated games of the year. I'd been following it and counting down the days until its release. Even after reading several unflatering reviews, I stil gave it the benifit of the doubt and spent the 50 bucks to get it. As soon as I took control of the main character, I realized the huge mistake I had made. The graphics were sorry, the animations were This was one of my most highly anticipated games of the year. I'd been following it and counting down the days until its release. Even after reading several unflatering reviews, I stil gave it the benifit of the doubt and spent the 50 bucks to get it. As soon as I took control of the main character, I realized the huge mistake I had made. The graphics were sorry, the animations were so out of date, the view vehicles in the game lacked polish and seemed like an exact copy of the Halo games, and the framerate was a nightmare. Half way through the game, I lost track of the story which was very disappointing considring that the story was created by famed sci-fi writer, OSC. I do admit that this game offered some interesting powers, but the insane framerate destroyed the action and fun that they offered. If you still would like to support OSC, rent it. Don't put your self back 50 bucks for this very sad and disappointing game.… Expand
  17. ElanMorinT.
    Jun 28, 2005
    1
    Gamespy's review is on the mark 100%. Good intentions don't make a game. Who doesn't have great ideas for a game after all? If this decade of games has taught us ANYTHING good execution in games (Doom) is a HUGE part of what a game is. What was the last technically flawless game you can think of that truly stunk? Fable missed it's "potential" by a long shot, but it was Gamespy's review is on the mark 100%. Good intentions don't make a game. Who doesn't have great ideas for a game after all? If this decade of games has taught us ANYTHING good execution in games (Doom) is a HUGE part of what a game is. What was the last technically flawless game you can think of that truly stunk? Fable missed it's "potential" by a long shot, but it was so well done that it was still FUN. Now, turn that around. GREAT concept, shoddy gameplay and abysmal technical qualities. Think of ONE GAME that you'd call "fun" in that catagory. So many games these days are high on concept, but feel rushed or simply do not meet the standard of the day. In the great tradition of Daikatana Advent Rising takes grand promises and a fantastic premise and butchers it. Every game doesn't need to be HL2, or WoW, or one of the GTA series (a marraige of PERFECT execution, and inspiration), but if game designers would just make sure they have the MECHANICS in hand first, before they waste good material this way, the consumers of the world will thank them.… Expand
  18. HarryS.
    Jun 26, 2005
    2
    Not a very good game. i love OSC though.
  19. JackBlack
    Jun 26, 2005
    1
    Peeeeyeeew. Orson Scott Card is probably pretty pissed off that this hunk of crap has his name tied to it. Way to take the fun factor out of a video game guys. Frame rates are bad, enviroment is bland compaired to what is being done out there currently. Make sure to rent before buying. Don't make the same mistake that I did! Hopefully I get some good trade $$ out of it. You have been Peeeeyeeew. Orson Scott Card is probably pretty pissed off that this hunk of crap has his name tied to it. Way to take the fun factor out of a video game guys. Frame rates are bad, enviroment is bland compaired to what is being done out there currently. Make sure to rent before buying. Don't make the same mistake that I did! Hopefully I get some good trade $$ out of it. You have been warned!!!!!!… Expand
  20. BanHammer
    Jun 26, 2005
    0
    How can someone at this stage in the xbox's life put out something that looks so bad? Maybe this game would have impressed me 4 years ago but not now. I wasn't going to review but after I saw that they were on Spike I thought I would feel guilty if I didn't do my part to warn the masses.
  21. MichaelB.
    Jun 20, 2005
    6
    Here is one game that truly doesn't live up to the hype. I'll start with the pros... The graphics are definitely on point. Environments are huge and detailed, water effects are some of the most gorgeous on the XBox, etc. The musical score, while not exceptional, is solid. And the storyline is the key ingredient. It's what will keep most people playing through this one. Here is one game that truly doesn't live up to the hype. I'll start with the pros... The graphics are definitely on point. Environments are huge and detailed, water effects are some of the most gorgeous on the XBox, etc. The musical score, while not exceptional, is solid. And the storyline is the key ingredient. It's what will keep most people playing through this one. Unfortunately, the cons weigh so heavily against Advent Rising, that none of those positive aspects really seem to matter after awhile. For one, the framerate is TERRIBLE. It's not too bad in the small corridor-style levels, but is almost unplayable in those gorgeous outdoor environments I mentioned. Next is the controls. Most of the cool powers and acrobatic moves can't be pulled off in first-person, so you're pretty much forced to play in third person. The 'flick-targeting' system is a miserable failure. Again, you're forced to get used to it if you want to play the game. The controls, in general, just aren't as tight as they should be. The biggest downfall is the lack of interesting gameplay. The combat requires very little (if any) strategy. It's pretty much as follows: Pick any combination of guns and powers, run around, blast the heck out of dozens of enemies that look the same while trying not to die. This pales in comparison to games like Halo, where which weapons you use against which enemies is a crucial aspect. Overall, I was pretty disappointed. This game has been talked about for several years, and showed a lot of promise. If GlyphX had done everything they wanted to, and done it right, it would have been a 9 easily. Unfortunately, the final product is overflowing with bugs and glitches. I don't care how good an idea is; if it isn't implemented properly, it's not worth my time. I sure don't recommend spending $50 on this one. Make this one a renter, or wait until the price drops.… Expand
  22. JuanAntonioE.
    Jun 15, 2005
    10
    Great game, great story, could do better visuals and increase the frame rate...great score....and the best of all is on XBOX ONLY!...long live advent rising!
  23. Alex
    Jun 15, 2005
    8
    When i first picked up Advent Rising i honestly didn't know what to expect. i'd read a lot of very mixed reviews and was a little concerned about the money i'd spent. turns out, Advent Rising is actually pretty damn good. the framerate did chug a little in some places, but it really wasn't as bad as most people make it out to be. there were some awkward animationWhen i first picked up Advent Rising i honestly didn't know what to expect. i'd read a lot of very mixed reviews and was a little concerned about the money i'd spent. turns out, Advent Rising is actually pretty damn good. the framerate did chug a little in some places, but it really wasn't as bad as most people make it out to be. there were some awkward animation problems, the graphics didn't look overly spectacular, and there weren't any real rag-doll effects to speak of, but it didn't really take away much from the overall effect. however, the game got a little to easy once you started gaining your powers. it becomes incredibly easy just to hold a group of enemies up in the air and plug away at them while they dangle helplessly. aside from the above flaws, Advent Rising turned out to be a very solid shooter. its almost like a third person Halo, with some other elements from big-name franchises like Titan AE and the Matrix. 8.5 overall.… Expand
  24. Jason
    Jun 9, 2005
    9
    Wow! It's amazing how average gameplay and a choppy framerate can be completely dismissed when you get a story this good. This game sucks you in like an Orson Scott Card Novel. Read Ender's Game, then play this.
  25. JoseQ.
    Jun 7, 2005
    7
    I have been waiting for this game a long time, and as everyone else, expected greatness, but found an average game. The good: It's great to have a multidimensional main character who can kill an enemy bare handed, or shot him, or use an array of psychic powers to handle the job. It let's you have the power to chose, do I want to kill the mob of enemies with granades, go in I have been waiting for this game a long time, and as everyone else, expected greatness, but found an average game. The good: It's great to have a multidimensional main character who can kill an enemy bare handed, or shot him, or use an array of psychic powers to handle the job. It let's you have the power to chose, do I want to kill the mob of enemies with granades, go in commando with two guns blazing, use the surge power to push them to the ground, or a combination of shooting and psychic abilities. A very fresh welcome to the action/adventure genre. The bad: Frame rate and graphics definitely should have been polished before releasing the game, at least on xbox. When your are facing one or two enemies, the game is awesome, but when facing a multitude, which happens often, the frame rate drop makes it a little confusing and chaotic. Also, the flickering system everyone is talking about does take time to get used to, but I personally found it helpfull as I kept playing the game. My final comment is that sci-fi fans and action/adventure fans should give this game a chance, at least rent it to see if you can enjoy it as I did if you work through it's shortcomings and stick with it, because once you get all the powers, its pretty entertaining.… Expand
  26. [Anonymous]
    Jun 6, 2005
    8
    The framerate is a suffering component but I really like the story. Now with me being an Orson Scott Card fan a few of you might deem this bias but i dare you to try the game and tell me that the story isnt amazing. The gameplay is just a small bit of polish away from being impossibly good. God willing Orson Scott Card will make more games because if anything about this game is amazing The framerate is a suffering component but I really like the story. Now with me being an Orson Scott Card fan a few of you might deem this bias but i dare you to try the game and tell me that the story isnt amazing. The gameplay is just a small bit of polish away from being impossibly good. God willing Orson Scott Card will make more games because if anything about this game is amazing its the freaking story.… Expand
  27. EddieG.
    Jun 6, 2005
    9
    Awesome!!! Sure the game has a few glitches and bugs, but once you look past it, the game is amazing. Once you receive your first power, the game does a 360, and takes off, fueled by a story that captures you and keeps pulling you in, until the very end.(would you expect anything less, from the #1 science fiction novelist?) This 1st installment is a great start for this trilogy. Awesome!!! Sure the game has a few glitches and bugs, but once you look past it, the game is amazing. Once you receive your first power, the game does a 360, and takes off, fueled by a story that captures you and keeps pulling you in, until the very end.(would you expect anything less, from the #1 science fiction novelist?) This 1st installment is a great start for this trilogy. Can't wait to see AR 2 on Xbox 360!! P.S. Just a little FYI, gamespots review was also based upon, playing the game without knowledge of the "flick targeting system".--typical gamespot mo.… Expand
  28. PaulJ.
    Jun 6, 2005
    10
    This game rocks! A must have for any sci-fi lover.
  29. FPSMaster
    Jun 3, 2005
    6
    I was really heartbroken to see this game getting such bad reviews before it was released. I have waited and waited on a game that may finally fill that void that Halo 2 just could not do, and this looked to be it. So, seeing as I've been looking forward to this game forever, I went ahead and got it despite what the reviews said. Knowing the framerates would be ass, I expected them I was really heartbroken to see this game getting such bad reviews before it was released. I have waited and waited on a game that may finally fill that void that Halo 2 just could not do, and this looked to be it. So, seeing as I've been looking forward to this game forever, I went ahead and got it despite what the reviews said. Knowing the framerates would be ass, I expected them to be no worse than Deus Ex Invisible War, which had the worst framerates of any Xbox game up until AR was released, but is still considered a gem nonetheless. To make a long story short, the framerates didn't bother me at first since the art direction is so astounding in this game, as is the musical score and narration. But a couple of hours into the game, when you actually have to start fighting many enemies at once, the framerates and choppiness makes it becomes almost unplayable. This makes even Deus Ex's framerates seem as fast as a Timesplitters game. The graphics look good, but the framerates make it hard to enjoy the beautiful art direction. Not to mention the flick targeting just locks on to anything, even when you're just trying to walk from point A to point B. Since the right thumbstick only recenters the camera, which is all but useless in any game, why wasn't it just used to turn the flick targeting on and off so you can walk or run without automatically locking on to enemies when you're trying to get to a health station? Don't even get me started on the first person view, which you have to turn on and off to fix the auto-targeting problem, but since your guns in FPV look like 3rd person weapons just zoomed in up close..ie..no detail whatsoever. And you can't even use FPV when using your pshychic powers. The hand to hand combat has worse animations than the GTA series, the animations are jerky and anywhere you step has bad collision issues(floating through things, standing on nothing) , and the game crashing, pop-up and overall glitchiness round out the package. The only good thing about this is the music, the leveling up and the opening demo, but the music just cuts out half the time when you're fighting and turns back on when you're just looking for something to shoot. The demo before the main menu is very misleading, as it looks to be the PC version since the framerates never drop in the demo, which is something this game could only dream of on Xbox. The leveling up eventually makes weapons pointless, as then the game gets too easy once the powers are revealed and that's all you need to use to breeze to the end. The vehicles handle like Pariah's, which is too say they look like Halo's but handle like remote control cars. Avoid, unless you want another game that seems cool at first, but lets you down bigtime 2 days later. God only knows how fast they'll put out the sequel, but if Glyph X knows what's good for them, they'll just cancel this trilogy before it becomes as big of a joke as the Halo name has become. If you're gonna make a game for PC first, you have to make sure it's optimized to run on the lesser hardware of the Xbox. This didn't happen here. This is about the same as just porting The Chronicles of Riddick or Doom 3 to PS2 and not optimizing it. Yes, it runs just that bad. Add this to the Xbox's could have been/should have been list with Halo 2, Fable, Oddworld Strangers Wrath and Brute Force. But much more unplayable and unenjoyable. Yeah, it's that disappointing.… Expand
  30. AlanS.
    Jun 3, 2005
    10
    Best game to come out in a while, awesome cinematics, great story, and a hell of a lot of fun.
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Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Most Discussed Xbox Game of 2005
34
#34 Most Shared Xbox Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 50 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 50
  3. Negative: 4 out of 50
  1. Yahoo!
    80
    Glyphyx bit off a little more than it could chew, as the bugs and hiccups show. Still, the developer dishes out a thrilling tale with varied gameplay that will keep you immersed through the end.
    Read full review
  2. Games Radar
    80
    If technical difficulties like a choppy framerate and a maddening enemy targeting system didn't get in the way, this would be one of the year's best games. As it stands, however, it's a darn good one.
    Read full review
  3. AceGamez
    80
    An impressive title and the involving storyline means that before too long you're playing it well into the night and forgetting to eat, work, or even make it to the bathroom.
See all critic reviews »