A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away I was getting strong Star Wars vibes as I fired up an overlooked action game on my PC. After just a short time of playing it, I got that feeling – you know, THAT feeling. I got the feeling that the game I was playing would stick with me for a long time to come. I got the feeling that I would remember not only the huge plot points and characters, but the little things like stepping onto an elevator, squishing hulking aliens under the tires of my space rover and even just perusing the weapon information pages. The game that brought out such joy and realisation was Advent Rising.Originally planned as a trilogy, Advent Rising was slated to be the next big thing. It was going to have spin-off titles for handheld devices and should have garnered a gigantic fanbase following its release. Unfortunately, it didn’t. The game flopped on release and all major console releases were put on hold indefinitely.

Advent Rising is interactive fiction at its finest. This is what Halo wanted to be; hell, it’s what Star Wars wanted to be. Orson can write circles around George Lucas when it comes to stories, characters, and dialogue. Buy 'ADVENT RISING': Xbox PC. Advent Rising is a title that I have been following for some time, and I have eagerly awaited its release.

Today, we’ll be asking ourselves why each and every one of us let down the gaming industry by not purchasing a copy of Advent Rising on launch day. The game quickly found a place in my heart, and I hope it finds its way to yours too.

Released in 2005 by Majesco Entertainment, Advent Rising was an ambitious project developed by GlyphX Games, a former graphic design studio responsible for various well-known video game box arts, such as Unreal Tournament 2003 on the PC and Spider-Man 2 on the PlayStation. The game saw release on the PC and Original Xbox, and released to mediocre reviews. A common criticism from reviewers was the game’s flick-targeting system, in which the player must flick the thumbstick or the mouse wheel in order to switch between various hostile targets.Whilst development was underway at GlyphX for Advent Rising, Majesco contracted developer Full Fat to work on Advent Shadows, a PSP spin-off focusing on one of the supporting characters from the console game. Very early gameplay footage of the game can still be found on YouTube, and it looks as though it was shaping up to be a system seller for the PSP, until Majesco quickly cancelled the game after the poorly received Advent Rising. Written by Orson Scott-Card, Advent Rising’s story follows aspiring Pilot, Gideon Wyeth, as his home is invaded by an evil alien race called the N’Kul, better known as the seekers.

Gideon is forced to flee and with the help of several other alien races, he aims to save what’s left of his people and destroy the oppressive N’Kul. Along the way, Gideon discovers his divine power, which allows him to use telekinesis and fire bolts of ice and electricity from his hands. The story is told through massive, endearing cinematics that leave the player open-mouthed as they watch in awe. The cutscenes are beautiful and the world-building within them is truly spectacular. The comparisons to the original Star Wars trilogy are easy to make, as having an aspiring pilot meet an old, wise alien who, in turn, teaches him to use his telekinetic powers in order to overthrow an evil empire hasn’t been considered an original plot since 1977. Despite this, the plot remains engaging and exhilarating throughout. There are moments in which you are unsure where the plot will take you.

Massive set-pieces and heart-pounding cutscenes leave you on the edge of your seat as plot twist after plot twist spin you around until you’re so incredibly immersed in the game that all of a sudden, it’s 7am and you’ve got work in a couple of hours. Each of your major allies and enemies has a distinct personality, and their characters are so immensely fleshed out. It’s great to see them fighting alongside you in combat, with all of your lives on the line and massive assaults being the difference between being completely eviscerated or living even one more day. The game will take you through a large number of beautiful settings, ranging from huge evil spaceships to tropical planet surfaces. The graphical limits of the time seem to mean nothing to the developers, as Advent Rising still looks great today.

The sheer power needed to run this game meant that freezing and crashes were rather common, especially on the Xbox, so saving often is a necessity.Gameplay does not fail to live up to the expectations set by the alluring and vast landscapes in which the levels are set. The game is predominantly a third-person shooter, with a less fleshed out first-person mode included too for extra aiming precision. There’s a decent arsenal at your disposal, with weapons from both the human and seeker sides available for you to use.

The alien weapons are imbued with a green glow and they look beautiful, similar to the weaponry from the underrated Xbox 360 RPG, Too Human. The human weapons pack some serious punch, and you’ll have hours of fun with the alternate firing modes on each of the guns available. Some allow you to charge a cannon-like blast that’ll obliterate most enemies on impact and others will have rapid-fire modes under this alt-fire banner. The flick targeting system can be problematic, but with aim-assist enabled, you are not restricted to using this method, and it makes dual-wielding machine guns much, much easier. As you’re traversing the levels, whether that be on foot or by vehicle, you’ll be able to use your divine powers to efficiently destroy your enemies. These powers can be incredibly powerful, and the ‘force push’ ability, titled Surge in Advent Rising, is a lot of fun to use when on a high bridge with a deep abyss below.

Each of these powers have different purposes and freezing your enemies with the shatter ability can be really cool to watch. Imperial glory gameplay. Whenever you use a certain power, your efficiency with that power grows, and with each level comes new aspect to each power or more strength or stamina with which you can use them.

This upgrade system transposes to the weaponry too, and your arsenal will be a hell of a lot more powerful if you focus on just a few weapons, rather than using a little bit of everything.These upgrades are nigh-essential for boss battles, as certain bosses can take a real beating if you aren’t properly equipped to deal with them. One boss, the Skinwalker, can be decimated when using the charge ability on the Kruul rifle – which really came in handy after spending around an hour trying to fight him with my weaker assault rifle and surge ability.

You’ll find these abilities relatively easy to level up, as you’ll often be overwhelmed by huge numbers of enemies at once. Alien wolves, grenadiers and assault squadrons are frequent encounters in the world of Advent Rising, and after learning how to deal with each one you’ll become extremely proficient, and you’ll start feeling invincible pretty quickly. Feeling like a god is something a lot of games try to do, but Advent Rising executes it perfectly. One of my favourite mechanics in Advent Rising was the dodging ability. This ability came in handy almost as much as it does in the SoulsBorne games, with each time you double-tap the directional buttons, you’ll enter a slow-motion mode that also increases your accuracy and allows you to do all sorts of cool flips and cartwheels. This mechanic feels like what they tried to do with Enter the Matrix, and it really works. It looks awesome and you feel awesome whilst using it.In conclusion, if you want to immerse yourself in one of the best overlooked games of the 2000’s, you need to find yourself a copy of Advent Rising.

It’s relatively inexpensive on the original Xbox now – if you can find a copy – and its PC counterpart is easy to track down on eBay, GOG and Steam. If you’ve never played this incredible game, this is your call to arms.5/5ProsExciting, Intuitive GunplayEngaging & Immersing StorySpectacular WorldbuildingConsInfrequent Glitches & CrashesProblematic Flick Targeting System.

Two seconds later, the human race is reduced to a handful of brave survivors, and they have to find a way to get revenge while trying to maintain the human line. Talk about waking up to a bad day, huh?We at IGN have saved the galaxy before in games like KOTOR and Halo, so we answered the call one more time to kick some alien tail. This guide is your one-stop information source on the weapons and powers of the game, as well as a full walkthrough including boss strategies.

It's complete, although we're anxious to be able to pen the next two parts of the trilogy too.Still, you'll have a fantastic time as you experience a great cinematic game with non-stop action. And as always, whenever you need one more helping hand (considering your already-thin number of allies), you can always turn to us here.In this Advent Rising strategy guide, you'll find:Weapons and powers info, including details on powered-up weapons and skills.Advent Rising walkthrough, complete with story details and strategies for beating every level and every boss in the game.