Click here to read this week\'s twoplayer game comic.I\'m in the process of writing our Advent Rising review. As a long time fan of Orson Scott Card, Ender\'s Game, and as a vocal proponent of story being the saving grace of video games, I couldn\'t pass up the opportunity to review what had the potential of being a great interactive story. Has the potential, considering the trilogy has another 2 games to improve itself, hopefully. Beyond Good and Evil, one of my all time favorite games, was originally planned as a three-part trilogy, and then found itself alone forever in the world after its siblings were exposed to the elements and left to starve. The developers are not necessarily to blame for that: we are. Beyond Good and Evil had too many unusual elements to attract the average gamer, and languished despite beautiful direction, storyline, and gameplay. And then we have Advent Rising. Writing the review is hard, because I want so badly to like the game... and I do... but it is horribly executed at moments. The presentation runs the gambit from great to? well? less than great. Less than great in the same way that broccoli ice cream would be less great than just vanilla, let alone Rocky Road or something fancy like that. I like Advent Rising; I just hope that the story doesn\'t end because the first attempt out of the gate isn\'t always technically well executed. There\'s still shiny things beneath all the dirt, if you\'re willing to brush it off and don\'t mind having the dirt floating around your house for a day or two.
Aaron Stanton
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