Introduction

Every truly great science fiction story has a powerful and compelling plot that really sucks you in and makes you eager to keep reading. The same is true for science fiction games. Advent Rising is the first episode of a trilogy co-written by Orson Scott Card. Card, the award winning author who wrote Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead in 1985, is a great storyteller. Card's storytelling prowess also translates very well into games. The result is a game that has a more intelligent and coherent story than most games..

Card's most popular novel, Ender's Game, is about a young man, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin who thinks he is playing computer simulated war games. In reality, he is training to save the Earth from an alien enemy seeking to destroy all human life. Here lies the overlap between Advent Rising and Ender's Game. As Andrew "Ender" Wiggin must play games in order to save humanity, so must you assume the role of Gideon Wyeth and play a game in order to save humanity; the transition from passive reader to active gamer is a welcome one.

When Card gave the option to Ender's Game to Warner, he expected the company to develop a game as well as a movie. However, Warner's efforts have stalled and no real progress has been made in developing a game version of Ender's Game.

Meanwhile, Advent Rising gave Card the opportunity to play an active role in the development of the game. He helped develop the storyline, wrote the dialogue and directed the voice acting sessions. Good stories, regardless of whether they exist in a game or a book, share certain characteristics: they evoke emotion, they raise moral and ethical questions and they introduce complex characters who have to make choices. All of this is present in Advent Rising.

Orson Scott Card book fans will not be disappointed. The plot will keep you entertained and always curious about the next step. Although this is the first of a trilogy, the story wraps up nicely and leaves the gamer with a satisfied feeling upon completion - unlike Halo 2.