Anyone try the PC version of Advent Rising?

[Bullwinkle]

Just wondering if anyone has tried the PC version of Advent Rising.  I've seen the IGN review, but I've been waiting for other opinions.  Has anyone tried both?

[mikeg]

I wanted to like it because of the story and all but I thought the Xbox version was an unoptimized, stuttering, jerky, bad frame-rate pile of poo.  If they fix all of that stuff in the pc version I might try it again when under $20.

[CeeKay]

I wanted to like it because of the story and all but I thought the Xbox version was an unoptimized, stuttering, jerky, bad frame-rate pile of poo.  If they fix all of that stuff in the pc version I might try it again when under $20.

According to the reviews I have seen the have fixed the frame rate problems, but the textures are still lacking.  From IGN:

Gamers who were originally interested in the Xbox release of Advent Rising will immediately want to know if the frame rate issues persist on the PC. Thankfully, the game now runs smoothly without slowdown even on a densely populated battlefield. My Radeon 9800 pro easily pushed the game along at even the higher settings. Effects like the way space is warped around Gideon's surge attack and the fiery sparks of explosions are impressive visual additions. However, due to the increased capability and higher expectations on the PC, this doesn't automatically bump up our rating of the graphics. The visuals are decent but never stunning and in some areas feel dated. Also, the game possesses texture work that is bland on a television and even duller on the higher resolution of a monitor.

[Roguetad]

Crossposted from OO:

Just finished it on the PC, very cool game. It's a short one though. Cinematically this is one of the best games I've played in a long time. The story is great, music is superb, the dialogue and voice acting are above average to good, and the gameplay is fun. Whatever issues the xbox version had with the control scheme seems to have been worked out for the PC. I remember reading about how annoying "flick targeting" was on the xbox. On the PC you don't have to use flick targeting, but all you have to do to use it is roll the mouse wheel up or down. Piece of cake. I alternated throughout the game using flick targeting and just blasting freely. The framerates were good on my rig, with most of the graphics options (minus shadows) set to their highest. I typically got about 35 - 65 fps (p4 3.2, geforce 6800 gt, 2gb ram).

I can definitely see the comparisons to halo, but Advent Rising is a 3rd person shooter with more in common with the jedi knight action games than to halo. Your character, Gideon, will start the game using ranged weapons, but will gradually start awakening powers that are very jedi-like. About 1/2 way through the game I stopped using weapons and relied mostly on his powers.

The cut scenes, story, and music alone could almost justify the $30 PC price tag imo. That's not to say there aren't negatives though:
- short game
- graphics are excellent, but not superb
- no save anywhere, checkpoint save system
- towards the very end you can exploit a certain power to bypass a lot of fighting
- some of the boss fights can be frustrating until you figure out their attack patterns, and what powers you should use to exploit their weaknesses or openings

I didn't encounter any bugs or crashes, but it looks like some folks are having problems with the cut scenes stuttering on the pc version.

I bought the game Fri night, and completed it by Sun night. I didn't play more than 2-3 hours each night this weekend. I'm guessing the game was around 7-10 hours long (if that), but it was a good ride. If you complete the game, make sure you let credits roll. After the credits you’ll see 2 more cut scenes, fight 1 more boss, and play another very short level (not in that order).

[Kevin Grey]

I'll definitely be picking up the PC version at some point.  Not yet though- I expect this game to go sub $20 very quickly.