Advent Rising announced

Majesco has today announced Advent Rising, an action adventure game that's set in a world created by famed sci-fi writer Orson Scott Card, author of Ender's Game. Card is not only filling out the storyline for the game, but he will also write a novel based on the game, which GlyphX Games is producing for the Xbox and PC.

In Advent Rising, players assume the role of Gideon Wyeth, an inhabitant of the last human outpost who is about to discover that he posseses incredible powers. Humans have been the victim of their own legendary status in the galaxy. Millions of cultures from distant worlds are said to revere humans as mythological beings, but one race actually knows that humans exist and is threatened by them. This race, the seekers, has gone on a campaign to eradicate all traces of human life from the galaxy to eliminate the threat of powers just like those that Wyeth possesses.

"What I found most interesting about collaborating with Majesco and GlyphX on the Advent Rising project was their sincere desire to create a game in which the story served as the springboard for all the other elements," Card said. "Creating an engrossing story is paramount in establishing credibility with players and allows them to connect with what's happening onscreen."

"While technological advances continue to open doors for exciting new gaming experiences, storyline remains the one element most critical in allowing the gamer to feel like an essential part of the game's outcome," said Ken Gold, vice president of marketing at Majesco. "The tremendous literary vision of Orson Scott Card, coupled with GlyphX Games' masterful approach to graphics and gameplay mechanics, ensure that Advent Rising will captivate the mind and emotions of the player while pushing the bounderies of gaming to a unprecedented new level."

Advent Rising will be played from a third-person perspective and will have graphics powered by the latest version of the Unreal engine. The game is scheduled for release in early 2004 for the Xbox and PC. More details on the game will be available at next month's E3.