In the ending months of 2003, we saw a couple of trilogies come to their conclusions. The Matrix ended with a bang while The Lord of the Rings capped off the year with its grand final chapter. However, the movie and game industry have never been too far apart, and while 2004 might be thought of right now as a time of major sequels (Half-Life 2, Doom 3, Halo 2, Splinter Cell, etc.), they should not overshadow the fact that something new and extraordinary is also in the works.

Advent Rising is a third-person shooter currently under development by the new game- design team GlyphX. Possibly one of the most ambitious games of the year, this game promises an insane number of features. With a storyline written by the award-winning science fiction author Orson Scott Card- who will be publishing the Advent Rising books to coincide with the release of the games- this is a trilogy that already has a lot to boast about!

The story revolves around a myth that just about every space-faring race knows. Out in the depths of space will come a legendary race that will one day "deliver" the universe. That race is known as "Humans," said to have incredible powers, but seen by none. The Seekers were the only ones who knew the truth about Humans. Humans did indeed exist, and under the guise of being benevolent explorers, the Seekers spread throughout the galaxies in an effort to systematically destroy all humans while exerting influence and control over the other races. The player takes on the role of Gideon Wyeth, a member of one of the last surviving human colonies. As he realizes the innate powers that are growing within him, he shall shape the fate of the universe.

With an epic story like that, no wonder it takes three parts to tell it. While there will be a nice selection of weapons, Gideon will only be able to carry a few at any given time. There will be no ammo pickups, so the only way to reload will be to drop an empty gun and trade it in for a full one, or, in the very least, get one last use out of it by throwing it at your enemies. Following this theme, there is even a gun that strangely resembles a javelin.

Not that guns will matter so much in later parts of the game. The developers have said that as the characters grows, so will his reliance on his own abilities. So, players will soon be throwing aside their machine guns and sniper rifles and trading them in for telekinesis and whatever other goodies GlyphX has in store. In fact, the developers make sure you get humongous weapons at the beginning of the game just so you can experience the satisfaction of ditching them, since superpowers will soon outclass superweapons. There will be other supernatural abilities like wall-running, and Gideon's proficiency with each power increases with use. Therefore, each time he does a wall run, he'll get better at it.

But while running up walls is well and good, there comes a time when you just want to jump into a tank and blow things away. To this end, Advent Rising will not fail to serve up some superior vehicle mayhem. Amongst these is a gigantic four-wheeled behemoth that not only makes Halo's Warthog look like a child's toy, but also has the ability to crush other vehicles!

If all that isn't enough to impress you, then wait... there's more. The player's choices in the game will influence the outcome of the storyline. Not only that, but you will be able to carry your save game over to the sequel, preserving both your character attributes and unique ending. It still remains to be seen whether or not GlyphX can pull off some of the promises they're pushing, but if they can follow through, we could be looking at a real breakthrough hit! Built using Unreal Warfare technology, expect fantastically detailed cities and smooth framerates. The more you know about this game, the harder it is not to get psyched about it!

Slated to come out on PC and Xbox this spring, gamers everywhere should prepare for the Advent!