Unreal-powered trilogy of sci-fi for Xbox

Growing publisher Majesco (whose work is usually distributed by Vivendi over here) has announced Advent Rising, the first in a trilogy of sci-fi titles underway exclusively on Xbox. The third-person action-adventure title is to be powered by Epic's Unreal Warfare engine and developed by GlyphX Games, with the game story and a separate book based on the game penned by science fiction novelist Orson Scott Card. Both the game and book are due out (in the US at least) in Q1 2004, with (presumably) a couple more of each due out later on.

In Advent Rising, millions of cultures across the universe are bound by a common legend; that a powerful, ancient race will one day unite the universe. Humans. Yep. A particular race, the Seekers, are so threatened by this that they travel the galaxy under the guise of benevolent explorers trying to eradicate humanity once and for all. You play one of the last remaining humans, Gideon Wyeth, on the brink of discovering the incredible powers that lay dormant within him.

Orson Scott Card had this to say: "What I found most interesting about collaborating with Majesco and GlyphX on the Advent Rising project was their sincere desire to creat a game in which the story seved as the springboard for all the other elements. Creating an engrossing story is paramount in establishing credibility with players and allows them to connect with what's happening on screen."

Advent Rising should be on display at E3 by way of a specially created trailer.