The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (Xbox)

The game is actually a prequel to the film Pitch Black, which means that Riddick is still a highly unpleasant serial killer and there's none of the naff, sub-Dune style mumbo jumbo from the newer movie. The only problem with this is that pretty much the whole game is set in an extremely murky and often rather monotonous looking prison. Monotonous in the most attractive way possible though, as this is certainly the most graphically impressive Xbox game yet seen. The use of light and shade is superb and the models for the all the characters and monsters are some of the best ever seen in a video game.

Perhaps the biggest surprise though is that the now ubiquitous stealth sections are actually the best bit, with Riddick's showpiece ability to see in the dark implemented extremely well. This more than makes up for the odd dull sub-quest, and the relative lack of gunplay, and adds further variety to what is easily one of the Xbox's best games yet. --David Jenkins

About 4 years ago, director David Twohy released a low budget sci-fi flick called Pitch Black which introduced the character Richard B Riddick. The film did reasonably well at the box office but has since achieved something of a cult status with good reason I might add. Riddick was an anti-hero in every respect describing himself as the ultimate baddass and was brought to life by newcomer and former bouncer Vin Diesel.

Four years later and we come to the release of the first sequel, Chronicles of Riddick. To co-incide with this Starbreeze Studios bring us the game Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. It isn't necessary to know any background to the character but it would enhance your appreciation if you did.

Ok, so is the game any good or do we have yet another lame tie-in. I must admit I was dubious having read all the hype. Well for once believe what you've heard or read about. The intro movie sets the tone perfectly but its only when you actually take control of Riddick that you realize just how good this game really is. The story is basically that Riddick has been incarcerated in Butcher Bay, the toughest slam in the galaxy and its your job to get him out.

The big selling point but by no means the only one are the graphics. You have never seen graphics this good in a game, not even Halo. It is a visually stunning. Thanks to a new process called 'normal mapping' detail and realism have been brought to new levels. Riddick looks like Vin Diesel, and I mean exactly. The detail on the character models is amazing, and there a lot of characters in this game each one with their own distinctive look and personality. The whole environment has an almost organic feeling to it, it all looks so real. Not since Splinter Cell has there been such a good use of lighting which all adds to the whole experience, just watch Riddicks shadow as he creeps around the confines of Butcher Bay, and then theres the sound. Vin Diesel himself brings Riddick to life with his 60-a-day gravelly delivery but all the voice actors in the game do a great job and really bring personality to their character. Cole Hauser reprises his role as Johns the merc responsible for Riddicks incarceration and an array of talents bring the other characters to life.
Controls are intuitive with the X button performing a variety of tasks dependent on what you're doing at the time. For example, pressing X whilst standing next to a box will make Riddick climb up on top of it. This action as well others like climbing ladders or crawling into vents are all viewed in the third-person and the transition is seemless and works well. The left thumbstick moves Riddick whilst the right is used for the camera, standard in most FPS's. The right-trigger is used for firing weapons and throwing punches in unarmed combat, whilst the left is used to guard. Other features include stealth mode, the addition of the trademark eyes (see Pitch Black) which allow Riddick to see in the dark, (available later in the game), and my personal favourite, turning an opponents weapon against them for a devastating attack, I wont spoil this little gem for you, in close quarters just press the right-trigger at the right moment and you'll see what I mean.
There are missions to undertake, extras to unlock, a whole host of characters to interact with, some great weapons and so many other cool things about this game that I could go on for hours. The game does carry an 18 certificate and the language reflects that not to mention the depiction of graphic violence, (I can hear the outcries already). The only bad thing I can say about Chronicles of Riddick is that it is quite short and there are loading times to contend with but the quality of the game is so high I can live with that.
Easily one of the best titles for the X-Box and an outstanding achievement from Starbreeze Studios. If they can produce this, think about the possibilities for Doom 3 and Halo 2, and Half Life 2. I for one can't wait. Lets see the PS2 compete with this!!


Better than Halo 2.   January 11, 2005
Mr. Jamie Reeves (London, UK)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

This is in my opinion the finest game released in 2004 on the Xbox. The graphics are excellent. The AI is exceptional and the gameplay is perfect.

For those who are fans of Pitch Black or Chronicles of Riddick this game actually provides a good intro story to the movies, including how Riddick really got his eyeshine (as mentioned in Chronicles, he didn't pay 20 menthol cools for them), in fact at home the box for this sits on my DVD shelf near the Chronicles of Riddick movies, as it really feels like an integral part of the saga.

But back to the game. The hand to hand fighting mode in this is great, without changing from the FPS you can give the guards and other inmates a good slapping and it really feels like a proper brawl (being able to kick might have been nice, but never mind), another good point on hand to hand fighting is the ability to grab a gun off an armed opponent, disarm them and blow their brains out (takes a bit of practice but it really is worth seeing).

The storyline is good (the ending is far better than the tragedy at the end of Halo 2), the voice acting is good as well with Vin Diesel providing the voice of Riddick (also listen out for the voice of Dwight Schultz - AKA Murdoch from the A Team, or Lt Barclay from Star Trek TNG, and rapper Xzibit), and the intro sequence is probably my favourite from any game ever created (with the probable exception of Ghostbusters on the C64).

If I had to think of a weak point to this game I would have to say that it is a bit on the easy side, and I think most seasoned gamers will go through this in 1-2 days, the rest of us mortals may need a couple of weeks depending on how much time you get to play games.


Not afraid of the dark are you?   September 27, 2004
Sanjay (Leicester)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Chronicles of Riddick on XBox

From all the hype, I was expecting to love this game. I wasn't disappointed. I've been playing for a couple of days now (about 5 hours game-time) and now sufficiently qualified to write this review.

I was going to write a long review covering all aspects of this game, but I'm not going to bother. It's BRILLIANT! Graphics, sound, AI, Enemies are all awesome!

The real innovation is the hand-to-hand fighting . You get a real impression of Ridick being a real tough-guy as he gruesomely kills a heavily armed guard with his bare-hands!

The stealth options are a real treat, hide in the shadows with your "shine eyes", then pounce on your enemy as he walks past.

This has many RPG elements (similar to Deus Ex) and adds to the cinematic feel of the game.

The only things I don't like about the game are:
1) the change to 3rd person view when you push buttons & climb ladders. Bit annoying as you can't see what's going on around you.
2) The game's dead easy on medium (my fault)
3) NO MULTIPLAYER OPTION!!

In short this is a superb game. Apart from a couple of small niggles it's almost perfect... with one small problem ... no multiplayer option. So I can't give this 5 stars, only 4 for being the best single player FPS out there until Halo2, Doom3 and Half Life2 come out. They will have a hard act to follow.

Not afraid of the dark are you?


Superb   September 21, 2004
Tayles (UK)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

The Chronicles of Riddick is a superior first-person action-adventure romp. I've not seen the recent film, but I liked Pitch Black and it made the job of filling Riddick's shoes in this game all the more enjoyable. With some well-known actors lending their voices, the game is well-scripted, plotted and acted throughout and the Butcher's Bay setting is a convincingly realised setting.

However, pleasing aesthetics alone do not make a great game, so it's a good job that wherever else you look The Chronicles of Riddick positively shines. The graphics are magnificent; every room, passage, walkway and object has been designed with a degree of care and imagination that I've never seen before in any game. Enemy AI is better than most, the hand-to-hand fighting system is simply terrific, and combat is pleasingly brutal. Add to this some substantial characters, an absorbing plot and some true grit and you have a fabulous game that puts to shame anything currently available on the PC.

I opted to play on the toughest level and found it truly awkward at times, which was refreshing, given how predictable and straightforward I find most first-person shooters. There are also elements of problem-solving and mission-tackling that elevate it into the action-adventure category. Thankfully, it is not a case of running from A to Z, shooting and bludgeoning anything that gets in your way.

So what of the negatives? Well, the weapon set is fairly limited and the more powerful shooters do not appear until the game is nearly over. Also, the gloomy prison setting eventually leaves you gagging for a brightly lit outdoor section. But these are small niggles with an otherwise excellent game.

Russ


Better than Halo 2   March 9, 2005
Jamie Carson
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

WOW, what a game.

I wasnt really expecting that much from this game, being the studios first game and being based on such a dissapointing movie. Lucky the game features an all new plot set before Pitch Black. The story is really involving and does not dissapoint. Vin Desiels voice and likeness are featured in the game, and really help to emerse you into the world of Richard B. Riddick.

The graphics in this game are amazing, no annoying pop-up textures like in Halo 2. They do a great job of getting across the gloom and depression of the Butcher Bay Prison.

The game play here is varied and very involving. Most missions can either be tackled by the use of stealth or by simple run and gun tactics. A few times the game may force you to use one option or the other, but these are few and far between.

The stealth dynamics are really welll handled considering this is a 1st person game. When you are hidden in stealth mode the screen takes on a blue tint and when your not it turns red. This makes for some very interesting and dramatic stealth kills.

The sound is well handled too, with all the voice overs putting alot of depth into the characters voice. This again helps you to become imersed in the game.

Overall this is a very enjoyable game. Not a straight out and out FPS, but still highly enjoyable. I enjoyed this alot more than Halo 2. The only down side to the game is that its quite short, but its not really a problem. There are lots of things to collect and extras to unlock so this also increases the replayability.

5/5