The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena Review

It isn't everyday that you find two games with Vin Diesel on the cover when visiting your local game store. It also isn't everyday that one of those games is both a sequel and a remake. Such is the case though with The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault On Dark Athena. It is both a remake to the acclaimed 2004 game Escape From Butcher Bay and a sequel in that it contains a completely new campaign. For two 'chronicles' on one disc, this game proves to so far be a much better deal than Diesel's other game Wheelman.

Those familiar with the movies need no introduction to Richard Riddick, the most badass sci-fi character to ever grace the big screen in the last ten years. Escape From Butcher Bay takes place before the first movie in the Riddick series Pitch Black. Riddick, having been captured by bounty hunter Johns, is being taken to Butcher Bay prison (picture Alcatraz in a sci-fi setting). You have one goal in the game: escape. To do so, you'll have to use stealth, guns, blades and your fists while also dealing with the many inmates, corrupt guards, the tyrannical warden and some other surprising threats. It's a pretty simplistic story, which isn't bad at all. In fact, the game also reveals how Riddick got his famed eyeshine ability.

Dark Athena takes place immediately after Butcher Bay. Upon escaping (Spoiler alert? As if you couldn't already guess?) the prison, Riddick soon finds himself in the Dark Athena, a mercenary/pirate ship that kidnaps any unlucker space traveller who crosses paths with it (sort of like the intergalatic Davy Jones's locker). Riddick, being the badass that he is, evades capture by the pirates and their diabolical captain, Revas. Once more Riddick must sneak and fight his way off the ship. Again, it is a very simplistic story, but an enjoyable one.

You'll mostly be doing two things in the game: sneaking and shooting. Sneaking works like any traditional stealth game in that you use the shadows and learn the movements of guards before making your move. When the screen becomes blue, that means you're invisible. Once you sneak up to an unsuspecting guard, you can finish him off with one of several gruesome finishing kills. Doing these kills never gets old. The only issue with these stealth kills is that it is extremely easy to mess up as your hands will shift into a ready position once you're close enough to your prey. One slip on either stick can remove that ready position and you'll just deliver a regular attack, messing up your perfect stealth kill. The game also allows you to hide bodies in the shadows, but honestly there's no point to it, as guards don't set off alarms or call for backup if a body is discovered.

Shooting works like any other first person shooter. You'll be able to collect pistols, shotguns, assault rifles, grenades and even tranquilizer guns (helpful in the stealth parts). They're not available right away, but once you get them you'll be in plenty more shootouts. In Dark Athena, you'll get access to a sniper rifle (hint: to get it, help Gabril) as well as the SCAR rifle, which fires explosive bolts you can detonate; you can litter an enemy with up to five and then BOOM! It proves to be very useful against the Alpha Drones that you game seems to constantly through at you towards the end of the game. There are also missions in which you take control of automated drones. These are fun, though sometimes the handling of these mechs is shaky. Not to mention that it seems like regular enemy bullets take your health down super fast whereas if you were shooting at the mechs it would do no damage whatsoever.

Melee combat is also available in the game and proves to be a lot of fun. When you get the Shivs in Dark Athena, it gets even more fun. These blades allow you to slash away at your enemies, making quick work of them. You'll splatter the walls with your enemies' blood, and blood will stain your arms and hands. You can see every mark, every bruise your attacks make on your enemies. Once you get good at it you can also counter attacks for a very violent and amusing finishing move. No matter how often you do it, it never gets old.

Combat aside, you'll also be doing numerous side missions in both games. These missions allow you to not only get bonus collectibles and other goodies, but also to get to know the many shady characters that inhabit the world. Though sometimes talking to them gets didactic (especially in Dark Athena) after a while, but it still fleshes out the characters and the story a bit. Some tasks are fun, like competing in a fight tournament, others are time consuming backtracking missions (seriously developers, this needs to end, now). These tasks are for the most part though very well constructed and keep the pace of both games moving at a smooth and enjoyable rate.

As far as audio goes, weapon sounds are suitable for the environment, from the explosive SCAR gun to the swishing of your Ulak blades. The sound of mechanized legs nearby will always keep you alert for that mech enemy that can kill you in a second. Guards will taunt and yell at you as you stalk them in the shadows. It all makes for an intense experience. Vin Diesel does fine work, giving Riddick that gravelly tone that makes him even more badass. The other voice actors are excellent as well, from Bounty Hunter Johns to Dark Athena Captain Revas. Their stellar performances keep you even further invested in Riddick's adventures. Graphically, the game looks great. Butcher Bay has gotten a next-gen makeover and it looks beautiful. Dark Athena is also a pleasure to look at as well. Environments, lighting, shadows, characters models/movements, they're all great looking.

Some other issues I had with the game include the loading times. Whenever you die or enter a new area, a loading screen comes up. While this may sound like nitpicking, the loading screens just take too damn long. For me, these screens break up the fantastic pace of the game. It's especially noticable when doing those previously mentioned backtracking missions. Another thing is that Riddick's eyeshine, which functions as a sort of night vision in dark areasAlso, the difficulty achievements/trophies are not stackable, meaning you have the play the game on both hard and medium to get those points/trophies. Now, don't get me wrong, I do not mind playing this great game again. That said, you developers shouldn't force me to play it again to get those points/trophies. If your game is good, I'll gladly do it again, but don't make it a requirement. That makes me grow tired of the game and will put it away for a while. Also, for those of you who do not enjoy stealth games, you may be put off by the trial and error gameplay that is prevalent throughout the game.

These complaints aside, Chronicles of Riddick is a fun game. For a game that's five years old, Butcher Bay is still a lot of fun. It's amazing how this game hasn't aged at all, unlike other older games. Dark Athena only takes what was good about its prequel and only makes it better with providing some more with a few new toys. Plus there's online multiplayer when you're finished with the campaigns.

The Rundown:
Concept: Experience some of Riddick's adventures that occurred before the movies.

Story: Fairly simple, nothing notably complex or interesting. Escape from a high security prison and then from a mercenary/pirate ship while being a complete badass.

Sound: The voice acting is amazing and really enhances the characters and the story. Vin Diesel's one liners are actually pretty funny. The sounds of weapons, blades and guards are also great.

Controls: Nothing you haven't seen before in other first person shooters. Some of the stealth mechanics have a bit of a learning curve, but its nothing too complicated.

Graphics: Lighting and shadows are required to be good if you're going to have stealth in your game. Fortunately, they're outstanding here. Character models and environments all look great as well.

The Verdict: You're getting two 8-10 hour games for the price of one. One of those games happens to be an acclaimed game for the original Xbox that hasn't aged badly. If you missed Butcher Bay the first time (like me) here's your chance. This is a definite buy.

Score: 8.5/10