The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena Review & Rating

Riddick is back in this value-packed double-game disc but did the game that was so revolutionary five years ago stand the test of time?  Will a new generation of gamers love the excellent lighting effects and stealth gameplay of Escape from Butcher Bay or should Starbreeze have let sleeping dogs lay?

Gameplay

The Escape from Butcher Bay/Dark Athena double pack finds gamers once again in the roll of Riddick, a hardened, interstellar criminal as he fights his way out of some tight situations, first from Butcher Bay (an infamous double-max security prison—the galactic equivalent of Alcatraz) and then from the hold of the Dark Athena (a space ship coasting through the ether and home to a whole bunch of new Borg-like baddies for Riddick to slice and dice.)
The first game was released years ago and featured excellent dynamic lighting and stealth gameplay unlike anything available at the time.  When compared to other games that relied on darkness such as Splinter Cell, it’s easy to see how Riddick is a world apart.  Butcher Bay allows players to tackle the game how they want and does not pigeonhole the action into a bunch of sneaking around.  While crawling through the shadows and shiving abusive hacks (prison guard) or strangling a con (convict) is really more fun, players could also choose to go full-auto and waste enemies with a wide variety of weapons including shotguns and assault rifles.  The PC version of the game even feature a bonus mech assault level in which Riddick commandeers one of the massive robotic armored suits and lays waste to an entire population of hacks as easily as slicing butter with a hot knife. 
This level actually came back in the newly released console version and adds a great element of fresh gameplay for longtime fans and noobs alike.

The most satisfying part of the game is still trying to sneak through the levels and take out enemies before they even know what hit them.  However, the AI sometimes makes that difficult as guards have a tendency to spot Riddick from long distances and even a few rounds from an assault rifle is enough to send Riddick to the ground for good.  Security cameras/turrets are another annoying aspect but can be avoided once you spot them.

While the whole point of re-releasing Butcher Bay was to expose a new group of gamers to a graphically enhanced version of the old game with a new game engine and enemy AI, the game still looks a bit dated.  While the gameplay is still fresh (partly because there’s been no other games brave enough to tackle the complex style of dynamic gameplay in Butcher Bay), and the new facelift is great, it’s a bit superficial.  The animations are quite poor by today’s standard and the texture mapping is a bit plain when compared to newer games.  There’s nothing revolutionary here but there really doesn’t need to be. 

The new game, Dark Athena, is graphically superior.  The animations are crisp and up to date and the models are much more articulate than those of the classic game.  Athena even retains the excellent lighting and combat aesthetics of Butcher Bay.  However, the storyline is a tired rehash of the “same old” gamers have seen in a dozen other games.  It feels as if the names and faces were changed but everything else remains the same.  Some bad guys want to salvage Riddick’s ship, he’s not going to let them, let the fight begin.

The much vaunted AI improvements really seem to be lacking in the Dark Athena campaign.  Granted, 90% of the enemies are supposed to be drone soldiers controlled by remote overseers but that doesn’t mean they should be idiots.  The drones range from hyper-alert to complete imbeciles as Riddick can practically walk right up to some and smash them in the head while others spot him from halfway down the corridor and send out the alarm.  Also, their decision making capabilities seem a bit lacking.  While the hacks in Butcher Bay often sought cover or teamed up to take Riddick on two-on-one, the Athena Drones will often run and hide only to come charging out again when Riddick ducks behind cover.  When Riddick sticks his head back out, they run and hide again.  It’s comical the first few times but gets old fast.

Another disappointing factor is that gameplay in the Dark Athena campaign seems to have been skewed toward a more modern run-and-gun type of play.  What made Butcher Bay such a great game was the stealth mechanic.  Athena seems to be all about the firepower and shadows just aren’t of as much use as they were in the first game.  Without that stealth element, Athena feels like a typical, run of the mill shooter. 

Graphics

Graphically Dark Athena is on par with an average modern game.  The visuals won’t make you regret buying the game but they sure won’t blow your mind.  If you’re looking for a comparison probably the sequel to F.E.A.R. is about as close as it comes.  Butcher Bay is looking a little old but if you keep in mind the game was created five years ago and essentially just re-skinned it gives you another perspective on it, especially for those of us who played the original game.  Still, the game is far from ugly and only truly jaded gamers will buy the game expecting to see something similar to Crysis anyway. 

Sound

The audio elements in both games are great.  While there’s not a whole lot of musical score to hang the tension on, the voice acting is so far above reproach that it should have won awards.  Vin Desiel reprises his big screen role as Riddick with his typical one liners and deep base growl.  Cole Hauser reprises his role too as Johns, the unlucky bounty hunter sworn to bring Riddick to justice.  The supporting cast of Butcher Bay features talent such as Xzibit, Ron Pearlman, Michael Rooker, and more while Athena has sci-fi heavy hitter Lance Henrikson, and Star Trek TNG alumnus Michelle Forbes.
Equally appealing to the voice acting are the special effects.  Gunfire sounds incredible realistic as do bones breaking, blades slicing, and hard landings.  The sound really carries the game when the graphics just can’t quite keep up and lend a tremendous amount of immersion to the game.

Value

The game is actually a great value.  With two campaigns and each lasting roughly 6-8 hours depending on how hard you play them, it’s really worth the money.  While Starbreeze did decide to add on multiplayer in this version, it’s a bit weak and feels sort of run-of-the-mill.  However, there is an interesting mode of play where one player is placed in Riddick’s shoes and everyone else plays as guards trying to kill him.  While Riddick must survive as long as possible and take as many of the guards out as he can, the other players try to take Riddick down.  If one does, the roles are reversed and they are granted the privilege of playing as Riddick.  It’s quite fun because the mode relies heavily upon darkness and shadow and while Riddick can use his eye shine to see in the dark, guards are limited to the small cone of light coming from their flashlights.

Final Verdict

While the new campaign doesn’t live up to the expectations of Riddick fans, the game overall is worth the buy if simply for the revamped version of Butcher Bay.  While fans of the first game will love the sequel, newbies might be a little harder to convince.  Still, you can’t deny the value and I’d bet there will be few people who actually regret buying the game.

Pros: excellent stealth/action gameplay, stellar voice acting and scripting, exciting pacing that never gets dull.

Cons:  stiff animations, troubling AI, and ordinary multiplayer.


Overall Score: 7.5/10