Riddick is bringing mercenaries a galaxy of hurt

The first thing a gamer must understand before purchasing Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is that you’re basically purchasing two separate games for the price of one. Not only are you getting a re-mastered version of Escape from Butcher Bay but also the entirely new Dark Athena campaign which also boasts two multiplayer formats including the intriguing Pitch Black mode. Together these titles complement one another, but whether or not this game is worth your time really depends on whether or not you’ve played the underrated Escape From Butcher Bay.

Butcher Bay was by far one of the greatest movie tie-in games of all time, even going so far as to surpass the film it was based on. The re-mastered version is no different, keeping the core of the Xbox game untouched save for some next gen visuals and the explosive-riddled mech sequences which up till now were only found on the PC. In case you missed it, Butcher Bay lets you take on the role of galactic badass Richard B. Riddick as he is forced to escape an infamous Triple Max Security Prison located on a desolate desert moon. In order to do so, Riddick will not only have to stab/shoot/vaporize his way through the prison’s horde of heavy security, but also take advantage of prison politics, alien infestations, and most importantly the shadows.

Characters from Butcher Bay get the true Hi-Def treatment.

Overall, Butcher Bay boasts a solid storyline, compelling fight mechanics, a surprisingly realistic look into prison life and one of the only truly successful first person stealth/shooter attempts out there. I feel that Butcher Bay is at its strongest when players are forced to rely on stealth and strategy as opposed to run-and-gun shootouts, mainly due to the non regenerative health system utilized in the game. One of the great joys of the title though is that the developers allow you to tackle challenges whichever way you want. The team also crafted an amazingly immersive game with believable first person perspectives and animations (stealth kills and fistfights have never been this intense) coupled with stellar voice-work and level designs which give the prison a truly lived-in feel.

Unfortunately, the new sequel entitled Assault on Dark Athena isn’t quite as brilliant as its predecessor. One of the big issues is that the AI just isn’t up to next-gen standards. This was understandable with Butcher Bay being an old Xbox title, but Dark Athena was created from the ground up for newer consoles. While this does translate into more impressive visuals, facial animations and atmospheric touches, it also apparently means that the AI can display both blinding ignorance coupled with random bouts of godlike omniscience. One second guards will be standing in the same position unawares for 10 minutes and the next they can somehow sense your exact location with unnerving accuracy. The pacing is also off the mark, forcing the player to switch from stealth to FPS with little warning and leaving you feeling a little bit foolish. The story of Dark Athena is also a bit mediocre (Instead of a prison, Riddick has to escape-gasp!-a spaceship called the Dark Athena) ending with a confusingly anti-climactic ending which fails to provide the drive that breaking out of the so called un-escapable slammer did in Butcher Bay.

This merc is never gonna know what hit him, or in this case disembowel him.

It’s not all bad, however; the characters Riddick encounters are all equally interesting ranging from necrophiliac rapists to tattooed cultists while once again the voice acting goes above and beyond the normal call. Riddick also gets to play with a whole slew of new weapons in the game, including the sinister Ulaks which have the best kill animations this side of graphic content. Plenty of variety is to be had as the convict finds himself leaving the shadowy depths of space behind to battle mercs on a sun drenched colony planet while at some points he takes over robotically re-animated corpses in order to unleash a world of hurt on the Athena’s crew. Also, while the normal multiplayer is your basic CTF/free-for-all style shenanigans, the Pitch Black Mode with 5 players controlling armed mercenaries and 1 playing as Riddick is a bit of a treat. When you couple the dark environments with Riddick’s trademark night-vision and razor sharp Ulaks, it becomes pretty clear why a game of 5 on 1 isn’t as one sided as it sounds.

Is there a doctor in the house?

So basically, Assault on Dark Athena is a must-have if you’ve missed out on Butcher Bay’s fantastic gameplay and narrative. If you have already played the Xbox title, then you face a bit more of a dilemma; other than the mechs, some achievements and a fresh coat of paint not much new is happening. On the other hand, the new Dark Athena campaign’s a solid stealth/shooter with a lot of bells and whistles, but it just isn’t as well done as its predecessor and suffers from a bit of sequel envy while the multiplayer and Pitch Black modes aren’t as big of a game changer as one might think. All in all, this title does one thing magnificently well; it makes you feel as powerful and fearless as Riddick which should be more than enough of a reason to give Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena a whirl.

360Sync does not offer a score, but instead gives insight on the game. Only one person can make a decision if you should rent, buy or avoid a game, and the person is ultimately you. However, we can give you as much insight as possible, and answer as many questions that you have.