The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay

The Good
The Chronicles of Riddick is a movie tie-in to the film of the same name but unlike the movie this is an excellent stealth action adventure game instead of a bland action movie and the game is actually a prequel to the movie and the original Pitch Black the story follows Riddick who has been recently captured by Johns a bounty hunter and is being taken to Butcher Bay the most secure prison in the galaxy no one has ever broken out at least not until Riddick shows up first you start out in low security prison and must do some things for the various prisoners in the joint to progress like find a missing item, or kill another inmate that is causing problems for you or another prisoner later in the game you can also do side missions for the prisoners not required to proceed the story.

The graphics in this game are astounding even with Xbox 360 this game still looks good it uses the same mapping technique as Doom 3 and Halo 2 which also have astounding visuals and the controls are perfectly mapped it manages to allow for a lot of actions with overcomplicating the controls due to the stealth Gameplay and impressive graphics this game kind of reminds me of Thief 3 and even though at first glance some might think this is a FPS you actually spend more time sneaking around even though there is a fair share of action parts to.

There is a surprising amount of depth to the game considering that this game is a movie tie-in and the games only location is a prison albeit a big prison but still its amazing how many things you can do. The music works well in the game playing mainly at cues like being in an intense firefight or being discovered by one of the guards. There are also some interesting and funny dialogue that can be overheard and people you can talk to the voice acting is also excellently done with real actors and well known voice actors providing the voice work.

The Bad
Now the bad the games lack of different surroundings can be a very bad thing at times even though most areas of the prison look at lot different the length is average about 20 hours but lack of multiplayer will be a deterrent to some and some parts of the game are a bit too frustrating considering most of the game is pretty easy.

The Bottom Line
Overall the game is a great action adventure title worth a look for Xbox owners but you might want to wait because there is a Xbox 360 version coming out soon new features like improved graphics and new story mode in addition to the old one.

The Good
Let's get right down to it. Chronicles is no Half Life 2. It will never have the commercial success HL2 has. Unfortunately, the game also encounters unfair scrutiny because many gamers assume that most games based on movies (especially Sci-Fi ones) haven't been up to par. However, if you want to feel some sort of hope that games based on less popular licenses can get anywhere, play this game. With the exception of some excellent Star Wars games, Chronicles is a game where you really don't need to know too much about the Pitch Black / Riddick background to enjoy it. Although the game receives unfair comparisons to much more popular FPS such as Doom 3 or HL2, I assure you that Chronicles can keep up with the pack.

The team behind Chronicles seems to understand some of the caveats of FPS gameplay. In most FPS, you cannot see yourself. This isn't much of a problem until you start doing things like jump on boxes or climb ladders which (in most FPS games) always seem to not get it right. In most experiences, you feel like a block within an environment. An example of this is an experience where your character's feet must be on top the box for you to climb a set of boxes or ledges. Not so here. In Chronicles, they utilize a 3rd person view and the common ability most people use - their hands. Chronicles may not be in the realm of other FPS but I don't know if I can classify or compare it with other games. It has its own feel and integrates a second viewing perspective in a meaningful way. Of course, much like the rest of the reviews, Chronicles has the great graphics, impeccable AI, and sound that rivals most top notch games but its main keeper is the story. The story and characters are very well conceived. In addition, the levels and the game's approach to fighting other enemies is fresh and gives a satisfying feel for knocking out someone cold. Aside from the simple HUD, the management of the character is simple along with how the environment is manipulated.

The Bad
Even with all these great things to say about the game it does have some minor faults. Part of it is its graphics. There maybe some clipping issues because of the viewing perspective changes that happen in the game but nothing game breaking.

The Bottom Line
Chronicles is a great game that you should take a look at even with all the new games out. There is definitely something new and unique that helps it stand out as a potential classic.

radcastro.com