ic-games Review - The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay - Reviews, Previews and Interviews for PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and Wii

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The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay

Information
Reviewer: Travis Hindley
Developer: Starbreeze Studios
Publisher: Vivendi Universal
Reviewed: Xbox
Genre: First-person shooter/stealth
UK Release: 13th Aug 2004
Article Date: 31st Aug 2004
Difficulty: Medium
Retail Price:
Price Comparison:
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Score Breakdown

Experience:
Game Play:
Graphics:
Sound:
Overall Score: 92%

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Pros

The Graphics

The Audio

The Gameplay

Vin Diesel

Cons

Short

Vin Diesel

Screenshots

4 of 28

A flurry of good action movies comes out every year, but there are only a few that we tend to remember, and even fewer that we might classify as "good". However, one of the best B flicks to come out in the last ten years is one that launched the career of everyone’s most loved or most hated action star (no one feels "luke-warm" about Vin Diesel). Either way, the fame of Pitch Black spawned a series of tie-ins and sequels today that are definitely pulling in some major bank for Mr. Diesel. There is the big budget Chronicles of Riddick that just recently hit theatres everywhere. In addition, the video game, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, is also currently in the spotlight as one of the best games of the year. I think there is even an anime movie that explores even deeper into the universe of Riddick. Either way, this is a game review site, so we are going to focus on the recent Xbox hit.

The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay as of yet is the first story in the Riddick universe. For those interested, the sequence goes from video game to Pitch Black to the movie in theatres now. The game starts out just as Riddick has finally been captured and is being brought to the infamous slam (read: prison) known only as Butcher Bay. Fortunately for Riddick, you manage to escape from your captor's just as you land. Right from the start you learn some of the basic moves and shooting principles that this character is capable of. However, it doesn't last long, because that was just the tutorial, and a rather long one at that. Nonetheless, the game ACTUALLY begins as you are being escorted into the slam for being the sheer embodiment of everything the girl scouts stand for. And perhaps a little more. . .

The only thing better than meat and potatoes is meat and meat (thank you Atkins), and that is exactly what this game does to gaming in 2004. Truthfully, when it comes to gaming in this current day, it doesn't get much better than this. I will say that this game probably has the best graphics for a game on the Xbox to date. Some of our contemporaries have said that the graphics in Butcher Bay have already trumped Half-Life 2 and Doom 3, but we aren't going to go that far. However, we will say that they are damn good. Some of the most pleasing eye candy comes from the shadows and lighting effects, and thankfully, they work for the concept of the game rather than being "just some pretty pixels". In addition, the character animation is fluid and highly realistic. While this game is definitely a first person shooter, there are certain sequences where it cuts to a third person view and you get to watch and control Riddick as he climbs up a ladder or hops in a ventilation shaft. What I appreciate the most about this is that it is wholly unnecessary. There isn't really any advantage to it, and yet its just an extra added bonus that we get to feast our eyes on throughout the course of the game.

One of the other great aspects of Butcher Bay is the audio. Specifically, the voice acting really seems to stick out in my mind as being especially polished. Each character that you meet in the game has a specific personality that you can determine just by listening to how they speak. On the other hand, there is quite a bit of vulgarity, so if you have some little ones running around, you might want to keep that in mind. In addition, the sound effects are very well done and really compliment the game in a nice fashion. But where the sound effects really pay off is if you have a 5.1 surround system set up. While it's certainly not required, a surround sound system will definitely enhance the experience of butcher bay.

Gameplay itself is truly something to behold with this game. There are so many aspects that don't just make this game a combination of first-person-shooter, action, adventure, and sneaking; instead, the way that it is designed, it actually allows you to play all of these various genre's by simply giving you the choice of making the decisions you want. If you want to run-and-gun, you'll get that. If you want to silently sneak up behind someone and break their neck, you'll get that too. This game is so multifaceted that it never gets repetitive. One of the best aspects of gameplay is when you finally get your ability to see in the dark (as those who have seen Pitch Black know). Sticking to the dark and depending on shadows becomes second nature. This coupled with the brilliancy of stealth mode is one of the many reasons this game is great. Often times in games, "stealth mode" can be awkward or require too many controls. Butcher Bay, however, presents a unique idea that I am sure we will see in future games. When Riddick goes into stealth mode, the tint of the screen changes and the depth of field changes. It's really a very cool effect (especially in the video game world) and it allows the gamer to instantly know which mode you are in without having to check any status bars or light gauges.

There really is not too much to complain about with this game. Unfortunately, it suffers a little bit from the "Max Payne 2" syndrome in that it is on the ridiculously short side. Well, maybe not "ridiculously", but you are only looking at 12 to 15 hours for this game. In all actuality, 15 hours for first person shooters is becoming the standard rather than the exception, but such is the way things go. Overall, I would have to recommend this game to anyone. But, because of its short life span, you could definitely beat this in a weekend, so that is the only reason to keep it off the "Must Buy" list. However, on that same note, I think this game has some replay value. Not because there is cool stuff to unlock, but simply because there is a lot of stuff you do in the game that is just damn cool. If you get a chance, definitely give this game a shot. It's one you don't want to miss.

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