Aliens actor assaults Dark Athena

In 2003, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay earned high marks from reviewers who pointed to the Starbreeze Studios-developed first-person action game as an example of the proper way to convert films into games. Part of that was no doubt based on the game's array of voice talent, which...

In 2003, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay earned high marks from reviewers who pointed to the Starbreeze Studios-developed first-person action game as an example of the proper way to convert films into games.

Part of that was no doubt based on the game's array of voice talent, which boasted Vin Diesel (The Fast and the Furious, The Pacifier) in the title role, backed by a host of famous talent including Ron Perlman (Hellboy, In the Name of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale), Xzibit (Pimp My Ride, xXx: State of the Union), and Cole Hauser (Pitch Black, 2 Fast 2 Furious). For the upcoming Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, Starbreeze has again aimed for a high-end voice cast.

Diesel will again take the role of Riddick, although he will share the spotlight with a new cast of talented actors. Chief among the supporting cast announced today by publisher Atari is character actor extraordinaire Lance Henriksen (Aliens, Stone Cold). Joining Henriksen on the cast are a pair of Prison Break veterans in Michelle Forbes and Wade Williams.

Assault on Dark Athena is set for a spring release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. It includes an all-new single-player adventure, a remake of the original Escape From Butcher Bay game, and a multiplayer component. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's preview of The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena.

88 Comments

  • beedouk

    Posted Jan 26, 2009 4:07 pm PT

    Didnt get a chance to play the first one but from the reviews from the origonal and the previews this game has been getting its gonna be a first day for me

  • HMQUZE

    Posted Jan 26, 2009 12:27 pm PT

    i hope assault on dark athena as good as Escape from Butcher Bay

  • witty-name

    Posted Jan 26, 2009 11:44 am PT

    Hahaha, billyjunxix. I'm just going to pop this PLAYSTATION 3 bluray disc in my PLAYSTATION 3 here, don't know if you can see there, but my PLAYSTATION 3 also has a bluray player, so I can watch movies on my PLAYSTATION 3 or I could play PLAYSTATION 3 games on my PLAYSTATION 3... it really is up to me what I do with my PLAYSTATION 3. Did I mention I actually own a PLAYSTATION 3? Chuckle.

  • preacherchynabl

    Posted Jan 26, 2009 9:56 am PT

    I wonder if billyjunxix has a PS3. LMAO

  • necronaux

    Posted Jan 26, 2009 8:23 am PT

    Cool. They appear to be doing this game justice.

  • Warlypwnage

    Posted Jan 26, 2009 8:05 am PT

    BISHOP rules!

  • King_Jeremy_77

    Posted Jan 26, 2009 7:47 am PT

    I'm getting this game.

  • Hellboard

    Posted Jan 26, 2009 7:38 am PT

    big deal just because the cast is good.... plz

  • Wings_008

    Posted Jan 26, 2009 6:28 am PT

    a terrific voice acting cast
    this guy (i mean Lance Henriksen) has a scary voice, if you seen hard target with Jean-Claude Van Damme you will see what i mean, not sure about bellic though?

  • billyjunxix

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 11:17 pm PT

    I'm gonna get this game again but this time I'm gonna get it and play it on my PS3 because this game was so good, too bad I didn't have the chance to finish it the first time because my Xbox died while I was half way through the game. But now with my PS3 I'm definitely going to finish this game, plus the game is now more beautiful and its a 2 in 1 game with Butcher bay + Dark Athena. I'm gonna pre-order this on my PS3.

  • mjpetrus

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 10:51 pm PT

    Gotta try the next level

  • JReefer1

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 9:57 pm PT

    Just when I was going to past this game by, "good news comes knocking".

  • Memoryitis

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 9:45 pm PT

    I think I am going to get this game. I remember playing the demo back in the day saying I was going to get it, but man o man was I poor being 16 I think

  • DJ_Redline

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 9:34 pm PT

    Escape from Butcher Bay was a great game because it was original. They didnt try to model the game after the Riddick movies, and that paid off. Hopefully Dark Athena follows the same path. Butcher Bay was amazing visually on the Xbox, so I can't wait to see how Dark Athena shines. Should be worth the wait

  • doombot11

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 9:16 pm PT

    What I played of Escape from Butcher Bay was amazing. I never got to finish it b/c my XBOX died on me, and the game is not compatable with the 360 last time i checked. Definetly looking forward to Dark Athena.

  • twistedmalice

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 9:04 pm PT

    I think this game is going to be great. Actors doing the voices of the characters in the game. The gameplay looks awesome. The last game is a classic.

  • Yaslana

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 8:34 pm PT

    I think one of the reasons EfBB was so awesome was that they didn't try to copy the movies directly. Instead they took the characters and world and a little piece of backstory and expanded on that which really gave them free rein. Add to that great voice acting and come really unique game mechanics and the result was a truly sensational gaming experience.

    Here's hoping they back it up with this one. So far it looks most promising.

  • KnightsofRound

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 5:15 pm PT

    I can safely say from first-hand experience that Escape from Butcher Bay is an absolutely amazing game in every sense of the word, and I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever in my mind that Assault on Dark Athena will not be of the same caliber if not superior. Starbreeze is an incredibly talented development studio and I hope that this game finally gets the attention it deserves with this new single player campaign, and re-release/remake of the original.

    I should also note that I played Escape from Butcher Bay - Developer's Cut which was a significant improvement over an already amazing game, as I have played some of the original Xbox version, and while the original was an amazing game, what they managed to accomplish in a minimal amount of time porting the game to the PC absolutely blew my mind, so with several years of development time under their belts with this sequel/update I am absolutely ecstatic to see what they have been cooking up all this time.

  • Vividnightmare

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 4:22 pm PT

    Very cool, I loved Return to Butcher Bay and I agree that is was proof that Movie to Game converts CAN be done. Hope this keep to code with the first quality title, I wonder how many people realized that Diesel Studios also produced the game?....

  • oday2

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 4:22 pm PT

    'What, No Michael Biehn? He is the cream of the crop in the movie Aliens.'

    "I concur. The guy's a legend. I'm still crossing my fingers - albeit pessimistically - that he'll play the part of Solid Snake in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid movie."

    funny you should say that because micheal biehn is on the cover of the first metal gear game http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_Gear

  • mrchiledonut

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 2:26 pm PT

    docwoo, yeah ok. Uwe Boll's no good. But isn't it the other way around? You just said " Take THAT Uwe Boll!", while he makes movies off games, when Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay is based off the series of films. So technically Uwe Boll has nothing to do with it. Wait, ha ha. That was already pointed out, nevermind. Sorry.

  • Arkady_Husky

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 1:31 pm PT

    'What, No Michael Biehn? He is the cream of the crop in the movie Aliens.'

    I concur. The guy's a legend. I'm still crossing my fingers - albeit pessimistically - that he'll play the part of Solid Snake in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid movie.

  • SPYDER0416

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 1:25 pm PT

    Uwe Boll turns good games into crappy movies, not the other way around bro. I wouldn't be surprised though.

  • THGarrett

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 12:44 pm PT

    Looking good.

  • docwoo

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 12:30 pm PT

    Great news! The Chronicles of Riddick game was one of the best movie-based games of all-time and it just keeps getting better! Take THAT Uwe Boll!

  • TheKvazzy

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 12:18 pm PT

    cool more voice actors the better the game

  • Lostboy1224

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 12:09 pm PT

    What, No Michael Biehn? He is the cream of the crop in the movie Aliens.

  • scar4ever

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 11:43 am PT

    Awesome news!

  • jasonlc3221

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 9:29 am PT

    Of course, what I said was just an exaggeration, I know that Henrikson has been in way more movies than video games. Figured I would make it clear to everyone that I am fully aware of that, since way too many people take things way too literal on this site.

  • jasonlc3221

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 9:21 am PT

    Dang, Henriksen is probably making more money acting for games than he ever did acting in movies. This guy has voice-acted in SOOOO many games. Red Faction II and Mass Effect come to mind right away. I'm sure there are plenty more, just can't think of 'em off the top of my head right now.

  • Killingspree303

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 8:57 am PT

    The Riddick games is the way people should make movie games.

  • nappan

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 8:33 am PT

    Lance Henrickson is a great (if somewhat one dimensional) character actor, and no offense to the franchise I love... MUCH better than Diesel. As long as they add content; it's already clear they've rebuilt it from the ground up, so that takes care of graphics and other tech, it should be enough of a value to warrent a second purchase. Hell, I played the original quite a few times, it was quite compelling.

  • Dave_petrucci

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 6:13 am PT

    Frank Black is the man.

  • _iMMuNiTy_

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 2:50 am PT

    These trite and nonsensical titles that desperately try to employ world play confuse the hell out of me. I thought said actor was bashing the game. I remember when Gamespot posted, 'Burnout Paradise to crash PCs...' referring to the release of the franchise on PC. Seriously, GS, drop it. You look like complete idiots.

  • jim4604

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 12:52 am PT

    O and what I loved about Butcher's bay is that few people had high expectations for it. I mean realistically, I just assumed it would be a crappy adaptation of a movie which always end well...Somehow though, Starbreeze made this better than the movies. It was shocking honestly when I first heard it was a really good game, read reviews, and picked it up. low and behold it was a great game based after a movie. the near impossible just happened. hope Dark Athena keeps up the trend

  • jim4604

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 12:46 am PT

    damn dark athena and a remake of butcher's bay. good deal.

  • junglist101

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 9:46 pm PT

    No surprise. Butcher bay had some of the best voice acting I've heard in a game. I can't wait to get my hands on this!

  • giovanny131

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 5:00 pm PT

    nice

  • Flat_Line_____

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 4:38 pm PT

    Man, Lance Henrikson used to CREEP me out when I was a kid lol. But then again that was when I first saw him in movies like The Horror Show and Pumpkinhead. He usually does a pretty good job playing a bad guy, and his voice is unmistakable, perfect for voice-acting.

  • syafiqjabar

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 4:26 pm PT

    You guys forget that Xzibit is also pretty good in Butcher Boy. And Ron Perlman was also the lion-faced Vincent in the old TV series Beauty and The Beast, as well as roles in Cronos, Sleepwalkers, Quest for Fire, The City of Lost Children and Highlander The Series. His future projects include Guillermo del Toro's At The Mountain of Madness and possibly The Hobbit.

  • jtthegame316

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 3:45 pm PT

    maverick_76 i would say you was not bothered about playing the first one because if you really wanted to play it you would of got an xbox. real gamers don't care what brand name is on there consoles. I got original xbox but the when i saw shinobi and yakuza on ps 2 i wanted to play them so i brought a ps 2 to play them.

  • maverick_76

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 2:26 pm PT

    Ron Pearlman was really big in the late 80's, tailed off in the 90's and now is back in the limelight for the 2000's.

  • maverick_76

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 2:24 pm PT

    Man I hope this game is good, I never played the first because it was only on XBOX and I am a PlayStationite myself. At least I will rent this puppy.

  • CreatureRising

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 2:01 pm PT

    First game was fun. I always like Henriksen in always...good actor. But never heard of the other cast (Besides Diesel)

  • MuscleCarMan

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 1:58 pm PT

    first game rocked, i cant wait for this one.

  • cowmaster2k3

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 12:54 pm PT

    i cant wait for this game! The original Riddick was so surprisingly good.

    Can't wait to start achievement hunting on the new one!

  • PesmergaYuber

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 12:53 pm PT

    So what you're saying is, I get virtually Three Games in one with an all star cast and multiplatform? How can I NOT buy this game!

  • superman_34_99

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 11:37 am PT

    Its great to hear that more talented actors are lending their voices but Polybren could have repharsed the title better. I thought some actor was actually attacking the game.

  • Norgavue

    Posted Jan 24, 2009 10:28 am PT

    Nice. This just keeps looking up.

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