Neither game is without noticeable faults, but both are greater than the sum of their expertly paced parts.
Cons: …because it's so bad; Weak melee combat; Gunplay can be a bit brutal
Note: I did not play multiplayer for this game. I don't think most people are going to find it to be the make or break feature for this game, but in case you are that rare person, you will not find what you're looking for in this review.
It's only when you describe the situation of Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena that you realize how absurd it is. This is an HD rerelease/semi-sequel of a movie-based game from years ago; a game based on a movie largely deemed forgettable by most, and bad by the rest. The game, however, was not only good, but great enough to be deemed one of the best that year. And so, here we are, with an expansion to a game based on a forgettable movie three years after the original's release.
But hey, no complaints here, particularly since it's easy to see why Escape From Butcher Bay is so highly regarded. Few action-adventure games mix so many different styles so cohesively, let alone in the first person. In fact, it's tough to quite describe what the main genre would be for the game.
I'm going to go on a limb and say stealth. Perhaps not because it is the main category the game falls into, but because it's the one executed the best. Sneaking through the shadows is incredibly satisfying, reminiscent of the early Splinter Cell games, as well as the Thief series. You even get to climb all over boxes and handrails, giving flexibility to your movement. It's not a particularly deep system, with pretty clear solutions to the stealth puzzles, but don't take that to mean that sneaking isn't a great time. There is a feeling of tension at every moment while you wait for your opening, and then a moment of elation when you slip by completely undetected.
However, Chronicles of Riddick does far more than stealth, and likes to give you guns a lot. These parts play like any other first-person shooter, albeit one where you have frustratingly little health. At their best, the shooting segments are smartly used to punctuate a moment of heightened action or empowerment (such as when you get in a mech, and thus have armor). However, given that Riddick's health is clearly catered to a stealthy play style, just as often you find the shooting segments more annoying than anything. Nobody likes having to repeat a segment over and over memorizing every enemy's spawn location so they don't murder you with three well placed shots.
But at least the gunplay, like the stealth can be fun when applied properly. The same cannot be said about the melee combat system, which is simplistic, frustrating, and simply not enjoyable. Often at the beginning of Escape from Butcher Bay (and at a few random points throughout both games thereafter) you have to put up your dukes and fight mano a mano. What does fighting entail? Hold right click to block, and press left click to punch. Make sure you are always looking at the enemy and time your attacks correctly. That's it. It never gets any more interesting or complex than that. It only gets more frustrating as the enemies start using weapons that disrupt your blocking.
Weak melee combat and emphasis on frustrating gunplay are probably the reasons why Escape from Butcher Bay fails to captivate at first. Being honest, it was a struggle getting through the first couple hours of the game. But once the game gave me a few more empowering stealth options, I suddenly found it harder to stop playing. Once the game finds its identity and switches the weak elements (melee and gunplay) for the strong ones (stealth and gunplay where you DON'T die in four shots), then it gets much better. The pacing is truly good, and the different play styles are swapped with enough regularity to keep you on your toes.
Assault on Dark Athena can roughly have the same compliments and complaints lobbied against it. The difference here is that polished mechanics are emphasized over variety. This has the feeling of making the game feel a bit more repetitive, but honestly, the gameplay is a little less uneven for it, so it's hard to really say that it's worse so much as more forgettable. The game wastes less time getting you into the stealth groove and opens up sneaking a bit more, but ultimately switches to action in the end and starts undoing its goodwill.
Nonetheless, the second half of Escape from Butcher Bay and the first half of Assault on Dark Athena are excellent. This portion of the game is a true first person adventure in the style of games like Half-Life 2 or Bioshock, sans the polish of either title. And it's because of those well-executed parts of Chronicles of Riddick that I can recommend the entire package to action adventure fans, warts and all.