I just finished playing and was pleasantly surprised by both the depth and the addictiveness of this new addition to the increasingly crowded field of FPS games for PC. It's hard to stand head and shoulders above the rest when there's sooo much hype over the mega-titles like Half-Life 2 or Doom III. I was especially surprised at the quality of game play on my somewhat modest gaming system (2.6 GHz P-IV, ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128 Mb, 256 MB RAM). And yet, I was even more surprised by the fact that this is a piece of movie merchandising. Normally, I'd avoid these spin-offs but the early positive reviews piqued my interest. The object of the game is, of course, to escape Butcher Bay, the triple-max-slam featured in the film, but the game is a pre-quel to the films, chronicling Riddick's arrival in prison. One never learns the exact nature of the crime that sent Riddick away which would have made for an improved introductory cut-scene IMO. After an early "dream sequence" that serves as a tutorial level, one is thrust into the filthy, ultraviolent, testosterone-quenched world of slam-life. The fight sequences are bloody and the foul language of the cons and the guards would make a sailor blush so it definitely earns its M-rating for content but the gore can be turned off in the setup screens. Most guards and prisoners can be engaged and there are several side-missions beyond the overall goal of escape. During the game you'll meet a motley bunch of personalities, including Abbott, the Slam Preacher (responsible for Riddick's most-useful eye surgery). Most combat in the game is not of the "break down the door with guns blazing" category. In this game, subtlety and sneakiness go a long way. The strategy reminds me a lot of the Hitman series. Your best bet before charging into battle is to survey all the surroundings and make the best use of cover, silence, and darkness. Speaking of darkness, the use of shadows is very good in this game. I played it at 1024x768 resolution and had no problems whatsoever with frame rate, stitching, or significant aliasing. Riddick's night-vision comes off a bit blurry by design but I don't see it as harming the game overall. Most experienced FPS players will probably want to start the game on the hardest difficulty level. At the top level, I found it much harder than Doom III. There are a few levels in the mine levels that are especially challenging. Weapons range from homemade shivs on up to mini-guns but as I mentioned earlier the key is to tread lightly. Successful game play requires careful balance of force, stealth, quick-thinking, and especially awareness of surroundings. Make plentiful use of shadows, climbing atop objects, and air-ducts for bypassing heavy defenses. There are one or two plot and game flaws that are very noticeable in the game play. These include a cut-scene that is apparently unviewable even if the sound can be heard and the game can continue, a handful few dopey guards that just don't seem to see you, and a section in the mines where the interaction between the prisoners and guards just didn't make sense to me. Overall, I found the game to be a good value at the price of $29 USD new (not hard to say when HL-2 debuted at nearly $70 USD and Doom III at nearly $50). Like Riddick, it will likely be eclipsed in the shadows of the mega-hits like HL-2 but should not be overlooked for those that like games that don't require a $500 video card or who don't have parents to buy them new games every month.
Other Helpful Reviews for The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay - Developer's Cut
Games based on movies tend to be rushed productions and, as a general rule, don't live up to the movies they're based on. Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay reverts that logic, it's an awesome game based on a... Read Full Review
It's rare to think of a crossover game rising to the expectations of the best a franchise had to offer. Let's face it, ever since E.T. arrived on the 2600, and almost took the gaming industry down in the process, expe... Read Full Review
