Chronicles of Riddick

Surprise! That was our reaction when we got our hands on Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. An imaginative, entertaining and great-looking first-person shooter from developer Starbreeze Studios and Vivendi Universal Games, Riddick blew us away not just by beating its modest expectations, but beating many other great games in the process. Though Splinter Cell may be unappreciated on the PC, Riddick is the true gem that slipped under everyone’s radar!

Riddick is set in the Chronicles of Riddick/Pitch Black universe and ties the two movies together, being an active and major part of the story. Vin Diesel leant his voice to the game and there is tons of dialogue. The game centers around Riddick and his attempt to bust free of Butcher Bay, the most secure prison known to man. The player has puzzles to solve, people to talk to, thugs to beat into submission with his fists, and guards to shank. Oh, and along the way you rumble around the prison in a mecha.

Like Sam Fisher, Riddick is an entertaining character. He’s not nearly as “real”, being too much of a geek macho fantasy, but there’s enough substance in him to drive the game forward. His interactions with his captor, with the warden, the guards and the inmates are always amusing. Though it may be cheesy, there’s an undeniable sense of satisfaction of being a character who’s so cool that nothing fazes him. The story feels rushed at times, but it’s still a strong point of the game.

Where Riddick really shines, if you pardon the pun, is in the stealth element. Entertaining enough at the beginning of the game, it takes on a whole new element once Riddick acquires his shine eyes – or ability to see in the dark. They’re both a blessing and a curse, since having the glasses off during bright sections is blindingly bright.

Though not as visually impressive as it was at the beginning of the year, with the shiny bump maps aging particularly poorly, Riddick is still an impressive treat and easy on the system requirements to boot. A more significant technological accomplishment are the large levels with only a few loading points. Riddick is able to backtrack if he needs, which occurs every now and then as he needs to talk to certain characters or acquire a special item. Though there is no save option, the autosave is constantly in action and generously used.

The puzzle solving is refreshing for not being overly difficult, gamey or obvious. Riddick’s puzzles are problems that he faces that he cannot solve with his fists alone. Butcher Bay’s combat is not up to the high standards of a Call of Duty or Quake title, but what it lacks in refinement it makes up for with variety. There are fistfights, melee weapons, stun guns, a variety of lethal weapons and of course the armored suit. In this, the combat is much like the rest of the game – varied.

Riddick should be available for cheap and if you’ve missed it thus far, it’d be a great stocking stuffer to ask for. I cannot name another first-person shooter with as much rough charm and variety that’s been released recently.