The Chronicles of Ridd ick: Assault on Dark Athena (360/PS3)

[Cyros]

Re: The Chronicles of Ridd ick: Assault on Dark Athena (360/PS3)

Juvenile account -_-. I tried to upgrade my account this morning because I finally got tired of having to wait a week for demos I should access to right away. Unfortunately Microsoft said my card was invalid.

[The C]

Re: The Chronicles of Ridd ick: Assault on Dark Athena (360/PS3)

It's a smaller file than I thought it would be.

i bet you hear that a lot!

Anyways, I enjoyed the short demo.

[mizzta21]

Re: The Chronicles of Ridd ick: Assault on Dark Athena (360/PS3)

goes with the saying "If it aint broke, dont fix it" well, this game is the epitome of that saying. feels like the first game that was on xbox. and thats a good thing!

[goh]

Re: The Chronicles of Ridd ick: Assault on Dark Athena (360/PS3)

Not a fan of the health system,don't know why I can only move side to side while using a drone gun and I got lost 3 times but otherwise enjoyable.

[The C]

Re: The Chronicles of Ridd ick: Assault on Dark Athena (360/PS3)

Not a fan of the health system,don't know why I can only move side to side while using a drone gun and I got lost 3 times but otherwise enjoyable.

I like the health system. It surpasses games' like Halo or Call of Duty where you are invincible if you hide long enough.

The reason you can only move side to side with the drone gun is because the gun is attached to the drone. If you look, Riddick picks up the drone's body and uses it as a shield while firing.

There is an assault rifle that you can find that works exactly like the drone gun.

[Pappy Knuckles]

Re: The Chronicles of Ridd ick: Assault on Dark Athena (360/PS3)

I actually played through the first game twice. That's something that I very rarely do. If it's anything like the first one I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

[goh]

Re: The Chronicles of Ridd ick: Assault on Dark Athena (360/PS3)

I'd rather be invincible then constantly dying in one hit. Only get one square back when you start again and when I found the health pod thing it only added 2 squares.

I know he picks up the drone but still don't see why that means you can't move forward or at least backwards. I found the assault rifle and shotgun too.

[Goffs]

Re: The Chronicles of Ridd ick: Assault on Dark Athena (360/PS3)

played a little bit of it this morning...then stopped, i think i will wait for the whole version to play through it...

[Flawless]

Re: The Chronicles of Ridd ick: Assault on Dark Athena (360/PS3)

Short demo and doesn't really showcase what made the original so great; skulking, melee combat, and atmosphere. There's some melee combat in the demo, but it's still mostly shooting with a drone. It also assumes you have played Butcher Bay or remember how melee works, because there's no explanation for attacks, counters, and stealth kills. Multiplayer doesn't look like it's going to be that great judging by that video when you quit, but I was always most excited to play an HD remake of Butcher Bay and the new campaign. It's a definite purchase for me, but as a demo trying to sell somebody on it that didn't play Butcher Bay, it could have been a lot better. I'm big fan of Starbreeze's games and I just want to see them finally get the due they deserve commercially.

[Behindshadows]

Re: The Chronicles of Ridd ick: Assault on Dark Athena (360/PS3)

I thought the demo sucked and yes it was too short. Overall graphics are decent and it's too dark at times. But overall decent game, will purchase on sale but not on day one.

[Flawless]

Re: The Chronicles of Ridd ick: Assault on Dark Athena (360/PS3)

Developer Diary

The Chronicles of Riddick developer Starbreeze explains how they went from polishing an old title to creating an entirely new game in this first developer diary for Assault on Dark Athena.

Swedish developer Starbreeze obviously loves the Riddick property, and not just because the first game, Escape from Butcher Bay, put them on the map. They seem to truly get the franchise, perhaps on a deeper level than movies' writer David Twohy does, as evidence by the second movie in the franchise. Witness their love for the Riddick character transform an update to their original Xbox title into the full-fledged sequel we'll be getting our hands on in April.

<embed src="http://blip.tv/play/gpk28oAmjflk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="382" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>


The HD remake of Butcher Bay looks great.

[Candyman5]

Re: The Chronicles of Ridd ick: Assault on Dark Athena (360/PS3)

The one multiplayer mode looked fun called Pitch Black I think.

[Flawless]

Re: The Chronicles of Ridd ick: Assault on Dark Athena (360/PS3)

IGN Review - 7.4

The real shame is that Escape from Butcher Bay did something new and unexpected for a movie-licensed game (and FPS), but Assault on Dark Athena does nothing new at all. It just attempts to ape what was once innovative. What's lost is the spirit of Butcher Bay. The story is bad, the enemies cliché, and the action far more shooter-oriented than Athena's stealth-heavy predecessor.

There are parts of Assault on Dark Athena that I liked a lot and that reminded me of the best elements of Escape from Butcher Bay, but most of the experience was, frankly, boring. Sure, Dark Athena doubles the single-player game clock when added on to Butcher Bay's 6-8 hours, but I'd rather have just played through Escape from Butcher Bay twice than slog through this mediocre sequel.

Looking forward to more reviews, but reading this makes me sad.

[Salhus]

Re: The Chronicles of Ridd ick: Assault on Dark Athena (360/PS3)

IGN Review - 7.4



Looking forward to more reviews, but reading this makes me sad.

damnit

[Flawless]

Re: The Chronicles of Ridd ick: Assault on Dark Athena (360/PS3)

Game Informer Review - 9.5

Many of the gamers I talk to have never played the original Xbox title Escape from Butcher Bay that anchors this value-packed release. With Dark Athena releasing on all high-powered consoles, there is absolutely no excuse not to play this incredible game.

The remastered Butcher Bay looks better than most new titles out today and the gameplay still feels fresh after all these years. The generous mix of stealth and action gameplay still works brilliantly. Whether you’re working prison politics in your favor, upsetting the system from the shadows, shivving a fellow inmate, or experiencing one of the explosive action sequences, you will feel like the baddest dude in a place full of bad dudes. Aside from the snazzy presentation, the bonus mech level from the PC “Developer’s Cut” is back in. Butcher Bay does show its age in the inconsistent lip-synching and occasional unhidden loading screens (the second prison yard is the worst offender by far). Even though players can easily skip to the Dark Athena content if they choose, Riddick veterans and rookies alike really should start out here.

Assault on Dark Athena picks up right where the first game leaves off, with Riddick’s ship pulled in by the tractor beam of the massive and menacing ship Athena. Here you’ll trade the confines of prison for the corridors of a starship. Captain Revas, the first of many female characters debuting in the Riddick game universe, is the primary antagonist of this more than 10-hour campaign. Her ship is full of mercs and drones, which are former humans whose insides have been replaced with electronics that allow remote control (yes, you get to pilot these guys eventually).

Of course, there’s plenty of sneaking around in the dark, and Riddick’s new curved Ulak blades provide an efficient slice and dice takedown. All of the old weapons have been visually redesigned and the new SMG blends in nicely. The most drastic addition to your arsenal, however, is the SCAR gun that appears later in the game. This allows you to shoot out up to five mines with the right trigger and detonate them simultaneously with the left. Not only does this provide some amusing antagonism toward enemy troops, but it’s also cleverly incorporated into a few tense boss battles.

Once again, you’re never doing the same thing for long. You’ll platform up a towering wall while avoiding a spotlight, fight the toughest guy on the ship hand to hand, go outside for a spacewalk, and chat up the ship’s prisoners who are in line for drone conversion. These characters, and Revas for that matter, all come to life through excellent voice acting and lifelike animation. The second half of Dark Athena places Riddick in unfamiliar territory – sunlight. The bright and open level designs change the rules significantly and provide some thrilling moments, but I prefer the earlier ship sections overall. Plus, those damn spider turrets drive me nuts!

Multiplayer is closest to Unreal Tournament in flavor (complete with tough-voiced narrator) and includes standards like deathmatch, capture the flag, and close quarters arena matches. And Butcher Bay Riot pits three teams against each other for control of a power cell. All of these match types are entirely solid, but Pitch Black mode is the only one that captures the unique Riddick gameplay. Up to five players pursue Riddick in total darkness with only their flashlights to guide them. The Riddick player can see in the dark and kills up close with his Ulaks. Although the Riddick role is constantly shifting, it’s still quite fun to be on either side of the flashlight. Consider it one more reason to buy one of the year’s best deals in gaming.

Second Opinion - 9.25

This Chronicles of Riddick collection is similar to Valve’s Orange Box, in that it offers two fully featured games, plus an outstanding Pitch Black multiplayer mode that joins the two. The first game, Escape From Butcher Bay, is an enhanced port of the Xbox/PC game released in 2004. Like a fine wine, this title has gotten better with time. The new character models, atmospheric lighting, and subtle gameplay tweaks go a long way in lifting up the gameplay – whether it’s lurking in the shadows for a kill, beating the snot out of a prisoner for a pack of smokes, or launching rockets at guards from the cushy seat of a mech. The lifeless banter between characters is the only aspect that still retains a classic feel. The second game, Assault on Dark Athena, is a direct sequel that retains the conceptual basis of original game of Riddick fleeing a prison colony, yet shows significant growth in its level designs and pacing. The solutions to puzzles are not as obvious (think Half-Life 2), and new jaw dropping ideas are continually introduced into the gameplay mix. Dark Athena also offers this franchise’s most riveting narrative (yes, I think it’s better than Pitch Black). Basically, picture what would happen to Star Trek’s Borg if they crossed paths with the universe’s most ruthless killer.