The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena Review

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.