The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher bay is one movie to video game title that's worth your time. Technically, the game sports the best graphics yet and the gameplay is actually great. Even if you've never witnessed any other media in the Riddick line, you must play this game.
The game is a unique blend of FPS and adventure, somewhat like Metroid Prime. You control Riddick via the dual analog support as in most FPS games. The controls work out very well. The shooting part is nothing new but it is well done. What sets the combat apart is the melee fighting. For about half of the game, you will only face melee combat. You will use attacks such as punches or various weapons you find. By using the attack button along with joystick directions, you can do different attacks and combos. For most of the game, you're based around a prison where you can interact with other prisoners. You will have to talk to them to get info, items as well as side-objectives which nab you money or items. Throughout the game you will be faced with some challenging situations which require quick thinking about whether you should attack or stealthily avoid fighting. This game may seem open ended but is very linear. There are a few problems though. The AI can be just plain stupid at times. There are some cases where your objectives aren't clear. The game itself is rather short, about 10-14 hours on average. You can unlock game artwork and stills from the movie, but they're nothing worth viewing. Replay is also hurt because of the lack of a multiplayer mode.
The game is graphically impressive. The art isn't the best but technologically, this is way ahead of it's time. The character model and levels are all very impressive. The shadows and lighting is absolutely beautiful. The night vision feature is very nice. The few complaints about the graphics would be that while using the night vision, the reflections (in completely dark areas) are rather annoying. Also, there are surface break ups where it you can see difference between two separate polygons.
Sound is excellent. The sound is always on sync. The effects and voice acting a top of the line work. The only thing is that the music isn't that great.
I never saw any of the Riddick related movies, animations, comics or whatever. This is my first experience in the Riddick universe. And I'm guessing that's the reason why I didn't enjoy the story. The story made no sense at all.
Final words: One of the best looking games on the Xbox and definitely worth having in any collection.
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