Product Description

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena brings the hit first-person shooter to a new generation of consoles. The action-packed game, a hi-definition re-imagined version of The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, Assault on Dark Athena features an entirely new chapter in the Riddick Saga and for the first time, intense online multiplayer combat.

The Chronicles of Riddick series of games takes the player deeper into the universe of Universal Pictures' films The Chronicles of Riddick and cult classic Pitch Black, which first introduced Vin Diesel as enigmatic anti-hero Riddick. In Assault on Dark Athena the player takes the role of Riddick using stealth and action to overcome the merciless crew of the predatory Merc-ship Dark Athena which awaits its prey in the dark reaches of space. Cheating death through a series of spectacular battles and events, Riddick will fight for his life amid a storm of malevolence and horror.

• Multiple forms of combat: Unique blend of first-person range and melee combat with stealth kills and counter-attacks.
• Atmospheric and cinematic first person shooter: Great story telling in Sci-Fi environments handled with AAA Hollywood treatment for an immersive journey through Vin Diesel's blockbuster universe.
• Multiplayer modes: Variety of fast-paced multiplayer and online options available for the first time in the Riddick franchise.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #899 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Atari
• Released on: 2009-04-24
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Platform: Xbox 360
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish
• Dimensions: .25 pounds

Customer Reviews

Started well
Butcher bay in this is basically the same as it was the last time (assuming you played it the last time), bar a few graphical upgrades. I still enjoyed this part since I loved it on the xbox and couldn't get it on my 360. If you haven't played Butcher Bay before then this game is worth getting.
Dark Athena starts extremely promisingly, with the sneaky sections as good as ever, and the close combat being very well weighted, like your actually doing the fighting, as opposed to waving fists at things until the bad people fall over. You can't pick up the weapons since they are attached to the drones, however you can remain stationary and use their guns, useful for breaking glass or getting a quick upper hand on a few enemies. This bit of the game was the part I found the most fun, and the ulaks were simply amazing to use! The problem comes when you start to pick up weapons, at that point it just becomes another shooter, instantly changeable with many other games out there. Sure you can still do the sneaking stuff a bit, but usually it's far easier just to gun down the opposition, and the game felt weaker for this.
Then there was the planet level, a gun that shoots mines that you can trigger yourself was a great fun for a bit, and I had fun shooting boxes round and things like that, but the spider things were pretty annoying. An enemy that's quite small, hard to see, and can gun you down in about a second if your not careful? It felt more like trial and error, memorizing where they were and progressing through. Overall this campaign felt like it started well, but steadily fell in both enjoyment and quality.

Multiplayer was something i was looking forward to, until the thought occurred that many of the weapons are rapid fire weapons. To be honest the multiplayer was not enjoyable, for me at least, except pitch black mode. The problem there was that it was great for whoever is playing as Riddick, and awful for everyone else. I'm not going to give the multiplayer another look, and I was extremely surprised to see how many of the achievements are for it, and how much they expect you to do on it.

Overall this game is still great fun, Butcher Bay is a bit dated but I enjoyed it and you might too, Assault on Dark Athena is great at first, and while not as good later on, it's still enjoyable, and the multiplayer is best avoided really.
If you played Butcher Bay and liked it, you should at least rent it, if only to see what the new one is like. If you didn't play it, then I heartily recommend this!

Disappointing and slow
After thoroughly enjoying the first Riddick game I eagerly pre-ordered this new instalment.

My initial impression was it isn't as "polished" as the first, unfortunately my opinion continued to erode.

It is very slow, and the whole game (at least the hours I've played for) are in near darkness (even with his magic eyes). Its also "buggy" causing you to be uncertain if you are stuck on a level due to a bug, or that you've missed something. I've just played for an hour - I can't move forwards or backwards and am left completely bewildered what to do now. I've restarted it a few times spending 30 minutes to get back to the same point but no further - the game has now reached my "give up on it" point.

If you are my age (36), have a busy job, and have the occasional evenings to chill out and have a play on your xbox - this isn't the game for you, it leaves you frustrated with a feeling you've achieved very little (if anything) after hours of play.

The second best xbox game comes to the 360
The best xbox game was Halo. The second best was Chronicles of Riddick - Escape from Butcher Bay. (I'm not sure about a third, I really liked Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath, very different).

Unlike most games based on films which are risible, this game was actually better than the films. The atmosphere is cracking - the portrayal of a desolate, gothic prison of the future is spot on and really reminds me of the best days of 2000AD. The game is also very varied - it's not all run-and-gun, there are puzzles, stealth elements, mazes etc. It encapsulates the best of many other games and adds to them.

It also succeeds because there is no single dominant weapon. Some games tire quickly because you only need one dominant weapon, or all the weapons are equally dull (e.g. F.E.A.R.). Here, you sometimes get to use a machine gun, but equally have to make do with fists, shivs, nail guns etc.

My only disappointment was the penultimate stage which was set in an ultra-modern complex which jarred with the grimy feel of the game.

Also worth noting is the quality voice overs. Vin Diesel is perfect, but there are other notable actors like Michael Rooker too (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer).

Overall, a brilliant game which I have longed to play on my 360 but it wasn't compatible. Now I see why, it was being revamped and overhauled to play even better.

I can't wait!


------- UPDATE -------

Playing Riddick - Butcher Bay - on the 360, I am again loving it. I don't understand the criticisms people are making. EFBB is still 10 times better than similar games that are overhyped. I hated virtually every minute of Gears of War and F.E.A.R., for instance. EFBB is STILL hands-down better than just about any other FPS - it brilliantly combines various styles and genres such as stealth, first person shoot-em-up, puzzle solving, platforms, race-against-time etc like no other. The weapons are interesting and varied as well - nothing is too powerful and you lose and gain weapons througout. The different stages are challenging and clever too. The atmosphere and gameplay immersion are outstanding. I still think it peters out slightly towards the end as there is less interaction with other inmates and the gleaming modern levels don't have the interest of the grimy prison. But the level design and stages are STILL some of the most ingenious and interesting ever made.

The new version looks excellent to me, maybe not as detailed as other HD releases tho it looked outstanding on the xbox to begin with. I would have liked more detail in the prison such as posters and more graffiti on the walls. Yes the lip-synching is poor, but this really doesn't bother me.

Overall EFBB remains an all-time classic, up there with Halo 1.

However, I do agree that Athena is not up to EFBB (a hard ask). It is not as involving, less well designed and not as sophisticated in terms of which weapons you get to use. I also agree that the constant swearing is unnecessary and very offputting. In EFBB the violence was graphic and the language coarse, but it fitted the environment and wasn't overdone. In Athena the setting isn't as interesting and the storyline is less involving. Still, absolutely worth the price if only for EFBB.