The Chronicles of Riddick Review (Xbox) By zer0$kill

Review

9 / 10
26 Aug 2004 at 11:02

The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay is easily one of the most outstanding games this year for the Xbox. It's packed with style, variety, and a cinematic flair that could only come from a game of this calibre.

The first thing you notice about Riddick is that is has amazing graphics. Thanks to normal mapping, dynamic lighting and ragdoll physics, this is the best looking Xbox game ever and I could go so far to say that it competes with even the latest PC games in visual quality.

The interface is excellent also. If you have no gun in your hands, you see absolutely no interface. When you have a gun, the bullet count is displayed on the barrel, and you aim with a laser sight. Your health is only shown when it comes under assualt. This adds greatly to the immersion factor. However, graphics are only part of the package.

The gameplay is innovative and varied, so this game couldn't be branded as just a first-person shooter. No, in fact, it is an FPS, a stealth action game, and a fighter. All of these elements are seemlessly blended together, and no matter what you do, Riddick makes you feel like a badass. You can sneak up behind guards and snap their necks, or turn their own guns on them. Or, if you have a rifle or shotgun, you can blast away, in awe of the intensity. There are also sequences when you can just explore the prison and talk to prisoners, and you can even take little quests for money or weapons. The variety of gameplay here is really Riddicks best point.

One of my complaints about the game is that some of the stealth parts are composed of a lot of trial and error, and I found myself reloading sections over and over until I found an alternate path past the enemies. This is the only negative thing I could think of apart from perhaps at around 10 hours for game length it is a little short.

In Summary:

Highs - Jaw-dropping graphics; excellently developed and varied gameplay; a truly cinematic experience.

Lows - The stealth sections rely on trial and error a little too much.

Bottom Line - At the very least, rent this game. It is one of the finest Xbox titles to date.

Score - 9 / 10