What don't we like?
What don't we like?
Escape from Butcher Bay doesn't look as good as we remember, even with a HD makeover. After you’ve finished playing the original game, Assault on Dark Athena is also a bit of a disappointment. When we heard that the sequel was being made we were expecting big things but it never really grabs you by the Kahunas and gets you as excited as the first time you played Butcher Bay. This is probably because it reuses many of the same features that were laid down by its predecessor five years ago and doesn’t even try to innovate through its gameplay or push the power of the Xbox 360 and PS3. Coupled with long loading times, which can interrupt the flow of the game, and the inconsistency in graphics, it does make the sequel feel like a last-gen game in places. The fact that the AI also seem to be less competent than the original makes the sequel seem less of a challenge to complete. The only real innovation is the multiplayer, but apart from the superb Pitch Black mode it does feel like it was tacked on at the last minute. We doubt we'll play it online for more than a couple of weeks despite the lure of new maps.
Conclusion
Assault of Dark Athena isn't as good as Escape from Butcher Bay; it is however still worth playing. If you haven’t experienced the first Riddick game then this two-game package is an absolute bargain, but even if you have you’ll be getting a brilliant first person shooter and a good first person shooter for the price of one.
VERDICT - 8/10
Release Date : 24 April, 2009.
HEXUS Awards
Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
