Kudos. Kudos to all who made this game. Escape From Butcher Bay is one of the best games to be based on a movie franchise; in this case the Riddick franchise. It is simply incredible in every way in it's cinematic presentation and excellent voice acting.
Escape From Butcher Bay is a prequel to the films PB and COR, that explains the origins of the titular antihero Riddick(voiced EXCELLENTLY by Vin Diesel)as he attempts to escape from one of the galaxy's deadliest and brutal prisons. We learn more about Riddick; how he got his "eyeshine", his dealings with Johns, and introduces new characters into the Riddick universe while foreshadowing future events.
EFBB plays like many FPS, but unlike most of them, stealth plays a crucial role in your playing style. Going in guns blazin' will get you killed more than once as enemies are super intelligent and will duck behind cover, call reinforcements, or just bum-rush you with overwhelming numbers. And I gotta admit, this game is really challenging which is a good thing because playing on the easiest setting feels cheap and unworthy of a gamer.
This review is for the remastered version of the Xbox version released in 2004. Having not played the original, and being a fan of the Riddick universe, I bought this one along with the two films based on the character of Riddick. The result is a much improved and streamlined game that makes playing it a breeze with a smooth framerate and graphical enhancements with an equally great additional bonus Dark Athena. Dark Athena is a sequel to Butcher Bay and the plot developments transition very nicely into the 2nd game. Both stories give more insight into the Riddick character in more ways than one with new and compelling characters being introduced into the main narrative.
The narrative, along with the gritty visual atmosphere wouldn't be enough without a strong voice cast and both games have them in spades. Hearing Vin Diesel's gravelly voice Riddick gave me chills up my spine along with Cole Hauser's Johns. Their constant interactions make the game engrossing and just sucks you into the Riddick universe which is equally impressive with it's own technology, creatures, worlds, and culture. But it's a dark, brutal world where human life has no value and money, power, betrayal, violence and death reign supreme.
With all that said, the visual element, the variety in gameplay and the great story is what really sold me on Butcher Bay and Dark Athena. Though both games share some aspects in terms of gameplay, nevertheless, they compliment each other. The graphics are simply PHENOMENAL. I've never seen a game with this much attention to detail in years. You can almost feel the gritty, dark, grime of the prison complex; almost makes you want to take a long, hot shower after playing. It's THAT good. There are some glitches such as enemies freezing in place and some spotty AI but that should not keep you from enjoying BB and DA whatsoever.
I'd say Butcher Bay and Dark Athena captures the gritty aspect of Pitch Black moreso than The Chronicles Of Riddick(although the director's cut is much better). If any thing, Riddick is one of the most compelling characters in the sci-fi genre and I look forward to seeing more media based on the character. These two games are worthy of adding to your video game collection.
Escape From Butcher Bay is a prequel to the films PB and COR, that explains the origins of the titular antihero Riddick(voiced EXCELLENTLY by Vin Diesel)as he attempts to escape from one of the galaxy's deadliest and brutal prisons. We learn more about Riddick; how he got his "eyeshine", his dealings with Johns, and introduces new characters into the Riddick universe while foreshadowing future events.
EFBB plays like many FPS, but unlike most of them, stealth plays a crucial role in your playing style. Going in guns blazin' will get you killed more than once as enemies are super intelligent and will duck behind cover, call reinforcements, or just bum-rush you with overwhelming numbers. And I gotta admit, this game is really challenging which is a good thing because playing on the easiest setting feels cheap and unworthy of a gamer.
This review is for the remastered version of the Xbox version released in 2004. Having not played the original, and being a fan of the Riddick universe, I bought this one along with the two films based on the character of Riddick. The result is a much improved and streamlined game that makes playing it a breeze with a smooth framerate and graphical enhancements with an equally great additional bonus Dark Athena. Dark Athena is a sequel to Butcher Bay and the plot developments transition very nicely into the 2nd game. Both stories give more insight into the Riddick character in more ways than one with new and compelling characters being introduced into the main narrative.
The narrative, along with the gritty visual atmosphere wouldn't be enough without a strong voice cast and both games have them in spades. Hearing Vin Diesel's gravelly voice Riddick gave me chills up my spine along with Cole Hauser's Johns. Their constant interactions make the game engrossing and just sucks you into the Riddick universe which is equally impressive with it's own technology, creatures, worlds, and culture. But it's a dark, brutal world where human life has no value and money, power, betrayal, violence and death reign supreme.
With all that said, the visual element, the variety in gameplay and the great story is what really sold me on Butcher Bay and Dark Athena. Though both games share some aspects in terms of gameplay, nevertheless, they compliment each other. The graphics are simply PHENOMENAL. I've never seen a game with this much attention to detail in years. You can almost feel the gritty, dark, grime of the prison complex; almost makes you want to take a long, hot shower after playing. It's THAT good. There are some glitches such as enemies freezing in place and some spotty AI but that should not keep you from enjoying BB and DA whatsoever.
I'd say Butcher Bay and Dark Athena captures the gritty aspect of Pitch Black moreso than The Chronicles Of Riddick(although the director's cut is much better). If any thing, Riddick is one of the most compelling characters in the sci-fi genre and I look forward to seeing more media based on the character. These two games are worthy of adding to your video game collection.