| Author | Andy Wade | |
| Overall |  |
9.0 |
| Gameplay | |
9.0 |
| Replay |  |
7.0 |
| Graphics | |
9.5 |
| Audio |  |
10.0 |
| Title: | The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (Developer’s Cut) |
| Publisher: | Vivendi Universal |
| Developer: | Starbreeze AB |
| Suggested Retail: | $29.95 USD |
| Buy TCoR now for $25.35 |
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Introduction – TCoR: Escape From Butcher Bay
Tigon Studios “The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay” is one of the most compelling, immersive first person shooters made to date, and is also easily one of the best games based on a movie license. Originally released for the Xbox, the game has recently been ported to the PC as a bargain priced “developers cut” version. Cutting edge graphics, a solid, well written story, and high quality voice acting all contribute to this powerhouse of a shooter.
A large part of the game’s quality can be attributed to Vin Diesel’s intimate involvement with the project. An active gamer himself, Diesel has taken a personal interest in interactive media based on his film properties. Not only did he do all the voice work for his character in the game, he founded his own game studio to oversee its development. The actual development of the game was done by the sweedish Starbreeze Studios. Tigon and Diesel helped manage the creative and story aspects of the game, making sure the experience stayed true to the Riddick universe.
This story is not simply a retelling of the events in the movie, it is rather a prequel, taking place several years prior. Many movie licensed games are simply pale reflections of their big-screen counterparts, often failing to capture the essence and details that made the movie a hit. Not so with Riddick, if anything, the game has more essence and detail than the movie. Players get to learn a lot of extra background story about the character, explaining some of the events in the films and creating a whole new episode in the story rather than simply rehashing through the same material. In this way, the movie and the game compliment and add value to each other. Hollywood would do well to pay attention to what Tigon has done here.
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Overview – TCoR: Escape From Butcher Bay
The visuals in TCoR are top notch. Crank up the detail settings and you’ll have eye candy as good as anything on the market today. The character models are well detailed and realistically animated. The main character is a practically photorealistic copy of Vin Diesel. Never has an actor been so fully physically realized in a game. When coupled with his voice, the effect is strikingly believable. Light and shadow behave realistically as they play across the environment’s rich textures, helping create an immersive atmosphere that feels gritty and grimy. The overall effect makes the player feel as though he or she is really in the prison. On the downside, most of the game’s environments are dark interior hallways, square rooms and ventillation shafts. This can feel generic and Doomish at times, and you will certainly not find any shortage of that FPS staple, the pile of big square boxes. So while the environments look great and fit the mood of the game perfectly, it’s a bit dissapointing not to see a bit more originality. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a sequel with some outdoor or urban sttings.
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Voice acting is another one of the game’s strong points. Diesel’s deep resonant voice helps bring Riddick to life. If fact, if it had not been Diesel’s voice, it simply wouldn’t have been the same game. Fans of the series would have immediately known this was not the real thing, and no other actor knows and cares about this character as well, or would be able to give the same kind of commitment to the performance. The entire cast of actors does an admirable job bringing vitality and character to the prisoners of Butcher Bay, making the experience that much more real and memorable.
The music and ambient sound are all excellent. The screams in the background, the hissing pipes, the thunderous gunfights, the frantic rhythm of melee combat and the wet thud of bodies hitting the floor are all dead on. The dynamic orchestral score adds to the excitement of the action and is comparable to the music you would expect to hear in a high budget action film.
Gameplay – TCoR: Escape From Butcher Bay
Gameplay in TCoR is a solid combination of tried and true FPS action and some innovative elements that keep things fresh and exciting. The camera will switch to a third person perspective when Riddick is climbing ladders, pulling himself up onto ledges and climbing across ceiling rungs hand over hand. Also, when you look down, you are able to see your own body, which is a nice touch of realism, as opposed to the standard “disembodied face” perspective in most FPS’s. These moments let you see your character cinematically and give him more of an identity in the game. You are not just some faceless space marine, you are always aware that you are Riddick.
This is not a game where you simply blast everything that moves. TCoR is populated with a large cast of characters you can interact with, do side missions for, or just eavesdrop on. The characters will wander around and have conversations with each other when they cross paths, and these dialogues are often genuinely humourous and flavorful. When you talk to someone, you will often be given a few dialogue choices, in a style reminiscent of simple RPGs. Characters will have tasks for you to complete in exchange for money, cigarettes, or other favors that may advance the plot. There are camera/gun turrets in many of the areas of the game, and fighting and carrying weapons is forbidden by the guards, so you will have to be careful where you pick fights, and know when to conceal your weapon. Much of the fighting you will do is hand to hand or with various shivs or clubs you find or buy off other characters. Melee combat is generally minimal and simplified in most FPS games, but in TCoR, brutal, close up violence is the heart of the game’s combat system, and it’s surprisingly well implemented. You can perform different attacks by using directional buttons as you strike, and it’s possible to pull off multi-hit combos not unlike a fighting game. You can also block when you need to recover from an attack, and if you time it correctly, you can catch your opponent’s thrust with one hand, then go in for a deadly throat attack with the other. Riddick can also grab a guard’s gun and force him to shoot himself in the chin. Fighting in TCoR is visceral, brutal, and grimly satisfying.
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There is also a stealth element in the game. You can hide behind a box while a guard walks past, sneak out behind him and cut his throat, then drag the body back into the shadows where it won’t draw suspicion. The AI is smart and realistic, and not frustratingly super-aware as in some stealth heavy games. Suspicious guards will stalk about, using their flashlights to search dark corners, but they won’t autmatically know your exact position. Sneaking is often an option, but it’s not always necessary to get through a particular area.
TCoR is not all brawling and stealthing about, however. There is a healthy amount of traditional blasting as well. You will find your token shotgun, pistol, and machinegun, and plenty of opportunity to use them. The game’s console roots are evident here as some of the weapons’ fire is not as precise as in other PC shooters. The shooting sequences are still quite entertaining and frantic, though pretty standard and unremarkable compared to current games in the genre.
Conclusion – TCoR: Escape From Butcher Bay
Overall, the game manages to keep up an interesting balance of sneaking, brawling, and good old fashioned firefights. The player will often have the option of solving problems with any of the above. You’ll find yourself stopping to think about exactly how and where you will dispatch a particular enemy, and that little challenge makes the game infinitely more interesting than simply blowing up everything in your path.
It will take a seasoned FPS player about ten hours to finish the game from start to finish, about par for the course these days. But they will all be enjoyable hours. this is an excellent game with high production values, rich atmosphere, and great attention to detail. My complaints are minor and few. There are some moments where the action drops off a bit, and it’s possible to get lost or run in circles occasionally looking for where to go next. One dark, futuristic corridor filled with stacks of boxes can look a lot like another. There is also one point in the game where you need to run back and forth between several areas that require a load time in order to finish some missions. Perhaps more efficient level design could have made that sequence more seamless. These minor problems will not be enough to keep you from playing, however. The well written story, cinematic presentation, excellent acting, and innovative combination of gameplay styles will keep you glued to your seat for the duration. It is worth noting this is an “M” rated game and deservedly so. This is a grim, bloody game, moreso than the film it’s based on, and therefore it is not for everyone. Those who enjoy dark and violent entertainment, however, will be pleased with the quality experience TCoR offers, and the bargain price of thirty bucks only sweetens the deal. If this is the kind of quality we can expect from Tigon Studios and Vin Diesel, it will be truly exciting to see what gaming projects they will be involved in next.
Rating: 9.0
- Highs: Great visuals, Excellent voice acting, Unique gameplay
- Lows: Somewhat generic environments and guns
- Who will Like it: FPS lovers, Fans of the Riddick movies, Vin Diesel fans
- Who will not: Your mom
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