The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay

Butcher Bay is known as the toughest prison this side of hell. Maybe it is. But even that horrific place is not prepared for the wrecking crew unleashed within its walls – a wrecking crew in the form of Richard B. Riddick.

The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay is the product of Starbreeze Studios developers and Vivendi Universal Games, and is a first-person shooter for the Xbox. It mirrors the upcoming Vin Diesel movie, The Chronicles of Riddick, and even has Diesel doing the voice work for the lead character in the game. 

“Vin was involved in some of the game design, as well as some of the story and dialogue,” the design team stated. “Vin brought in some of the arena fighting ideas.”

This is a game that is all about fighting, though stealth can play a bit of a role. The game actually takes place prior to the time frame of the movie. The goal of the game is simple – escape from this prison. To do that, players will have to work through the levels, engage in arena matches, take out guards and other NPCs, and use a combination of reflexive gameplay and wits to conquer the challenges in front of them.

Game features include:

• Ultra-realistic three-dimensional environments that push the technology envelope

• A game design that implements first-person shooter action, with cutaway third-person events and hand-to-hand combat elements

• Use of actors for characters within the game, such as Cole Hauser, Kristen Lehman, and Willis Burks II

• An arsenal of weaponry from shivs, clubs and brass knuckles to assault rifles and a minigun

The game will feature Dolby 5.1 audio support, full rag-doll physics, and the bleeding-edge technology of Normal Mapping that allows the engine to render light and shadow on a flat textured surface as if it were complex 3D geometry.

The audio elements were solid, though Diesel’s voice work seemed to be a little understated at times. But graphically this game was exceptional.

As stated, the game will ask players to use more than brawn. The guards weapons are DNA encoded and trying to use them can be devastating – unless you can implement your DNA into the system to ‘unlock’ the ability to use that weaponry. Riddick also has some special abilities, such as “eye shine” which enables him to see without the need of ambient light. This is particularly effective for working in the dark.

Riddick has the promise of a first-rate shooter with something extra that will lull in players who want a little more action outside of the target-and-shoot style of play.

This game should release in June and will carry an “M” rating for mature content.

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