Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay

Reviewed by JON MINIFIE

Herald rating * * * * *

Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay arrives on a system that is already home to an assortment of quality shooters. It was created by a relatively unknown developer (Starbreeze Studios) and the game is based on a film that has been widely panned by critics. Yet somehow, despite its underdog status, there has been a buzz surrounding this title that has got louder since E3.

Chronicles of Riddick is based on the film of the same name, which predates the cult hit Pitch Black, and introduces fans to an earlier model of Vin Diesel's hard-wearing antihero Richard B. Riddick.

You play Riddick, guiding him as he tries to escape from a triple maximum security prison.

Visually, I was floored. From the real-time lighting and textured surfaces to the high-resolution and super-smooth animations, Chronicles of Riddick is a technical masterpiece.

The game uses normal mapping, the same technique used in Halo 2 and Far Cry. This allows the developers to use relatively low polygon count models that look much better than they should.

The result is that every character looks and moves like a person. All characters, even the most insignificant, have their own dialogue and voice talent.

As you might expect, life in triple max is no walk in the park. Your character is constantly drawn into fights with other inmates and guards. Fortunately, save points and med boosts are scattered throughout the 30 levels.

The weapons are initially little more than makeshift blades, pipes, clubs and the occasional handgun, although eventually you will find 15 weapons to battle as many as 20 enemy types.

The term Halo killer has been thrown about much too lightly and, having seen Chronicles of Riddick and being instantly blown away by it, I still believe the only thing that will kill Halo is Halo 2.

Nevertheless, if you are any kind of first person shooter fan and you have an Xbox, you should check out this game. It is one of the best console shooters around.

jon@tenthplanet.co.nz


Xbox, $109.95