The FPS that isn't quite an FPS (in a good way)...
Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay is a game that does something that no game before has ever done, it actually makes me want to watch a Vin Diesel movie. From beginning to end, this is one of the Xbox's most engrossing and best looking experiences, period.
The player is the role of Riddick, the macho sci-fi tough guy from the "Pitch Black" universe of films. Riddick begins the game captured and taken to the intergalactic prison called "Butcher Bay". From the outset the gameplay, set in this outer space prison, seems fresh, even if some of it fits the standard FPS standards like a glove. It introduces a cast of interesting cons, corrupt guards, an even more corrupt warden, and wraps it all in a stealthy sci-fi environment. Like "Oz" meets "Aliens 3".
The game's positives are many, but it's graphics and sound are probably it's biggest draws. This game really looks and sounds like a labor of love for Starbreeze. Everything within has a VERY dark and gritty feel, but at the same time it carries an odd sense of beauty. The lighting and filter effects are something that blows the mind and, even in the current choke hold of "next gen", it's a game that still doesn't have many peers in the audio/visual department.
The gameplay is different in the fact that it presents itself as a typical FPS, but throws a curve ball when you realize that the game is actually about 80% stealth and hand-to-hand combat and about 20% of it is standard FPS fare. The bigger plus is that they all work alarmingly well. Bluish visual filters and a night vision filter cue the player as to how effectively they are hidden and it works fantastically. Throw in the other fact that the game has no on screen HUD and you've got a game that seems to be about 3 years ahead of it's time in the "immersive" category.
The storyline also never seems forced or contrived. Tasks and mission actually seem to have meaning and momentum and I never really got the sense that I was having to do the same things over and over or that the game was trying to artificially stretch the experience. There is a "collect the hidden packs of smokes" element to the game, but the rewards are minimal and they are never setup as a roadblock to achieving the goal of the level.
All in all this is a VERY solid game. A must buy for Xbox owners and anyone who wants something different in an FPS other than "run and gun". Even if you hate Vin Diesel, you should give this one a chance. It will surprise you. I hate Vin Diesel and it still surprised the hell out of me.
+Great audio/visual presentation
+Fresh and fun content for an FPS
+Makes you like Vin Diesel
-On the short side
The player is the role of Riddick, the macho sci-fi tough guy from the "Pitch Black" universe of films. Riddick begins the game captured and taken to the intergalactic prison called "Butcher Bay". From the outset the gameplay, set in this outer space prison, seems fresh, even if some of it fits the standard FPS standards like a glove. It introduces a cast of interesting cons, corrupt guards, an even more corrupt warden, and wraps it all in a stealthy sci-fi environment. Like "Oz" meets "Aliens 3".
The game's positives are many, but it's graphics and sound are probably it's biggest draws. This game really looks and sounds like a labor of love for Starbreeze. Everything within has a VERY dark and gritty feel, but at the same time it carries an odd sense of beauty. The lighting and filter effects are something that blows the mind and, even in the current choke hold of "next gen", it's a game that still doesn't have many peers in the audio/visual department.
The gameplay is different in the fact that it presents itself as a typical FPS, but throws a curve ball when you realize that the game is actually about 80% stealth and hand-to-hand combat and about 20% of it is standard FPS fare. The bigger plus is that they all work alarmingly well. Bluish visual filters and a night vision filter cue the player as to how effectively they are hidden and it works fantastically. Throw in the other fact that the game has no on screen HUD and you've got a game that seems to be about 3 years ahead of it's time in the "immersive" category.
The storyline also never seems forced or contrived. Tasks and mission actually seem to have meaning and momentum and I never really got the sense that I was having to do the same things over and over or that the game was trying to artificially stretch the experience. There is a "collect the hidden packs of smokes" element to the game, but the rewards are minimal and they are never setup as a roadblock to achieving the goal of the level.
All in all this is a VERY solid game. A must buy for Xbox owners and anyone who wants something different in an FPS other than "run and gun". Even if you hate Vin Diesel, you should give this one a chance. It will surprise you. I hate Vin Diesel and it still surprised the hell out of me.
+Great audio/visual presentation
+Fresh and fun content for an FPS
+Makes you like Vin Diesel
-On the short side
