| The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay | | | | shock. This stopped gamers from shooting guns that |
| made its debut on the Xbox back in June of 2004. | | | | the opponents had. There was a limited array of |
| The video game was a prequel to the Pitch Black | | | | weapons at your disposal. Handguns, machine guns, |
| movie from 1999, and the game was a first person | | | | and shotguns were mostly being used in the game. |
| shooter (ala Halo, Halo 2, Halo 3). It revolved around | | | | The audio in the game was absolutely amazing. It had |
| the arrogant and fearless Richard Riddick (also known | | | | the best voice acting I have ever seen in an Xbox |
| as Vin Diesel). The storyline in the game was fairly | | | | video game. Every prisoner that was held captive had |
| self-explanatory. Gamers were in control of the | | | | their own mannerisms. The game did a brilliant job of |
| protagonist (Riddick) throughout the duration of the | | | | implementing the music to compliment the swift and |
| game, and he was captured by a bounty hunter | | | | chaotic gameplay. The graphics in the game were |
| named Johns. Furthermore, Riddick was sent to a | | | | truly exemplary for its time. All of the environments |
| maximum security prison known as Butcher Bay and | | | | from the prison to the characters looked stunning. |
| attempts to escape the harsh prison. The gameplay | | | | Vin Diesel really looked like Vin Diesel. The prison itself |
| made the game stand out more than other games in | | | | feels like a hectic and claustrophobic environment |
| the first person shooter genre during its time. For | | | | (which was exactly what a prison should feel like). I |
| one thing, players can regenerate their health (ala | | | | have not been this flabbergasted from a video |
| Wolverine from X-Men) by squatting for a short | | | | game's visuals since Doom and Quake 4. The artificial |
| period of time. Gamers can also take full advantage | | | | intelligence was excellent. Enemies will take cover, |
| of Riddick's vision mode that enables him to see | | | | and they will strive to flank you from a variety of |
| more transparently in the dark (putting players in an | | | | angles. For example, turning on a flashlight will give |
| advantageous situation). The game can go from a | | | | away your current location. They are more vigilant |
| clandestine stealth game to a full blown eradicate | | | | that your average first person shooter foes that you |
| anything and everything that moves game | | | | will encounter. The game was a first person shooter |
| instantaneously. The most revolutionary aspect of | | | | that did not coerce gamers into accomplishing tasks |
| the gameplay had to be the hand to hand fight | | | | they did not want to do. A few minor flaws with the |
| sequences. It was rudimentary but entertaining at the | | | | game was the lack of a actual heads up display, |
| same time. All of Riddick's attacks literally packs a | | | | multiplayer, and the extended load times. The |
| punch. Attacking and blocking had responsive controls | | | | absence of a targeting reticule made the game more |
| and provided an immersive ambiance; moreover, | | | | arduous than it needed to be, and it was a hassle not |
| Riddick could execute various counter attack | | | | knowing how much ammunition was left in your |
| maneuvers. The most visceral of these attacks was | | | | weapon. Many gamers will be flustered with the |
| to force an adversary to shoot himself. | | | | somewhat prolonged load times. Having no multiplayer |
| Chronicles of Riddick has a gameplay feature that | | | | really decreases the replay value of the game. This |
| prevents Riddick from utilizing certain weapons. This | | | | was also hurt by the fact that the game had merely |
| may seem gratuitous, but it was integrated into the | | | | ten hours of gameplay. Fortunately, the game was |
| game perfectly. For instance, the assault rifles that | | | | engrossing enough that it will entice gamers to play |
| guards had equipped had a distinctive DNA fingerprint | | | | through it more than once. Overall, the game was a |
| system. When Riddick tried to fire a weapon that | | | | dark and gritty gaming experience than first person |
| was unauthorized, he would receive an electrical | | | | shooter fans will acclaim. |