I’d like to make one thing perfectly clear up front: I was absolutely crazy about the original Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay when it debuted on the original Xbox in 2004. I mean I loved that game. It was (and still is) one of my Top 5 favorite games of all time. Possibly even in the Top 3. So you can imagine how excited I was to find out I’d finally be able to play it on a current-gen console.

Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena isn’t just a simple remake, however. It’s not even a single game. The single disc actually includes an HD remake of the Director’s Cut edition of Escape from Butcher Bay (originally exclusive to the PC), Riddick’s new adventure Assault on Dark Athena, as well as an extensive, if mostly mundane, multi-player offering.

Riddick plays in the First-Person, occasionally switching to a Third-Person perspective for specific sequences such as climbing, using keypads and other interactive objects, and cut scenes. While the game does feature a decent assortment of firearms (a shotgun, pistol, rifle, etc…), it’s less a First-Person Shooter and more a First-Person Stealth game. I should also mention that the stealth gameplay is excellent. A single button press will make Riddick crouch into stealth mode, turning the screen a faint shade of blue when he’s totally hidden and silencing his footsteps. Sneak up behind a guard and Riddick’s hands (or the melee weapon he’s using) will show up at the bottom of your view. From there it’s simply a pull of the right-trigger to kill him fast, loud and sometimes messy, or a pull of the left-trigger for a slower, quieter but still sometimes messy kill.

While it may not be quite as refined as most of the big-name shooters out now, the gun-play is no slouch either. The firearms all feel appropriately responsive and “hefty”, and are realistically lethal. A few shots will take down the smaller enemies, and head-shots are always an instant kill. This is a bit of a double-edged sword as Riddick is most certainly not indestructible. Because of this, he can utilize a surprisingly simple-yet-clever cover system that allows him to peek over and around corners and boxes by holding a button and leaning with the left stick. Riddick will even hold his gun up or off to the side as he leans to keep from exposing too much of himself. Of course, getting caught out in the open in the middle of a firefight will lead to a very quick trip to the most recent checkpoint. Fortunately, the checkpoints are placed well and there’s almost never a need to repeat lengthy sections over and over again.

As exciting as all of this sneaking and shooting is, there are a few noticeable issues that crop up on occasion. The most immediately notable issue is the texture tearing. It’s never really noticeable (or maybe even present) during game play, but during some cut scenes there’s visible tearing on some of the character models. It’s never enough to ruin the experience, but watching a black triangle flicker in and out of existence on an NPC’s shoulder does disrupt the immersion somewhat. Another notable issue is the enemy A.I. To be blunt, it’s horrible. Guards and mercenaries have little to no sense during firefights, opting for cheap critical hip-shots and kamikaze rushes over actual squad tactics. They also tend to forget you’re there if you stay behind cover long enough.

Escape from Butcher Bay is more-or-less the same game it was back in 2004. Riddick is dropped off at the infamous Butcher Bay slam, housed on a desert planet wracked by sandstorms almost constantly. As one of the universe’s most hardcore anti-heroes, it’s the player’s job to… well… escape. Leaving a trail of bodies and destruction in their wake, of course. Those of us who were only able to play the Xbox game have some added incentive to play as it includes the extra content found in the Director’s Cut edition originally exclusive to the PC, while those who have played through the PC version can still look forward to improved graphics. Not content with a mere texture job, Starbreeze actually rebuilt Escape from Butcher Bay‘s visuals using more detailed models and textures. It’s a marked improvement over the original, but what really sells the visuals is the top-notch art direction. Everything in Butcher Bay looks like it belongs in Riddick’s universe. Everything is dingy and mostly metal as wood is a precious resource only seen in executive offices, and the technology (as advanced as it may be) appears decidedly low-tech. The technical specifications may have changed somewhat with the times, but the overall look of Butcher Bay will keep it relevant even in another five years.

Assault on Dark Athena is a direct follow-up of Butcher Bay, and takes place shortly after Riddick’s escape. His shuttle is found drifting and pulled aboard the Dark Athena, a mercenary ship that hijacks vessels and turns the passengers and crew into cheap and effective zombie-like laborers called Ghost Drones. Shortly before the shuttle’s capture Riddick manages to hide, thus avoiding being turned into a drone himself. From there the game drifts comfortably into familiar territory with Riddick attempting to escape his new prison by way of lurking in the shadows, beating enemies to death in melee combat, and occasionally picking up a gun and emptying a few clips. It feels very much like a sort of Escape from Butcher Bay 1.5 for a while. At about the halfway point, Dark Athena begins to distance itself a bit more from its predecessor by focusing much more on the shooting element. It’s a bold move that may turn some off, but I found it to be an excellent balance to Escape from Butcher Bay‘s focus on stealth.

Rather than the shift in gameplay focus, my biggest gripe with Assault on Dark Athena is with the enemy variety. While Butcher Bay was filled with guards and inmates who were essentially the same enemy, they each had individual faces (for the most part). It went a long way towards making the world of Butcher Bay feel more realistic. Dark Athena, however, is full of faceless Ghost Drones and masked mercenaries. They feel more like “Generic Bad Guy #486″, instead of “Shabby, the pissed-off guy with the broken jaw.”

Riddick’s multi-player features about everything one would expect. It has the standard Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag equivalents and even a Counter Strike-esque Butcher Bay Riot mode that pits Guards, Inmates and Mercs against each other as they fight over control of power nodes and upgrade their characters with better weapons and armor as the game progresses. A more notable game type is Arena, which pits players against each other in one-on-one (or two-on-two) melee fights while the other players watch from the sidelines and wait for their turn. Even with the Arena mode, the multi-player could easily be written off if not for the inclusion of Pitch Black.

Pitch Black takes the typical concept of a VIP match (one powerful player vs. everyone else) and turns it into something that’s not only perfect for the universe it’s set in, but is also incredibly fun. The maps, needless to say, are completely dark save the starting area for the mercenaries. One player gets to control Riddick, who can only use the Ulak knives but can see in the dark thanks to his trademark eyeshine. The other players control mercs. The mercs can choose from a handful of guns, each mounted with a flashlight. The catch is that the more powerful a gun is, the less effective its light. Of course, while the mercs may only be able to see using these flashlights, the same lights can also temporarily blind Riddick as he can’t actually turn his eyeshine off in Pitch Black. Mercs are always on their toes since Riddick can sneak up on them and kill them very quickly with his Ulaks, and Riddick players will feel the thrill of hunting other players, knowing that being spotted will probably mean a very quick death. It makes for a wonderfully chaotic good time for all.

As a package, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is an excellent deal. It includes two full single player campaigns that each run between 8 and 10 hours, as well as decent (but rather bland) multiplayer modes. Butcher Bay fans will love being able to play one of 2004′s finest once again, and should enjoy the follow up adventure. Fans of the Riddick universe and films will love the environments, characters and stories in both campaigns. Anyone used to the antics of Master Chief or Nathan Hale may be put off by the slower pace , weaker multi-player and the general focus on stealth, but those looking for a twist on the First-Person genre would do well to give Riddick a chance.

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Things We Liked: Immersive world and environments. Great voice acting across the board. Gratifying and fun combat system.

Things We Disliked: Lousy enemy AI. The emphasis on action in the second campaign may turn some off.

Target Audience: Fans of the original Escape from Butcher Bay. Fans of any of the Riddick movies. Fans of Vin Diesel. Anyone who likes a good stealth/adventure/action game and isn’t afraid to try something new.

(The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena – Available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Xbox version reviewed. New to CFD’s reviews? Read our explanation here.)