Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay - Director's Cut

A Guest Appearance from Xzibit, no less.

If anything, 2004 has been the year of the FPS. UT2004, Far Cry, Painkiller, Doom III, Half-Life 2, the list of games that have made people raise their brows goes on, and now another star has entered the fray: The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, by Swedish company Starbreeze Studios.

The game was released a few months ago on the Xbox and recieved plenty of praise on this site, and make no mistake. Even though we are dealing with a conversion of a console game, this new Director's Cut edition of the game ranges among one of the most stunning titles yet seen.

Escape from Butcher Bay takes place some years prior to the movie Pitch Black. Here we learn how Riddick received the eyeshine ability that he used to good effect in that movie.

Escape

Peace is made with a metal bat. The question is how one passes the many armed guards with it?

At first glance Escape from Butcher Bay has the odds stacked against it. It is released in the shadow of Half-Life 2, it is a conversion and even based on a movie license, which is normally not a good thing. But the game overcomes all of these difficulties from the get go, from the clever menu system onwards.

The game is a FPS but to pidgeonhole it as that would be a shame as it also includes stealth and adventure elements. The protagonist is one Richard Riddick and the mission is to escape from Butcher Bay prison. But to achieve this goal, one often has to be creative, this is no mere shooter.

The blue tint indicates that you are hidden.

As tough as Riddick may be, it is often impossible to run around blasting away at your enemies. This is where the in-built stealth aspects come into play. At the push of a button Riddick kneels and is now able to sneak around.

Later in the game, our anti-hero can see in the dark using his eyeshine ability. He is also often equipped with a weapon flashlight. Different weapons actually feature alternative flashlight colours. There's an unlimited reserve of power too, so in your face Doom III and Half-Life 2.

When you hide in the shadows the screen gains a blue tint. It's a very subtle way of indicating that enemies cannot see you. It then becomes possible to sneak around them, shoot them in the back or even crawl up closer and break their necks. You see, Riddick is a perfectly capable fist fighter. Punches are thrown by combining clicks on the left mousebutton with the directional controls. Blocking attacks are made by clicking the right mouse button. A series of close combat weapons can be found, all controlled in the same manner, and it is even possible to complete combo attacks.

Escape from Butcher Bay is the only FPS I have played where the hand to hand combat has been well implemented. However, the violence seems to be of a personal and very brutal kind. Riddick has no hesitations in breaking people's necks or using brass knuckles, metal scrap, screwdrivers or baseball bats to kill off the opposition. This is not a game for minors nor sensitive people.

Let me get this gun... OUCH, I died!

Notice the nice architectural work.

What makes Escape from Butcher Bay such an intense experience, is the constant sensation of actually being in prison and that guards may appear at any moments. The tension is increased by the inability to use firearms at times. Guard weaponry is key coded to guard's individual DNA. Riddick must therefore hack the prison computer system before he can pick up any of the lethal guns his foes leave behind.

So you will find yourself running around with nothing but your fists much of the time. Improvised weapons such as shivs and knives can be earned by running errands for fellow inmates. The game has several sequences where you simply walk around and talk to the other prisoners, helping them with different problems in exchange for items or information.

The prettiest prison ever

Run, Forrest, run!

Graphics and sound are both at a very high standard in this game. The visuals approach Far Cry level and these games are quite alike as far as graphical style goes. That's thanks to the high level of normal mapping in both games. Escape from Butcher Bay has too many rooms that seem blocky and it lacks Far Cry's huge outdoor areas. But the game does take place in a prison so perhaps we can forgive the lack of architectural niceties.

The character design exceeds that of Far Cry. Riddick especially bears an almost uncanny resemblance to Vin Diesel. The only negative thing is the lack of lip syncronization during conversation and weird little graphical flaws during the conversational sequences. These are really minor nitpics though. My Radeon X800 XT provided a smooth game experience, but player swith lower spec systems may suffer lower framerates.

Speaking of conversations - the voice acting is spot on. All the actors give great performances, particularly the big Vin who provides dark humour and an imposing presence as Riddick. The excellent voice acting is is combined with a very strong score and good quality sound effects.

Director’s Cut

Buy my damned game or I'll personally give you a Director's Cut!

This Director's Cut boasts improved graphics, using the full array of fancy gimmicks modern hardware can offer, as well as an extra gameplay sequence where Riddick gets his paws on some serious firepower.

There's an ingenious DVD style commentary-mode from members of the development team. This is a reward for playing the game through. Perhaps this will set a trend for even more games featuring a development commentary.

Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay - Director's Cut is even better than the excellent Xbox version. While it may not have the high profil of Half-Life 2, it really is one of the better FPS titles you'll play this year. Take the chance, you won't be disappointed.

Source: Boomtown DK
Translated by: William Bjarnø (Dworkin)