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News: Tom Morello stars in Guitar Hero III
Activision has announced that Tom Morello, from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, will guest star as a boss character in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Click here to read the article.
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The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
An unexpected surprise from Vivendi Universal and Starbreeze, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, is a welcomed addition to the Xbox library of game. The story starts off as a prequel to the Riddick movies and shows how Riddick evolves to the man he has become (including how he got those Shiny Disco Ball eyes). The entire game takes place at Butcher Bay, the worst possible place that any prisoner could ever end up in. The game revolves around Riddick's best skill (killing) and earning the respect of his peers to help him out in any way possible. From DNA protected guns to machine gun cameras watching your every move, The Chronicles of Riddick is a creative cinematic game experience that cannot be explained, only experienced!
The game play behind the Chronicles of Riddick is what really puts this game in its own category from 1st person shooters. The mixture of close and distant range combat is a feature that I hardly see executed correctly, but playing Riddick showed me that it can be done right. From the moment when you are sneaking around like Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell) to where you are trading bullets with the Guards of Butcher Bay, the controls are solid, minimizing the frustration and increasing the fun.
Visually, The Chronicles of Riddick is a stunning experience. Throughout the game I felt like I was playing a movie. There were a few couple corny moments in the game, but overall the scenarios and environments will engulf you into feeling how the prisoners feel in Butcher Bay. More CG in the game would have put the cherry on top, but the in game model cut-scenes worked well enough to get the point across.
The sound of Butcher Bay is what ties the total experience in the Chronicles of Riddick together. Traveling deep down into uncharted areas of Butcher Bay, while hearing monsters and mutants chase you down darkened tunnels can be a gripping, frightening experience. The music chosen for the action moments only added to the intense moments of the game. The voice acting was done very well, in large part due to having Vin Diesel actually voice his character. He does an excellent job!
Overall, the game was a riveting experience unlike I have ever experienced before. Playing this game, I found that I would not put the controller down for no less than an hour and a half of playtime each session. The only downfall of the game is its length. Within the first shot at the game, I was able to get about 97% of all the hidden secrets within Butcher Bay. Not much replay value, but its great while it lasts. A great game with great gameplay, visuals, and sound; what more could you ask for?
Report Card:
Gameplay = 9
Graphics = 10
Audio = 9
Replay Value = 7
Overall: 9.5/10
Click here for the Riddick gallery!
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