The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay

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The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay

Developer(s) Starbreeze Studios
Tigon Studios
Publisher(s) Vivendi Universal Games
Engine Starbreeze Engine (Proprietary)
Version 1.1 (PC)
Platform(s) Xbox
PC
Release date Xbox PC
Genre(s) First-person action, Stealth
Mode(s) Single player
Rating(s) ESRB: Mature (M)
PEGI: 16+
Media DVD
5 CDs

The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay is a video game developed by the Swedish developers Starbreeze Studios set before the events of the movies Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick. The Xbox version was released at the same time as the movie in June 2004 and a Windows version was released later that year in December. There is also a special x64 version of the game available.

The likeness and voice of the movie's star, Vin Diesel, are also used for the game's main character, Richard B. Riddick. Escape from Butcher Bay received a good deal of critical acclaim, and was generally viewed as a very accomplished and innovative experience. Reviewers often commented that Butcher Bay was actually better than the accompanying movie.[1]

The video game website GameSpot gave the game considerable praise, saying it has "the best single-player action in a first-person game on the Xbox" (at the time of writing), and was "one of the best action games available" at the time of release.[2] They also said it was "one of the best PC action games of the year". The game received a 'superb' score of 9.3 out of 10 on both platforms, though "enhanced visuals and exclusive extras make the PC version even better than the Xbox original".[3]

Contents

[edit] Graphics

Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay was one of the first games to use normal mapping (preceding Doom 3 by a few months), giving the textures a rougher, more in-depth appearance and making the game characters and environments appear more photo-realistic. Riddick was also recognized for its option to use soft shadows, which gave shadows a much smoother look as opposed to the clean-edged shadows found in games such as Doom 3 and Quake 4. This feature appeared again much later in F.E.A.R..

[edit] Gameplay

The game functions as a prequel to Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick movies, with combat sequences featuring first-person fighting and gunplay. The game also mixes stealth with combat, restricting the supply of ranged weapons and forcing the player to rely on makeshift knives (also called a shiv) and clubs.

Escape from Butcher Bay features close combat and long-range gameplay. Not only can Riddick dispatch enemies close-up with a wide range of mêlée weapons, he can even perform several special moves, breaking a guard's neck or grabbing hold of his weapon and using it against him. At his disposal, as well, are several different firearms, such as pistols, rifles and shotguns.

Stealth is also approached in a unique way. To let the player know that Riddick is concealed, the screen will tint blue. Another innovative feature is the almost total lack of heads-up display and crosshairs. There is a laser sight and small health indicator.

[edit] Plot synopsis

Screenshot from the Xbox version.
Screenshot from the Xbox version.

The plot follows the character of Riddick, a highly dangerous criminal, as he is imprisoned in Butcher Bay, a fictional notorious triple max security prison.

Upon arriving at Butcher Bay, bounty hunter Johns, a character who captures Riddick prior to the game's events, takes him to the prison, where Riddick is escorted to his cell in the single maximum security area. Riddick eventually escapes into the sewers during a riot that he instigates. Fighting his way through mutant "Dwellers" in the sewers, Riddick eventually comes across Pope Joe, a hermit who resides in the tunnels. Riddick helps Joe by retrieving his radio lost in the sewers and upon his return, Riddick gains his trademark "eyeshine" ability. There is a supernatural element to this, as a mysterious voice belonging to a woman named Shirah tells him he "has been blind too long." Afterwards, Riddick accuses Pope Joe of tampering with his eyes, who states he merely repaired Riddick's bleeding arm. Riddick then continues on his escape, using the eyeshine to his advantage.

Riddick is eventually recaptured and transferred to the double max security area of the prison, where he infiltrates a mining facility. While in the mines, he then comes across Jagger Valance, a fellow convict with a large amount of power within the mines who wishes to escape alongside Riddick. During the escape, Riddick is discovered by the guards and is apprehended. While being transferred to another area, an outbreak of large beetle-like creatures wreak havoc in the prison and give Riddick the chance to escape with Valance. His escape plans are foiled again, and Riddick is delivered to the triple max security level of the prison.

Here, the inmates are placed in cryonic sleep and are awoken each day for 2 minutes of exercise. Eventually, Riddick discovers a flaw in the system and escapes. Shortly after, he hijacks a mechanized robot and fights his way through the offices of Butcher Bay towards Hoxie, the warden of the prison. With the bounty hunter Johns' help, Riddick eludes the guards and tricks them into killing Hoxie. The two then steal a ship and escape Butcher Bay.

[edit] PC version

The PC version of the game with the subtitle "Developer's Cut" also featured a "Director's Commentary" setting that allowed the player to interact with speech bubbles that appeared in-game in certain areas, if the game was finished once. By doing so, players were treated to various observations and decision making processes that the developers had gone through for those sections that the bubbles are found in, providing insight into what went into the design of the title. The PC version also featured upgraded visuals, as well as an addition level with the player piloting a Riot Guard mechanized suit, along with three extra cigarette packs for the player to collect, making a total of 62 packs in the PC version.

[edit] Assault on Dark Athena

On May 21, 2007, it was announced that Escape From Butcher Bay was being remade for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 under the new name The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena. The released date is unknown. Vivendi Games' Sierra Entertainment, Tigon Games, Starbreeze Studios and Universal Pictures are slated to work on the project, which promises "new content and new features".[4]

[edit] Cast

[edit] References

  1. ^ Wojnarowicz, Jakub (2005-01-07). Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay Review. FiringSquad. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
  2. ^ Kasavin, Greg (2004-06-01). The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay for Xbox Review. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
  3. ^ Kasavin, Greg (2004-12-10). The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay for PC Review. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
  4. ^ Berardini, César A. (2007-05-21). The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena Spotted. TeamXbox. Retrieved on 2007-07-25.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
The Chronicles of Riddick series
Films
Video games
Escape from Butcher Bay | Assault on Dark Athena
Characters