Chronicles of Riddick Assault on Dark Athena Pc Review

You lot're probably wondering why we haven't reviewed The Chronicles of Riddick: Set on on Dark Athena until now. Well, wonder no more. Blame our lack of coverage on germs, homo.

Belatedly concluding Thursday, I got wicked sick — a case of bronchitis — and I've been trying to clack abroad at this review since. I played a skilful portion of the game with a ane hundred and 2-caste temperature and permit me tell you lot, it'due south a trip. The pinkish and purple explosions on-screen brought nigh by Riddick's shine eyes are really disorienting when you think your body is dying.

Anyway, that's plenty of my whining. Hit the intermission for the full review.

Chronicles of Riddick: Attack on Nighttime Athena (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [reviewed], PC)
Developer: Starbreeze Studios/Tigon Studios
Publisher: Atari
Released: April 7, 2009
MSRP: $59.99

Richard B. Riddick lurks in the shadows of a night, decadent expanse of star systems where outlawry, wickedness and the bestial nature of man rules. It'south a universe of unapproachable evil that just the decadent and perverted can thrive in. Riddick'due south vision of this setting isn't distorted. He's no more a hero than the renegade slaver, merely that'southward why I love him. He's a monster like everyone else, motivated past the baser desires of revenge, greed, and freedom of lark.

And he's finally back after a long videogame hiatus. Starbreeze Studios' The Chronicles of Riddick: Attack on Nighttime Athena is an "episodic" continuation of the 2004 surprise hit, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. Unfortunately, Assault on Nighttime Athena doesn't do much more than extend the 2004 Riddick fiction that it's arranged with. The integral mechanics of the previous championship — the start-person stealth and shooting — have been carried over with minor tweaks.

If you're unfamiliar with Riddick, let me acquaint you. Riddick is a grim guy who favors the dark more than the lite. Even before he gets his shine eyes — an power that you tin can access at any time to see in a dark room — from a slam preacher in Butcher Bay, you'll find yourself sneaking around and sticking to Butcher Bay'southward poorly lit corners, carefully monitoring enemy movements, calculating the all-time possible time to jump in for a sick melee-based kill. It'south the amuse of the title, and its bread and butter likewise.

Of course, y'all could always rip into a passage with guns (assault rifles, shotguns, and pistols) blazing or knives brandished. There'southward really no wrong choice with choosing either stealth or outright aggression. Both games rarely punish y'all for being noisy, other than the occasional actress guards.

While Athena'southward melee system isn't radically different from Butcher Bay, there have been a few tweaks. Riddick now has more melee moves. Pressing different directions with the left knob while swinging will generate different attacks. There's not a traditional philharmonic organisation, but you'll find yourself opening up opponents with a lot more than ease. And yes, it'due south all roughshod stuff with existent-fourth dimension deformation. The viciously curved knives, Ulaks, cut swaths across your opponents' chests, while fists deform faces and give encarmine impressions on peel.

What you lot go from both these activeness elements is a sweet mixture that provides strategic action choices — shooting or sneaking. The AI isn't dumb, nor is information technology a slouch with a rifle. The enemies aren't wholly unperceptive of your sneaking approaches, either — move likewise quickly, and you lot'll accept frantic shots and loads of soldiers outset to descend on your position. Information technology'south pulse-pounding stuff, brilliant in execution and deeply satisfying.

Fourth dimension hasn't been kind to some of Butcher Bay's components. (The visuals, however, have been upgraded.) The trial-and-error gameplay — constantly reloading when you accept taken excess impairment or were noticed before you were ready to fight — can become a job, and the ancient autosave system has a trend to screw you over in profound ways. I had to commencement my game over at one point in the mines thanks to respawning soldiers, low health, and a mech that was turned towards me as before long as I reentered the loonshit.

You won't have saving issues with Nighttime Athena, simply the trial-and-error stuff is still present. One section at the beginning of the campaign in particular displays the need for continual reloading. It's a room packed total of cybernetic zombies (or Drones) and you'll have to exam the waters several times, monitoring how they react and work together as you laissez passer through each portion. Trial-and-fault is frustrating, especially when you find yourself repeating sections for the sake of health. Information technology's common to roll through an hour of gameplay in Dark Athena — especially towards the end — without any healing stations.

What I loved the about about Dark Athena was its aggressively grim tone. From the very start of the content, it'south very clear that Riddick is toying with real monsters. The "Dark Athena" is a renegade transport that travels in dead infinite, pillaging mining colonies and kidnapping workers for manufacturing purposes. The renegades are creating half-human, half-machine Drones that can be remotely controlled for guarding purposes. It's a hellish union between auto and flesh.

Even the unconverted prisoners that aid Riddick are twisted. One merc talks endlessly about raping the woman next to his cell. Ane prisoner rubs one out before your eyes. It's night, man.

The first five or and then hours of Dark Athena'due south content is a testament to bang-up design. The unlike sections of the ships mostly add together and build on new gameplay elements, which include better platforming. I had a cracking bargain of fun sneaking behind Drones, disabling them, and dragging them off to the shadow before the next one became enlightened of what was happening. Even the portions where you accept to shoot — when you're either taking control of a drone remotely or handling an assault rifle yourself — are a blast.

Still, the stealth and combat fun screeches to a halt after this time period. At some point you're greeted with a world without many shadows. Information technology's an aggravating section of the game full of backtracking, bad-mannered enemy encounters and unintuitive puzzle-based stuff.

The game picks upwards over again with about fifteen minutes left in the campaign, returning yous to familiar territory and mechanics. It's a thrilling series of encounters; each i should leave you with a big smile.

Attack on Night Athena does accept a multiplayer component, simply it'south largely unpopulated and underwhelming. Before I hook into it, let me preface this first: I searched for matches — both ranked and public — for extensive periods of time. Over a three-24-hour interval period, I never plant a match with more than six people (and that was a fluke; commonly, rooms have 2-four people). Riddick'due south multiplayer is largely dead.

There'south a bunch of traditional multiplayer modes available — team deathmatch and various objective-based twists on that formula — but the key to call up about the multiplayer is that it uses the same gun mechanics from the single player.

As a whole, it's unsatisfactory.

Assault on Nighttime Athena is no more than than a competent shooter — it'southward the mix of stealth and out-and-out confrontation that gives the title its edge. In multiplayer, it all breaks down. Headshots are common, respawn times are jokingly brusk, and level design is bad. The matches have an up-tempo, almost CounterStrike feel — at that place's even a mode that uses a weapon system like CS — even so they lack that title's refinement.

The savior mode, I thought, would be Pitch Black. It'due south a style that pits one melee-armed Riddick against several histrion mercenaries. Afterward picking up a big weapon as a mercenary, you'll be granted a flashlight to see Riddick in his shadows. If a role player manages to kill Riddick, then he instantly becomes Riddick and the match is reset. It sounds bang-up in theory, simply the execution is clunky. Yous tin't grab as Riddick, the move y'all relied on in single-role player; you can only swipe helplessly with your curved blades. Information technology'southward much besides easy to burn Riddick when he's fumbling around in a melee animation.

If you disliked Butcher Bay, then zero well-nigh The Chronicles of Riddick: Set on on Dark Athena volition win you over. However, if y'all enjoyed the original title and are thirsty for more of the aforementioned action with several tweaks, feel free to get this game. Just try to forget the final few hours of Athena and don't mess around with the multiplayer too much.

Score: viii — Great (8s are impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound anybody, but is worth your time and greenbacks.)

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Source: https://www.destructoid.com/destructoid-review-assault-on-dark-athena/

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