The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
Assault on Dark Athena continues the video game saga of Riddick with a sequel to the popular Butchers Bay game that is included in the games console and PC package.
Ratings:
Graphics & Audio: 22/25,
Gameplay: 23/25,
Creativity 21/25,
Fun 23/25
Total: 87/100
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is quite a mixed bag for gamers with the previous game The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher’s Bay included in the gaming pack. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions as well as the PC version all contain the sequel Assault on Dark Athena and the Butcher’s Bay original Riddick game.
Assault on Dark Athena contains the Dark Athena game with its campaign and multiplayer gaming and the full Escape From Butcher’s Bay game. The single player game Assault on Dark Athena is pretty good while the multiplayer is almost nonexistent with very empty servers.
Escape From Butcher’s Bay is the best of the game package but the Dark Athena game is not bad at all, the multiplayer though is nonexistent with virtually no players. I have been trying to play multiplayer games over the past week with only a game or two and only a couple of people playing which is no way to run a war.
I am not sure why there are so few people playing the multiplayer or if it some problem with the servers but this is one of the biggest disappointments for the game. The single player game Dark Athena starts off some time after Escape From Butcher Bay with Riddick running smack into another captivity situation.
The Dark Athena captures Riddick’s ship and he must fight his way through a series of puzzle type escapades to secure his escape using a variety of weapons but mostly his skill with his fists. One thing I like about the game is its lack of abundant weapons throughout the game for a more skill driven gameplay where you must rely more on your fists and cunning.
Of course the game is not all that tough in the first half but toward the end there are plenty of chances to use weapons against some pretty tough adversaries, namely the Alpha Drones. Most of the enemies you will encounter in the first half of the game are easily knocked silly with simple punches but in the second half you are actually in for some more challenging opponents.
The game makes use of tougher opponents called Alpha Drones that require multiple hits from a SCAR gun at the same time which fires explosive charges that you detonate with the press of your secondary fire trigger. Shoot to stick the projectiles to your enemy and repeat for up to five hits, then detonate them all at once to bring the Alpha Drone to his knees for a killing blow using your favorite weapon, the Ulaks.
Other than these encounters which happen about ten times and another boss fight that is more about timing than toughness you will not have a hard time with Dark Athena. The game plays well and looks pretty good but is not that great, more like a sci-fi Splinter Cell than a Riddick video game based on the movies.
Dark Athena is a decent game and fun to play but currently contains too many bugs in the PC version to make the game all that much fun while the two console versions have some problems but not as many as the PC. The games on the PC and the consoles do not seem to be much different other than a little better in graphics on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions but not enough to overcome the control issues of not being able to use your favorite keyboard mouse configuration.
If you do not have a good enough computer to play Assault on Dark Athena and want to get either console version there really is not much difference over any of the three. All three console versions play pretty much the same with only a slight difference in graphics quality but still lacking multiplayer gamers.
The multiplayer gaming would be fun if there were people but issues with joining servers may be hampering some as well as issues with CD keys that I have noticed repeatedly on forums. There are issues people are complaioning about so this may be why people are not joining the multiplayer gaming.
There are several game types in multiplayer with the common deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag as well as some new and unique ones to Riddick. There is a lone wofl version where one player is Riddick using his Eye Shine to see in the dark while other players try to kill him using their weapons with flashlights.
Another game mode is a three sided game where each side tries to steal a power module and install it in a console to win the round. All the game modes would be enjoyable if more where playing but to join a game and have two or three is a disappointment.
Dark Athena is well worth purchasing if you liked Butcher Bay or if you have not played that game at all because it does contain the original of this sequel. To put things bluntly Escape From Butcher’s Bay is far better than Assault on Dark Athena with better graphics, better AI and better gameplay.
While the game Assault on Dark Athena did have problems they are sure to be mostly sorted out and the main thing here is the game is a total package that is well worth purchasing if you do not already have Butchers bay. If you do then Assault on Dark Athena will be a disappointment after playing the better of the two and may not be worth your while to purchase.