Chroniles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena

[Le Goat]

The aftermath of the Activision-Blizzard merger (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6193580.html) left many games with an uncertain future. The newly formed megapublisher decided not to support a number of games (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6195113.html) on Sierra Entertainment's roster, including Ghostbusters, Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, World in Conflict: Soviet Assault, and 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. It remains to be seen how many of these games will become reality. THQ recently bought (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6199903.html) the rights to 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, but high-profile titles such as Ghostbusters still lack an official publisher despite rumours of rescue (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6199445.html).
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2008/303/939612_20081030_001106_embed.jpg (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6200311.html?tag=latestheadlines;title;2#)All we've seen of Riddick's latest incarnation so far... (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6200311.html?tag=latestheadlines;title;2#)

Today, one more Sierra title has found a home. Atari has announced that it has acquired the global publishing rights to Starbreeze Studios' first-person shooter The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena. Working in conjunction with Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group, Tigon Studios, and the developers, Atari is set to release the game in "spring 2009."
Starbreeze Studios' previous game based on the Riddick IP, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, was well received (http://www.gamespot.com/mobile/action/chroniclesofriddick/review.html) when it was released for the Xbox and PC in 2004. In addition to its predecessor's storyline, the game will sport a brand-new full-length campaign, as well as online multiplayer elements the critically acclaimed original lacked.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is scheduled for worldwide release on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC in spring 2009. GameSpot will bring you more details on the game as soon as they are available.

[emthreepeeoh]

The original game was awesome. Not only was the gameplay entertaining as hell but graphically it really should the graphical capabilities of the original XBox.

[Le Goat]

Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3159674) will feature a multiplayer mode named and themed after the title character's debut movie Pitch Black. The Official Xbox Magazine reports (via CVG (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=203189)) that in addition to the usual multiplayer modes, the game will contain a "Butcher Bay Riot" mode that pits teams against each other to activate a power cell, and a "Pitch Black" mode that puts players in an arena that's, well, pitch black. One character will play as Riddick himself, who can see in the dark, moves more quickly than other players, and uses a blade. The other players have guns and flashlights, but are severely hampered by the lack of visibility. If a player manages to kill Riddick, they become Riddick for the next round. Escape from Butcher Bay (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3135635) was pretty highly regarded (http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3127845&p=3&sec=REVIEWS) in its day, and its current-gen remake was just barely saved (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3171040) by Atari. Starbreeze seems to be putting a lot of thought into making this game something special for fans of both the first game, and the character in general. We'll keep you posted as we wait for word on a release date

[redsox39]

The "Pitch Black" mode just gave me a boner.

[Le Goat]

If you don't know much about the Riddick game franchise, this preview may seem a bit confusing. See, Riddick was, is, and for the near future looks to remain a single-player focused series -- click here (http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3171641) to read about the fantastic-looking Escape From Butcher Bay remake and the new-for-2009 Assault on Dark Athena campaign, both of which will be included in the "Assault on Dark Athena (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3159674)" package -- but for today it's time to sidestep and talk about one of the multiplayer modes also in that package: Pitch Black. Ian Stevens, head of game production at Tigon Studios -- a sort of middleman between developer Starbreeze and publisher Atari -- says the key difference between Riddick's multiplayer and that of Starbreeze's previous multiplayer game The Darkness (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3138127), which struggled with performance issues, is that "this multiplayer will work." So, given Starbreeze's limited experience with multiplayer shooters, I was happy when I saw Pitch Black announced a couple months back. Unlike the other five modes (Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Arena, and a Capture the Flag variant named Butcher Bay Riot that mixes in three teams and an economy), this was something that played into the franchise's story.

http://media.1up.com/media?id=3678901&type=lg (http://www.1up.com/do/media?cId=3159674&sec=IMAGES) Click the image above to check out all of our The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena screens.

The idea for Pitch Black is that a group of five Mercenaries goes up against one player controlling Riddick, but the Mercs can't see anything unless it's within the spotlight provided by their flashlight and -- like in the single-player story -- Riddick can see in the dark. Mix in Riddick's "Ulaks" (think part brass knuckles, part metal claws) that provide almost instant melee kills, and you can probably understand why it's a game of five versus one.
As a round starts, the Mercs find themselves in a staging area where they can choose from a few gun types to take with them underground. The main difference between choosing a gun here and in any other mode is that they each have a different size flashlight mounted on top, so if you choose a shotgun you'll have a small field of view underground, and if you take a submachine gun you'll have a large one. Regardless, I found the shotgun to be the most effective, since you only tend to spot Riddick for a second or two at a time, and you need a powerful gun for when he gets up close. But I'm sure others will prefer the comfort of being able to see better underground.

http://media.1up.com/media?id=3678899&type=lg (http://www.1up.com/do/media?cId=3159674&sec=IMAGES) Click the image above to check out all of our The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena screens.

In some ways, Pitch Black feels like Splinter Cell (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=2005974)'s Spies versus Mercenaries, just simplified and without the traps or objectives. There's not much more to it beyond what I just mentioned -- pretty much the only detail left is that whoever plays Riddick can press "Y" (in the Xbox 360 version) to taunt the Mercs with a Vin Diesel voice sample. The game allows for a bit of strategy, with Mercs telling each other when they spot Riddick and deciding whether to stick together or split up, but after playing for about an hour, I started to miss the complexity of Splinter Cell's take on a cat and mouse shooter.
But then, Riddick isn't designed as a multiplayer-first game, so maybe an hour here and there is enough. Stevens admits that it isn't trying to provide the same long-term "social experience" of titles like Call of Duty 4 (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3159065) or Halo 3 (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3144308), but hopes it can be a fun distraction for players looking for something a bit different. Based on what I've played so far, that seems like a fair way to describe Pitch Black.

[Le Goat]

fuck yeah!

http://media.1up.com/media?id=3684854&type=lg
Atari is about to find out whether one of its investments has paid off. After having been dumped by Activision and rescued by Phil Harrison's outfit, Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3159674) has a date. Dark Athena will be arriving in North America on April 7, bringing with it both a new campaign and an HD remake of the original Escape from Butcher Bay (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=2018677). As Escape from Butcher Bay was one of the best shooters of the last generation, it's a hell of a deal.
Playable demos will be arriving on Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network in March, just in case you're on the fence. You can take it from us though - this one looks pretty darn good.

[Le Goat]

http://media.1up.com/media?id=3688454&type=lg (http://www.1up.com/do/media?cId=3159674&sec=IMAGES)
Wondering how Starbreeze's current-gen retooling of Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=2018677) is coming along? A playable demo for Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (http://www.1up.com/gameOverview?cId=3159674) turned up on the Xbox Live Marketplace this morning, so you can see for yourself how much effort the developers have put into revitalizing this already-stunning original Xbox game. For those of us that may be invested in Sony's console rather than Microsoft's, a PlayStation 3 demo should also be on the way in the near future -- perhaps with tomorrow's PlayStation Store update? With a little patience, you too will be able to skulk around dark corridors as a bloodthirsty Vin Diesel.

[Le Goat]

I just downloaded the demo.


wow. it's STILL a fucking great game. The demo isn't a 'purdier' version of the first, it's a good show of some of the sweet gameplay. I LOVE the takedowns so far. The feel of the weapons is great and the overall atmosphere/graphics are still top notch.


I think this might be a buy (seeing how MP is, only non-mp game I have is Bioshock)

[Le Goat]

hoooooooly fuck I LOVE THE SLASHINGS ON THE WALL. Fucking nice subtle touch. Nothing like slashing at the wall and it register EVERY little slash from the correct angle.


bravo