The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 93 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 71 out of 93
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 93
  3. Negative: 5 out of 93

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  1. hudnolt
    May 2, 2009
    10
    i never played the first one, i loved both movies and now the games. riddick is easily the coolest character in any movie or game. escape from butcher bay id give a 9.5/10 and athena 10/10 campain was easily the best campain ive ever played and butcher bay was a close second. Yes the multiplayer did suck but i didnt buy this game for that.
  2. PatrickR
    Apr 21, 2009
    10
    I liked (I didnt LOVE) 'Pitch Black'. I hated (HATED) 'The Chronicals of Riddick'. 'Escape from Butcher Bay' Is THE exception to the rule. Not only is it a movie licensed game thats actually better than the movies it's based on, but its downright amazing, especially back when it first released. So here we are, 5 years later. Honestly, i would have bought I liked (I didnt LOVE) 'Pitch Black'. I hated (HATED) 'The Chronicals of Riddick'. 'Escape from Butcher Bay' Is THE exception to the rule. Not only is it a movie licensed game thats actually better than the movies it's based on, but its downright amazing, especially back when it first released. So here we are, 5 years later. Honestly, i would have bought "Assualt" alone, based soley on it being a sequal to one of the best games i've ever played.... but i would have been disapointed. 'Assault' really feels more like an expansion than anything else. Same controls and basic gameplay with very little changes or innovations, in fact its overall worse than the original... but the fact that they packaged the original makes alll the difference. amazing game then, amazing game now, and just because 'Assault' cant live up to the first in no way makes this a bad game. I give Butcher Bay a 10, Assault an 8, over all package an 18 out of 10.… Expand
  3. xXRenTyrellXx
    Sep 11, 2011
    10
    Though the Riddick films are so under appreciated (it's a crime) I speak for real si-fi fans when I say that the Riddick series (video games included) is one of the greatest series of its genre.
  4. JeremyR.
    Apr 8, 2009
    9
    Excellent remake of Butcher Bay,with Dark Athena this is an awesome game
  5. KevinO
    Apr 10, 2009
    8
    First off I was someone who bought this game because it included EFBB and I could see why someone who had played the original might be a bit disappointed with the whole package. However if you are like me and hadnt played the original before i cant strongly recommend this game enough just to play Butcher Bay because it's worth it by itself. Most reviewers will point to the Dark First off I was someone who bought this game because it included EFBB and I could see why someone who had played the original might be a bit disappointed with the whole package. However if you are like me and hadnt played the original before i cant strongly recommend this game enough just to play Butcher Bay because it's worth it by itself. Most reviewers will point to the Dark Athena campaign as a major flaw here but really one should look at it as a bonus that comes with EFBB. And in all honesty the first 2/3 of the Dark Athena campaign is as good as the original and only in the last third does it fall short...albeit extremely short. Both are not incredibly long (maybe 12 hours each if you really plod through) but along with multiplayer this game should seriously be considered if you havent played the original Escape from Butcher Bay.… Expand
  6. ColynB.
    Apr 8, 2009
    10
    A very well done remake, as well as an excellent addition. This game is very challenging, very original, and just overall very good.
  7. NathanL.
    Apr 9, 2009
    9
    The Good: Great fusion of stealth, melee combat, shooting, platforming, and storytelling. Two really good games in one package. The Bad: The black spots that popped up on character models in the original Butcher Bay are still present in this remastered version, lackluster multiplayer, enemies that are a bit too accurate with a gun. The Ugly: Spider drones.
  8. niconline
    Oct 29, 2012
    8
    You can't go wrong picking up Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena. While you might feel a little shorted on the single-player story for Dark Athena, your mood will soon improve when you realize that you can just boot up Butcher Bay and relive that experience. Getting two games for the price of one is something that you shouldn't pass up. Just steer clear of the multiplayer and itYou can't go wrong picking up Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena. While you might feel a little shorted on the single-player story for Dark Athena, your mood will soon improve when you realize that you can just boot up Butcher Bay and relive that experience. Getting two games for the price of one is something that you shouldn't pass up. Just steer clear of the multiplayer and it should be an enjoyable experience.… Expand
  9. Bong13
    Apr 19, 2013
    9
    Two for the price of one. Anyone who's into FPS/Stealth type gaming needs to pick this up. It is a thuroughly enjoyable experience and a hidden gem on the 360. Gameplay is fantastic and while the stories might lack somewhat in intensity the voice acting of the narrative that IS there is brilliant. Vin Diesel and Lance Henriksen among many others delivers great performances.

    The only    Two for the price of one. Anyone who's into FPS/Stealth type gaming needs to pick this up. It is a thuroughly enjoyable experience and a hidden gem on the 360. Gameplay is fantastic and while the stories might lack somewhat in intensity the voice acting of the narrative that IS there is brilliant. Vin Diesel and Lance Henriksen among many others delivers great performances.

    The only thing that bugged me a little was the steep field of view. I got somewhat used to it eventually but there needs to be a slider for a setting like that.

    All in all a GREAT title and well worth the measly few bucks it costs these days.     … Expand
  10. savagejoe444
    Jun 1, 2013
    9
    Both films are great and the video games are just as good! This one was a bit more "action" than "stealth", but I had fun playing Dark Athena and the makeover of Escape from Butcher Bay! 'Assault on Dark Athena' isn't better than 'Escape from Butcher Bay', but it's a great sequel non-the less.
  11. NancyBoop
    Apr 19, 2009
    10
    The signature Species of the Southern Hemisphere (Antarctica) - the mascot if you will - is the penguin. There are not one and no fewer than seventeen species of penguins. Penguins are flightless birds in which several factors are contributing to the reduction of the penguin population. These contributing factors are both man-made and naturally occurring.
  12. BradySmith
    Jun 27, 2013
    8
    Escape from butcher bay is a flawed but mightily impressive masterpiece filled with gritty action, near atmospheric perfection, and storytelling as complex as anything you'll find in the gaming world. It was one of the best shooters I've ever played. Its sequel on the other hand is perhaps barely above average. It starts out on par with Butcher Bay, but eventually the quality drops, andEscape from butcher bay is a flawed but mightily impressive masterpiece filled with gritty action, near atmospheric perfection, and storytelling as complex as anything you'll find in the gaming world. It was one of the best shooters I've ever played. Its sequel on the other hand is perhaps barely above average. It starts out on par with Butcher Bay, but eventually the quality drops, and by the time you leave the ship the only things it continues doing exceptionally are visual aspects. It's not bad but don't expect it to stand up to Butcher Bay, which did have some issues with backtracking, but remained a great game overall. Buy the package anyways and get a classic and a passable sequel for the price of one. Come to think of it, the price is only like $12.00 now.… Expand
  13. Heisenberg93
    Jan 31, 2022
    8
    There's the myth, out there, that movie/video game conversions can't work. But truth it's that it's easier to remember the bad than the good. Many movie/video game conversions have turned out to be great video games. The Chronicles of Riddick video games are among them.

    Both The Chronicles of Riddick video games storylines are well written and great exercises of storytelling. Dialogues    There's the myth, out there, that movie/video game conversions can't work. But truth it's that it's easier to remember the bad than the good. Many movie/video game conversions have turned out to be great video games. The Chronicles of Riddick video games are among them.

    Both The Chronicles of Riddick video games storylines are well written and great exercises of storytelling. Dialogues in particular exhibit great writing, especially Riddick's lines, always of great impact and rarely banal. The presentation, setting, atmosphere, Riddick's charm: everything is well crafted and fits perfectly in The Chronicles' fictional universe. EFBB particularly stands out, but Dark Athena is good too, albeit a less intense and gripping storyline. Dark Athena's plot ends in a questionable way; it's not really bad but I honestly struggle to understand closing a plot that way. On the contrary, EFBB ends in a resounding crackling way. It makes sense that most players enjoyed EFBB more and this gives the game a charm and nostalgia effect overshadowing Dark Athena, beyond the games' respective strengths and flaws.

    Both The Chronicles of Riddick video games are action-adventures with a combination of three gameplay types: first-person shooter, stealth and also fighting game; the latter more like a sub-type. I think the first-person shooter gameplay is better than the stealth one. Shooting weapons in both games is actually done pretty well and pretty fun. Despite this, EFBB is often considered a stealth video game and it is so, for the most part. In EFBB, however, stealth is ok, acceptable, but one could have expect more: I found triggering take downs too much difficult and imprecise, as a matter of fact playing stealth (mostly not a choice) can be frustrating before getting the tranquilliser gun; also, some stealth sections could have been shooter and vice versa, especially towards the end. Stealth gameplay in Dark Athena is better than in EFBB: triggering take downs is smooth; Riddick's movement is smoother in general. However, in Dark Athena, stealth gameplay is curtailed (mostly impossible to play) in the second half of the game in favour of shooting gameplay; this also explains a larger number of weapons in contrast to EFBB. While I consider the shooting gameplay the best component of the game, I did not necessarily appreciated this, especially considering Dark Athena's better stealth component. Last but not least gameplay component of the games, is melee combat. I wouldn't say it's poorly made, but it could have been done much better: enemy counterattacks, after a Riddick's attack, seem to ignore the parry; scoring a hit looks almost random sometimes. All things being equal, some melee fightings felt easy, others less so, and it didn't seem to depend on my skill. In Dark Athena melee combat is better than in EFBB but its core flaws are still there. Side quests and compact free roaming in EFBB are appreciable and add variety; in Dark Athena there are only two side quests unfortunately and free roaming is related only to a small empty part (enemies aside) on planet Aguerra, which is not the main setting. I have deepened both games enough, completed them at "Hard" skill level and in general I would say that level design is better in EFBB. Dark Athena has a higher autosaves rate, which is not that bad, especially in the second part of the game where tougher enemies appear and higher shooting skills are required. EFBB is a short game, which is a well-known point of criticism; Dark Athena is longer in duration.

    Graphically, EFBB was simply outstanding at the time of its release, able to rival Doom 3 or Half-Life 2. Also, incredible it originally ran on the original Xbox. Dark Athena's EFBB version improvements are evident, in characters and weapons models to begin with. Long distance landscapes rendering is still impressive and nice to look at. Within respect to the original, lip sync problems are solved but annoying graphic glitches on characters' skin remain. Dark Athena, the game, is graphically superior to both EFBB versions and its graphics are great and clean (no more skin glitches), in line with 2009 standards but not as outstanding as EFBB were in 2004. In both games there is a great facial animation work and voice acting performances (especially Vin Diesel), among the best of the time. Soundtrack and sound editing are also great.

    The Chronicles of Riddick video games are high-quality tie-in European productions based on an American film saga. And this would be enough to make them unique and challenge the myth that a movie/video game conversion will necessarily produce bad stuff. The solid multi-genre gameplay, intriguing plot faithful to Riddick's fictional universe and tech realisation make EFBB and Dark Athena, not without flaws, but recommended video games nonetheless. For fans of The Chronicles of Riddick, a must-play.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

40
#40 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2009
51
#51 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2009
34
#34 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 67 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 67
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 67
  3. Negative: 0 out of 67
  1. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    80
    There's plenty to be getting excited about, despite a slight lack of originality and visual finesse. Make no mistake, Dark Athena is first class stealth/action game with a double dose of top-notch entertainment that competently unites elements of "Mirror's Edge" and the "Splinter Cell" series. [Mar 2009, p.84]
    Read full review
  2. Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
    84
    Despite the name on the box, AODA's latter half makes it a supporting act to Butcher's Bay's main attraction. It doesn't matter how many triple twists and double somersaults a gymnast pulls if he smashes his face on the landing, and AODA crash lands pretty bloody hard. Fortunately, it's a broken nose limited to a small part of a packed box. [Apr 2009, p.82]
  3. Official Xbox Magazine
    90
    The allure of this package is irresistible. [May 2009, p.70]
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