The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay

 Xbox
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 84 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 80 out of 84
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 84
  3. Negative: 0 out of 84
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  1. netjak
    74
    Could have been a classic in the world of gaming if it had better AI and been quite a bit longer. Unfortunately, like most movie games, parts of it fell short. Overall, the game still presented an entertaining, story driven shooter that is well worth a rental.
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  2. Edge Magazine
    70
    It's not just a sense of humour and a flair for mayhem that Riddick shares with its star; it's a compact, muscular, single-minded piece of work, too. Flawed, yes, but so confident and independent that it's hard not to like. [Sept 2004, p.98]
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  3. NTSC-uk
    70
    As immediately effective the game may be, look beyond the surface and the game becomes surprisingly shallow.
  5. Boomtown
    70
    Unlike many other games, there is little satisfaction in the subtle degrees between the player's success and failure, only the obstacles in the way of the next point in the plot.
    All this publication's reviews

Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best Xbox Game of 2004
7
#7 Most Discussed Xbox Game of 2004
25
#25 Most Shared Xbox Game of 2004

User Reviews

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User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 117 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 102 out of 117
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 117
  3. Negative: 2 out of 117
  1. savagejoe444
    Jun 1, 2013
    10
    Been a Riddick fan since the film Pitch Black and this game doesn't disappoint at all! Great stealth mechanics, good story, and an awesomeBeen a Riddick fan since the film Pitch Black and this game doesn't disappoint at all! Great stealth mechanics, good story, and an awesome prequel to the Riddick franchise!… Full Review »
  2. rcoberle54
    Nov 7, 2020
    7
    I just finished this on PS3 as it was included with my copy of Dark Athena. Did this not come out on PS2 originally? Maybe that's why I neverI just finished this on PS3 as it was included with my copy of Dark Athena. Did this not come out on PS2 originally? Maybe that's why I never played it as a kid.

    Anyways I was really impressed with how far ahead of its time this game was. It is a first person shooter/stealth game with RPG and platforming and survival-horror elements. It honestly reminded me of Fallout (years before that franchise went to first person shooter/RPG), Dishonored, and Prey. I was really impressed with the physics of this game. The dead body dragging stuff was really next level. I was impressed with the scope of this game especially considering it was a movie tie-in game that came out in 2004. They didn't have to go as big as they did but I'm glad they did. It's a fun game that moves quickly and there is a lot to explore. It's fairly linear but not wholly and it never feels like you are rehashing the same corridors over and over. Some of the graphical things were really impressive for the time too like how you will occasionally see Riddick's shadow based on the player movement and lighting.

    But overall the graphics don't hold up and the textures and polygons mostly look like crap now. I did like the colors and overall design of this game. The characters' mouths moving when speaking is probably the worst offender of "past graphics that don't hold up" in this game.

    The voice cast features plenty of actors/characters from the movies as well as a couple of big names from the industry. However, it felt like the game didn't get the most out of its cast. So many of the actors just sounded so sleepy during the whole thing.

    As impressive as the physics were it seemed like you never had to use the dead body drag mechanic all that much. The AI was smart, almost too smart. Any time I tried stealth they would spot you immediately. You would barely peak out of a corner and the guards would start blasting you. This caused me to basically abandon stealth all together and basically speed run the game. I liked that there were little RPG style fetch quest side missions, but I played the game fairly linearly and before I knew it I was escaping from Butcher Bay and the credits were rolling. I never got a chance to return some of the items I found along the way because the game didn't bring me back to the spot where I accepted the quest. I guess that's on me for assuming it would.

    Overall this was a really impressive game given the year it came out and the type of game it was. It reminded me of so many modern games I've played in the last 10 years or so. It was fun, interesting, and a breeze to get through. I'm really glad a copy of this was included with my PS3 version of Dark Athena because the obsessive compulsive completionist in me felt like I had to play the first game first. It's better than most movie games you will come across, but it's not without its pitfalls. Onto Dark Athena now.    … Full Review »
  3. Asperiae
    Aug 12, 2016
    10
    Possibly the best FPS game ever made or at least a good contender for that title. Everything from the gameplay mechanics to the story and thePossibly the best FPS game ever made or at least a good contender for that title. Everything from the gameplay mechanics to the story and the art direction make EFBB an unforgettable experience that transcends the video game medium.… Full Review »
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