28.01.2004 | Matt Gander
If you've seen Pitch
Black then you should know who Riddick is. Vivendi's The Chronicles
of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay
tells the story of his past - mainly his prison escape - and will
tie-in with the forthcoming film. They should have called it Riddick's
Big Day Out. That's a far better title.
Starbreeze - best known for Enclave - have been
given the development
honours. The game starts with Riddick DNA tagged in prison, and until
the tag can be removed, enemies - such as insane inmate, security
droids and vicious creatures - have to be dealt with by stealth. You
can sneak up behind people and snap their necks, as well as counter
attack to steal weapons.
Hand-to-hand combat is viewed in first person, like
the majority of the
game, but there will be third person sections too. And naturally,
you'll be able to use Riddick's night vision to find your way through
the darkness. Once the tag is removed guns will come into play, but due
to the game being set in a prison ammo won't be in abundance. It's
pretty stupid to have guns under the same ceiling as lunatics, let
alone additional ammo.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay -
to use its
stupidly long title once again - is due out on Xbox in June. If it does
well then expect versions for other formats to follow.
It's worth nothing that the game was on a leaked
Vivendi release
schedule, which is looking increasingly likely to be genuine. If so, we
can look forward to the confirmation of a Predator game soon.