''The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay'' is a
first-person action and
stealth video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed by
Starbreeze Studios
Starbreeze Studios AB is a Swedish video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher based in Stockholm. The studios's notable games developed include ''The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay'', ''Payday 2'' and ''Brothers: ...
and
Tigon Studios
Tigon Studios is a video game developer owned by One Race Films focused primarily on games featuring actor Vin Diesel, who also founded the company. Following a suspension of development work, Diesel reactivated the company in September 2013. A ...
, and was published by
Vivendi Universal Games
Vivendi Games was an American video game publisher and holding company based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1996 as CUC Software, the publishing subsidiary of CUC International, after the latter acquired video game companies Davidson & Associ ...
. Released for the
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
and
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
in 2004, the game's story is a
prequel
A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work.
The term " ...
to the futuristic
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
film ''
Pitch Black
Pitch Black may refer to:
Film
* ''Pitch Black'' (film), a 2000 science fiction movie
* Pitch Black, the boogeyman in the animated film ''Rise of the Guardians''
Music
* Pitch Black Records, a Cyprus-based record label established in 2007
* Pitc ...
''. Actor
Vin Diesel—who was involved in the game's development—reprises his role as that film's protagonist,
Richard B. Riddick
Richard B. Riddick, more commonly known as Riddick, is a fictional character and the antiheroic protagonist of the ''Chronicles of Riddick'' series, including the animated short movie '' Dark Fury'' and the video games '' Escape from Butcher B ...
.
The game follows Riddick, the anti-hero of the two films ''
Pitch Black
Pitch Black may refer to:
Film
* ''Pitch Black'' (film), a 2000 science fiction movie
* Pitch Black, the boogeyman in the animated film ''Rise of the Guardians''
Music
* Pitch Black Records, a Cyprus-based record label established in 2007
* Pitc ...
'' and ''
The Chronicles of Riddick'', as he attempts to escape from a maximum-security prison called Butcher Bay. ''Escape from Butcher Bay''s designers focused on exploring Riddick's character in a prison break setting to differentiate the game from the film. The game's influences include the film ''
Escape from Alcatraz'', and video games such as ''
Half-Life
Half-life (symbol ) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable ato ...
'' and ''
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
''Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell'' is a series of stealth action-adventure video games, the first of which was released in 2002, and their tie-in novels that were endorsed by Tom Clancy. The series follows Sam Fisher, a highly trained agent of a ...
''.
''Escape from Butcher Bay'' received acclaim by critics, who lauded its graphics and its implementation of stealth, action and adventure elements. However, they commonly lamented its brevity and lack of multiplayer components. The game has garnered a
cult following
A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
and is often cited as one of the
greatest video games ever made. It went on to win several accolades, including the
Golden Joystick Award
The Golden Joystick Awards, also known as the People's Gaming Awards, is a video game award ceremony; it awards the best video games of the year, as voted for originally by the British general public, but is now a global event that can be voted ...
for Unsung Hero Game of the Year and the
Spike Video Game Award
The Spike Video Game Awards (in short VGAs, known as the VGX for the final show) was an annual award show hosted by American television network Spike from 2003 to 2013 that recognized the best computer and video games of the year. Produced by '' ...
for Best Game Based on a Movie. In
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, the game was included in ''
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena'', but with enhanced visuals.
Gameplay
In ''Escape from Butcher Bay'', the player takes control of protagonist
Richard B. Riddick
Richard B. Riddick, more commonly known as Riddick, is a fictional character and the antiheroic protagonist of the ''Chronicles of Riddick'' series, including the animated short movie '' Dark Fury'' and the video games '' Escape from Butcher B ...
as he attempts to break out of Butcher Bay prison.
The game incorporates elements from
video game genres such as
first-person shooter
First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
,
adventure and
stealth,
and is played primarily from a
first-person perspective, though the camera switches to a
third-person perspective during certain scenes.
Unlike many first-person shooters, the game contains no
head-up display;
on-screen cues are limited to flashes when a new weapon is selected,
and small, white boxes that display the
player character
A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...
's
health
Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...
when damage is taken.
Health can be replenished in designated areas throughout the game.
By finding cigarette packs hidden in
levels
Level or levels may refer to:
Engineering
*Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights
*Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical
*Canal pound or level
*Regr ...
, the player can unlock concept art and video files.
The player may interact with and receive
quests from the prison's residents,
and earns information, tools and other rewards by completing quests.
Violent conflict often occurs between the player, inmates and prison guards.
The player attacks with Riddick's bare hands, or with improvised weapons such as
shivs and
clubs
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises
...
.
Combos are created by stringing together punches.
A DNA-scanning security system initially prevents Riddick from using firearms, but a limited arsenal later becomes available.
A "stealth mode" is activated when the
player character
A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...
crouches, allowing the player to move silently and tinting the edges of the screen blue when the player is hidden.
While in stealth mode, the player can drag bodies out of sight and hide from enemies.
The mode grants attacks that quickly kill enemies;
the player may drop on enemies from above, or execute them from behind.
During the game, Riddick acquires ''
eyeshine
The ''tapetum lucidum'' ( ; ; ) is a layer of tissue in the eye of many vertebrates and some other animals. Lying immediately behind the retina, it is a retroreflector. It reflects visible light back through the retina, increasing the light a ...
'', allowing him to see in the dark but temporarily blinding him if used in brightly lit areas.
Plot
Setting and characters
''Escape from Butcher Bay'' is set in the futuristic
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
universe of the
''Chronicles of Riddick'' franchise,
and is a prequel to the film ''
Pitch Black
Pitch Black may refer to:
Film
* ''Pitch Black'' (film), a 2000 science fiction movie
* Pitch Black, the boogeyman in the animated film ''Rise of the Guardians''
Music
* Pitch Black Records, a Cyprus-based record label established in 2007
* Pitc ...
''.
The game takes place inside Butcher Bay, a
maximum-security prison from which no prisoner has escaped.
The facility—constructed on a barren planet—contains three increasingly secure holding areas, and a subterranean mining operation.
The game's
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
is Richard B. Riddick (reprised by
Vin Diesel), a murderer recently confined in Butcher Bay.
Riddick is resourceful, and seeks to break out of the prison by any means necessary.
His capturer is the
bounty hunter William J. Johns (
Cole Hauser
Cole Hauser (born March 22, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for film roles in ''Higher Learning'', ''School Ties'', '' Dazed and Confused'', ''Good Will Hunting'', '' Pitch Black'', ''Tigerland'', ''Hart's War'', ''Tears of the Sun'', '' ...
); the two have had previous encounters.
Butcher Bay's warden is a man named Hoxie (
Dwight Schultz
William Dwight Schultz (born November 24, 1947) is an American television, film and voice actor.
He is known for his roles as Captain "Howling Mad" Murdock on the 1980s action series ''The A-Team'' and as Reginald Barclay in the ''Star Trek'' ...
),
while Abbott (
Xzibit) is a prison guard disliked by the inmates.
The inmate Pope Joe (
Willis Burks II) is an insane old man, who lives in the sewer tunnels beneath the prison.
Story
The opening cinematic shows Riddick in hiding, having grown out his hair and beard, before the opening scene of the ''Chronicles of Riddick'' movie. He hunts an animal and after killing it, a disembodied voice starts talking to him asking him where he got his eyes. He states that he received them from a "slam preacher" and this causes him to remember his time at Butcher Bay. The game takes place in a flashback.
Another opening cinematic takes place in which Riddick is being transported for collection on the bounty. He and Johns have a brief conversation in which Riddick tells Johns that there is no way he is going to get the price he wants. Riddick wakes up as they land and stands out front of Butcher Bay waiting for the warden. He sneaks up behind Johns and breaks his neck and proceeds to escape. After getting his hands on a gun, he goes through the ventilation ducts and seemingly escapes into the desert. Everything fades to white as Riddick hears Johns saying, "Rise and shine, Riddick." It turns out this escape was simply a dream.
Riddick wakes up and Johns escorts him off the ship. Johns meets with Hoxie to negotiate his pay,
while Abbott escorts Riddick to his cell in the "single-max" security area. After making enemies with and killing a gang leader named Rust, Riddick familiarizes himself with the facility, and soon instigates a riot; during the confusion, he escapes into the prison's sewer system. Armed with a shotgun and a dying flashlight, Riddick discovers he is not alone in the sewers. Fighting through the sewers against mutant "dwellers",
Riddick eventually meets Pope Joe, for whom he retrieves a lost radio, which Joe calls a blessed voicebox. A woman named Shirah (
Kristin Lehman
Kristin Lehman (born May 3, 1972) is a Canadian actress and dancer known for her roles in the television series '' Poltergeist: The Legacy'', ''Judging Amy'', and '' The Killing''. From 2013 to 2016, she starred as Detective Angie Flynn in the ...
)
tells Riddick that he "has been blind too long", and he gains his trademark "eyeshine" night vision.
Afterwards, he accuses Pope Joe of tampering with his eyes; Joe says that he merely treated Riddick's injured arm. Riddick then continues his escape, while using the eyeshine to his advantage.
After emerging from a manhole in the showers of the guard living quarters, Riddick uses a guard uniform to blend in as he makes his way to the space port and his chance at escape. Realizing he requires a guard to get through the retinal scanner that locks the doors to the space port, Riddick decides to go after Abbott and take his eyes. He gains access to Abbott's apartment by telling him there is a delivery for him. A fire fight ensues and after that, as Abbott bleeds out on the floor, Riddick moves in for the kill but is stopped by Johns.
Riddick is captured and transferred to the "double-max" security area. Gaining the trust of the inmates by participating in fighting matches, Riddick eventually kills the champion of the fighting matches, a guard named Bam. This leads him to be taken to a room where no surveillance is seen and several guards await to kill Riddick. Abbott walks into the room, fully healed, holding a baseball bat. Shirah returns to him and tells him that the fury of all of his kind is within him, and he can release it if he chooses. A blast of energy called the 'Rage of Furya' kills all the guards around him except Abbott, who hides and then panics and attacks Riddick. Riddick kills Abbott and proceeds to find another way to escape. Using a secret entrance to an elevator, he infiltrates a mining facility. He meets an inmate of great influence in the area named Jagger Valance (
Ron Perlman
Ronald Perlman (born April 13, 1950) is an American actor. His credits include the roles of Amoukar in ''Quest for Fire'' (1981), Salvatore in ''The Name of the Rose'' (1986), Vincent in the television series ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1987–199 ...
),
who wishes to escape with him. He makes a bomb and plants it in a mining site with a massive gas leak. However, Riddick is discovered and caught by the guards. During his transfer to another section, the prison is disrupted by an outbreak of creatures called "Xeno", due to the bomb Riddick planted, in order to create the confusion necessary for his escape, and Riddick attempts to escape with Valance. His plans are foiled again by Johns. After a fist fight, Riddick and Johns are both shot by Valance (who only meant to hit Johns) and Valance is killed by the guards. After meeting again with the warden, and telling him that he is just getting started, Riddick is placed in the "triple-max" area, where inmates are kept in
cryonic sleep.
They are awakened daily for two minutes of exercise; during this time, Riddick discovers a flaw in the system and escapes. He then hijacks a large robot and fights his way through Butcher Bay to reach Hoxie.
Tired of dealing with the prison officials, Johns helps Riddick to elude the guards. Riddick knocks Johns out and flies the ship into the warden's office. The warden calls in two robot guards with cloaking abilities and Riddick defeats them. After Hoxie surrenders, Riddick receives the codes to Hoxie's ship and Riddick and Johns escape disguised as a guard and prisoner. Two guards enter Hoxie's room, where Hoxie is bound and covered in Riddick's former attire. They mistake him for Riddick and kill him. Riddick and Johns take off in Hoxie's ship, ending the game.
Development
![Vin Diesel by Gage Skidmore 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Vin_Diesel_by_Gage_Skidmore_2.jpg)
''Escape from Butcher Bay'' was co-developed by Swedish company
Starbreeze Studios
Starbreeze Studios AB is a Swedish video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher based in Stockholm. The studios's notable games developed include ''The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay'', ''Payday 2'' and ''Brothers: ...
and the Vin Diesel-founded
Tigon Studios
Tigon Studios is a video game developer owned by One Race Films focused primarily on games featuring actor Vin Diesel, who also founded the company. Following a suspension of development work, Diesel reactivated the company in September 2013. A ...
, and published by
Vivendi Games and
Tigon Studios
Tigon Studios is a video game developer owned by One Race Films focused primarily on games featuring actor Vin Diesel, who also founded the company. Following a suspension of development work, Diesel reactivated the company in September 2013. A ...
. Universal Studios Consumer Products Group granted ''The Chronicles of Riddick'' license to Universal Interactive; both companies were owned by
Vivendi Universal. The game was announced in March 2004 as an
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...
title. Tigon Studios' Cos Lazouras said, "
he game
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
features an original storyline that provides insight into how Riddick evolved into such a complex character".
In contrast to other film
tie-in
A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prope ...
games, which often closely follow the events of their source material, the development team of ''Escape from Butcher Bay'' focused on differentiating the game from ''The Chronicles of Riddick''.
They sought to explore Riddick's character in a
prison break
''Prison Break'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial drama television show, television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purce ...
setting, and took inspiration from films such as ''
Escape from Alcatraz''. Starbreeze was also inspired by video games such as ''
GoldenEye 007'' and the
''Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell'' series.
The opening sequence, in which Riddick is escorted into Butcher Bay,
is a tribute to ''
Half-Life
Half-life (symbol ) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable ato ...
'', the game's hand-to-hand combat was inspired by ''
Punch-Out!!
is a video game series of boxing created by Nintendo's general manager Genyo Takeda, and his partner Makoto Wada. The first game was '' Punch-Out!!'' made in 1984 as an arcade unit, which was followed by a sequel '' Super Punch-Out!!'' (1984) ...
'',
and the stealth mechanics, such as hiding in the shadows and leaning, were inspired by that of ''
Thief: The Dark Project'' and ''
Deus Ex''. Starbreeze focused solely on developing the game's
single-player
A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. A single-player game is usually a game that can only be played by one person, while "single-player mode" is usuall ...
mode, and did not include
multiplayer
A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
; the company believed that such a mode would require a design team twice as large and another year of development.
Vin Diesel, the lead actor of ''The Chronicles of Riddick'', provided his voice and likeness for Riddick. He and director
David Twohy also contributed to the game's plot and character design; the game's story was developed in conjunction with the film's.
Per the filmmakers' instructions, the designers made the origin of Riddick's "eyeshine" vague.
Diesel offered guidance to the game's lead writer during voice recording sessions; this included dialogue rewrites to reduce Riddick's lines, as Diesel believed the character spoke too often.
Starbreeze intended for ''Escape from Butcher Bay'' to feature more complex
role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
systems, but feedback from Diesel and game testers dissuaded them. Starbreeze senior producer Peter Wanat said, "We tried to limit the number of really hard or really intricate RPG elements, and that was a choice because we wanted the game to be playable."
Other removed features include an electric
bullwhip for the guard Abbott, and a 25-minute final
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, a ...
fight.
A
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
version that was in development was cancelled so the company could focus on the Xbox version.
The game uses
normal mapping, which allows detailed textures to be drawn on models with lower
polygon
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
counts; this increases visual fidelity, without sacrificing higher
frame rate
Frame rate (expressed in or FPS) is the frequency (rate) at which consecutive images (frames) are captured or displayed. The term applies equally to film and video cameras, computer graphics, and motion capture systems. Frame rate may also be ca ...
s.
It also featured dynamic lighting with per-pixel
stencil shadowing and
self-shadowing
Self-Shadowing is a computer graphics lighting effect, used in 3D rendering applications such as computer animation and video games. Self-shadowing allows non-static objects in the environment, such as game characters and interactive objects ...
.
''Escape from Butcher Bay'' was completed in 18 months.
Vin Diesel promoted the game and the accompanying movie at the May 2004
Electronic Entertainment Expo
E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo or Electronic Entertainment Experience in 2021) is a trade event for the video game industry. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) organizes and presents E3, which many developers, publisher ...
(E3) video game convention.
The game was released in North America on June 1, 2004, shortly before ''The Chronicles of Riddick''.
North American
pre-order
A pre-order is an order placed for an item that has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came because people found it hard to get popular items in stores because of their popularity. Companies then had the idea to allow customers to r ...
s of the game included a DVD of promotional content, such as a partial interactive
walkthrough and footage from the film.
The game's soundtrack, composed by
Gustaf Grefberg
Gustaf Grefberg (born 18 February 1974) is a Swedish musician. As part of the demoscene, he is known under the artist name Lizardking, and much of his production is tracker music. He is or has been a member of the demo groups Alcatraz, The Silen ...
, was released by Vivendi as a free download on June 24, 2004.
Following rumors, Vivendi confirmed in July 2004 that a
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
of ''Escape from Butcher Bay'' was in development, entitled "''The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay Director's Cut''".
The game features a higher
display resolution
The display resolution or display modes of a digital television, computer monitor or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is ...
, additional cigarette packs, and new scenes where Riddick steals mechanized riot armor. It includes developer commentary which details the game's creation and design decisions.
The game was released on December 8 in North America.
Expanded remake
In May 2007, Vivendi announced that ''Escape from Butcher Bay'' was being
remade
Bas-Lag is the fictional world in which several of English author China Miéville's novels are set. Bas-Lag is a world where both magic (referred to as "thaumaturgy") and steampunk technology exist, and is home to many intelligent races. It is inf ...
by Starbreeze Studios for PC,
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
and
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
. Entitled ''The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena'', the game was referred to by Vivendi as a "reinvention" of ''Escape from Butcher Bay''; it would include a multiplayer mode and new single-player content.
It was planned that Vivendi-subsidiary
Sierra Entertainment would publish the game in late 2007.
In December 2007,
Activision and Vivendi Games
merged
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...
to become
Activision Blizzard;
the new company announced the dismissal of ''Assault on Dark Athena'', ''
Brütal Legend'', ''
Ghostbusters: The Video Game'' and others from its roster in July 2008. The titles were put up for sale to other publishers.
In September 2008, Starbreeze Studios confirmed that the game was still in development, and that it was nearing completion.
The following month, Atari reportedly paid a flat fee for the publishing rights to ''Assault on Dark Athena'' and ''
Ghostbusters: The Video Game'';
Atari later confirmed that it had picked up both titles.
The company also stated that it had struck a deal with
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
to develop more ''Chronicles of Riddick'' games.
''Assault on Dark Athena'' was released in April 2009 in North America, Europe, and Australia.
Reception
''Escape from Butcher Bay'' received critical acclaim.
Certain reviewers preferred the game over its film counterpart, and considered it an exception to the general mediocrity of film
tie-in
A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prope ...
games.
The Xbox version of the game had sold 159,000 copies by August 2004, and was among the best-selling games on any platform during June 2004;
it was later re-released as a
Platinum Hits title.
Conversely, the PC version sold 32,500 after six months on shelves.
''Escape from Butcher Bay''s gameplay was compared to first-person shooters like ''
Far Cry'' and ''
Half-Life
Half-life (symbol ) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable ato ...
'',
and to stealth game series like ''Splinter Cell'',
''
Metal Gear
is a series of techno-thriller stealth games created by Hideo Kojima. Developed and published by Konami, the first game, ''Metal Gear'', was released in 1987 for MSX home computers. The player often takes control of a special forces operativ ...
'',
and ''
Thief''.
Reviewers enjoyed the variety of gameplay elements:
''
Game Informer
''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
s Jeremy Zoss noted that "every aspect of play is expertly implemented",
and
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
's Greg Kasavin believed that the game "effectively and innovatively combines excellent shooting, hand-to-hand combat, stealth, and adventure elements".
While the game's stealth mechanics were praised,
certain critics received its first-person shooter elements with less enthusiasm.
Reviewers applauded the control scheme, such as the Xbox version's
analog stick-based hand-to-hand combat.
The implementation of Riddick's
eyeshine
The ''tapetum lucidum'' ( ; ; ) is a layer of tissue in the eye of many vertebrates and some other animals. Lying immediately behind the retina, it is a retroreflector. It reflects visible light back through the retina, increasing the light a ...
ability was also generally praised,
but ''
Computer and Video Games
''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website ...
'' believed that it was no different from
night vision goggles
A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD), night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The dev ...
in other first-person shooters, and said that it "could've been developed into so much more."
The game's visuals—particularly the Xbox version's—were acclaimed,
and compared to those of ''Doom 3'' and ''
Half-Life 2''.
GameZone's Michael Lafferty said that the game's graphics "
ake
Ake (or Aké in Spanish orthography) is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It's located in the municipality of Tixkokob, in the Mexican state of Yucatán; 40 km (25 mi) east of Mérida, Yucatán.
The name ...
the genre to the next level".
The textures and lighting were cited as high points,
particularly because of the gameplay role of shadows.
Character models and facial animations were considered highly realistic; much praise was given to those of Riddick.
GameSpot appreciated the developers' attention to detail; they noted that recent bullet-holes glow red and smoke, but gradually cool and darken.
Certain reviewers complained about graphical glitches, such as "seams" and "clipping",
and gave as an example the visibility of
bullet tracers through walls.
The portrayal of Butcher Bay was considered convincing, and
1UP
In video games, a life is a play-turn that a player character has, defined as the period between start and end of play. Lives refer to a finite number of tries before the game ends with a game over. It is sometimes called a chance, a try, rest ...
's Shawn Elliott compared it to the settings of the
''Alien'' franchise.
The audio of ''Escape from Butcher Bay'' was generally well received,
and critics praised its voice acting; the performances of Vin Diesel and Cole Hauser were given special commendation.
In regard to the music, FiringSquad's Jakub Wojnarowicz stated, "It's not good enough to sweep you away
but it's also not bad enough to stick out like a sore thumb".
IGN said, "The music isn't memorable, but it's not bad".
The ''
Sunday Herald Sun'' called the voice acting "Surprisingly good". The game's length was commonly criticized. Reviewers noted that it could be completed in eight to fifteen hours,
and IGN said, "If you consider around 12 hours of gameplay short, then Riddick is just that."
Several reviewers were displeased by the game's lack of multiplayer components;
''Computer and Video Games'' referred to it as a "missed opportunity".
''Game Informer'' said, "Since the main quest is short
..and there is no multiplayer, it’s not a ton of game for your money."
Professor
James Paul Gee
James Gee (; born April 15, 1948) is a retired American researcher who has worked in psycholinguistics, discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, bilingual education, and literacy. Gee most recently held the position as the Mary Lou Fulton Presidentia ...
, a researcher of video games, has used ''Escape from Butcher Bay'' in his studies. He discussed the relation of
Garrett from ''
Thief'' and the nameless soldier from ''
Full Spectrum Warrior
''Full Spectrum Warrior'' is a real-time tactics video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by THQ for Xbox, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2. A sequel titled '' Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers'' was later released.
Gameplay
'' ...
'' with the character of Riddick, saying that the games "allow players to take a projective stance to the (virtual) world, but a stance that is rooted in the knowledge, values, and ways of seeing and being in the world of an authentic professional, an 'expert'."
Awards and accolades
Both versions of the game were given editor's choice awards from IGN,
GameSpot,
and
GameSpy
GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1996 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for the game, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameS ...
.
GameSpot named it the best Xbox game of June 2004,
and the PC version was IGN's PC Game of the Month for December 2004.
It later won GameSpot's annual "Most Surprisingly Good Game" and "Best Game Based on a TV or Film Property" awards, and was a runner-up in the publication's "Best Action Adventure Game", "Best Original Music", "Best Sound Effects", "Best Story", "Best Graphics, Technical", "Best Voice Acting" and "Most Innovative Game" categories, as well as for „Game of the Year”.
The editors of ''
Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...
'' presented ''Butcher Bay'' with their 2004 "Action Game of the Year" award, and hailed it as "the best movie prequel ever produced".
''
Computer Games Magazine
''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 1 ...
'' named ''Escape from Butcher Bay'' the tenth-best computer game of 2004.
IGN later ranked ''Butcher Bay'' 12th on its list of the 25 greatest Xbox games of all time.
Game Informer placed ''Escape from Butcher Bay'' as the 8th best on their list of 25 greatest Xbox games of all time. ''Escape from Butcher Bay'' was nominated for GameSpot's Game of the Year award for 2004, but it lost to ''
World of Warcraft
''World of Warcraft'' (''WoW'') is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released in 2004 by Blizzard Entertainment. Set in the ''Warcraft'' fantasy universe, ''World of Warcraft'' takes place within the world of Azeroth ...
''. Computer and Video Games called the PC version the 98th best PC game of all time. ''
Billboard's'' Digital Entertainment Conference nominated Riddick as its Best Character in a Game
and a
Golden Joystick Award
The Golden Joystick Awards, also known as the People's Gaming Awards, is a video game award ceremony; it awards the best video games of the year, as voted for originally by the British general public, but is now a global event that can be voted ...
for "Unsung Hero Game of the Year".
GamesRadar placed ''Escape from Butcher Bay'' in their "Top 7 movie games that don't suck" list, and said that "''Escape from Butcher Bay'' was a triumph on almost every level."
In 2013, IGN ranked ''Escape from Butcher Bay'' as the 27th greatest
first-person shooter
First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
of all time.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chronicles Of Riddick, The: Escape from Butcher Bay
2004 video games
Cancelled PlayStation 2 games
First-person adventure games
First-person shooters
Science fiction video games
Single-player video games
Starbreeze Studios games
Stealth video games
Escape from Butcher Bay
Video game prequels
Video games developed in Sweden
Video games scored by Gustaf Grefberg
Video games set in prison
Video games set on fictional planets
Video games with commentaries
Windows games
Xbox games
Xbox 360 games
PlayStation 3 games
MacOS games
Immersive sims