Review: The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
Release: Apr 7 2009
Developer: Starbreeze Studios
Publisher: Atari
Genre: First Person Shooter
A week ago I shared my initial thoughts on the newest chapter in the Riddick series, Assault on Dark Athena. AoDA takes place after the events from Escape from Butcher Bay, and the first chapter will be referenced several times throughout the game. Starbreeze Studios is responsible for both the initial, critically-acclaimed chronicle, as well as this new story. With such praise for original (as well as a graphically upgraded remake included on the DVD), I was excited to sink my teeth into the next tale of Riddick’s adventures through space.
The Dark is Where I Shine
The major premise to this game is that of a stealth-based shooter and the engine, shadows and lighting do a good job of facilitating this approach. Much of the game can be completed by sneaking through the shadows of the belly of the Dark Athena. Lying in wait for unsuspecting Drones to pass is a great way to get the drop on enemies, killing them with a melee attack. Other than a few minor clipping or ragdoll issues, the graphics certainly deliver a heightened sense of urgency and keep you engaged in the environment.
Level design plays another important role in the sneaking element of the game. While you are sneaking around, you sometimes have the opportunity to climb on top of shipping crates or other structures to help navigate the different puzzles. This aspect of the game has been executed very well, and switching to the third person camera gives you the opportunity to look around before climbing up on top of a crate or platform. Another kill tactic is also applied through climbing on top of things – dropping on top of enemies. One of the most exhilarating kill sequences in the game was jumping off a high platform and killing a drone, knifing the drone that was next to him and then using the gun attached to the drone to kill a third. This was truly an, “Oh, wow!” kind of moment, and one that was much needed half-way through the game.
Now The Monsters Have Something to Fear
If you get bored with the slow pace of sneaking around in the shadows, you can employ the arsenal of ranged weapons at your disposal. The guns aren’t necessarily inspired – you have your standard fare: SMG, Assault Rifle, Shotgun, etc – but they’re good fun to play with. Unfortunately, the AI is pathetically weak. At most you have a shooting range where the silhouettes fire back. All too often you’ll happen upon some Drones that, regardless of their status (patrolling or controlled), will not present you with any real threat or challenge. You might expect them to duck behind cover, but this only happens about half the time. The rest of the time they either stand out in the open and shoot at you or, stupidly stand completely still and don’t respond to you at all. In a few instances, I killed one Drone will another was standing a few feet away and didn’t even notice me. Drone or not, I think the game’s antagonist would have wanted the Drones to at least be intelligent enough to respond to gunshots.
There is one particular enemy – the Alpha Drone – where, after meeting the second one, you can go stand in a doorway and attack him all you want without fear of him shooting back. By this point you also have the SCAR (Sonic Compressor Assault Rifle), which fires a sticky projectile that, on secondary fire, detonates. Stick four or five to the Alpha Drone and detonate when you want to move to a new location and he doesn’t do anything. The rest of the AI do occasionally attempt to use cover, but they don’t seem to work together, and their attack patterns are pretty obvious. Too often they just charge at you. It’s far too easy to stand behind your own cover and either kill the charging enemies or stand out in the middle of a hallway and play that childhood carnival favorite Whack-A-Drone.
Captain Revas, your arch nemesis, wants to make sure you are finished. Little does she know that her stowaway has other plans.Full of Desperate Suckers
Though Riddick is describing the Igueran System with this phrase, I think it’s much more applicable to the Starbreeze and Atari forums. The complaint is the complete lack of multiplayer. Initially it was chalked up to faulty code, which was addressed with a patch released on April 15. However, there is still a complete and utter lack of either dedicated servers or client servers to give the multiplayer a try. Other sites have reviewed the multiplayer and I hear that the Pitch Black mode is extremely intense. Unfortunately, I (and many other PC gamers) haven’t had the chance to try it out, so perhaps Black Out might be the better name for it. Major demerits for the game for not only faulty multiplayer code out of the box, but also no official support for and online community on the PC. I’ve long heard that PC gaming was dying and refused to accept that, but if it is, it looks like it’s the developers/publishers that are holding its head under water with moves like this.
All it takes is a little positioning to ensure that this Alpha Drone doesn’t fight back!Where There is Desperation, There is Opportunity
Assault on Dark Athena certainly has more areas of opportunity (HR-speak for “weaknesses”) than strengths. The suffering AI, lack of multiplayer support, short campaign and repetitive gameplay (this coming from a guy who loves Left 4 Dead, no less) are not redeemed by its above average graphics and excellent voice acting. Unfortunately, the game is more of an assault on the PC gamer’s intelligence and wallet. Even if you’re a diehard Riddick fan, wait until this is available in the bargain bin – with limited support and replayability, it shouldn’t take long.
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