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June 7, 2004 | 2:56 PM PST
by: Sascha Lichtenstein
You’re not afraid of the dark, are you?
In an interview held several months ago, Vin Diesel was questioned as to what involvement he had in the development of the horrendous xXx game that had recently been released on Gameboy Advance. Mr. Diesel replied that he had almost no involvement with the title and that, as a gamer, he was unhappy with the way the game had turned out. He brought up the subject of the development studio he was in the process of founding – Tigon Games, and went on to promise that gamers would never play another crappy game with his name attached to it. In any other industry these may have been considered strong words; in the videogame industry, it was simply a new version of the same promise that had been made to gamers an uncountable number of times. Vin Diesel is apparently a man of his word, as Chronicles of Riddick is the first game since xXx to bear his name and/or likeness, and it is far from crappy. The chances that the title would be a quality affair seemed slim as it was not only a licensed title – essentially the kiss of death as it pertains to videogame quality, but one that would be released within weeks of the movie it was tied to – usually a sure sign that reaping the financial benefits of the new-release hype was of higher priority than creating an enjoyable gaming experience. While XA had favorable early impressions of the game, it’s difficult to imagine that anyone, even those with utmost confidence in the game, could have predicted just how incredible the final product would turn out to be. However, with its first contribution to the videogame industry, Tigon Games has assisted Starbreeze in figuratively urinating all over the maxim that movie-licensed games must, by definition, suck. Simply put, The Chronicles of Riddick is an absolute masterpiece; a graphical tour de force of a first-person shooter featuring incredible gameplay that is not only likely to have aspects liberally borrowed by future entries in the genre, but is also liable to influence the direction of the genre as a whole..
Story
Richard B. Riddick was introduced to the world back in 2000, through the sci-fi/horror movie, Pitch Black. While the movie was generally considered an excellent B-movie and a fine debut for new action-star-in-the-making Vin Diesel, an underground following quickly developed behind the title, and more specifically the main character. A self-admitted murderer and altogether intimidating presence, Vin Diesel personified the word badass in his stoic portrayal of the homicidal anti-hero. The Riddick character brought with it a sense of complexity, as he seemed to hold both a complete indifference to the world around him in addition to continually engaging in deep reflection – every reaction that would normally be expressed outward was turned inward [and analyzed] save for some creepy/witty banter and a few growls. The already unique nature of the character was blanketed by an air of mystique, as the events which shaped Riddick’s state of mind and lead him to the situation he found himself in at the introduction of Pitch Black were never fully explained. The Chronicles of Riddick, and the movie of the same name will both serve to provide additional insight into the Riddick character – the former acting as a means to elaborate on events spoken of in Pitch Black as well as those which contributed to his distinctive demeanor; the latter serves to take the character in new directions, essentially placing the character in a scenario where he is forced to care and react to the world around him [despite his natural apathy towards anything that doesn’t directly concern him].
In constructing the game as a prequel to the upcoming movies, the developers have cunningly created a narrative that will at once be enjoyable for existing fans of the films, but does not require any prior knowledge of the universe; events in the game have been referred to in the movie(s), not the other way around. However, those fans of the universe who are expecting the game to act as an interactive A&E biography are likely to be disappointed; while the game gives some insight into past events and the nature of Riddick’s character, it’s merely one small piece of what is likely an extremely eventful life. The game begins in a manner very reminiscent of Half-Life, with the story unfolding around the player via spoken dialogue during a semi-interactive cutscene. Riddick is being lead into Butcher Bay, the most ruthless triple-max security prison in existence – one which, based on solid statistical evidence, also happens to be inescapable. The player doesn’t know which murder Riddick has been imprisoned for, if he actually committed the murder in question (although most assume that he did), or how and when he was caught; the details of that adventure are saved for another day (or hopefully, another game). The story itself – which essentially boils down to nothing more than a jail break – isn’t particularly noteworthy, which is disappointing considering the understated style intrinsic to the plot of Pitch Black and the epic nature of the upcoming sequel. That said, the pace at which events drive the player through the game is absolutely brilliant, with perfect doses of both action and tension – it’s the perfect example of great direction making the most of an average plotline.
Gameplay
It Slices, It Dices…It Does It All!
The ‘jack of all trades and a master of none’ mentality is generally one that gets developers into trouble; the final product is rarely greater than the sum of its parts, leading to a very mediocre overall experience. The Chronicles of Riddick gets around this problematic trend by altering the mentality to something along the lines of ‘jack of all trades and badass at every single one’ and backing it up through seamless implementation of a variety of gameplay elements, all pulled off to near perfection. The gameplay is something of a hybrid of various genres and the freedom provided as a result of this breakdown of the traditional barriers between genres rockets the level of immersion [that the game provides] into the stratosphere. Another contributor to the level of immersion provided in The Chronicles of Riddick is the logical means by which the game governs the use of Riddick’s abilities; if it makes sense that Riddick would be able to do something within the context of the situation, then it’s possible in the game. Players are allowed to make as many stupid decisions as they’d like, so long as Riddick is feasibly capable of performing the desired action. As a result, problem solving ceases to exist solely as a manner of figuring out which game mechanic works in a given situation, and becomes a thought process similar to that which a person would utilize in reality.
Speaking of realistic thought processes, the AI featured in The Chronicles of Riddick is some of the most impressive to be found on Xbox. Enemies truly shine in the heat of combat as they dodge and weave, in addition to using cover wisely. While their patrolling patterns aren’t particularly impressive, once the player has made their presence known, the guards will be on higher alert, and will deviate from their normal paths to check out shadowy areas where Riddick may be hiding. Of course, the guards don’t need to see you to be alerted to your presence; firing your gun at one guard is likely to cause his buddies to run to his aid; and leaving remnants of Riddick’s handiwork in the middle of a high-traffic area is likely to have guards on the look out for a certain large, bald fugitive. Not all of the enemies are human however, and once the player runs into the more unattractive members of the opposition, the intelligent combat is replaced with the more brainless variety of twitch gaming. That’s not a terrible thing; some may, in fact, argue that the variety of opposition keeps the gameplay fresh. I personally believe that smart, life-like enemies give a unique combat experience upon each encounter, while dealing with constant swarms of less intelligent enemies can eventually become an exercise in tedium. Twitch gaming is fun, but Riddick isn’t the type of game it’s suited for – after all, you can’t rocket jump!
In an interview held several months ago, Vin Diesel was questioned as to what involvement he had in the development of the horrendous xXx game that had recently been released on Gameboy Advance. Mr. Diesel replied that he had almost no involvement with the title and that, as a gamer, he was unhappy with the way the game had turned out. He brought up the subject of the development studio he was in the process of founding – Tigon Games, and went on to promise that gamers would never play another crappy game with his name attached to it. In any other industry these may have been considered strong words; in the videogame industry, it was simply a new version of the same promise that had been made to gamers an uncountable number of times. Vin Diesel is apparently a man of his word, as Chronicles of Riddick is the first game since xXx to bear his name and/or likeness, and it is far from crappy. The chances that the title would be a quality affair seemed slim as it was not only a licensed title – essentially the kiss of death as it pertains to videogame quality, but one that would be released within weeks of the movie it was tied to – usually a sure sign that reaping the financial benefits of the new-release hype was of higher priority than creating an enjoyable gaming experience. While XA had favorable early impressions of the game, it’s difficult to imagine that anyone, even those with utmost confidence in the game, could have predicted just how incredible the final product would turn out to be. However, with its first contribution to the videogame industry, Tigon Games has assisted Starbreeze in figuratively urinating all over the maxim that movie-licensed games must, by definition, suck. Simply put, The Chronicles of Riddick is an absolute masterpiece; a graphical tour de force of a first-person shooter featuring incredible gameplay that is not only likely to have aspects liberally borrowed by future entries in the genre, but is also liable to influence the direction of the genre as a whole..
Story
Richard B. Riddick was introduced to the world back in 2000, through the sci-fi/horror movie, Pitch Black. While the movie was generally considered an excellent B-movie and a fine debut for new action-star-in-the-making Vin Diesel, an underground following quickly developed behind the title, and more specifically the main character. A self-admitted murderer and altogether intimidating presence, Vin Diesel personified the word badass in his stoic portrayal of the homicidal anti-hero. The Riddick character brought with it a sense of complexity, as he seemed to hold both a complete indifference to the world around him in addition to continually engaging in deep reflection – every reaction that would normally be expressed outward was turned inward [and analyzed] save for some creepy/witty banter and a few growls. The already unique nature of the character was blanketed by an air of mystique, as the events which shaped Riddick’s state of mind and lead him to the situation he found himself in at the introduction of Pitch Black were never fully explained. The Chronicles of Riddick, and the movie of the same name will both serve to provide additional insight into the Riddick character – the former acting as a means to elaborate on events spoken of in Pitch Black as well as those which contributed to his distinctive demeanor; the latter serves to take the character in new directions, essentially placing the character in a scenario where he is forced to care and react to the world around him [despite his natural apathy towards anything that doesn’t directly concern him].
In constructing the game as a prequel to the upcoming movies, the developers have cunningly created a narrative that will at once be enjoyable for existing fans of the films, but does not require any prior knowledge of the universe; events in the game have been referred to in the movie(s), not the other way around. However, those fans of the universe who are expecting the game to act as an interactive A&E biography are likely to be disappointed; while the game gives some insight into past events and the nature of Riddick’s character, it’s merely one small piece of what is likely an extremely eventful life. The game begins in a manner very reminiscent of Half-Life, with the story unfolding around the player via spoken dialogue during a semi-interactive cutscene. Riddick is being lead into Butcher Bay, the most ruthless triple-max security prison in existence – one which, based on solid statistical evidence, also happens to be inescapable. The player doesn’t know which murder Riddick has been imprisoned for, if he actually committed the murder in question (although most assume that he did), or how and when he was caught; the details of that adventure are saved for another day (or hopefully, another game). The story itself – which essentially boils down to nothing more than a jail break – isn’t particularly noteworthy, which is disappointing considering the understated style intrinsic to the plot of Pitch Black and the epic nature of the upcoming sequel. That said, the pace at which events drive the player through the game is absolutely brilliant, with perfect doses of both action and tension – it’s the perfect example of great direction making the most of an average plotline.
Gameplay
It Slices, It Dices…It Does It All!
The ‘jack of all trades and a master of none’ mentality is generally one that gets developers into trouble; the final product is rarely greater than the sum of its parts, leading to a very mediocre overall experience. The Chronicles of Riddick gets around this problematic trend by altering the mentality to something along the lines of ‘jack of all trades and badass at every single one’ and backing it up through seamless implementation of a variety of gameplay elements, all pulled off to near perfection. The gameplay is something of a hybrid of various genres and the freedom provided as a result of this breakdown of the traditional barriers between genres rockets the level of immersion [that the game provides] into the stratosphere. Another contributor to the level of immersion provided in The Chronicles of Riddick is the logical means by which the game governs the use of Riddick’s abilities; if it makes sense that Riddick would be able to do something within the context of the situation, then it’s possible in the game. Players are allowed to make as many stupid decisions as they’d like, so long as Riddick is feasibly capable of performing the desired action. As a result, problem solving ceases to exist solely as a manner of figuring out which game mechanic works in a given situation, and becomes a thought process similar to that which a person would utilize in reality.
Speaking of realistic thought processes, the AI featured in The Chronicles of Riddick is some of the most impressive to be found on Xbox. Enemies truly shine in the heat of combat as they dodge and weave, in addition to using cover wisely. While their patrolling patterns aren’t particularly impressive, once the player has made their presence known, the guards will be on higher alert, and will deviate from their normal paths to check out shadowy areas where Riddick may be hiding. Of course, the guards don’t need to see you to be alerted to your presence; firing your gun at one guard is likely to cause his buddies to run to his aid; and leaving remnants of Riddick’s handiwork in the middle of a high-traffic area is likely to have guards on the look out for a certain large, bald fugitive. Not all of the enemies are human however, and once the player runs into the more unattractive members of the opposition, the intelligent combat is replaced with the more brainless variety of twitch gaming. That’s not a terrible thing; some may, in fact, argue that the variety of opposition keeps the gameplay fresh. I personally believe that smart, life-like enemies give a unique combat experience upon each encounter, while dealing with constant swarms of less intelligent enemies can eventually become an exercise in tedium. Twitch gaming is fun, but Riddick isn’t the type of game it’s suited for – after all, you can’t rocket jump!
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February 8, 2010
