Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, The

Game Informer

With Dark Athena releasing on all high-powered consoles, there is absolutely no excuse not to play this incredible game.

Gaming Age

A great package, and definitely worth picking up.

Official Xbox Magazine

The allure of this package is irresistible. [May 2009, p.70]

Wired

Its blend of action, strategy and atmospheric tension perfectly complement the film series it's based on. Assault on Dark Athena sets a new standard for games based on films.

GamePro

But when you step back and consider the entire package, you start to appreciate Dark Athena for what it truly is. Instead, look at Dark Athena as a flawed yet enjoyable way to extend the thrill ride that is Escape from Butcher Bay.

Cheat Code Central

Getting two excellent single-player campaigns as well as a sizeable online offering should please fans of the original game and newcomers alike. While there are some minor graphical issues that can be found throughout both games, they thankfully never adversely affect the gameplay.

ZTGameDomain

A very solid game, with some excellent features, and a badass main character. For your hard earned sixty bucks you can't ask for a bigger package, two full games and multiplayer. I just hope that the sales from this game inspires them to complete The Chronicles of Riddick movie trilogy, because after seeing another side of this character in these games you will want to see more of him.

Vandal Online

The new contents are not as good as the original games, and the enemy AI could have been improved, but without doubt this is one of the most interesting launches of recent months.

NZGamer

Players looking for a pure stealth game will be disappointed, but everyone else will find in Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena a healthy mix of action, stealth and heavy weapon gameplay.

Deeko

The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena manages to bring the best of Riddick together.

Gamer Limit

The finest first-person shooter experience since Bioshock. It is a great pity that so many people will pass this game by.

MondoXbox

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena revealed itself to be an extremely gratifying experience, mainly thanks to the great gameplay variety and Riddick's bullish charm. If you were missing a good stealth game, even if not despising FPS action, this is your game. We absolutely suggest it to everyone who didn't play Escape from Butcher's Bay, but even if you did, the Dark Athena campaign will give you about ten hours of fresh enjoyment.

Team Xbox

A healthy mix of melee and gunplay, the stealth action is tried and true.

Gamer 2.0

With the economy on the ropes and gamers finding it harder to purchase game, you will not find a better deal than Assault on Dark Athena, which gives you two single player campaigns and a multiplayer component for one price.

Console Monster

It's everything I expected from a sequel to Butcher Bay and more. It's just that Butcher Bay just had that little something to make it an fantastic game. Luckily, it's included with Dark Athena.

Gamers.at

For fans of the Original (TCoR:EfBB), this is nothing but a "must have". But everybody else, who's simply looking for a good, brutal shooter with stealth-elements and a cool main character, should definitely have a look too! Personally, I'm sure you won't regret it.

Play Magazine

Never mind that Dark Athena doesn’t quite stand up to Butcher Bay. Why should it? As a package, this is an easy sell for someone looking for a moody experience of stealth, action and adventure. Nice to see a game that understands dialogue too.

GamingExcellence

While all of the work that went into Dark Athena is appreciated it doesn’t change the fact that the pacing and level design in the original game far outshines that of anything that the expansion really brings to the table.

XboxAddict

I forgot how great Butcher Bay really was even though I’ve completed it years ago. Even if you’ve completed it before hand as well, it’s worth experiencing again even if it’s only for the achievements.

MS Xbox World

If you've not played the first game, then you'll no doubt be well pleased at having two chunks of fresh gaming to satisfy your hunger. For anyone else, the return to nostalgic realms is pleasant, but the over-familiarity of Dark Athena, might leave you burned out.

Everyeye.it

Assault on Dark Athena is a great new adventure for Riddick. Gameplay mechanics are still exemplary, mixing together FPS and adventure game, and the setting is quite peculiar. Obviously, the HD version of Escape from Butcher Bay makes the DVD a great bargain for the player.

Gameplayer

It hides its flaws gracefully.

AtomicGamer

If you've never played the original, then I highly recommend checking this one out, based almost entirely on the merits of the first game. If you've already escaped from Butcher Bay, though, your decision is a bit more difficult.

Xbox World 360 Magazine UK

Despite the name on the box, AODA's latter half makes it a supporting act to Butcher's Bay's main attraction. It doesn't matter how many triple twists and double somersaults a gymnast pulls if he smashes his face on the landing, and AODA crash lands pretty bloody hard. Fortunately, it's a broken nose limited to a small part of a packed box. [Apr 2009, p.82]

GameTrailers

The Escape may handily trump the Assault, but neophyte Riddicks have a unique experience to work through. Though vets who return may begrudge Athena, it's doubtful they won't finish. It's an abridged effort, and more of a dreaded point-five than a true sequel, but with both missions it still reigns as the best first-person, melee, stealth, parkour game featuring Vin Diesel.

3DJuegos

This new Riddick package is a great chance to experience again its immense first half, that could be really unforgettable if the Dark Athena sequel was not so poor. The multiplayer, the remade visual side and the two campaigns are enough reasons to recommend it to the FPS fans.

Multiplayer.it

Riddick is back, and he is healthier than ever. Mainly for those who skipped last generation's console version!

Game Revolution

The standout is Pitch Black mode where only one player is our pal Riddick (who can see in the dark thanks to either surgery or magic depending on which movie you watch) and everyone else hunting him has a flashlight and a gun.

Gaming Nexus

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is a great re-packaging of a great game, but loses its sense of character towards the end.

WonderwallWeb

The Chronicles of Riddick as a package offers great value, however if you are buying this game just for the sequel you will be getting a game which is only slighty above average.

Planet Xbox 360

It’s one of the best bargains on the Xbox 360 of more than thirty hours of entertaining gameplay. Since the original isn’t backwards compatible on the Xbox 360, this is your only chance to play through the unique Xbox FPS title.

Destructoid

If you disliked Butcher Bay, then nothing about The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena will win you over. However, if you enjoyed the original title and are thirsty for more of the same action with several tweaks, feel free to get this game. Just try to forget the last few hours of Athena and don’t mess around with the multiplayer too much.

Thunderbolt

In the end, it’s a little disappointing that Butcher Bay is the better game included in the package. Dark Athena is by no means bad, but it’s a bit like coming on after Bill Hicks at an open mic; no matter how good your set was, the performance in front of you set the standard.

Impulsegamer

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault On Dark Athena is a well made action title.

Eurogamer Portugal

If you liked the first one, you will love this sequel. Despite being somewhat short and disappointing at the end, it can easily be offset by the fact that you will have the possibility to play the first game, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay.

Telegraph

Essential for those who haven’t experienced Butcher Bay, it’s also well worth a repeat visit for those familiar with the hulking prison. The new campaign, on the other hand, doesn’t have the same velocity or finesse but at its best, will still be one of the smartest, and most satisfying, games you’ll play this year.

Computer and Video Games

All in, Dark Athena delivers an outstanding FPS bundle for your money.

Giant Bomb

The more people who get to find out what made--and still makes--Riddick special, the better.

GameDaily

Both games offer plenty of action and the inclusion of Butcher Bay makes this a potential must buy, depending on how much you love the character.

Official Xbox Magazine UK

There's plenty to be getting excited about, despite a slight lack of originality and visual finesse. Make no mistake, Dark Athena is first class stealth/action game with a double dose of top-notch entertainment that competently unites elements of "Mirror's Edge" and the "Splinter Cell" series. [Mar 2009, p.84]

GameZone

Assault on Dark Athena is a great deal for players, as it gives those who missed out on the phenomenal Escape from Butcher Bay the chance to check it out in HD, with a host of perks. However, based solely on the strength of these perks, it’s a bit harder to recommend for those who played through Riddick’s first console game.

Edge Magazine

One corker of an action game. Perhaps the biggest mention goes to the 'vo-cap' tech behind its extraordinary performances. [May 2009, p.88]

X360 Magazine UK

The value is unquestionable, but Assault on Dark Athena is half the game of its predecessor. A worthy purchase, then, but not an essential one. [Issue#44, p.72]

VideoGamer

With two great games that will take somewhere in the region of 15-20 hours to complete, superb presentation and a sense that you're playing something different to the norm, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena comes highly recommended. If it weren't for a few unfortunate bugs and the odd strange design decision that score below this paragraph might even have been a notch higher.

Teletext GameCentral

Butcher Bay is still one of the best movie tie-ins ever, even if the new Assault On Dark Athena is not.

Play.tm

Only Valve's Orange Box trumps it for sheer value and quality. For that reason alone, Assault on Dark Athena is nigh on essential.

D+PAD Magazine

As a package, Assault on Dark Athena stands on a par with Valve’s The Orange Box for value, albeit not quite in terms of quality.

Level7.nu

This entertaining package offers you three main components: an improved and modernized version of Escape from Butcher Bay, an expansion called Assault on Dark Athena that matches the length of the original game and a multiplayer mode that does offer some unique takes on existing concepts. Even though the expansion doesn't match the original game in quality and the multiplayer does grow tedious in the long run the overall quality and size of the content offered is well worth your attention and money.

Kombo

Even if you played the original title back on the original Xbox, you might want to take another stroll through the game and assault the Dark Athena.

Cynamite

Unfortunately Riddick hasn't evolved much in the years since Escape from Butcher Bay, while the genre definitely has. Five year old gameplay doesn't compete well with next gen games, though Riddick still copes well.

Xbox360Achievements

You can't go wrong picking up Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena. While you might feel a little shorted on the single-player story for Dark Athena, your mood will soon improve when you realize that you can just boot up Butcher Bay and relive that experience.

Gameplanet

Despite being an average FPS game, Dark Athena manages to provide solid entertainment, mainly due to the inclusion of Escape from Butcher Bay.

AceGamez

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is a great game. It has a few bumps and is a bit rough round the edges in terms of visually uninspiring environments and a ropey multiplayer mode, but its stealthy single player gameplay and combat are both wonderfully well executed.

Gamers' Temple

Buy it to get Butcher Bay, but otherwise it's just another average shooter.

Worth Playing

Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is half excellent game, half mediocre game. Unfortunately, the excellent half is the same game that was released years ago, just with a small new segment taken from the PC port.

XGN

Escape from Butchers Bay is still an excellent title, and it is therefore regrettable that the new game Assault on Dark Athena is not as good as the last Riddick game. Still there is an entertaining section, that makes the total package certainly worth buying.

InsideGamer.nl

The Chronicles of Riddick: AODA tries to combine several genres into one single game. The result: an average game with nothing but mediocre aspects. Vin Diesel's presence and the Riddick-license make the game enjoyable nonetheless and additional to the Assault on Dark Athena campaign, there is a full next-gen version of the original Escape from Butcher Bay game. Sadly though, this remake does not live up to modern day standards.

GameShark

If you've never played the original game, it's well worth your time to pick it up and while Dark Athena doesn't compare, it's still fun—up to a point.

SpazioGames

The remake of Butcher Bay is a great work: a classic game with enhanced graphics and the same great gameplay... despite this the new story, Escape From Dark Athena, is simply pointless. Multiplayer quality is too far from today standards, so it results in a valueless feature.

IGN

The first half of the game, Escape from Butcher Bay, certainly shows its age, but is still an innovative game. The sequel, however, comes off as a poor imitation. It's far more frustrating and seems more shooter than anything else. It's not a terrible game for a sequel, but it's inferior to Butcher Bay.

Gamervision

The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena is a suitable sequel to one of last generations best action games, but it fails to innovate in any way. With all the exact same controls, the disc feels more like an expansion pack than a proper sequel, but the graphical upgrades and multiplayer modes ensure that it’s not a rip-off in any way. It’s not nearly the eye-opening experience that its predecessor was, but it’s still a solid stealth title with excellent presentation that’s worth checking out.

Game Positive

In the end, you get a great game and a solid sequel in the same package.

GameSpot

A remade classic and a passable sequel meet in this fun but inconsistent package.

Absolute Games

Akella, Russian distributor of the game, pulled a crazy marketing stunt. In addition to the regular PC release, it sells the game as two independent halves – Escape from Butcher Bay and Assault on Dark Athena. My gut reaction was to scold Akella for greediness, but now I see that this is an unintentional benefit. You buy the remake of one of the best action games of 2004, and forget about its defective 6-hour appendage.

Boomtown

If you haven’t played Butcher Bay before then that will surely be the highlight and the graphical overhaul really disguises the fact that the game is nearly five years old. However, if you’re a fan of the franchise and looking for a true sequel, then it’s ultimately a let down.

ActionTrip

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena doesn't know what it's supposed to be. It shifts from being an intense, yet frustrating shooter, to a buggish sneaker. Starbreeze didn't make the most out of this recipe. There's so much wasted potential

1UP

As a product, this package is recommendable to anyone who hasn't experienced the first game, or wishes to add it back to their current library. It also includes a surprisingly fun multiplayer suite, with the Riddick vs. Everyone Else mode "Pitch Black" as the main attraction. But as single-player games, the unsatisfying Dark Athena should be played as a curiosity and then put back where it belongs: in Butcher Bay's shadow.