- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
My review:
An excellent FPS under console standards, and pretty good under PC standards. The graphics are amazing - you can expect Doom III for Xbox is going to look like this, and Vin Diesel is disturbingly lifelike in-game. The voice-acting is some of the best I've ever heard in a video game; aside from a few characters whose tones don't match their movements, it's all good. The gameplay is great and varies wildly level to level (not that there are levels, or even chapters - the interface is minimal). Riddick surprised me because you'll have to put a lot more thought and planning into your tactics than you'd think. In fact, roughly half the game is spent without a gun, during which you'll have to rely on other inmates and primitive weapons like shivs, clubs, and your fists. Obviously, you're going to have to use stealth and Riddick's "eyeshine" extensively against the assault rifle-toting guards. If they detect you, it's best to charge them - if you catch them when they try to smack you with the rifle butt you can force them to shoot themselves in the head for a real satisfying and unique kill. Nothing beats sneaking up behind a guard and sticking him in the neck with a shiv, though. Once you do have a gun, Riddick suddenly becomes a lot more familiar and feels like any other FPS; running and gunning is the best path, the AI is only slightly above average, the guns are all standard FPS fare (except the tranq gun - buy it as soon as you can even if you have to take a loan from Nurse!), and naturally Riddick is much more powerful than any other character, except the Heavy Guard. The only weak points in Riddick are the lack of a multiplayer mode, the short length of the game (I beat it in 6.5 hours the first time through and 3 hours the second time, both on normal), and the music is terrible - you'll hear the same "action" riff countless times before the end, and it gets old fast.
Overall Rating: 8/10: A wholly enjoyable stealth/action experience with a totally badass main character.