Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

I was really eager to play this game. I didn't own the original Xbox, so I missed out on the original Riddick, which isn't (as far as I know) backwards compatible. Getting it and the sequel in one package was irresistable.

In the end, I enjoyed the game a lot. The presentation, from the game's environments to the voice acting, is excellent. Executing the stealth segments well is really satisfying. The Darkness style sidequests are a nice bonus/carryover (even if I wound up not completing a lot of them) from developer Starbreeze. The stories are well done, even if Dark Athena just sort of stops with a cheesy action movie style last line.

That said, I found it really frustrating in spots. While screwing up a stealth attempt isn't a complete death sentence, it will end in a lot of deaths. There's some trial and error involved in finding the best way around guards when you're overmatched (which is often, even in the more gunplay heavy sequel). Full disclosure; I don't have a lot of patience, and tend to suck at stealth games like Splinter Cell and Metal Gear. And maybe I've been too molly coddled by games with regenerating health where the character can take slightly less damage than Superman. Still, there were many near controller throwing moments (in that I didn't actually throw my controller, because those things are expensive, but I did want to).

That said, I'd say these games are worth a shot for people who want something different from the first person genre (Dark Athena's more of a shooter than Butcher Bay, but you still can't barrel through it like you're Master Chief), enjoyed the Riddick movies (I even liked the second one, which may hurt my credibility a bit), really enjoys stealth games, or just wants to play a polished action game that isn't another space marine retread. That it's not the best game starring Vin Diesel I've played this month just means that Wheelman is pretty awesome.