I've had some time to spend with Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena and I have to say my overall impressions are very positive.  I was a bit apprehensive about playing the game because I wasn't at all familiar with the franchise and I'm usually a little hesitant when it comes to games based on movies (and movies based on games, for that matter).  However, Assault on Dark Athena has a lot of fun gameplay elements and overall I'm very happy with the experience.

To review Assault on Dark Athena is really to review two games - both Assault on Dark Athena itself and the previous title in the series Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, which debuted late in the original Xbox's lifecycle and was therefore missed by gamers such as myself.  Fortunately you don't have to worry about playing a shabby Xbox port, because Tigon and Starbreeze Studios have completely remastered the game to bring it up to next-gen standards.  I have to say compared to native Xbox 360 games there is no noticeable difference in graphical fidelity, and the environments in Butcher Bay are rich and pleasing to the eye.  They did a great job of breathing new life into a game that was considered ahead of its time on the Xbox.

Gameplay-wise Escape From Butcher Bay and Assault on Dark Athena are part stealth/espionage, part first person shooter, and part puzzle-solver.  Though you're encouraged to use Riddick's comfort in shadows to quietly take out enemies in the dark, you can also run around blasting them if you so dare.  The puzzle elements of the game are almost a throwback to older PC adventure games like Myst or Monkey Island.  There are many times throughout that you'll have to use your noggin to work through a problem in order to advance, and more often than not the puzzles provide just enough challenge to be fulfilling without being so difficult as to cause frustration.

The move from Butcher Bay to Assault on Dark Athena does provide some handy upgrades, but the overall look and feel of the series remains consistent.  Though the environments and textures are just as good in Butcher Bay as they are in Assault on Dark Athena, I noticed that the character models in the latter were a big improvement.  You can tell that a lot of attention was paid even to off-shoot characters and overall the detail is great.  Another cool enhancement comes in the form of hot keys for your weaponry.  If you want to, you can use a radial to browse all of the weapons you've collected, but in Assault on Dark Athena you can also assign your favorites to buttons on the d-pad for easy access.

The two games include a whole lot of replay value aside from the standard fare of achievements.  If you're a fan of the Riddick franchise you'll delight in the fact that you can unlock a whole bunch of bonus features by finding and collecting items such as packs of cigarettes and security key cards in the game.  Overall I have to say that it's rare to find a singleplayer experience that provides as much content as Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena does.  Even if you're new to the franchise like I was you'll be able to jump in and enjoy the gameplay right away, and because Butcher Bay and Assault on Dark Athena have linked narratives you'll get a consistent experience the whole way through.

If you want to learn more please check out my media post for 'Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena' by following this link: Game Reviews - The Chronicles of Riddick : Assault on Dark Athena and Sacred 2: Fallen Angel