ntiheroes are a tough bunch. While they may not be all that noble or play by the rules, they usually have some sort of quality that makes you cheer for them nonetheless. Enter Richard B. Riddick, a mysterious man with an even more mysterious past. You may already be familiar with the character from the film Pitch Black and the upcoming Chronicles Of Riddick. Well, Vivendi Universal is giving you the chance to learn a bit more about the man behind the monster in their game Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay.

Riddick is your typical antihero, a man with that you can’t help but root for, even when he’s killing innocent people and basically tearing apart whoever gets in his way. The game begins with Riddick arriving at the infamous Butcher Bay prison, having been captured by a character by the name of Johns, a bounty hunter. Butcher Bay is known not only for its maximum security facilities, but also for the fact that the entire establishment is almost completely lawless. Corrupt guards control the prisoners for their own twisted needs, while death and suffering come swiftly and without warning for nearly everybody incarcerated at the prison. Riddick, however, has only one thing on his mind; to escape Butcher Bay. But, that task won’t be so easy to accomplish. The prison is a veritable maze of passageways and different levels. It doesn’t help that each section also comes complete with some usually not-so-friendly inhabitants, whether they be guards, prisoners, or even some more diabolical creatures.

Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay is basically broken down into two gameplay elements: exploration and combat. Exploration is the most varied aspect of the game. As Riddick makes his way through Butcher Bay, he’ll be able to interact and talk with nearly every single person he comes across. While many of the folks you talk to will usually want nothing to do with you, others will be happy to gab away. Some of the talkative individuals will provide Riddick with information, such as who’s considered the “big man” in that particular prison block or how to go about finding people of key interest. Other characters will be more direct in their conversations, even going as far as to asking Riddick for his help. For example, one prisoner feels slighted by another prisoner, so he asks Riddick to take him out. Another situation has Riddick talking with various inmates, each of which can provide helpful tips or items. Some prisoners specialize in trading items, like weapons or cigarettes (which unlock bonus content for each pack you acquire), while others specialize in causing a bit of “conflict” amongst the prisoners.  In one level, Riddick must uncover a route that leads to mines located underneath the prison. To get there, he has two options; gain attention of the head of the cell block he’s in by being successful in a sort of pit fighting tournament, or have a guard catch him while he’s carrying drugs. If you go the fighting route, you’ll be charged with finding your own opponents. All the fights go through a middle-man, a Kid Rock look-alike by the name of Centurion. While the choice is ultimately yours as to what path you eventually take, the inclusion of characters that each have their own personalities and agendas really helps to create a game that pulls you in and convinces you that you’re actually within the walls of Butcher Bay.

The second element of gameplay comes in the form of combat. While the exploration sections of the game do feature some combat, it usually comes in the form of hand-to-hand fighting. When Riddick is separated from the main prison population, that’s when the action really starts to heat up. Initially, however, Riddick has a few problems. All guards who carry firearms at Butcher Bay wield specialized weapons that draw data from a massive DNA database. If someone tries to use a weapon without their DNA in the database, the weapon emits a powerful electrical charge and kills them. So, when you first arrive at the prison, you’ll get down and dirty with some far more primitive weapons, including things like shivs, clubs, brass knuckles, and even your own fists. Much like Namco’s game Breakdown, Riddick dukes it out via the game’s first person viewpoint. While his repertoire of moves isn’t all that impressive, he’s a powerful guy and most characters can only withstand a few heavy punches from his meaty fists. Considering that most of the guards and enemies you’ll go up against are armed to the teeth, Riddick does have some equalizing moves that help balance the odds in his favor. If you can manage to sneak up behind an enemy, you can pull off a one hit stealth kill. If you execute the move without holding a weapon, you’ll snap the enemy’s neck. If you’re carrying a weapon, say a shiv, you’ll jam it into the enemies back.

While the primitive prison weapons are fun to mess around with and can really save you butt in a number of situations, the real focus of combat comes in the firearms. As you progress further in the game, you’ll eventually gain access to the DNA database and upload your own sample into it. Now, with free reign to wield any weapon that you come across, you become a much deadlier Riddick. Weapons range from things like handguns, shotguns, and machine guns. Later on the in the game you’ll also gain access to a robotic suit outfitted with some nasty guns mounted on its arms. While the game doesn’t feature that many different weapons, say the number you would see in any other FPS shooter, the emphasis of Riddick lies in making you adept at being able to use the resources at hand in a wise manner. After all, you’re in a prison, not a place you would expect to find rocket launchers or other heavy firepower. So, as such, the game quickly makes you adjust to using the weapons that you can manage to find in a smart way.

The last aspect of combat comes in a feature that really doesn’t have an offensive purpose, but is more of a compliment to your strength and brutality. Riddick is outfitted with special eyesight that allows him to see in the complete dark. Pressing the right analog stick in will activate the vision, which sheds the screen in a purplish, fish-eye lens type viewpoint. The vision serves two purposes, exploring dark places and getting the drop on enemies. Butcher Bay prison seems to suffer from some pretty bad interior decoration, and many times you won’t be finding yourself with much lighting to aid in your exploration. Riddick’s vision, however, helps to “illuminate” these areas, making them much easer to navigate.

Combat-wise, Riddick’s vision proves helpful in a number of ways. First of all, most enemies can’t see in the dark. While many of them do tote around weapons equipped with flashlights, the illumination from them only prove to be slightly helpful. Many situations in the game allow for Riddick to either sneak around in the dark or even turn off lights in rooms where enemies may be stationed. Doing so provides a distinct advantage for Riddick, and pulling off a stealth kill when an enemy can’t see you is priceless. But, while helpful, the vision does have its disadvantages. Using your vision in rooms that are illuminated by lighting will washout view, making it nearly impossible to see your surroundings and any nearby enemies.

While the varied combat and exploration help to create a more believable Butcher Bay prison, the meat of the game’s realism comes in the visuals. Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay is perhaps the most visually impressive Xbox game ever made, with Activision’s Doom 3 a close contender. Developer Starbreeze Studios make ample use of “normal mapping” technology to give characters an incredibly realistic look. As such, characters and objects in the environment react realistically to lighting and shadow in a truly impressive way. If you’ve seen screens from the game before and thought to yourself, “there’s no way that’s from actual gameplay,” think again.

Audio-wise, Riddick also scores a home run, thanks to some truly inspired dialogue and great voice-over work. Naturally, the game features the likeness and voice of actor Vin Diesel, who constantly exudes the persona of a man right on the edge of killing everyone in his sight. But, aside from Diesel’s contributions, I was perhaps most impressed with the work involved with the secondary characters. In fact, all the characters that you’ll meet with during the game feature their own dialogue and voice-overs, helping to really create distinct personalities for each one. Also, the game features a nice Hollywood-esque musical score that helps to create some tension during some particularly heated moments.

Movie buffs will be happy to hear that the game also features a host of unlockable goodies. As I mentioned earlier, Riddick can find packs of cigarettes scattered about the prison or can even buy them from traders who specialize in black market deals. For each pack that he acquires, extra content is unlocked, ranging from concept art to movie set stills. And, for fans of neat and impressive visuals, the game has perhaps one of the coolest option menus ever.

Overall, Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay is a truly impressive Xbox title. With its stunning visuals and sci-fi storyline, the game should appeal to both those looking for some FPS action as well as those adventure buffs looking for a good challenge. While I did find a few flaws in the game, they didn’t detract from the overall gameplay. I did notice some cutscenes that, surprisingly, seemed to have been beaten with an ugly stick, as well as the fact that Vin Diesel seems to deliver his lines at times with the gusto of a fat man after a marathon. But, like I said, these flaws are minor. If what I’m thinking is true, games like Riddick are going to end up becoming the benchmark of what the Xbox is capable of and frankly, that’s a very good thing.