Vin Diesel, considered by many to have replaced Schwarzenegger as the action man of choice, has risen to fame quickly through a series of fast-paced movie thrillers over the past several years. And his latest action flick, The Chronicles of Riddick, serves to reaffirm his Hollywood status. Moreover, Chronicles of Riddick has been delivered on PC, several months after the Xbox original, in the form of a solid FPS from developer Starbreeze.
As the famed super-hero bad boy, you have one singular goal: to escape from the most brutal prison in the galaxy - the aptly named Butcher Bay. Played primarily from a first-person perspective, players must use their wit, shooting and stealth abilities in order to survive this new nightmare.
Riddick borrows elements from a number of well-known franchises, and the finished article shows them off brilliantly. For example, hiding in shadows is a prolific play mechanic here, and in this respect Riddick isn't that dissimilar to Eidos' Thief games. Then there's the FPS side of things - nothing that hasn't been seen in thousands of other adventures, but fun nonetheless. And finally, Riddick also bears similarities to Konami stealth-em-up Metal Gear Solid. Aside from preying in dark corners, players will at times have to sneak up on their enemies to snap their necks, for example.
New for the Developer's Cut is a player-controlled Riot Guard option, two brand new and extensive areas, new enemies and exclusive commentary from the development staff at Starbreeze.
Arguably a better game than a Hollywood film, Chronicles of Riddick boasts involving action sequences, gorgeous visuals, and a good straightforward plot. All in all, it's just good, clean (or dirty) fun.