Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena Preview

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Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena Preview




Now like most gamers, I am not a big fan of games based on movies, as most often they translate into really bad games.
However, the first Riddick game was an exceptional stealth/action shooter that scored high on many fronts like graphics, presentation and interactive sequences, and is generally considered to be one of the best shooters of last gen.  Starbreeze studios had plans to recreate the game, add a little extra content and re-release it for the current-gen consoles.

Activision was supposed to publish the game but the recession got to them and they dumped the project. Atari came to the rescue and now plans to release the game this April, and instead of a simple re-release, the new game is a sequel. The demo went live yesterday for Xbox Live Gold Members, and we got our hands on it this morning. The demo is a good 650 MB and will last you about 15-20 min, depending on your skill level.The demo starts off with Riddick slashing two unsuspecting enemy soldiers to death; the sequence needs to be initiated and is presented in third person view. This is a system that was started in the first game, most of the game is in first-person mode but there are times when the camera changes to give the game a more cinematic field.

For example, if you were to climb a big crate or hang on to a ledge, the camera would switch to a third person view. This way you get better perspective of what's around you, very helpful in avoiding enemies or getting stealth kills.

You can go guns blazing in the game or take the silent approach.  You have the ability to see in the dark, so every time you hide behind shadows, you can clearly see what's happening around you. Sneaking up behind enemies will mostly result in a silent kill, which you should master as enemies call for back-up quite quickly. The demo offers resistance in the form of drones and zombie-like contraptions that are controlled via remote pods.

The best part of the demo was when you use the control pods and use the drones to do your dirty work. It's so relieving when others can take a bullet for you, even if it's in a game. The demo is really short but enjoyable, plus its offers various levels of difficulty. The stealth kills are fun to watch, especially due to the uber-cool Ulaks, blades that Riddick carries with him. The AI is a little on the dumber side, but then again it's just a demo, I am sure that the full game will fix those issues.

Visually this is a good game, nothing exceptional but good enough, with some great lighting and texture. The third person camera switch gives it a nice cinematic look and adds something different as opposed to your regular shooters. As a demo it works and has got me excited. The Xbox demo is live as you read this, but PSN gamers will have to wait for a few more weeks.

Source : Techtree