3 comments

There are many games based off of movies, but this is one game that goes for the sweet spot, and leaves you with a tingly good feeling running up and down your spine. Escape from Butcher Bay is based as a prequel to "Pitch Black" and "The Chronicles of Riddick". The Premise of the Story is that Johns has captured Riddick and is looking for his next payday, so he brings him to Butcher Bay, A triple max slam that’s supposedly 100% escape proof. The games plot is fairly simple, you’re in a prison and you need to get out. By any means necessary. And while this is the crux of the story, where the games story really shines is in its subplots. The developers have succeeded in making every character, major or minor; really stand out as if they are a real person. This is done through the expertly written dialogue and fantastic voice acting featuring Vin Diesel himself providing his likeness and starring. Even Cole Hauser lends his voice and likeness to his character Johns and if you’re a fan of "Pitch Black" this goes a long way to really immerse you into the game.

The games graphics are exquisite. every nook and cranny is beautifully textured but where it really shines is the lighting And, since you’ll be spending loads of time in the dark using eye-shine to sneak up on guards and open up a few arteries, the devs made sure it’s every bit as crisp as the textures. The sound effects are also good, from footsteps and opening doors, to loud explosions. I particularly like the visceral slicing sound the shivs make in the helpless guards neck followed by a short gurgle.

The gameplay itself is extremely fun. You spend a large amount of time sneaking through hallways and air vents with melee weapons like shivs, clubs, or knuckledusters, cloaked in darkness using eye-shine to find your way, sneaking up on and killing single, or groups of, guards with your two different execution styles, slow and painful or quick and painful. Alternatively you can whip out your pistols, shotguns, and assault rifles and go loud. When you’re not murdering poor guards then you’ll be doing favors for some of the inmates, largely having to deal with more murder and upsetting the balance of power. All in a day’s work to Riddick.

Overall, EfBB is an awesome game based off an awesome movie. While it does have its faults with minor things like the A.I. not being so intelligent at times and weapon accuracy being a little off, none of them are really major enough to detract from the wonderful gameplay experience. It’s a fantastic game, and if for some reason you have not heard about or played it yet, then I recommend going out and getting it right away. Nowadays its only twenty dollars to buy and it’s the best twenty bucks you'll ever spend.

overall i give it a 9.8/10