Being a fan of The Darkness by Starbreeze, I was really looking forward to trying the Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena. Also, since I haven’t played the first Riddick game, Escape from Butcher Bay, I was pretty interested in giving this one a shot considering it features a remake of the original, plus an expansion aptly called Assault on Dark Athena.

The first thing that came to mind when I popped in this disc was that the presentation is very impressive. The music and sound effects are top-notch – even the menus scream creativity and uniqueness. Assault on Dark Athena sports the gritty visuals typical of Starbreeze, which suit the grim world of Riddick perfectly. For the most part, the game looks fairly solid, though there are a few rough spots.

I started with the Escape from Butcher Bay campaign and immediately found myself immersed in the game. I could see the influence that this game had on The Darkness from both a visual standpoint and the way you can interact with characters you encounter. The early parts within the prison were very intriguing. I enjoyed interacting with the various prisoners and guards, completing different objectives and side quests, plus learning about the prison hierarchy. It was difficult to stop playing… for the first little while, at least.

However, I found that once I moved past these parts and the game became more action-oriented, I wasn’t enjoying the experience as much. Traversing and battling through the various areas felt somewhat tedious. The gun controls, while not completely horrid, were not quite as smooth as I would have hoped for and weapons tend to be somewhat shaky as you move about. Melee elements and counters, however, can be satisfying, despite feeling awkward to some extent.

Riddick is really at its best when you utilize a stealthier approach and stick to the shadows, where you can use the “Eyeshine” ability to see in the dark and sneak up on your enemies for silent kills. But personally, I didn’t find this to be quite as much fun as it sounds.

The Assault on Dark Athena campaign offers a new location and different enemies, but the format is pretty well the same… which is to be expected with an expansion. The biggest selling point of this game, is its value: Crammed on one disc are two full campaigns and a variety of multiplayer modes, including “Pitch Black.” In this mode, you’ll duke it out in the dark with one player controlling Riddick, armed with blades and using Eyeshine to see, while the others stumble about trying to hunt him down with guns.

It’s a hell of a lot of gaming bundled together on a single disc. So for folks that enjoyed Escape from Butcher Bay when it was originally released back in 2004, picking this one up is a no-brainer.

As a newcomer to the series, it was definitely worth checking out and provided a somewhat decent time thanks to the unique approach and Starbreeze’s knack for creating an immersive experience. But at this point, my curiosity has been satisfied and I have basically had my fill.