Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena

[Bullwinkle]

As mentioned on the front page, the Dark Athena demo is up today on XBLM.  I was a suprised to see it!

Downloaded pretty fast, but I haven't had a chance to play it yet.

When is it supposed to be coming now?

EDIT: Well, I played through the demo.  It's not as impressive as it felt on the Xbox, but I suppose that's to be expected.  The controls are still smooth, but advancements have been made there, too.  I couldn't really pull off a stealth kill (though I missed an opportunity at the beginning).  There is a drone segment that is basically suppsoed to be less stealth-oriented and more shoot every damn thing to clear a path.  But since the stealth was lacking in the rest of the demo, it didn't feel terribly different.  Well, okay, you don't have a gun before you get to the drone and there's a red hud, but compared to the rest of the gameplay, it didn't feel terribly different.

I guess I'm not quite as excited.  Especially if the majority of gameplay is the first game (can't remember what the percentage is supposed to be now).  It doesn't seem bad, it just didn't grab me.

[Chaz]

I was all set to buy this when it was just a remake of the first game.  Adding an extra storyline is pure icing.  Frankly, I probably would've been happy with the Xbox version being backwards compatible, but if it convinces/gives more people a chance to play what was a fantastic, overlooked game, I'm 100% for it.

[Daehawk]

DEMO is out on Xbox LIVE now. Spmeone tell me how it is till they give us a PC demo.

[Bullwinkle]

DEMO is out on Xbox LIVE now. Spmeone tell me how it is till they give us a PC demo.

Do you read before you post, Daehawk? 

[CeeKay]

DEMO is out on Xbox LIVE now. Spmeone tell me how it is till they give us a PC demo.

Do you read before you post, Daehawk? 

Book of Daehawk, Chapter 1, verse 12: 'He who readeth before posting has a low post count, so verily reading is a sin'. 

[Scraper]

DEMO is out on Xbox LIVE now. Spmeone tell me how it is till they give us a PC demo.

Do you read before you post, Daehawk? 

Reading is for wankers and people who want to be on topic.

[denoginizer]

DEMO is out on Xbox LIVE now. Spmeone tell me how it is till they give us a PC demo.

Do you read before you post, Daehawk? 

Reading is for wankers and people who want to be on topic.

Exactly.

By the way the demo came out today.

[PeteRock]

I'll have to check out the demo.  Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay was one hell of an under-the-radar title.  I only picked it up because of the Forum Effect_TM and I was very pleased that I did.  The graphics at the time were stellar, the gameplay was like nothing I had seen before in an FPS, the voice acting and visuals were fantastic, and the gameplay was just so fluid and well-implemented.

My concern is I just don't want to re-play an updated version of the same game.  I understand that there is additional content, but if it's predominantly the same game in a more modern package then I might be out.  Especially if the improvements and update aren't groundbreaking enough to really justify a repeat purchase.  But I'm certainly intrigued and will give the demo a try.  

[CeeKay]

DEMO is out on Xbox LIVE now. Spmeone tell me how it is till they give us a PC demo.

Do you read before you post, Daehawk? 

Reading is for wankers and people who want to be on topic.

Exactly.

By the way the demo came out today.

any impressions?

[PeteRock]

DEMO is out on Xbox LIVE now. Spmeone tell me how it is till they give us a PC demo.

Do you read before you post, Daehawk? 

Reading is for wankers and people who want to be on topic.

Exactly.

By the way the demo came out today.

any impressions?

I'm really getting tired of impressions not showing up until the 2nd page.  Once again we have a thread full of conjecture and repetition but not a single helpful comment with impressions from someone who has actually played the demo.   

[depward]

Guys - just to let you know, the demo is out RIGHT NOW!

[Bullwinkle]

DEMO is out on Xbox LIVE now. Spmeone tell me how it is till they give us a PC demo.

Do you read before you post, Daehawk? 

Reading is for wankers and people who want to be on topic.

Exactly.

By the way the demo came out today.

any impressions?

I'm really getting tired of impressions not showing up until the 2nd page.  Once again we have a thread full of conjecture and repetition but not a single helpful comment with impressions from someone who has actually played the demo.   

Well, maybe if the demo was out, there would be some impressions.

Wait a minute...Why you I oughta...! 

I just found out that the Dark Athena campaign is a whole 10 hour game in and of itself, so maybe I'm back to being interested.  From what I played, it's not going to be as groundbreaking as the first one was, but it seems like a decent enough game.  Price point is going to be a factor here.  I'm also wondering if I have to play through the first game again to get to the second one.

One thing that I meant to mention of my play through is that Vin seems to deliver every single line like it's a tough guy bon mot.  You know with that smirky, aren't-I-clever-for-a-dumb-killing-machine kind of deadpan.

Another thing is that the widescreen seems to be doing that slight fisheye thing that happens when they port a standard def game to widescreen (though I could have sworn Butcher Bay was widescreen).

I'll be interested to hear other impressions, too.  For example, it's entirely possible that I just didn't pull off any stealth kills because I'm inept.  It didn't seem like there were enough shadows to me, but I may have missed opportunities.  Also, I thought the vision mode made the bad guys stand out a little more.  I had a hard time seeing them at times.

[CeeKay]

DEMO is out on Xbox LIVE now. Spmeone tell me how it is till they give us a PC demo.

Do you read before you post, Daehawk? 

Reading is for wankers and people who want to be on topic.

Exactly.

By the way the demo came out today.

any impressions?

I'm really getting tired of impressions not showing up until the 2nd page.  Once again we have a thread full of conjecture and repetition but not a single helpful comment with impressions from someone who has actually played the demo.   

Well, maybe if the demo was out, there would be some impressions.

for what game?

[hepcat]

I never played the first one but always wanted to.  I'm definitely in if this one turns out to be a faithful update.

[Scraper]

I never played the first one but always wanted to.  I'm definitely in if this one turns out to be a faithful update.

Mods can one of you boot hepcat for being off topic. 

[Chaz]

I'm really getting tired of impressions not showing up until the 2nd page.  Once again we have a thread full of conjecture and repetition but not a single helpful comment with impressions from someone who has actually played the demo.   

Well, considering most of us are at work right now, I'm guessing there are no impressions to give other than that the demo is out and we might have downloaded it.  We're simply bantering, as many of us enjoy doing around here.  Impressions popping up on page 2 is something that generally happens organically.  I doubt that there are 10 people with impressions posts typed out, thinking to themselves "I have to wait to page 2 to post these!"  Impressions will happen when they happen.  Sorry if that doesn't work for you.

[warning]

HAY GUYZ... IS TEH DEMO OUT YET???

[PeteRock]

I'm really getting tired of impressions not showing up until the 2nd page.  Once again we have a thread full of conjecture and repetition but not a single helpful comment with impressions from someone who has actually played the demo.   

Well, considering most of us are at work right now, I'm guessing there are no impressions to give other than that the demo is out and we might have downloaded it.  We're simply bantering, as many of us enjoy doing around here.  Impressions popping up on page 2 is something that generally happens organically.  I doubt that there are 10 people with impressions posts typed out, thinking to themselves "I have to wait to page 2 to post these!"  Impressions will happen when they happen.  Sorry if that doesn't work for you.

Your membership has been denied.  

Just a facetious attempt at forwarding the humor associated with ignoring Bullwinkle's first post.  Page 2 impressions are a part of forum lore.  I'm not actually upset with no impressions on Page 1, especially since there are impressions in the first post.

[Knightshade Dragon]

I have the full game and I'll be writing up a preview this weekend that includes the multiplayer stuff too.

[Chaz]

I'm really getting tired of impressions not showing up until the 2nd page.  Once again we have a thread full of conjecture and repetition but not a single helpful comment with impressions from someone who has actually played the demo.   

Well, considering most of us are at work right now, I'm guessing there are no impressions to give other than that the demo is out and we might have downloaded it.  We're simply bantering, as many of us enjoy doing around here.  Impressions popping up on page 2 is something that generally happens organically.  I doubt that there are 10 people with impressions posts typed out, thinking to themselves "I have to wait to page 2 to post these!"  Impressions will happen when they happen.  Sorry if that doesn't work for you.

Your membership has been denied.  

Just a facetious attempt at forwarding the humor associated with ignoring Bullwinkle's first post.  Page 2 impressions are a part of forum lore.  I'm not actually upset with no impressions on Page 1, especially since there are impressions in the first post.

You kids get the hell off my lawn! Makin' all kinds of noise with your devil music and your flashy vid-yo games...

[CeeKay]

HAY GUYZ... IS TEH DEMO OUT YET???

Noez butt u kan git teh torrent @ www.baldbutts.com !!!1!







_{I have no clue if that link actually goes anywhere}

[metallicorphan]

i played the demo this morning,felt exactly like the first game on the xbox(although it has been a while since playing that)..i quite enjoyed it,and if it has the remake of the first inwith it then i am in

when i quit the demo it gave me the trailer for the online stuff and that alone looked pretty impressive...more Halo or Unreal tourney

[Jumangi]

Yeah the demo doesn't show anything new. Seems likes it an updated version of the first engine. It doesn't look bad but models like Riddicks arn't that impressive compared to other current games, and it still has that "shine" to allot of the world for lack of a better word to use.

[Sparhawk]

According to some sources of mine I hear the demo for this is dropping today on Xbox Live.

[CeeKay]

According to some sources of mine I hear the demo for this is dropping today on Xbox Live.

wait...  Killzone 2 is coming to the 360?  cool!

[PeteRock]

FYI on a new Chronicles of Riddick demo.  You can even set up your Xbox to download the demo right from the link provided.

[somoflange]

I downloaded and played for a bit while I drank my morning coffee. Seems a lot more fun than I remember the original being, but to be honest I was not a big fan of shooters when the original came out, and only played a friend's copy briefly.

I like the mechanic of shooting using a drone's gun, it seem to provide some cover, and an interesting mechanic for shooting without having TOO many ammo drops. Controls were decent enough, so I didn't have much trouble taking out the guards I encountered.

I've been playing a lot of old games I missed the first time around, so I'm a little more forgiving on graphics right now than some might be. looked great to me.

I also liked the puzzle aspect. "jacking in" to drones and remote controlling them to complete objectives.

I'm definitely in. It was much more than wave after wave of grunt to kill so I liked the amount of action story mixed in with FPS shooter.

[Bullwinkle]

FIRST!

I will try the demo and p0wn you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...index finger tired... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[happydog]

So if I did not play the first game, would/should/could I like this one.

If only there were a demo for me to try. Maybe one day. 

[Razgon]

I hope my PS3 can run this!!!!!

[jztemple2]

FYI on a new Chronicles of Riddick demo.  You can even set up your Xbox to download the demo right from the link provided.

Wish there was a way to remotely power up my 360, let it download the demo and then terminate.

BTW, is there a setting where the 360 will auto power down after not being used for some time? I might have some use for that.

[Chaz]

Yeah, it's in there somewhere. 

My favorite one is the setting to finish downloading, then power off.  The best part is that, unlike the PS3, it goes into a low-power mode to finish the download.  The PS3 stays on at full blast.  Maybe that's because when the PS3 finishes downloading, it still has to install whatever it just downloaded.

[kronovan]

Wow did I ever like the demo! I really liked fighting in the drone bodies and that dual-wielding bladed weapon was too much. I also thought the visual effect that was triggered whenever I pressed the 'b' button was very cool. I never did play the original so I'm really looking forward to this game.

[Scraper]

So if I did not play the first game, would/should/could I like this one.

If only there were a demo for me to try. Maybe one day. 

Most definitely check this one out. From what I can tell it is a remake of the first game with all kinds of new stuff thrown in. You may want to be familiar with the Riddick Universe before you fire it up, but it's not a must. If you have the collectors edition of Pitch Black there is a cool bonus storyline thing that sheds light into events before and after the game.

[Chaz]

I don't think familiarity with the Riddick universe is even mandatory, since Escape from Butcher Bay is actually set before Pitch Black.  I think watching Pitch Black before playing the game is better (and Pitch Black is awesome anyway), but definitely not required.

[CeeKay]

I'll have to give the demo a shot, but I'm having trouble deciding whether to get the 360 version or the PC version.  The MP portion sounds neat but I'm worried that it will end up being the MP flavor of the week.

[hepcat]

Hmmm...the only complaint I have is that the graphics don't quite hold up when compared to FPS games from even the earliest days of the 360, but that's to be expected, I guess.  I did enjoy the combat and the inclusion of stealth is just icing on the cake.  If it's longer than 8 or 10 hours, I'm probably in.

[CeeKay]

OK, so the demo's out.  Tried it and didn't quite like the way it controlled, so I'll probably just make this a rental instead of a purchase unless I can get a great deal on the PC version.

[EngineNo9]

I played through the demo and while it was fun it didn't live up to my memory of playing the original.  I agree that the graphics aren't nearly as stunning as they were back then.  Specifically Riddick's character model shows significant polygon edges when viewed up close.  I also thought that the effect when in stealth was better in the original game, but maybe that's because I played the PC version.

I might still pick this up in order to support Starbreeze, but it may wait for a sale.

[msteelers]

I tried the original and enjoyed it until I got to a point where I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do next. Apparently I wasn't enjoying the game enough because I put it down and never went back to it.

I downloaded the demo this morning and will give it a shot.