MY VIEW
Games: 'The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay'

By Julius Pecson
Special to The Advertiser

The Verdict: THE RATINGS 5 — Outstanding: Add it to your collection now. A must-have. 4 — Great: Buy it or rent it — definitely play it. 3 — Good: Worth playing despite some flaws. 2 — Fair: Unless you're a fan of the license or series, don't bother. 1 — Poor: You'd have more fun playing Pong.

Console: Xbox.

Developer/publisher: Starbreeze/VU Games.

Genre: Action/Adventure.

Number of players: One.

Rating: Mature (excessive profanity and violence).

The premise: "Escape From Butcher Bay" explores the origins of Richard B. Riddick, the enigmatic anti-hero from the 2000 sci-fi film "Pitch Black," as well as this summer's "The Chronicles of Riddick," both starring Vin Diesel. Butcher Bay is the toughest triple-max security prison in the universe, but that won't stop Riddick from making a dramatic escape.

Gameplay: Calling this game a first-person shooter is selling it short. This is a lot more than your average running and gunning. You begin unarmed and will actually spend a considerable length of time in hand-to-hand combat with fists or various sharp objects. Stealth plays a factor when you're weaponless.

The beauty of this game is you decide how you want to play, hand to hand or with weapons. You'll explore the dark and gritty corridors, caverns and cellblocks of Butcher Bay while solving puzzles, destroying alien monsters and interacting with other inmates. And just when you think you've had enough, prepare to take a wild joyride and cause mass destruction.

The good/bad: From the ominous environments to the moody, dynamic lighting, "Escape From Butcher Bay" is a graphical powerhouse. Equally impressive is the overall movie-like presentation. Play with the lights off and the sound cranked up for the full experience. The variety in game play keeps the action fresh, but with a lack of multiplayer options, some would argue the game is too short, if only because they didn't want it to end.

It'll last about 8 to 10 hours the first time through, with not much incentive to play again aside from the difficulty levels and collectibles. Other minor complaints involve the enemy A.I. ("Sure, just stand there while I shoot you!"), some control issues and the brief loading times that interrupt your progress fairly often.

Tips: Once you obtain Riddick's infamous "eyeshine" ability, make it a habit to shoot out the lights, if possible, when you enter a room. The darkness will give you the edge over the guards lacking flashlights and the mechs, which require you to go around and shoot 'em from behind. Visit www.gamefaqs.com for a walk-through.

My take: It's hard for me to recommend shelling out the full $50 for such a short game, so unless you can wait for a discount, this will most likely be the ultimate summer rental. One thing I want to make clear: This game is rated Mature for good reason. The profanity flows just as freely as the blood from your victims.

Julius Pecson, a student at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa and a longtime gamer, reviews games on various consoles for The Advertiser, including Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance.

Have a game or CD you want to review? Contact Island Life deputy editor Dave Dondoneau at ddondoneau@honoluluadvertiser.com.

UPCOMING RELEASES

PLAYSTATION 2

• July 25 — "Bujingai: The Forsaken City"
• July 27 — "Dog's Life," "Echo Night: Beyond"
• Aug. 3 — "Army Men: Sarge's War"
• Aug. 5 — "Ten Pin Alley 2"
• Aug. 9 — "Madden NFL 2005," "Madden NFL 2005 Collector's Edition"
• Aug. 10 — "Growlanser Generations," "Growlanser: Generations Deluxe Pack"
• Aug. 16 — "Street Fighter Anniversary Collection"
• Aug. 17 — "Armored Core: Nexus," "Astro Boy," "Ghosthunter," "Hot Shots Golf Fore!"
• Aug. 18 — "Vietcong: Purple Haze"
• Aug. 24 — "Digimon World 4," "ShellShock: Nam '67," "Terminator 3: The Redemption"
• Aug. 31 — "Carmen Sandiego: The Secret of the Stolen Drums," "NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup," "Phantom Brave," "Spy Fiction," "Star Ocean: Till the End of Time," "Street Racing Syndicate"

GAME CUBE

• July 27 — "Lotus Challenge"
• Aug. 9 — "Madden NFL 2005"
• Aug. 21 — "Army Men: Sarge's War"
• Aug. 24 — "Amazing Island," "Terminator 3: The Redemption"
• Aug. 30 — "Pikmin 2," "WWE Day of Reckoning"

XBOX

• Aug. 2 — "Army Men: Sarge's War"
• Aug. 3 — "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow"
• Aug. 9 — "Madden NFL 2005"
• Aug. 10 — "Worms 3D"
• Aug. 15 — "Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders," "Pure Pinball," "Wings of War"
• Aug. 17 — "Pro Fishing Challenge," "The Guy Game," "Vietcong: Purple Haze"
• Aug. 24 — "ShellShock: Nam '67," "Terminator 3: The Redemption"

GAMEBOY ADVANCE

• July 26 — "Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Games"
• Aug. 3 — "Gundam Seed: Battle Assault"
• Aug. 5 — "Cartoon Network Block Party," "Disney's Kim Possible 2: Drakken's Demise"
• Aug. 9 — "Madden NFL 2005"
• Aug. 17 — "Astro Boy: Omega Factor," "Metal Slug Advance"
• Aug. 22 — "Dragon Ball GT: Game Boy Advance Video Volume 1"
• Aug. 24 — "Digimon Racing"

This list was provided by Toys n' Joys, with shops in Kaimuki (735-4546) and in the Westridge Shopping Center (487-8697) in Waipahu. See www.toysnjoys.com for more information.