14 DAY TRIAL // Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay has been one of those overlooked shooters that found a dedicated audience and garnered enough word of mouth popularity so that a smaller publisher, Atari, took the decision to re-launch the game by creating new content and re-imagining the initial release.
Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is set to be released in March for the Xbox 360 from Microsoft, the PlayStation 3 from Sony and the PC. The game will be about 20 hours long if you begin to play the Escape from Butcher Bay content, which has been completely re-built using new graphics and enhanced gameplay, to the move on to Assault on Dark Athena, set to be about 11 hours long.
The developers have also detailed the six multiplayer modes you can engage in after getting the game. Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag are all standard affairs, as we have known them since the days of Unreal Tournament and Quake. But there are three other modes that offer interesting twists for those looking for some multiplayer action.
Butcher Bay Riot is tailor made to accommodate 12 players and creates three separate teams: Guards, Mercenaries and Prisoners. Cash is earned by killing enemies, weapons are bought before the start of each round and the overall goal is to move the powercell that can be found on the map to the opposing base.
Pitch Black is an even weirder affair with the rounds played in the dark as five players are mercenaries who need to hunt down Riddick. Weapons are picked before each round, but the need for firepower must be balanced with the need for mercenaries to have a good torch to light their way. The player who kills Riddick becomes him for the next round.
Arena is rather classic, putting players and teams of players in a two-way battle. All weapons can be used, and the mode supports up to eight players.