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[Doom_Bringer]

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/chroniclesofriddick/review.html?q=1&tag=gs_hp_flashtop_bg

9.3

That's surely no accident, nor could any of this game's countless outstanding elements be considered flukes. The Chronicles of Riddick deliberately approaches Hollywood-style levels of intensity, pacing, and sheer spectacle like few games ever have. Yet this is a truly great-playing game, too, so the production values aren't just superficial. The Chronicles of Riddick was developed by a previously little-known Swedish developer, in partnership with Vivendi Universal and Tigon Studios, the latter of which Vin Diesel himself founded. Vin Diesel is even credited as having contributed to the game's dialogue and design, but clearly, this game is the result of a lot of dedicated, hard work on the part of many extremely talented people. And, through this Developer's Cut version of The Chronicles of Riddick, they've proven themselves to be just as capable of making a stunning PC game, much like they already proved themselves on the Xbox.

 

[Gribbix]

$24 at Fry's.

 

[SantaC]

yes it's starbreeze alright.

 

[mumu]

HL2 only got 9.2, those people at Gamespot are crazy.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

HL2 only got 9.2, those people at Gamespot are crazy.

Half Life 2 has too many problems. Its a great game but the score was perfect.

 

[ToyMachine228]

Yeah, GameSpot seems to be harder on big games

 

[XS+]

Though brief, Riddick is great fun, one of the best games on the Xbox and a welcome addition to the PC's library. However, notwithstanding its obvious quality, there is no $%##$%( way Riddick should score higher than Half-Life 2. It takes about 6 hours to beat the game.

 

[xabre]

Half Life 2 has too many problems. Its a great game but the score was perfect.

Like fuck it does.

 

[CrimsonSkies]

"Half Life 2 has too many problems. Its a great game but the score was perfect."

Technical problems for a lot of people. Riddick is great. Both games are single player experiences. I think Riddick's storyline is weaker, but technically its smoother and more impressive to me.

 

[Mashing]

Fuck that... there's nothing I've seen this year that is as impressive as the "Our Benefactors" level is. Absolutely jawdropping. And the level before that was one of the best ever as well. If you've played HL2 you'd have to agree....

 

[Solid]

Vin Diesel owns you all. Buy this if you haven't played it. A-ZOOM!

 

[boredJonathan]

Though brief, Riddick is great fun, one of the best games on the Xbox and a welcome addition to the PC's library. However, notwithstanding its obvious quality, there is no $%##$%( way Riddick should score higher than Half-Life 2. It takes about 6 hours to beat the game.

And if you took out the monotonous airboat and dune-buggy levels you'd have Half Life 2 clocking in a little longer. Shocking I know. The score is good, might just be tempted to pick it up for the PC now. HL2 and Riddick's scores seem right to me, although I can't say that about all of GameSpots scores.

Spoiler

Half Life 2 is not the second coming of PC FPS. FACT.

 

[Solid]

The only complaint I have about Riddick is that there really is no replay value what so ever. You play it through once and that's it. Kinda like POP Sands of Time. Awesome game but there really is no reason to play it through again, unless you totally love it.

I regret paying full-price for it. It's more a ~$30 game (the PC version is $30 right?).

 

[Mashing]

perhaps you'd like to tell me what PC FPS's have been as good as Half Life/Half Life 2 have been in the last 6 years? I'm not a FPS by any stretch of the imagination and the Half Life series is the only one to hold my interest. I've played the Medal of Honor games, Call of Duty, FarCry (not Doom 3 though, I played very little of that and that was just to see what my new video card could do). Half Life = Halo of PC games. THAT is a fact, as you so succintly put it.

 

[XS+]

And if you took out the monotonous airboat and dune-buggy levels you'd have Half Life 2 clocking in a little longer. Shocking I know. The score is good, might just be tempted to pick it up for the PC now. HL2 and Riddick's scores seem right to me, although I can't say that about all of GameSpots scores.

Spoiler

Half Life 2 is not the second coming of PC FPS. FACT.

Dude, what's a better FPS for the PC? One recently released, mind you. FarCry? :lol Come on, there hasn't been a decent FPS released for the PC in AGES. HL2 sated that craving and more -- much more.

EDIT: Can't believe I forgot about Call of Duty. Ok, CoD should be considered as the best FPS released on the PC, sure, but I still think it falls a bit short of HL2.

 

[XS+]

perhaps you'd like to tell me what PC FPS's have been as good as Half Life/Half Life 2 have been in the last 6 years? I'm not a FPS by any stretch of the imagination and the Half Life series is the only one to hold my interest. I've played the Medal of Honor games, Call of Duty, FarCry (not Doom 3 though, I played very little of that and that was just to see what my new video card could do). Half Life = Halo of PC games. THAT is a fact, as you so succintly put it.

No, FarCry is the Halo of PC games, meaning it's a plodding, repetitive chore of a game that isn't much fun. Half Life 2 doesn't have any equal on the consoles, sadly.

 

[Oh! My Car!]

I played through it today and it's quite good, but as you day deepthroat, besides the cigg packs there isn't much else to come back for unfortunately.

Btw, does the counter attack system kick in on random? It's been hit and miss since the beginning.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

I actually like Riddick better. It's not as expansive, it's not hanging around as long and it won't be the father to 50 other games...but as a single player experience...it was really top notch. One of the best games I played this year.

 

[SantaC]

I actually like Riddick better. It's not as expansive, it's not hanging around as long and it won't be the father to 50 other games...but as a single player experience...it was really top notch. One of the best games I played this year.

I agree. The loadtimes for HL2 killed some of the experience for me. A game in a 5 year development cycle shouldn't have this issue.

 

[Oh! My Car!]

Well all games need to load at some point

 

[Littleberu]

I agree. The loadtimes for HL2 killed some of the experience for me. A game in a 5 year development cycle shouldn't have this issue.

Issue? Hi, welcome to PC Gaming.

 

[SantaC]

Issue? Hi, welcome to PC Gaming.

been playing PC games since 1995 with Duke 3D etc. It's definitley an issue.

 

[tromik]

I don't understand why GameSpot breaks the game review into "graphics," gameplay," "sound" and so on. The breakdown has NO affect on the overall score in the end. First slid please.

Okay, so let's take a look how they break the game down. They base the review on gameplay, grapics, sound, value (replay value or dollar value or maybe both) and tilt, for everything else and the overall "feel" of the game. Looks like all bases are covered. Presentation isn't mentioned, but I guess you could throw some into graphics and tilt. But really, these are things that a solid review could be based upon. For example, you could add them all out, get a score out of fifty, double it, and divide by ten. In that case, Riddick would get a 9.2, same score as Half-Life 2.

Now let's look at the Riddick and Half-Life 2 scores next to each other:

If you add up both boxes, each game gets 46/50, or 92/100 or 9.2/10. Yet Riddick receives a score of 9.3! WTF!?

If the blocks the game is to be rated on don't matter, why even use them!?

It's like a teacher returning math quizes, and little Billy, got 91/100 but he received a "C." When he asks the teacher why, the teacher replies "Because I hate you, Billy."

Also, value wise, HL2 received a "9." The sequal to the game that is only 2nd to NWN in the amount of mods available for it. Already HL2 gives you CSS and HL2DM and DoDS if you bought the gold or silver packs.

Fuck GameSpot.

 

[dark10x]

It's the tilt that did it...

What's the problem? Is it worth getting that upset about?

Issue? Hi, welcome to PC Gaming.

Let's not start this bullshit again. Half-Life 2's load times are longer and more frequent than virtually any recent similar PC title. This is not common PC here. It's an issue with the game...

 

[tromik]

So the tilt is worth more? A tilt of 9 is actually worth 10? I'm not too upset about it, I really just wanted to do some shitty psp (i'm too weak for photoshop) and point it out.

 

[dark10x]

So the tilt is worth more? A tilt of 9 is actually worth 10? I'm not too upset about it, I really just wanted to do some shitty psp (i'm too weak for photoshop) and point it out.

Yeah, the tilt has a noticible impact on the score, for some reason. It's always been like that...

You'd have to ask one of the GS guys to explain the tilt thing in detail, though. People have complained and wondered about it many times before, so I'm not suprised that you're wondering...

 

[StoOgE]

Tilt is what they do to adjust the score to what they want it. If a game is more than the sum of its parts they move it up, if its less they move it down.

BTW, Riddick is my favorite game this year. HL2 and Halo 2 are also godly FPS.. but for all the hype about how they were going to revolutionize the genre, a small game with no hype is the one that actually managed to do it. It was like Shenmue, without the sailors, stupidity and with big guns.

 

[dark10x]

Riddick seriously needed to be a longer game, though. They had some great ideas in there, but it just didn't feel fleshed out. Kinda disappointing...

 

[jetjevons]

You mere mortals are so not ready for what Sbz is doing on next-gen!

 

[dark10x]

You mere mortals are so not ready for what Sbz is doing on next-gen!

Hopefully they finally nail 60 fps on a console. Riddick and Enclave look great, but the framerates just aren't there (plus, Riddick XBOX had that nasty low-res filter thing going on).

I can't wait, though!

 

[tahrikmili]

I don't understand why GameSpot breaks the game review into "graphics," gameplay," "sound" and so on. The breakdown has NO affect on the overall score in the end. First slid please.

Brilliant. Bullshit area owns me.

 

[tromik]

By the way, even though Games Domain is even more quilty of these actions, I let it slide because I don't read read reviews there, and I don't think anyone else does either, which is sad, because the writing is pretty good.

 

[Fantasmo]

Riddick oozes personality. From graphics to voice acting, to the atmosphere of the Triple Max prison.

The stealth is top notch, with Riddick's hidden indicator being a blue tint to the screen. The entire screen is devoid of any HUD unless you're getting attacked. The hand to hand combat is flawless. Eyeshine is awesome in the dark, yet a negative in the light. Everything in the game just feels so right.

You fanboys are really doing a disservice to yourself when you blindly hate on this game without even playing it.

$30 on PC and $25 on Xbox, or just rent it, no excuses!

 

[Dagless M.D.]

You fanboys are really doing a disservice to yourself when you blindly hate on this game without even playing it.

who's hating?

 

[Fantasmo]

who's hating?

Everybody up in arms over the score vs. HL2. Interesting how a high score these days can have the effect of making people NOT want a game!

I can understand a game not being for everyone, but even so, the game deserves much respect for the flawless execution of its many features.

 

[bishoptl]

HL2 only got 9.2, those people at Gamespot are crazy.

You need to acknowledge the sheer greatness that is Butcher Bay. A game hurt only by the overall length. Other than that, the most fun I've had on Xbox this year.

 

[Apharmd Battler]

Tilt is what they do to adjust the score to what they want it. If a game is more than the sum of its parts they move it up, if its less they move it down.

BTW, Riddick is my favorite game this year. HL2 and Halo 2 are also godly FPS.. but for all the hype about how they were going to revolutionize the genre, a small game with no hype is the one that actually managed to do it. It was like Shenmue, without the sailors, stupidity and with big guns.

I agree 100%. Starbreeze just came out of nowhere with this and it's a spectacular game. Some of the bigger studios with 10X the budget can only dream of making an awesome game like this. I like how you didn't hear a peep about this game until about 3months for release. Maybe I'm just jaded and cynical about the insane hype that's in the industry now.....

 

[KarishBHR]

You need to acknowledge the sheer greatness that is Butcher Bay. A game hurt only by the overall length. Other than that, the most fun I've had on Xbox this year.

I agree, Im going to play it for the PC now... because its that good

 

[tromik]

I'll probably scream and yell for awhile longer, and then break down and buy it when there's a price drop. That's just my way.

 

[Kanbee-san]

No, FarCry is the Halo of PC games, meaning it's a plodding, repetitive chore of a game that isn't much fun. Half Life 2 doesn't have any equal on the consoles, sadly.

Hahaha you trolls still find ways to bash halo :lol

 

[Gribbix]

I agree 100%. Starbreeze just came out of nowhere with this and it's a spectacular game. Some of the bigger studios with 10X the budget can only dream of making an awesome game like this. I like how you didn't hear a peep about this game until about 3months for release. Maybe I'm just jaded and cynical about the insane hype that's in the industry now.....

That reminds me of how I learned of the game's existence from some quote by Vin Diesel comparing the graphics to Doom 3 (I think this was before any pics of Riddick were released). I assumed he was full of shit like most celebrities who mention video game tie-ins. Funny thing is that Vin Diesel was right, the visuals do hold their own against Doom 3.

 

[adam20]

No, FarCry is the Halo of PC games, meaning it's a plodding, repetitive chore of a game that isn't much fun. Half Life 2 doesn't have any equal on the consoles, sadly.

Halo 2 is a good single player experience. That is all. Merely good. That is what dissapoints so many people as they would want something more than a mere extension of what the original Halo was. The game doesnt feel to have much in the way of innovation as some of us would have hoped.

Halo 2 could have been spectacular if the Bungie conspiracy "lets cut the game" theory is true. Which basically is Microsoft wanting them to make a Halo 3 and therefor they couldn't end the series at Halo 2. So the game was changed, modified, cut. etc. Seems very possible. It would explain why we dont see much in the way of new enemies except very few (whatever). And hardly any new vehicles. They once had shown 4 different types of warthogs to be in the final product. But this was changed for whatever reason. Halo 2 was rushed. Many of us can see that and it is apparent from the limited edition DVD footage.

What a game it could have been if all those extra features would have made it in. The features that we saw in earlier previews from online sources and magazines. Such as trully advanced AI 4 times more sophisticated than Halo 1. Instead of what we have now which is good AI. The best out there for a FPS but not as great as it really could be.

Regardless of these issues and various others which I cannot recall right now the game is one of the best out there. The multiplayer pushes the game towards an incredible status. Halo 2 on live is one of the best videogame experiences out there. As long as you know how to play (kill guys on opposing color teams).

I wish they had more maps though. I put many hours into halo 2 (mostly on live) and I can see it taking up at least another year =). I doubt it is an experience that could ever 'trully' get old. But that's what Halo 3 is for.

 

[Sysgen]

Riddick is a terrific game. Don't miss out. I'm not sure what they did to the difficulty in the PC version but I would start it on hard to extend it a bit. Normal was too easy.

 

[boredJonathan]

perhaps you'd like to tell me what PC FPS's have been as good as Half Life/Half Life 2 have been in the last 6 years? I'm not a FPS by any stretch of the imagination and the Half Life series is the only one to hold my interest. I've played the Medal of Honor games, Call of Duty, FarCry (not Doom 3 though, I played very little of that and that was just to see what my new video card could do). Half Life = Halo of PC games. THAT is a fact, as you so succintly put it.

Oh I would probably put CoD up there as being just as good. Just as well scripted at least, and the tank levels were actually alot more fun than the vehicle levels in Half Life. I don't know that I would call it better per se, and I would be very much inclined to give Riddick the nod if I had played it on the PC. Doom 3 I enjoyed the atmosphere better than Half Life 2 because I could actually get wrapped up into it. FarCry... well it's a better engine than Source I would say at this point, but the actual game left alot to be desired. Fun.. but mindless. So yeah, I would put CoD and Riddick up there as being as good if not better than Half Life 2.

My point about HL2 not being the second coming is not to meant to imply that the game is not good. It most certainly is. But much like Halo fanboys there can be absolutely no superior in the minds of alot of HL2 players. Just based on the wait, or desire or I don't know.. whatever gets fanboy's minds set on something. So I'll agree with you there, and yeah call it fact. Half Life = Halo of the PC. It's got alot of really great points, and a bunch of fanboys. They both have their technical faults, but personally I found Halo 2 to be more enjoyable. Which is I guess partly why I don't have so much trouble believing that Riddick could outscore HL2.

 

[Operations]

Butcher Bay is an amazing game and I agree with the score, it's better than HL2.

Besides, the graphics are some of the best I've ever seen. By the end of this gen, I think these will be the top 5 best looking games for consoles:

1. Conker
2. Ninja Gaiden
3. Chronicles of Riddick
4. Halo 2
5. Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike

 

[Kanbee-san]

Halo 2 is a good single player experience. That is all. Merely good. That is what dissapoints so many people as they would want something more than a mere extension of what the original Halo was. The game doesnt feel to have much in the way of innovation as some of us would have hoped.

Halo 2 could have been spectacular if the Bungie conspiracy "lets cut the game" theory is true. Which basically is Microsoft wanting them to make a Halo 3 and therefor they couldn't end the series at Halo 2. So the game was changed, modified, cut. etc. Seems very possible. It would explain why we dont see much in the way of new enemies except very few (whatever). And hardly any new vehicles. They once had shown 4 different types of warthogs to be in the final product. But this was changed for whatever reason. Halo 2 was rushed. Many of us can see that and it is apparent from the limited edition DVD footage.

What a game it could have been if all those extra features would have made it in. The features that we saw in earlier previews from online sources and magazines. Such as trully advanced AI 4 times more sophisticated than Halo 1. Instead of what we have now which is good AI. The best out there for a FPS but not as great as it really could be.

Regardless of these issues and various others which I cannot recall right now the game is one of the best out there. The multiplayer pushes the game towards an incredible status. Halo 2 on live is one of the best videogame experiences out there. As long as you know how to play (kill guys on opposing color teams).

I wish they had more maps though. I put many hours into halo 2 (mostly on live) and I can see it taking up at least another year =). I doubt it is an experience that could ever 'trully' get old. But that's what Halo 3 is for.

In perspective, even if Halo 2 is rushed and cut, its still in the top 5% of FPS's ever. When someone says it was merely good or says its boring, repetitive etc - i just gotta laugh. The game was brilliant.... full stop.

 

[Spider_Jerusalem]

9.3

Fully deserved. Great, great game. If it only wasn't so short, the vote could have been even higher.

 

[Kseutron]

HL2 only got 9.2, those people at Gamespot are crazy.

yup

 

[Kanbee-san]

HL2 owned again. Sell your somethings.

 

[bishoptl]

HL2 owned again. Sell your somethings.

GOTCHA