The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena Updated Impressions

With his pair of sharply curved knives in hand, Riddick stalks the halls of the pirate ship Dark Athena, looking to deal some pain. Creeping through the shadows in a room full of cargo crates, Riddick is hidden yet surrounded by a number of drone soldiers--mindless automatons that patrol the ship and that can be remote-controlled by members of the Dark Athena's crew. Skulking in the shadows, Riddick sneaks up behind an unwitting drone, takes him out, and tries to take his weapon from him. But wait--the gun is attached to the drone's hand. No problem for Riddick; he simply picks up the drone and begins blasting the other enemies to bits with the attached weapon. It's just one of the grimly enjoyable approaches to combat in the upcoming The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, which we had a chance to check out at a recent Atari press event.

Riddick is back for another adventure, and things are about to get messy.

Though the game was initially conceived as a fairly straightforward remake of the classic original Xbox game, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, the developers at Tigon Studios and Starbreeze have pushed the project beyond a mere port to include both a remake of the original game and an entirely new chapter in the Riddick storyline, Assault on Dark Athena. Picking up more or less directly after the events in Escape From Butcher Bay, Assault on Dark Athena finds Riddick and his captor, the bounty hunter Johns, onboard the Dark Athena, a pirate craft that's led by a mysterious captain that Riddick might have a history with. After being locked in cryostasis for a good long stretch, Riddick--being the badass that he is--manages to wake himself up and begins stalking the corridors of the Athena, looking to escape.

During the demo, the developers at Starbreeze showed off the trademark multiple gameplay elements that began with the original game and certainly continue here. Stealth is obviously a big part of the fun here, with Riddick sticking to the shadows (complete with the familiar blue tint to the screen when Riddick is concealed), and either sneaking around, or sneaking up on, his enemies. Then there's the wet work with the aforementioned ulaks that Riddick acquires early on in the Dark Athena storyline. They're perfect for making short work of an opponent you've snuck up on, and they seem to be pretty effective even in a face-to-face fight.

But where Dark Athena really shines is with the drones. As mentioned previously, drone soldiers are mostly mindless, zombie-like humanoids that patrol the halls of the ship. In their unoccupied state, they seem to be easy enough to avoid; however, if a drone is being "piloted" remotely, it's a different story. They'll be more alert, and they appear to have quicker reaction times, too. You can capture a drone that you've taken down, but you'll only be able to walk backward while holding up a drone. As a result, if you want to use its attached arm gun and still stay mobile, you'll need to move quickly from one downed drone to the next.

Regardless, the best use of a drone is actually piloting one yourself, which we got to check out in the demo when Riddick made his way into the drone control room. After quickly dispatching of a crew member who was in the process of controlling a drone, Riddick saddled up and took a few for a ride. Although most of Riddick's gameplay is stealthy by nature, controlling a drone feels most closely akin to a run-and-gun first-person shooter. The kicker is that drones are expendable and, as a result, you can charge right in with drone gun blazing. That said, during the mission we watched, there was only a finite amount of drones available to Riddick and, once one went down in a hail of gunfire, Riddick simply fired up the next drone and continued on his way.

Scary enemies and big guns are no match for Riddick's skills.

Given that the demo focused entirely on the new content in the game, we didn't get a chance to re-experience Butcher Bay for the first time on the Xbox 360. What we do know is that, even though the original game is being remade in Dark Athena, game upgrades will touch on all content in the game, both old and new. One example is that AI enemies will use improved team tactics to take you down. That's in addition to the stunning graphical upgrade that the original game is getting, completely remastered audio, and user-interface improvements such as a radial weapon-selection menu. Naturally, Vin Diesel will reprise his role as Riddick, with actress Michelle Forbes (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Battlestar Galactica: Razor, Al Roach: Private Insectigator) taking up the role as the captain of the Dark Athena.

When you add the fact that the content for Escape From Butcher Bay and the Assault on Dark Athena seems to be about the same length, as well as multiplayer features that the company has yet to reveal, it looks like the game will be jam-packed with features. We look forward to peeling back the new pages of Riddick's chronicles in the coming months and will keep you up to date on all of the latest developments until the game's release, due for spring 2009.

Credit:By Brian Ekberg, GameSpot

Spengler. Stantz. Zeddemore. Venkman. And you. Welcome to your new job as the fifth Ghostbuster in Atari's upcoming video game adaption of the hit '80s movie series, Ghostbusters: The Video Game. The publisher, who acquired publishing rights to the game after it was sold off by Activision, showed off the latest build of the game at a recent press event. It was the first time we'd seen the game since E3, and, based on our time with the game, it seems like developers at Terminal Reality (and Red Fly Studio, which is handling the Wii version) have been keeping their heads down and focused on the ghosts, despite the game's publishing turmoil.

Trapping wayward spirits isn't a solo job. Welcome to your new role as the fifth Ghostbuster.

Unofficially billed by producers as the "third Ghostbusters movie," Ghostbusters: The Video Game is set two years after Ghostbusters II and finds the four original Ghostbusters in pretty good standing with New York City and its citizens. However, because catching ghosts isn't cheap, the city government decides to bring in some oversight to the 'busters operation in the form of Walter Peck, the quartet's bureaucratic nemesis in the original movie. Peck will be in charge of Ghostbusters oversight, constantly keeping the heroes aware of the ever-increasing costs of doing their particular form of business.

Atari was showing off both the 360 and Wii versions of Ghostbusters, and each version of the game featured a slightly different take on the same level. In the level, the Ghostbusters are in the familiar setting of the New York Public Library, investigating the elderly paranormal librarian (who happens to be the first ghost encountered in the original movie). Just as in the movie, it's only a matter of time before the ghost's calm demeanor turns ugly in a big way.

Before the librarian blew her top, however, we got chance to check out the basics of gameplay and combat. Ghostbusters is a third-person action game, with a camera that sits just over the shoulder of your character, giving you a view not just of the action happening in front of you, but also your proton pack, the nuclear-powered high-tech gizmo that serves as your weapons arsenal. As in the movies, the proton pack is used to fire a stream of energy with which you can wrangle rogue ghosts into a trap. The proton pack in the games is more flexible than the one used in the film, and you'll be able to upgrade your pack as you make your way through the game. These different weapon types include a stasis stream that you can use to freeze a ghost, or a shock blast you can use to defeat them. Your proton pack will also clue you in to your character's remaining health and other vital information.

You'll need to make full use of the proton pack in Ghostbusters because in addition to trapping ghosts, you'll also be fighting enemies as you make your way through the levels. As we made our way through the library level, we fought several spirits that took on physical presence by forming makeshift bodies with the many books scattered on shelves; a quick blast of the proton pack was all it took to bring them down.

Destroying ghosts is fun but your main goal in the game will be trapping certain spirits that are causing trouble. In the both the 360/PS3 and the Wii version, you'll first need to capture your ghost in the stream emanating from your proton pack. You can also stun the ghosts once they're caught by slamming them to the ground. The mechanics for trapping ghosts differes depending on the version you're playing. In the 360/PS3 game, you'll use a combination of the analog sticks and the triggers; over on the Wii, things get a bit more complicated. Aiming the stream is as simple as pointing your Wii Remote--but once a ghost is caught, an arrow will appear on either side of the aiming reticule, indicating which way you need to move the remote to wrangle your ghostly target. It took us several tries to get it right, and while it might get easier with practice, we wouldn't mind if the developer went back and re-examined this aspect of the controls.

Familiar faces will return in the Ghostbusters game, which looks to tie up some loose ends from the two films.

Controls are the big differentiator between the 360/PS3 versions of Ghostbusters and the Wii game, but it isn't the only difference. Unlike the 360/PS3 game, which is going for an exaggerated realism, the Wii version has a more cartoonish presentation, with stylized characters and slightly less menacing-looking monsters. Even though both games cover largely the same territory in terms of levels and dialogue, the Wii game is obviously being aimed at a younger crowd. Both versions will also feature the impressive damage effects, where seemingly every wall, column, or piece of furniture you blast with your proton pack will suffer accordingly.

With full involvement from the original cast members Dan Akroyd (The Blues Brothers, Earth vs. the Spider), Bill Murray Lost in Translation, Garfield: The Movie, Ernie Hudson (Oz, Best of the Best: Without Warning), and Harold Ramis (Stripes, Orange County), there's little doubt that this game has the Ghostbusters cred. What remains to be seen is if the game makes busting ghosts as much fun as it seemed in the original movies. We'll know when the game makes its release in 2009, just in time to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the original movie.

House of the Dead: Overkill Updated Hands-On Impressions

Zombies--who doesn't love them? House of the Dead has built a successful franchise on blowing away the undead both at the arcade and from the comfort of your own couch. Previous games in the series have had hammy dialogue and action, but with the upcoming release of House of the Dead: Overkill, developer Headstrong Games is taking the well-worn shooter series in a slightly different direction and to an all-new level.

Fret not, light-gun purists, this isn't a total reinvention of the series you've come to know--the series' gameplay fundamentals are still well and truly intact. You'll still need to point your peripheral (in this case the Wii Remote) at the screen; you'll still need to press a button to unleash a barrage of bullets into your targets; and it's still an on-rails experience. House of the Dead: Overkill is being pitched as a prequel game. In addition to reprising the role of Agent G, you'll be joined by a new partner: Agent Washington. Whether you're playing solo or in the cooperative multiplayer mode with a friend will determine which character you play as, but you'll never go it alone, with the other character chiming in to provide comedic relief. Undoubtedly the biggest change in HOTD:O is the new artistic direction. The game is peppered with familiar but seldom-used lo-fi visual effects like off-kilter and exposed film cells reminiscent of budget projection, celluloid cigarette burns, and flashing jagged text--all of which give a distinctive pulp, grindhouse, B-grade film feel. The groans and screams of the tormented are offset by the jauntiness of the porno-funk soundtrack that accompanies your adventures through the infected world.

Dr. Zombie is here to check your temperature. Just not in the traditional way.

With lines like "they've come for brains, you'll give them bullets," it should be fairly obvious that this game doesn't take itself too seriously. It's set in Bayou City, Louisiana, and you'll follow the trail of dead as you race to solve a series of mysterious townsfolk disappearances. Our hands-on time took us through Bayou City hospital and saw us battle infected rednecks, doctors, orderlies, and nurses in their work uniforms as we cleared a path to safety. This is still very much an on-rails shooter, meaning that you won't play any part in deciding which rooms to explore or the best way to clear an area. That's not to say it's a totally hands-off shooting gallery, though, since you'll be able to waggle the Wii controller slightly past the screen's field of view to peer left, right, up, or down of your current centre-screen position. Exploring the entire field of play will turn up extra goodies like green DNA-strand-looking slo-mofo mode power-ups and extra weapons. There's also a risk-versus-reward gameplay mechanic at play since exploring to look for goodies leaves you open to being broadsided by flanking zombie attacks.

Blasting away is as easy as pointing the Wii Remote at your television screen and pressing the B button on the underside of the controller to fire. Reloading is performed by pressing the A button, by tapping the Z button on the Nunchuk, or by giving the Wii Remote a quick shake. All reload speeds appeared to be completed at the same rate, so it's more preference and hardware configuration rather than a tactical advantage when choosing one over another. We opted to avoid shaking to reload, as even a single sharp snap of the wrist often caused our onscreen reticle to disappear from view (not what you want during the heat of undead slaying). Two weapons were available for us to try out: the HOTD mainstay pistol and a shotgun. Both were available from the outset and can be switched on the fly using the 1 and 2 numbered face buttons. We didn’t have a use for them in our session, but we've been told the plus and minus buttons will also play a role in the action and will be used to unleash special attacks, such as lobbing grenades.

House of the Dead: Overkill's grindhouse art style is littered with classic budget film effects.

Another mechanic we came across in our hands-on time was a new combo meter. It’s still unclear if it builds based on your hits or headshots, but each consecutive headshot added one combo point to a pistol chamber animation, and once we had completed five successful shots we were rewarded with a bar. This bonus continued to stack as we went along, though at one point we could swear we didn't miss, but our combo was reset. The combo system only appears to affect your score at the end of the level, and in typical House of the Dead style, you’ll be awarded a rating based on your performance and shot accuracy.

House of the Dead: Overkill is already shaping up to be an original and entertaining reboot of the well-loved zombie shooter franchise. We're eagerly awaiting grabbing our shotgun and pimp cane when this game blasts its way onto store shelves in early 2009.

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