The title says it all really, Escape from Butcher Bay. The plot doesn’t attempt to outstretch itself and rarely deviates from front-man Riddick’s need of self preservation, yet it is still able to compel and entertain right through to the end. Set before the events of the 2000 sci-fi hit Pitch Black and timed neatly for the new Chronicles of Riddick film (chronologically the last of the three), this videogame version attempts to further explain the history of bad-boy Riddick that made him such a stand-out character in the otherwise ordinary Pitch Black.

Clearly making the most of his finest role to date (or only good role…), actor Vin Diesel has gone to extreme lengths to ensure the game is both faithful and complimentary to the licence. Providing more than just his voice and looks, Diesel has ensured that developers Starbreeze work alongside his own software house, Tigon Studios. The results instantly impress.

The plot has been inspired by conversations from the film Pitch Black: when the characters of Johns and Riddick refer to the past in some way, they are usually detailing events from Riddick’s escape from Butcher Bay, the maximum security prison that serves as the games setting. Bizarrely, the character of Riddick has a very different personality to the one in Pitch Black, who showed at least a glimpse of human compassion. Riddick in the game has an air of divine mystery about him and his lines are delivered with minimal effort or compromise. Riddick never lets up his murderous, rampaging mentality, and though his character could have become your standard wise-cracking hero, his dialogue will have you rooting for what is one of the most likeable anti-heroes in the videogame medium. It also must be said, rarely has a videogame character looked so like the actor they are based upon; from the way he looks to the way he moves to the way he talks, it is undoubtedly Vin Diesel you are controlling.

Escape from Butcher Bay is one of the most incredible looking videogames to date, eclipsing almost every other game in the First Person Shooter genre. Indeed, even some games still in development will struggle next to the technical splendour on offer here, at least upon immediate viewing. Escape may not be able to render expansive environments or destructible terrain, but it can show off the most beautiful, atmospheric and effective use of lighting seen in a very long time. Doom 3 looks very similar, to put it bluntly.

Despite essentially being a standard shooter (though one with relatively effective fisticuffs), it is important not to underestimate the value of its technical prowess. Throughout the game Riddick will spend an awful lot of time in low-light situations, where battles in complete darkness are lit up by wonderful strobe-lighting effects produced from the incredibly powerful-sounding gunfire. When hiding the darkness an enemy can absolutely reveal your position by simply shining a torch towards your direction, even when they are located at the other side of the room. Tense moments are a regular occurrence as guards wonder by searching for your position, lighting up the environment and corners as they go by, while all you can do is track the brilliant white produced from their torch.

More than just complementing the action, the graphics have a part in improving the mission objectives too. At one notable point early on, you find yourself literally in a pitch black situation, navigating only by the light generated by flares as provided by a particular non-player character. You are asked to find a voice box that strange creatures have stolen, and you must follow the sound it creates in order to work out the correct direction of your objective, while using the flares to light up your way. To make things more interesting you are being attacked from all directions by the creatures, which are conveniently attracted to the voice box you are searching for, and must eventually carry in order to return to its rightful owner. Memories of Aliens come flooding back, as the creatures rush by the screen, occasionally lit up by your shotgun fire and the inefficient power of the flares.

Riddick’s most notable skill, the Eye Shine, is obtained part way through the game. Essentially a night vision mode, the Eye Shine has one major drawback of exaggerating light, and so when in complete darkness you can suddenly find the screen lit up in pure white, when a guard suddenly shines a torch at you, for example. Hardly an original feature, but a well implemented one that never dominates the gameplay. Due to gunfire causing strong intermittent light and the regular use of torches, the Eye Shine can often be ineffective, thus rapid toggling is usually required.

Escape from Butcher Bay wears its action-movie heritage with pride and doesn’t have any problems delivering effective story-telling or exciting action sequences. As an experience it entertains throughout the eight or so hours with the odd moment of heart-pounding brilliance, however, as an interactive adventure, it takes its movie inspiration a little too literally.

As immediately effective the game may be, look beyond the surface and the game becomes surprisingly shallow. Prison life has been atmospherically created with suitable swearword filled banter and beatings, however beyond the occasional scripted moment the inmates themselves are completely lifeless and patiently await your direct interaction to provoke their next move. The gameplay itself is riddled with scripting and invisible trigger-points and, though never as intrusive as the Medal of Honour series, the experience rapidly turns artificial.

Objectives can also feel artificial and far too convenient, serving only to extend the life of the game but ultimately causing harm to the generally ferocious pacing. In terms of quality, level design is inconsistent, perhaps aptly reaching its low point during a lengthy and frustrating segment down in the mines of Butcher Bay. Convenient too, is how the humanoid boss characters noticeably take much more of a beating than your ordinary characters, falsely spiking the difficulty when the plot demands it.

It may be true that Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay takes the lazy option in a number of instances and features a few gameplay discrepancies, however the movie-like production values and occasional inspired sequence carry this enjoyable adventure right through to its satisfying conclusion.