Based on a few websites who had the privilege of seeing some of the game first hand, the gameplay appears to be similar to the first game: weapons are scarce and Riddick has to use his stealth and eye-shine to navigate darkened areas to surprise and outsmart his would be captors. The ship is filled with drones: semi-human, remote controlled guards which can be hacked in the latter portion of the game to do your bidding (insert maniacal laughter here). Drones have guns built into their arms which can be used by dragging their corpses around, but also severely limiting your movement.
Although not much is known about the plot other than Riddick is trying to escape his captors (again), its good to know there will be decent voice acting for the game. Vin Diesel is on board to voice Riddick, like he did in Butcher Bay, but a few other actor/actresses will be joining him. Xbox360achievements.org did a good job summing up the actor's creds, so I'll just borrow from them:
Riddick: voiced by Vin Diesel
The self-confessed Dungeons & Dragons fan first stepped into Riddick’s shoes in cult hit film Pitch Black, which is honoured with a multiplayer mode of the same name in Assault on Dark Athena. Diesel found the shoes a good fit and subsequently starred in the film The Chronicles of Riddick and lent his voice to the acclaimed game Escape from Butcher Bay. Riddick is renowned as the toughest criminal in the galaxy – a man who walks a moral knife edge and isn’t shy of getting blood on his hands.
Dacher: voiced by Lance Henriksen
A versatile character actor equally at home playing blood-thirsty vampires or beaten-down detectives, Lance Henriksen made his intense presence felt early on with appearances in timeless big screen blockbusters Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Terminator and Aliens. He brings the weight of his voice to bear on Assault on Dark Athena playing Dacher, a prisoner on the ship who shares part of his harrowing life story with Riddick and comes to his aid as the plot unfolds.
Revas: voiced by Michelle Forbes
The Texan-born actress is known for playing tough women, a skill which has seen her take major roles in a series of acclaimed TV shows including Battlestar Galactica, Prison Break, 24, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Her unforgettable performance as Revas, the captain of the Merc-ship Dark Athena who shares a chequered past with Riddick, brings depth and a weary malevolence to the character.
Spinner: voiced by Wade Williams
Williams has appeared in numerous top-rated TV series including CSI, 24, Six Feet Under, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and most prominently Prison Break in which he played Bradley 'Brad' Bellick from 2005-2008. In Assault on Dark Athena Williams takes the role of Spinner, the loyal right-hand man of ship’s captain Revas, who is charged with holding the ship together while Riddick unleashes chaos.
Pavlo: voiced by Morgan Sheppard
The accomplished, British-born actor has made numerous appearances on stage and screen since the 1960’s including most recently 2007’s Transformers film, with an appearance slated in the forthcoming Star Trek movie. Following his voice work on 2004’s Escape from Butcher Bay, Sheppard returns to the Riddick universe lending his voice to the character Pavlo, a schizophrenic prisoner trapped aboard Dark Athena who brings clarity and confusion to Riddick in equal doses.
Hopefully Atari will throw us a bone in the form of a demo in the next month or so, so we can see if this new installment of the Chronicles of Riddick will be a top notch game, or just a dud.
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