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Ignoring the absolutely, hilariously awful second movie, the universe of Vin Diesel vehicle Richard B. Riddick is undeniably fascinating. Each of its good entries dishes out only as much juicy info as Riddick and a small cast of supporting characters see fit, creating a potentially infinite playground for Diesel’s be-goggled antihero to bully around. And, as with any well-constructed sci-fi setting, no trip to Riddick’s take on the final frontier is complete without a liberal helping of the four W’s. What’s the deal with this planet? Why is Riddick performing fistic genocide on half of its population? Who made these totally rad mechs? And where can I get one?
The answer to all of these questions is simple in Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena -- explore.
Or at least, that’s the logical solution, and in a universe where even a quick moment of hesitation is liable to end with someone on the receiving end of a knife to the eye socket, it’s probably best to avoid asking too many questions. So, during my still in-progress playthrough, I’ve been plumbing the grimy depths of Alcatraz’s out-of-this-world cousin, Butcher Bay. Unfortunately, as of now, the only reward I’ve received for all my exploration is a pack of smokes. And by “a pack,” I mean somewhere in the upper double digits. Suffice it to say, it’s a good thing Riddick doesn’t use the same cigarette storage methods as Solid Snake.
But for me, this literal smoke stack still presents a problem. Sure, I’m being rewarded for my constant exploration, and yeah, the Special Surprises inside each carton – ranging from concept art to behind-the-scenes tech demos – are pretty neat, but after a while, everything just becomes so predictable. Under those crates? A cigarette carton. On that ledge? A cigarette carton. Behind your ear? Well, you get the idea. And really, isn’t the main appeal of exploration – and, to an extent, gaming in general – discovery and subsequent mastery of the unknown? Why take a hike off the beaten path when I already know what lies just around the corner – especially when, in all likelihood, said main path will provide me with far more varied rewards for my trouble?
What I’m proposing, then, isn’t that we rub secret areas and things of the like off the map, but that we simply transform them into a slightly more appealing proposition. The potential benefits, as you’ll soon see, are enormous, as demonstrated by the following example.
Comments are closed on this article
I Jedi
April 28, 2009 at 3:09pm
I didn't think the second movie sucked at all. If anything, it was better than the first.
punditguy
April 28, 2009 at 10:58am
Some of it is my fault. I didn't realize "The Game Boy" was the name of the column, so I was wondering HTF they were going to port Riddick to the GameBoy.
The "Assault on Boring Exploration" part isn't my fault, though. That implies that the Riddick game "assaults" boring exploration -- therefore, the Riddick game doesn't have boring exploration. That does not appear to be the author's point.
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Preferred boot, but will give this Maximum PC thing a try.
DOOMHAMMA
April 28, 2009 at 9:32am
While not exactly the topic at hand, I didn't think it was THAT bad. I actually own a copy of the movie myself, I find its setting and the expansion of Riddick's universe to be amazing. To know that there is more than just scary monsters on some planet when it gets dark, but instead a universe thats rich and filled with a variety of menaces, Riddick included.
Anyway, Bethesda has been creating great worlds for exploration for a long time, my first run in with them was in Morrowind. I spent hours and hours exploring that game to find the interesting pieces left unseen if you just do the main quest. Oblivion was the same, and Fallout 3 obviously followed those foot steps.
The problem with MMO's though, is that you want to reward skill, and avoid anything that can easily help bots. Arguably, something that is just "discovered" will be easily exploited by the bots if well written enough. And if something is off the beaten path, your compatriots will complain and think of you as a selfish person who used them to reach a certain area, and no one enjoys that.
AntiHero
April 28, 2009 at 12:19pm
The movies are good. Just different
I don't like Microsoft, I associate with it.
nekollx
April 28, 2009 at 8:59am
if you want to see "strides" in a mMO stop looking at wordl of warcrack and try of City of Heroes
jko
April 28, 2009 at 10:10am
While I admit i'm a wowhead, I have always wanted to try City of Heroes/Villians.
AntiHero
April 28, 2009 at 8:31am
I think FPS can take a lesson from Valve on adding achievements. Like Call of Duty 4's (or its mod by Treyarch, World at War) but make them a little challenging. Not as hard as some of the ones in Team Fortress 2, Day of Defeat: Source, and Left 4 Dead, but the same general idea. You get some cool content for setting 100 enemies on fire, or a special skin for a gun after getting so many of a certain shot (Head, Leg, Arm, Disarming someone, Incapacitating without finishing them off, and even nut shots?) Reward the precision people take so much time perfecting. Or reward funny things ike being pegged by your own grenade, or flashing yourself X number of times, as long as they don't condone Friendly Firing or Spawn Camping.
I don't like Microsoft, I associate with it.
