9 Classic Video Games That Would Make For The Perfect Christmas Present

Chronicles Of Riddick: Assault On Dark Athena/Escape From Butcher Bay

Release: 2009

Platforms: Xbox 360, PC

I tell people about The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay every chance I get. It’s just a shame that most people immediately write it off as a video game cash-in, because it’s not, even if it takes place within the same universe as the Riddick film franchise and features the voice and likeness of stony-faced bald guy and a voice of a thousand cigarettes, Vin Diesel.

In fact, what’s surprising is how well the Riddick movies translate into an interactive experience. Escape from Butcher Bay remains to this day one of the finest action games of all-time, and even twelve years on from its original release, it still looks and plays like an absolute treat.

So, here’s where things get confusing. To nab a copy of this gem today you’re going to need to buy Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, which arrives bundled with the aforementioned Butcher Bay. All told, Dark Athena is a bit rubbish, but for $5, you can get one half-baked pie and a gourmet feast. I don’t know about you, but I’d take that.

If you’re an archivist, you might even be able to dig up a copy of Escape from Butcher Bay: Director’s Cut, the original PC release which came out in 2004. It comes with a rather sweet developer commentary mode which, to my knowledge, was never bundled with the later release.