Parents' Guide to

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Graphic, gory first-person shooter with some sexual themes.

Game Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows 2009
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 1 parent review

gamenerd323
gamenerd323 Adult
October 29, 2009
age 14+

Great for older kids and teens.

The brutality is at it's fullest, game characters make reffrences to having sex and ra*eing, they use coarse sexual dialouge like f*ck, cu*t, pr*ck, di*k and show a mild deception of a man mastrabating. The language is extreme and the violence is brutal and grotesque! I recommend this for older audeinces!

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 1 parent review

What’s It About?

While it didn't sell too well at retail, The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (based on the movie of the same name) became a cult hit among gamers a few years back for its intense action and gripping narrative -- not to mention raising the bar for video games based on movie licenses. Thanks to Atari, Riddick is back in THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK: ASSAULT ON DARK ATHENA, an all-new cinematic adventure that once again stars ba(l)d boy Vin Diesel as Riddick, who uses stealth and cunning to take down the evil Captain Revas of the predatory Mercenaries ship, Dark Athena, and her loyal followers. To stay alive, Riddick must rely on his signature moves and powerful weapons (such as the razor sharp "ulak" blades) while navigating the dark and creepy corridors from a first-person perspective.

Along with the lengthy single-player campaign is a "re-imagined" edition of the previous blockbuster game Escape From Butcher Bay, as well as six multiplayer modes including "Pitch Black," in which five players, as Mercenaries, try to hunt down the 6th player who assumes the role of Riddick, using only weapon-mounted flashlights to see through the darkness. Another multiplayer mode, "Butcher Bay Riot," is fast-paced three-team mode, where 12 players split into teams of Guards, Prisoners, and Mercenaries to brawl over a power cell.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (3):

While not a revolutionary game by any stretch, The Chronicles Of Riddick: Assault On Dark Athena is a good action brawler for mature players -- and is a good deal considering it includes the original game and many multiplayer modes for added replayability. It's not the next Halo, plus it's violence, sexual themes, and language might offend some, but the game shouldn't leave serious shooter fans disappointed. If money is tight, then it's at least a very good weekend rental.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether they like when a Hollywood celebrity "stars" in a video game? Is this game more appealing because Vin Diesel plays as the main character or do you prefer a different face (or none at all, such as the helmet-wearing Halo's Master Chief or Metroid Prime's Samus Aran).

Game Details

  • Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows
  • Available online?: Available online
  • Publisher: Atari
  • Release date: April 6, 2009
  • Genre: First-Person Shooter
  • ESRB rating: M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language
  • Last updated: November 5, 2015

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