Condemned, a 360 launch title, quickly established itself a cult following. When you wern't splattering grey matter on the walls, you were making use of it to solve grisly murders. Known to many in the FPS community as "that FPS without guns" it slipped under the radar. It recieved good ratings and solid sales, but it never really set the gaming world alight. IMO, it was one of the most original, dark and horrifying games ever to grace a console. The pacing of the story was perfect, and everything about the game, while gritty, dark and at times downright disturbing, had something of a movie studio sheen. The opening credits for example, were a scream in the direction of SE7EN.


So, onto Condemned 2. For me, this game had a LOT to live up to. It had to live up to the first game and more. It had to answer questions, but still keep the mystery of what the hell was going on secretive enough to keep you wanting more. Gameplay mechanics needed some tweaks from the first game, but not enough to make it feel unfamiliar. Old faces needed to come back and new ones needed to be introduced to keep the story fresh.


Condemned 2 both succeeds and fails in all fields. I'll start with the storyline.


Okay, from the opening credits, you are yet again hooked. An old aquaintence in trouble, seemingly being chased by someone or something. A phonecall, cut off by an inhuman scream. And you. Ethan Thomas, ex-SCU posterchild, now an alcoholic with some serious anger issues. Ethan is hardened, embittered and has basically reached the bottom of a pit of depression and despair. For those of us who played through the first game, we know why.
Ethan is called to service once again, all is not well with the city after the events of Criminal Origins, and it seems there are unseen forces at work. I used the phrase, "for those who played the first game". Im going to be completely blunt. If you have not played the first game, this one will make little or no sense to you in terms of narrative. The plot jolts a lot, it's convulted and in certain places, even a fan from the first game will let out a weary groan. A lot like the rest of the game, the first half is captivating, then it seems to go on a bit of a downward spiral. If story is important to you, pick up and play the first game. Please. If you don't, enjoying this second instalment will be a chore at best. At the very least, read a summary on Wikipedia of the first games storyline.


Next up, the gameplay. One of the things I enjoyed the most about Criminal origins is that it dared to be different. Focusing on melee attacks rather than using all the military hardware under the sun. You had to think on your feet, grab pipes off walls, make use of shovels, crowbars, fireaxes and sledgehammers to access certain areas. A firearm was a special treat, and not one to be squandered. Lack of a hud meant you had to drop the mag from your weapon to check ammo. You made every round count. The early stages of Condemned 2 stick to this formula and it works incredibly well. Core mechanics have been updated, with Ethan now able to dish out devestating combos and counter attacks, as well as brutal finishing moves, making use of the enviroment around you to send your enemies to an untimely death. This adds a whole new dimension to the game, a welcome one. What would have been a static object in the first game suddenly becomes a weapon. The tazer is also now limited, meaning that you need to make use of the five shots a battery you are granted, using it to get out of a tight spot rather than for your own amusement.

You also earn upgrades, be it a holster so you can save that weapon until you really need it, knuckledusters or steel toecapped boots for delivering more pain to your foes. One of the other upgrades much later in the game is incredibly amusing, although a little unfeasable. This much I will say. "Exploding heads".

The investigation side of things in Condemned 2 has been expanded and improved upon. For those of you who enjoyed this aspect in the first game, the developers have listened, as the investigation aspect of Bloodshot is incredible. Establishing everything from sex of the victim, to types of wound, right down to a killers MO, it's brilliant and it really helps draw you in.

Guns in the early stages of the game are fairly spread out. However, about halfway through the game, it takes what is a dissapointing turn for the worse. It almost becomes FPS like. Guns are strewn everywhere, ammo is fairly sparse although not impossible to come by and the game pretty much forces you to make use of these weapons due to your enemies being equally well equipped. There is also an "FPS mode" when you complete the game, allowing you to go through with guns and infinite ammo. This it would seem is down to the developers being pressured to make the game more "action" orientated, and is a step backwards for the game, imo. I wish that they had simply designed the main campaign with less firearms, and left such mindless blasting for the FPS mode alone. It really dilutes the entire feeling the first game established.

Graphically the game is brilliant. Character animations are second to none, the pace of the game has been sped up since the first, not a bad thing, and there is a lot more use made out of context sensitivity. Bloodshot does a very good job at putting you in the shoes of the character you are playing. It expects you to react to situations, and to express yourself.

In short, Condemned 2 is a good game. It does not live up to the first, for the simple reason that the final act lets it down. I can't say why storywise, but gameplay wise it feels as if the game becomes "another" FPS. The twisted reality of the first game becomes a little *too* warped.



7/10.

A must have for fans of the first game, but not accessible enough for newcomers.

Not to say the first game was bad by any means, but I just wasn't excited for the sequel. It flew under my game radar. I really did enjoy this one though. Did you see the video at the end of the credits?