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 I loved Condemned: Criminal Origins. In fact, I think it was
the one of the best Xbox 360 launch games. Perfect Dark Zero was pretty
average, and Call of Duty 2 was great, but Condemned really put a spin on the
thriller, the first-person shooter, and the survival-horror styles. Rather than
running through the game shooting everything in sight, enemies had to be
approached carefully; sometimes they would not be seen at all because of
intelligent A.I. and well-executed ambushes. In short, the game was intense. It
was scary. It was something new, and something to remember.
It also had a great storyline. As a member of the Serial
Crime Unit (SCU), an FBI unit devoted specifically to hunting down serial
killers, Ethan Thomas had to use forensics and force to get through each of the
10 levels. He was focused mostly on “Serial Killer X” (SKX) and avoiding the
feds after being framed for the murder of two police officers. His contact with
fellow FBI friend Rosa allowed him to get closer and closer to SKX until
eventually he killed him…or so he thought.
Monolith continues the dark, gritty tale with Condemned 2:
Bloodshot. The story continues and finds Ethan disgruntled, drunk, and dirty
like the addicts and bums he typically beat down. SKX is back, and with the
backstabbing of the SCU and several returning characters, it has more twists
and turns, convolutes the already-interesting plot, and sets up the third game
with an exciting cliffhanger. The gameplay is just as violent and even more
“in-your-face” than most games I have played. Punching some homeless bum with Ethan’s fists
feels so much like hitting something. The feeling of attacking and being
attacked is so stunning and debilitating that it creates an experience quite
unlike anything but the original. Give up if you think a puny flashlight is
going to keep the color from leaving your face.
Grab the lead pipe; it is time again to beat some skulls.
There are 11 levels in the game, and like the 10 from the
first game, each takes Ethan to a new dangerous location in town as he hunts
down SKX. These are just as terrifying as before, particularly levels like the
Doll Factory and the Black Lake Lodge. If there is anything that the people at Monolith
can bank on, it is their near-flawless ability to construct an environment that
scares the living crap out of the player. Condemned 2 is presented in a way
that adds additional quality to its style. The lighting is eerie and so perfect
at times that it is as much a visual effect as it is a useful tool. It is very
good for helping Ethan see enemies in front of him, and sometimes even around
corners.
Sometimes sound is as useful as sight: crank up the stereo,
turn out the lights, you know the drill. Distant footsteps and the heavy
breathing of a hiding bum are just a few helpful cues. Playing this game as it
was intended is one of the most incredibly profound horror experiences there
is. There is a fair share of jumpy moments, of course, but Condemned 2 gets
bonus points for being generally horrifying on its own, without ever needing
any cheap scares. Never mind the fact that you get chased by a vicious,
man-eating bear that tears through walls. Just this scene alone might burn a
few more dollars away with the game’s $60 for a new pair of skivvies.
The freaks attack Ethan relentlessly with everything they have.
The fighting system works better than before, which says and
does a lot for the game. Many (such as me) felt like the mechanics were fluid
and simple. Others decided that the controls and the combat were sluggish and
repetitive. Thanks to an improved targeting system with a soft-locking
mechanic, keeping a steady eye on enemies is a lot easier. It never becomes a
problem, at least when there are not ten enemies standing around Ethan.
Speaking of standing around Ethan, one of the brief events that happens in one
of the early levels is a throwback to the original game. It is no less
haunting, to say the least.
Besides punching and kicking, Ethan’s basic fighting skills
now include chain attacks and environmental kills. Chain attacks are initiated
by double-tapping the trigger buttons mid-combo. These are usually quick
execution-style kills, resulting in some of the more alarming fatalities. Kicking
moves can even be thrown in, like toe-stomps and roundhouses. Environmental
kills replace the four commands that Ethan used in the original game, and are
standard but relentless and very satisfying. If beating a particularly annoying
bum down with Ethan’s fist is exciting, slamming the bum’s face through a
television screen is even more. Before I forget, Ethan obtains a yelling
ability near the end of the game. It makes heads explode. Need I say more?
There are a lot of melee weapons in the game, but one of the
very few things that disappoint me in Condemned 2 is the limited number of
them. I was hoping for more interaction with the environment, like the ability
to pick up almost anything and use it—Ethan won’t even pick up and throw
chairs. At least there are still a lot of things to find, ready for bludgeoning.
Go ahead; call me sadistic—there is something exciting and beautiful about
clubbing the living hell out of an enemy that just scared the pants off of you
until it crumples to the ground in a limp, bloody mess. Favorites from
Condemned like the electric conduit and 2x4 return (yes, the 2x4 can be set on
fire) and new weapons include some clever ones like foosball rods and antlers.
Hint: make good use of the latter two for 20 quick, easy Achievement points.
Using guns is also easier in this game thanks to Call of
Duty 4-style iron sights aiming. There are a couple more to be found here than
in the original game, like the .22 (my favorite) and the very-deadly assault
rifle. For steady aiming, Ethan can guzzle down booze he finds in each level—an
obvious reference to the drunk that he is portrayed as. An FPS Mode can be
unlocked after beating the game, and in it Ethan is given infinite ammo and a
gun for the entire game—the focus, then, is on shooting. Anyone complaining
about the melee combat should get over it for 11 missions just to play this
mode. It is a blast, despite taking away some of the visceral element that
Condemned 2 has.
There are extra benefits to deeply exploring levels and
collecting evidence that make it very valuable to search high and low for
deadly sonic emitters, televisions and radios that can be tuned in for live
reports on the action, and any clues that help Ethan continue on his mission. Collecting
evidence and making the right calls in each situation also count toward the
mission. Medals can be earned at the end of each level by performing well. With
a better medal, he will receive greater abilities at the end of each one. For
example, one level’s silver medal awards Ethan with a stun gun with a small
number of charges. The gold medal rewards a few extra charges.
Even if the single-player game and FPS Mode were not as
impressive as they are, Condemned 2: Bloodshot would still be worth attention
for its Fight Club and online multiplayer modes. Fight Club adds as much replay
value to the game as Resident Evil 4’s Mercenary Mode, which I have considered
one of the best distractions of all time since becoming horribly addicted a few
years ago. It is an arena-style mode where Ethan can fight to the death with
weapons and melee attacks against all kinds of bums.
What in the Parasite Eve?!!
Though it might not compete in grandeur to games like Call
of Duty 4 or Halo 3, Condemned 2’s competitive online matches inject the same
disturbing style as the single-player game. Besides the standard Deathmatches
and Team Deathmatches, there are two interesting ones. The first, Bum Rush, is
quite similar to the popular spies-versus-mercenaries scenarios from Splinter
Cell, starring bums and SCU agents. The other is a lot like Halo’s Oddball,
where bums must protect evidence from SCU agents.
Someone give Monolith a damn gold medal. The typical first-person shooter is starting to rot, and innovation must be found or
the genre will die. They innovate and deserve all of the credit in the world
for doing it very, very well. Condemned 2 lets you punch bums, stab people with
buck antlers, and mow down pursuing SCU agents with assault rifles. It lets you
scream and blow up heads. It throws a troubled character down a scary,
blackened path that literally beats fear into your face. To wrap this up, Condemned 2: Bloodshot is a complete package, and I consider
it one of the Xbox 360’s best titles. Now, pardon me, I have some bums
to "attend to".
Final Score: A-
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