12.7.2006

Condemned: Criminal Intent is an intense horror game released by Sega. Taking full advantage of the improved graphics of the next generation systems (it's coming out for the PC and the Playstation 3 as well), it's a beautiful game, though in a very creepy way. Everything's harshly lit with a lot of shadows. Don't play this one with the lights out, that's for sure. Only the length and a couple of other problems mar what otherwise is a wonderful game.The story is definitely gripping, with fairly good voice acting. You play FBI agent Ethan Thomas, a hunter of serial killers who becomes hunted himself. The cut-scenes are effective, moving you from one chapter to another with effortless ease and advancing the narrative.These cut-scenes aren't important for the gameplay (the game tells you what you need to do at the start of every chapter), but it definitely adds to the immersion. It's quite easy to lose yourself in the story. Every time I meant to turn the machine off and do something else, something kept me going to find out what would happen next. Yes, it's fun to bash the bad guys and the action is intense, but often it was moving the story forward that kept me going.My one major problem with this game is the length. On Normal difficulty, with me not being an expert on these types of games, I still finished this in about 10-15 hours, maybe 20, of playing. I bought it on a Saturday, played a *lot* of it over the next couple of days, and finished it on Monday. I think the game is fun enough and I'm definitely glad I played it, but I did feel a little ripped off paying this much money for that short of an experience. A major strike against an otherwise awesome game.Condemned: Criminal Origins is a first-person game, though "shooter" isn't really appropriate. Yes, there are firearms in the game, but you're limited to the number of bullets that are found in each one. You'll never be able to re-load. You'll have to find another gun before you can shoot again. Most of the action is hand to hand, so you have to find weapons somewhere. Don't worry: weapons are scattered around everywhere, from a length of pipe to a locker door.Pressing the left bumper implements one of the coolest aspects of the game: your taser. The taser will stun your opponents, allowing you to run up to them, take their weapon (by pressing "A") and beating them with it (or shooting them if it's a firearm). It's especially effective when they're shooting at you and you don't have a gun. There's no way to get into range while they're firing without getting blown away yourself, so just use the taser. I found all of the controls quite intuitive and it quickly became second nature to do all of this. I'm not the best person at action games, so the ease of this was really appreciated.You're also linked, through most of the game anyway, to the FBI crime lab and your friend, Rosa. When you enter a room where there is evidence to be collected, your intuition tells you to press the "X" button to get out an evidence-finding tool. Once you find the evidence, it's immediately sent to Rosa over the phone (handy!) and she'll tell you what it is. This is important to move the story forward, though occasionally the gas spectrometer will lead you to a bird for an Xbox Live achievement instead of evidence for Rosa. I believe you can turn this "intuition" off as well, though I can't imagine playing the game without it until you know the story.Overall, I'd rate the gameplay as excellent. The AI of the enemies is pretty good, though sometimes they'll stand there and look at you until you get fully in their line of site. However, they'll use cover at times, they'll try to sneak up on you or gang up if there is more than one of them. If they're weapon breaks, they'll run until they've picked up a new one. They have the same abilities to pick up weapons as you do (sometimes they come on to the screen with no weapon and will pick them up on their way toward you), so if you drop something in the room, it might just be used against you. One thing, especially near the end, is that they are intelligent enough to fake you out. The big guys will sometimes fake an attack to make you raise your weapon to block, and then attack you when your weapon is lowered again. While frustrating at times, I found this extremely well-done.The graphics in Condemned: Criminal Origins are simply wonderful and really add to the mood. Some of the cut-scenes are a little fuzzy, but I think that's supposed to be part of the atmosphere rather than a bug in the game. The shadows are creepy and wandering around the abandoned buildings and tunnels can be disturbing at times. Blood flies liberally, and the results of your actions will linger in the environment. The sound also adds deftly to the mood. Eerie sounds and bangs permeate the game, making you jump occasionally. When you're not sure which shadow the next attack is coming from, any sound can be unnerving.I really loved Condemned: Criminal Origins, and it may just indicate the new wave of horror games. It's an extremely visceral experience, but it is also quite violent. It definitely earns its "M for Mature" rating, with a few swear words but mostly with the graphic violence. If you've just used your pipe to beat somebody over the head repeatedly, the blood stays on your pipe. The game will definitely keep you on your toes, making you jump at each sound. I just wish that it had been longer.David Roy

17.9.2014

S T O R YYou return as Ethan Thomas, having resigned from the FBI he has been caught in somewhat of a downward spiral and now finds himself homeless, violent, and an alcoholic. Serial Killer X has returned and is linked to Malcolm’s murder, as well as other murders of high ranking officials in Metro City. A secret organisation known as Oro the lays ruin to society. Ethan must find out the Oro’s true objectives and attempt to stop their rise to power.Metro City is a character in itself; it’s grimy facade and rotting nature present a very vivid backdrop. Now, overlay the tramp-like appearance of Ethan, and you have the definitive qualities of the experience.The storyline surrounding the secret organisation didn’t really suck me in, it seemed tacked on and an uncreative way to include different antagonists.G R A P H I C S & S O U N DThe visual design is decrepit and decayed; the city is quite frankly a s*** hole and it’s this very run-down quality that brings a majority of surroundings to life. An abandoned hospital left a very memorable impression, broken wheelchairs, crutches and prosthetic limbs scattered everywhere. The textures may look gritty and rough, but these work in favour of the presentation and dramatically strengthen the atmosphere. The lighting is evocative and creepy, keeping your flashlight constantly switched on is highly recommended.There’s a similarity to Manhunt, though the presentation of these hoodlums is far starker in contrast to Rockstar’s gruesome game. Animations are excellent; enemies will stumble from hits, throw objects at you and use a variety of attacks to give you a good beat down. Sound design is outstanding, the slam of your weapon against an enemy’s flesh provides chilling audio feedback. The soundtrack is understated and is never overbearing upon the eerie nature of the game.The collision detection needs some smoothing out, getting stuck on small objects became an annoying inconvenience and detrimental to the gameplay. Some of the enemies are extremely hard to spot in darkened environments, simply because their character models are far too dark and cannot reflect enough light to help them stand out.G A M E P L A YCondemned 2 pushes the melee combat even further, introducing more weapons and a combo system to deal some truly devastating blows. Using hand-to-hand combat can be an effective tool, and you can attack with both fists this time, using the corresponding triggers to swing. Stringing combos together will deal more damage and help eliminate multiple threats quicker. Arming yourself with a weapon will greatly increase your chances of survival. Baseball bats, electric conduits, crutches, bedposts, and many other weapons are plentiful in supply to satisfy yourbattle hungry needs.Ethan also has a kill metre, which rises as you butcher unfortunate thugs to death. When the metre is actives, everything moves in slow motion and a series of contextual button presses choreographs the action. The whole QTE formula may be somewhat overdone, but it feels natural and flows with the overall combat style. If you really want to get your hands dirty then you can also use the environment to your benefit if an injured opponent falls to his knees. At this point, you put them in a headlock and drag them to any number of objects marked with a skull, where an item-appropriate kill will take place.I loved the forensic investigations from the original game, though they were far too easy to complete and not challenging at all Bloodshot has changed that, this time it’s down to you to analyse evidence and determine how the victim was killed. You’ll be pressed to answer contextual clues, and answers reward you with a better-end-level medal, as well as an upgrade to show for it. The Al is extremely brutal and aggressive; they know when to unleash hell and when to take cover if necessary. It’s always important to finish them quickly and not allow them to find other weapons in the vicinity. Ammo is severely limited, once you run out of it then you better think of an alternative attack method.There are some gameplay sequences that are completely out of place, I won’t say what they are, but they are sure to slow down the experience. The forensic gameplay may have been improved, but there aren’t many crime scenes to come across and I didn’t find them as interesting to study either.O V E R A L LCondemned 2 is an improvement over the first game, it takes a step back in some areas, but it notches up the intensity. The supernatural story and Ethan’s alcoholic demise add a gritty layer to the disturbing world of Metro City. The graphics are slimy, foreboding and wonderfully atmospheric. The gameplay is compelling, merging carnage and suspenseful horror into one haunting package.

3.4.2008

It has been several years now since I first played Condemned: Criminal Origins, and from the moment I first slammed the game into my 360 drive and turned off the lights I found myself in for a hell of a ride.I won't go into the story, as the plot is what makes the game so dark and twisted. What I will say is that Condemned is essentially a police detectives' hunt for a serial killer, where there is no element of comedy or cheap jokes, and all the action remains depressing, violent and gritty.Graphically the game seems to follow along the lines of FEAR; a similar game engine is used. Upon its release Condemned was the first game to really show the power of the 360,with the character models looking unbelievably good at the time, and still looking pretty awesome today, even with games like Gears of War around. Lighting is spectacular, with shadows flickering and causing you to spin around at the slightest movement in aprehension for an attack from the enemy. However, the most notable problem with the graphical design of the game is the degree to which many of the rooms seem to be, at least partly, identical. Whilst it doesn't particularly damage the game, seeing the same style of room multiple times can become a little dull.The gameplay is pretty intense. Whilst it isn't as fast playing as most FPS, the AI is so realistic that it couldn't possibly be: whilst the ability to sprint exists, you can only do so for about 15 seconds before you stop to catch your breath, giving the criminals around you a chance to batter you to the ground. Because of this you are forced to slowly check the rooms/ halls, move forward and pray that there isn't a criminal lurking in the shadows around you. The actual combat is incredibly different from most FPS; whilst there are firearms in the game, the ammunition and variation is limited. The majority of the combat is spent with various melee weapons, ranging from locker doors to steel pipes, sledgehammers to paper-cutters. Which weapon you have does make a difference, and it will take some time to work out which weapon is best matched for your style of play. The enemies you encounter are also smart enough to realise if you remove their weapons, they have to try and tackle you to the ground. Failing this they will retrieve any weapons around them, in the same way that you can. It's slower gameplay than most, but it also has a more realistic and intense feel to it.Whilst combat makes up the majority of Condemned, the second slice of the gameplay revolves around the CSI-style investigations you carry out. Within the story there are times when you must investigate an area for blood-trails, identify finger prints etc. and forward them - via a modified cell phone - to your lab contact. Hints appear on-screen to assist the player in knowing when it is neccessary to use tools, however the problem is that tools are automatically chosen for you. Therefore there is little room for acting like a real agent; you can't cycle through your tools and work out which one you need, adding to the length of such investigations. Once your part of the investigation is complete, a report is forwarded back to you by your lab contact. It's an interesting experience that generally pays off, and it gives a bit of variation to constant brutality.Condemned also features some incredible sound and music. Whilst there is nothing that will make you break out in emotional tears, the atmosphere is generally conveyed through the scraping sounds, eerie screeches and quiet melodic effects that keep you on edge. Enemies yell at you when they see you, and will scream if you sneak up on them. Weapons sound quite sickening, especially when you bring - say - a sledgehammer to the side of somebody's skull.The game is quite length, roughly around 10-15 hours depending on the difficulty you play it. Unfortunately it isn't the type of game that will neccessarily scare you as much as it did when you first played it, as on the second time around there is nothing that has changed - enemies will still exist in the same areas etc.Whilst a little outdated, Condemned: Criminal Origins is still a game I would have to recommend. If you enjoy sick, twisted horrors then this game is for you. If not, you probably won't enjoy it. It gives you enough chills and thrills to keep you playing until the end, and a fantastic plot that makes you want to find out more and more. And with Condemend 2 being released on the 4th April, it's a neccessity to play this if you are planning on getting it's sequel.

30.6.2006

This is quite a game. Being the big Silent Hill fan I am, I first laughed at the prospect of a first person shooter horror that was actually claimed by many to be good. I just wouldn't accept what everyone was talking about and promptly shunned my mates for agreeing with the masses.So one rainy night, browsing through the demos on live, I sighted Condemned as a new addition... I downloaded it as you can imagine, giggling quietly to myself thinking I was stupid to even bother.You get most of the first chapter and a small section pinched and added from a later chapter packed into the demo, and whoa, did I have a good play through that!Just from the demo,I could see this game was going to be cracking with some really nice visuals and features to be seen- I wasn't wrong. This game is your chance to rip signs off walls, tear doors from lockers, discover and utilise many, many different weapons from the environment around you, and then use them to beat your enemies around with, should you not have a firearm with ammo at hand. Not only this, but your ememies can do just the same to you- if they come into battle holding nothing or you manage to disarm them, they'll cleverly find a nearby weapon (yes, any weapon avaliable) and use it to pummel or blast their way through, giving an interesting combat style with intelligent AI.Ok, to be honest I completed the game in 2 days on normal difficulty (which is default, so if you need more or less of a challenge, change it in the options), which doesn't seem like much at all, but this was playing quite long hours- you can probably get a week from it should you choose to spread the time you play on it out a little. I plan to go back and play it through on hard to test my skills.Coming back to the point I was making about the FPS horror genre, I really did underestimate this game greatly as it actually did manage to give me a bit of a jump here and there. It's no Silent Hill equivelent in terms of horror, but it's there: dark locations; dirty, dank feeling to each chapter; strange, weird enemies. There's one thing I'd like to clear up though: this game isn't like Doom 3 which didn't really provide horror at all.The story is intriging, and without saying too much, one you'll need to follow from the start of the first chapter. An example would be when my sister came to watch me play- I was on the 2nd or 3rd chapter and she hadn't a clue what was going on. It's a story with aspects that have been seen hundreds of times before in other horror games and films, but it's still quite engaging- and with the addition of the modern forensic investigation tools that the main character (a detective working for the FBI) has at his disposal, it adds a touch that I've seen rarely in horror games before; the detection side of the game is implemented very well, in fact. Basically, the story is all about solving crime(s). I'm not going to give away what the crime(s) involve and what it/they mean for the main character as it's a nice one to unravel yourself.If you're looking for a new 360 game (which I was) and havn't bought this one yet, and enjoy horror and FPS games, go for it. I recommend downloading and trying out the demo first, although the snag with doing that is it spoils the fun if you choose to play the full thing. I'm slightly regretting playing the demo as I knew what the first level was going to be about, but then again it got me into the game in the first place. It's up to you!Also, a final note:I must apologise on behalf of the last reviewer of this game as I'm sure some people (like myself) disagreed. I won't say anything more about the reviewer, as it's their own opinion and they're entitled to having it, although I do believe this game is better than they've described it as. If you've any doubts, play the demo; if you liked it, it's definately worth buying the game.

13.12.2005

Condemned is a title that oozes 'next-gen' atmosphere if not 'next-gen' gameplay. To be brutally honest, the game is little more than a simplistic first person bash-'em-up. The 'forensic investigative' part of the game, whilst adding to the experience, does not add any extra dimension to the gameplay.However, where the game succeeds is in creating a gameplaying environment that is both intense and disturbing - thanks in no small part to the excellent graphics and chilling sound effects on offer. In many respects, Condemned is a brilliant showcase for what the XBox 360 can and will achieve in terms of atmosphere and the ability to generate strong emotive responses from the gamer.

21.5.2006

'Condemned' is quite easily the mist terrifying game experience I have ever witnessed. First and foremost, if you have seen the British film 'creep' then you will realise where the developers got a lot of there ideas from-but if you havent seen it, make an effort to do so. I think the reason 'Condemned' achieves the atmosphere it does is the way it pulls you in to its macabre world and gives a frist person perspective to the horror. I think this was its bravest decision, to make a horror game first person, but the result is a professionall product that will make you cry out in fear.'Condemned' works on the principle on suspense; many of the levels are set in semi-lit atmosphere,

30.6.2021

This is basically F.E.A.R.'s survival horror brother, as opposed to the action horror. Made by the same company, made on the same engine and also came out the same year. And just like in F.E.A.R., the AI in this game is unbeaten by anything out there. There are many great things about the AI and I especially like the enemy's ability to hide, which can really catch you off guard sometimes.This game focuses on melee combat, instead of F.E.A.R.'s gunplay. The melee combat can get pretty satisfying when you get the hang of it and the animation for the enemies is amazing. Few games also manage to make finding a simple firearm with ammo in it as satisfying as Condemned. I also recommend playing the game without the taser,

3.5.2011

Condemned separates itself from today's tired FPS market by taking advantage of innovation seen first in games like Chronicles Of Riddick. Hand-to-hand combat is the order of the day and that's the way this game plays from start to finish. Whilst it's true the game does introducing projectile weapons, they're simply a "bonus" where you don't have to get too up close and personal to devour the enraged bums. Guns run out of ammo very quickly and take you back to your melee roots.Condemned is an ingenious mix of crime and the supernatural, whose borders are never fully realized throughout this game. The character you play imagines macabre beasts and nightmares involved with tracking a criminal.

17.10.2007

Resident Evil 4 set the benchmark for games of these genre on the gamecube, it was simply superb, but I cant believe this one passed me by.The settings are stunning,the storyline compelling but sometimes confusing. Basically, youre playing a film.The deserted department store with mannequins that whisper to you when you walk past them and also some that come to life are amazing, so is the ambience with the dreary slow motion quiet music, its creepy.The shut-down school has noises from the past of kids in the playground, its creepy.This game will make you jump, especially if you have a few speakers behind you on 5.1 surround. Its superb. The enemies are evil looking, it scares you constantly,

11.3.2006

For anyone waiting for a simulation of fighting tramps using a plank of wood with nails in it - wait no longer. This is a very bloody and brutal game. The 18 certificate should be observed.The mood is relentlessly grimey and dangerous as you play from a first person perspective using mostly melee weapons like floorboards and gas pipes to mercilessly beat leigons of mad degenerates. The combat is quite simple being either swing, kick (not much use), taser or block - at first this seems clumsy and slow but as you settle into the rhythm of it you'll find timing your blocks and blows is alot of fun. Your assailants babble expletives and react realistically as they run about, hide behind things,

18.8.2007

This was the first game I ever played back when my 360 was new and shiny, so has a special place in my heart. I recently revisited it and gave it another playthrough and it's still absolutely stunning. There's a lot of horror games out there but only a handful can lay claim to being genuinely frightening(Project Zero is a fine example and Silent Hill has it's moments) but the feeling of terror when playing this game in the dark is peerless. The game's oppressive environments are lit almost exclusively by your shakey torchlight, the 5.1 mix meaning every footfall and clatter in the distance speeds up the heartrate. Monolith were also responsible for the fantastic shooter FEAR,

3.11.2013

In Condemned you play agent Ethan Thomas, wrongly accused of murder, in pursuit of the real criminal, a dangerous serial killer.This game is claustrophobic because you play mainly in tight dark, very dark abandoned buildings, its scary because it uses light and shadows in a very good and realistic way and sound, that if you use a surround sound system you'll be many times looking over your shoulder if anything is coming to attack you from behind. It is innovative in the way it blends horror, cool forense investigating tools and first person shooting and combo mellee combat.The mellee combat is in my opinion, the only thing that needed more work from the developers and you'll be fighting a little bit,

10.4.2008

Who'd have thought a lack of ammo would add to a game's enjoyment? But because of this you are forced to think about how you are going to tackle the horrors that you face (this one element is so sadly lacking in so many others fps games).It is the best horror survival type game I've played, far better in every way than any of the Resident Evil games, which are clumsy and stiff by comparison (the reason I never bothered to finish one). Making it fps corrects all that stupid manoeuvring difficulty RE had.The AI is outstanding. I just can't play any more fps where AI consists of - idiots see you, idiotically run at you, you kill them or they kill you. In condemned,

10.2.2006

i bought this game uncertain as to wether i would like it, as some reviews (not on amazon) have rated it as a mindless bash fest. i am very impressed so far. good story, good variety of weapons, the bad guys arnt all the same as in some very popular titles!. the game is very intense and atmospheric, its like playing in a horror movie like silence of the lambs stuff. you collect forensic evidence from crime scenes with various gadgets and at times this game has you REALLY scared, but you dont want to turn it off coz its too good. the game developers can be proud of themselves for making a very satisfying game. i have not finished the game yet, but felt i had to write this review to tell others its worth buying.

23.4.2006

I have played many "horror" ganes including Silent Hill, Resident Evil etc. This is as scary, if not more than Resident Evil which I considered to be the best up until now. While the game is linear this helps to avoid the "looking for clues forever" scenario. However there are still extras to find. There is a lot of gore and it is most definately for over 18's only. The atmosphere is great and mostly very tense. Your heart will pound as you look for clues knowing that the next attack is close by. Combat is great. The timing of your defense is as important as the attack with some of the more difficult opponents. Loads of different weapons, tons of atmosphere, pretty long, great graphics,

Condemned: Criminal Origins (Xbox 360) - Reviews

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