Condemned 2: Bloodshot

The Good
The sequel to one of my personal favorite horror games. Condemned 2: Blood Shot, continues the plight of SCU agent Ethan Thomas. Published by Sega, and designed by mega developer Monolith. I had high expectations for this sequel. Can it possible live up to it’s predecessor?

Condemned 2, picks up six months after the conclusion of the original game. We find Ethan Thomas, once the most talented S.C.U. agent, now a drunk in some dive bar. He thought he had solved the SKX case, he was wrong. Like many good mystery stories, Condemned, had an ending that left a few questions unanswered. Much to the dismay of some gamers. Rest assured that Condemned 2, answers many of these. I won’t divulge them here. But I can and will tell you that, I felt that the plot in Condemned 2 was very well done. In some ways more so that it’s precursor.

Because were the original game had to set up the plot, and explain the fucked up world of Condemned to the gamer. The sequel has the advantage of getting to spend less time setting things up. Yet like the first game, still does a good job in presenting a very mysterious and often horrific nightmare. So from the get go Condemned 2, already succeeds where many horror games fail.

The gameplay has also been overhauled in many ways. Which I will now go over.

For starters, the combat system has been redone. Seeing as the original game had an excellent system. You may be wondering what exactly has been changed. Fear not Condemned fans, all the changes are for the better. This time around you can fight with your fists, as well as all the melee weapons and fire arms. There are also new weapons.

Furthermore you get the chance to upgrade Ethan’s skills. Upgrades are rewarded based on how well the player does. And upgrades include increasing Ethan’s health meter, and so forth.

Combos are now possible in combat. Just like in a fighting game, when the right button sequence is hit you can perform combos. Which quite frankly are off the fucking chain. Adding further to the pugilistic menu, Ethan can also make use of new chain attacks. These involve QTE like segments, that can be activated when the chain meter is full. Often the chain attacks help give you an edge against a difficult opponent.

Other changes include the fact that melee weapons now break. The only downside is that they often seem to break a little too easily. More interesting is the new ability to use the game environments to finish off your foes. Not unlike the quick kills in the recent Punisher game. It basically works like this, when in combat with one of Condemned’s crazed killers, you can grab them and say throw them through a window. Or use an industrial press to rip their heads off.

Like the original game, Condemned 2, makes good use of it’s setting. To the point in which the decrepit city almost IS a character. And the areas of the game are more varied from that of the original game. One mission has the player investigating a murder in a museum. Another has the player avoiding death in the heart of darkness, the city streets. Death is around every corner in the Condemned universe. And like the original, the sequel often is at it’s best as it makes the player feel as if they are actually in danger. Few horror games can claim this.

Like the combat system, the investigation mode has been revamped as well. The player still must look for clues to unlock the mystery of Condemned. However, this time around these sequences are more active. When investigating a murder scene, the play must survey the carnage and then make the correct diagnosis. In one scenario, the game has the player identify the victim, and ascertain the cause of death. Correctly doing so will reward the player with a score. Which gets calculated into the final “grade” of the mission. This is how the game rewards the player, by unlocking upgrades. Playing well can earn some of the better rewards earlier, and give an edge.

Powered by the latest version of the Jupiter engine.(The same engine used in the NOLF games as well as the more recent F.E.A.R. series.-MM-) Condemned 2 looks great. Best played in the dark of course. As the game does an amazing job of creating a game that looks dark. And it helps draw the player in to the game.

Any good horror game worth anything has a great soundtrack right? Well Condemned 2, succeeds here also. The voice acting is top notch. And the sound effects are amazing. From the sounds of combat, as heads meet fists, to the oft creepy muttering of all the psycho paths. Great stuff.

The Bad
Condemned 2 suffers from some glitches and bugs. Nothing to bad thankfully.

Worse is that at one part of the game is particular, Ethan must flee for his life. During this sequence the player must guide him. One wrong turn and you are dead. It is that simple.(The sequence reminds me of one such in the recent, Call Of Cthulhu: Dark Corners Of The Earth.-MM-) This part can be very annoying.

Overall there is less mystery in this sequel than I would have liked. A minor complaint I know.

The Bottom Line
I still enjoyed Condemned 2 very much. I felt that for the most part that it was better than it’s predecessor. A most excellent horror franchise gets better. As for the fate of Condemned 3? Only time will tell of that one.

The Good
- Everything in regard on how this game looks and sounds, it's one of the most unique titles of 360/PS3 era. - Combat has been greatly improved, new attacks, lots of combos, environmental kills, etc. - Level design - big improvement. We're still wandering in abandoned buildings, but now they vary both visually and gameplay-wise, many have their own unique enemies and weapons. - Investigation system is still very underutilized but unlike previous installment, actually requires to use your brain to some extent. - Bloodshot Fight Club, which consists of different game modes to kill time. Some have interesting mechanincs. I would really prefer if they were integrated into the main campaign.

The Bad
- Story hasn't been improved in any way. This time it just goes batshit instantly, but still tries to take itself seriously at times. - Despite level design improvements, about half of them have some kind of annoying flaw attached. Some levels are incredibly short and serve as exposition dumps. Some - focuses on gunfight, which isn't particularly fun. Some have pacing issues. - One of those console-exclusives of the 360/PS3 era, which isn't sold anymore. Just use Xenia, it's perfectly playable there.

The Bottom Line
Recommended. At least give it a shot. A blood shot, wu-ha-ha.

The Good
To me, the original Condemned was something of a hidden gem and a minor masterpiece. What made it so good was that it was scary, it had a smart plot (Despite too many questions about the ending and Ethan's "Potential") and it had a unique survival horror combat system where you only had the environment to work with. So I hotly anticipated this sequel.

One of the first things you'll notice upon starting the game (As well as the fact you'll notice where the game gets its cover shot) is that this is going to get bloody. Condemned 2 is unashamed of its insanely high amounts of blood and violence, any game that allows you to shove someone onto a drill bit, slit their throat with a Saw blade on a stick painted like a lollipop, or cave in a skull with a sledgehammer isn't going to be pretty. While C2 may not be the "goriest" game out there, its easily one of the most brutish and violent. It amazes me that these games haven't caused controversy (Although they have been banned in some countries) especially since one could easily compare this series to the highly controversial Manhunt game. What makes C2 more disturbing in its violence is how realistic the combat feels, how up close and personal it gets, and a real sense of pain displayed in victims. Its unnerving, and if you are squeamish, C2 is a game you won't want to touch with a 10,000 foot pole. For gorror fans like myself, it adds more atmosphere as well as making it more intense and in some places, a bit more disturbing. Its one of the most violent and brutal games I've ever played, but if you can handle that, it only adds a layer of intensity to the combat as well as the creepiness.

The combat is MUCH better now. It was great in the first game, but it had problems. One of the annoyances of combat in the first game was the fact that you had to time blocks, 5 years later I still can't fully grasp how to time said blocks in that game perfectly. Here, you can block much easier and hold a block as well although don't think that this means you can hold a block forever and not expect to be hurt or killed, because the AI will simply use low blows, and you can't move as easily or fast when blocking so they can easily change their flank. You can also use your fists now, so if your weapon breaks in the middle of combat or you are in an instance where you don't have time to find a weapon without receiving 3 varieties of broken pipe to the skull you can still duke it out with more than just your kick. Another improvement is the ability to use both arms in combat. This means that you can string together better combos and stumble your enemies, one time it was funny I was using a trash can lid and I smacked an enemy one way, stumbling him tot he right then as he twisted around I smacked him again and he stumbled the other direction and then stood there going "ARGHHH!" while clasping his hands over his ears. :P Speaking of combos, you can build specific in game combos now and these are powerful and very useful at times.

The games graphics may not be the best out there, but they have great modeling and animation, and Monolith's twisted art design and attention to detail is both eye pleasing and at the same time horrendously ugly. The villainous drug addicts and insane hobos are disturbing and sub-human, and although I disagree with their explanation (More on that later) I feel that The Oro look awesome and at the same time creepy. Who are The Oro you ask? Well, I won't ruin that mystery (Both because its a somewhat lame twist, and to avoid spoilers) but I will say this: Remember "The Hatred" from the first game? You know, that twisted metal thing from the ending? He was an Oro. So were those strange metal folks in Ethan's hallucinations. The art design is distinct on the various "Factions" in Condemned and the character modeling is eye popping, and some of the games special/gore effects are... erm, well, impressive but also somewhat disturbing. Lets just say that the game is very good at rendering slime of various colours and origins.

The story, while it takes a turn for the worse towards the end, is compelling and interesting. Ethan Thomas was a great character, but he's even better here. Why? Well, if there was one flaw with Ethan in the first game, it was that he was a little too innocent. While I know that he was a good guy and that he was trying to prove his innocence in the murder of his fellow agent, he seemed too "Goody two shoes" for someone who had the balls to cave in a hobos skull with a spiked two-by-four and until the games end scene, you never saw Ethan's "bad side," and we all know that every human has to have one. Condemned 2's Ethan Thomas is a more 3-Dimensional character, succumbing to vices and sins of alcohol and violent street life, and when he gets reinstated and must return to the law the game uses the opportunity to have Ethan fight with his dark side. Ethan's dark side is represented in various physical and metaphysical forms and does a great job of f**king with the laws of reality as well as Ethan's mind, which gets under both Ethan's skin and your own. The story also benefits from top notch voice acting.

The AI, much like the first game, is disturbingly intelligent. They haven't changed much, but in truth, this is a positive considering how good they were in the first game. They still know their environment just as well, if not better, than you do and will use strategies such as hiding, ambushing, and finding bigger and better weapons if they have a chance. They aren't dummies, and they are fierce to fight against. They feel "real," and the way they interact with the environment is frightening, you're not the only one who knows how to aerate someones skull with that drill in the corner of this dank room.

The controls are tight and very workable. Forensics have also been improved, actually acting as puzzles this time around. While they still don't live up to their full potential, they are MUCH better this time around and you actually have to think to get it all right, although it is disappointing that there really isn't much punishment if you do mess up like there should be.

The game, while not quite as tense or scary as the original, is still creepy. Its disturbing and has plenty of frightening moments.

Fight club mode is fun.

The level design is a bit more interesting and not as monotonous as it was in the first game.

The Bad
The games story, while it has interesting components, is relatively stupid when compared to the first. What made the first games story great was that it was relatively realistic, it was steeped in reality and it used subtlety and grace to tell a great murder mystery as well as making sure you jumped out of your seat and cowered in a corner at times. While the first few areas of Condemned 2 retain this, the game loses its subtlety when you run into a suicide bombing baby doll, and from here on out, there are more and more strange things that simply break the laws of reality, and not in a hallucinatory way like it should. The story takes a massive turn for the worst when The Oro and your "potential" are explained, as they are ridiculously contrived and stupid, and simply don't fit with what should be a murder mystery. The last few levels are so stupid it made my brain hurt. The final boss, rather than being an intense fist fight like in the first game is easy and ridiculously lame. All you have to do to get rid of him is scream at him a few times. I'm bloody serious, you win the game by screaming. When the screaming is introduced is when the game goes to pot, and the ending and last two levels are downright atrocious save for some gruesome sights and the fact that you get to see more of the creepy Oro designs.

While the brutality and insane blood and gore make the combat intense and at times, scary, other times it ruins the scares by being so ridiculously over the top. As I said before, it lacks subtlety and much of the tension of the first game. There are also some areas that have way too powerful weapons that make you feel less vulnerable, which is an important part of the survival horror element as feeling vulnerable makes you feel human and enhances the need to "Survive," hence 'Survival' horror. The game is consistently creepy for most of the part, and there are a few intense set pieces (Most notably running for your life from a pissed off Grizzly bear) but one can't really call the game "Scary" like they could the first. There are a couple good scares, but it lacks much of what made the first game so scary. The psychological elements are also toned down, save for Ethan's demon.

The multiplayer sucks a rusty fire hydrant. It could've been decent if they were presented as cage matches like the fight club mode, but they are often slow, bland, and poorly implemented deatmatches that feel shallow compared to the combat in the single player mode.

The games graphics, while stunning artistically, have some muddy textures and certainly won't "Wow" you beyond the slimy details and excellent and moody lighting.

While most of the levels are fun, there are times that the game forces a gun into your hands and these couple levels are painfully boring. Condemned should be entirely based around melee, the first game had guns and while they were occasionally saving graces, they had practically no ammo and weren't common and were only used if you were low on health and needed a quick way to dispatch the enemies so you could limp on. There's one level that FORCES you to use an assault rifle all throughout and it pissed me off because the gunplay is poor and it ruins the concept and atmosphere.

The Bottom Line
While it may lack the intelligent plot and intense scares of the first game, Condemned 2 is a blast to play and still has its fair share of creepy moments as well as retaining the unique gameplay of the first game and for the most part improving it. As a horror themed combat game, it works great. With great AI, brutally visceral combat, and other elements the game is simply a lot of fun. If you can stomach it, Condemned 2 is a solid sequel and worthy of playing regardless of whether or not you've played the first, although you do need to play the first or else I will come to your house and sic my personal Jason Vorhees on you. So basically that means my wife will slaughter you if you don't. Either way though, C2 is a good sequel and I'm hoping Monolith will finish what they started, just remove the stupid screaming guys.