SEGA has been on a bit of a roll recently, with lots of recent releases, some hits and some misses, however Condemned 2 can easily fit into the former. Condemned 2 is the sequel to the Xbox 360 launch title. Rather uniquely the game is played in first person with hand to hand combat and combos fulfilling most of the action. And it works in such a way which doesn’t just involve holding down the ‘attack’ button until the thing in front of you dies. This is also a rather evil game, and is definitely best played in a dark room with 5.1 surround sound.
Ethan Thomas, same guy from the first encounter, is the hero here. And he is a guy with problems, many problems which will become apparent. Initially however these include hallucinations and the booze, so our first encounter with Ethan is in a rundown bar. The character development is nicely done throughout, and not just for Ethan. As you start uncovering more and more different elements and secrets of the story, Condemned 2 is one game you will want to finish just to find out what happens. The original itself never appeared on a PlayStation console. However the back story is reasonably explained, so it does not prove too much of a problem, there are still some blanks though. An ex SCU agent, Ethan is drafted back into this organisation to fight a range of demons and investigate strange happenings in this un-named city.
The combat can take some getting used to, and can prove frustrating for the first level or two, at least until you know how to pull off a range of combos. Swinging with the left and right fists is controlled with the L1 & R1 buttons respectively, while holding down both of them to block. Holding down L3 allows for an alternative punch and R3 for a kick. Different combinations of the above moves allow for increased damage to be dealt, as long as you do not take any in the process.
Weapons are a major aspect of the combat; they come in many shapes and forms, from lead pipes and gumball machines, to toilet seats and battle axes. Blocking with them is much more effective than the bear fists, weapons often do much more damage as well, including when thrown with R2. Guns are included; however for most of the missions they take a side roll, for one thing ammo is very limited. You are restricted to carrying only one clip of ammo, this helps make the atmosphere very intense and those headshots becoming extra important. This is where Ethan’s alcohol problems become ever more apparent. Without a drink inside him, Ethan is unable to shoot straight, with the crosshairs wavering. This amounts to a lot of wasted ammo unless you can find a drink for Ethan. An interesting mechanic, which in some levels can have you desperately searching for alcohol.
One of the best things about Condemned 2, and one of the reasons which will keep you playing right to the end, is the level of variety it offers. Almost every level is completely different from the former. One level I was smacking people up with toilet seats, the next throwing exploding dolls, then living through some hallucinations, before picking up a crossbow and then onto some hardcore assault rifle action. All of which works very well, the new weapons all offered something new, so it never felt the same, yet they were familiar enough so there wasn’t the need to learn how to use them from scratch.
The action is further broken up via the use of investigation sequences, CSI style; these featured in the original Condemned but are much improved here. When entering a crime scene, evidence lying around has to be identified and reported back. For example is a face male or female, is a removed limb an arm or a leg, is a room number 26 a, b or c. The accuracy of these responses are then judged on, and contribute to final score at the end of the level. Additionally, from time to time, information will come through to you from HQ, multiple responses are then available to select from. The better responses given are ones which will get better information back. Some responses can be widely off topic, select these and be prepared for a short and blunt comeback along with a poor investigator rating.
The levels to are varied, yet they almost all have something in common, a lot of crazed people and creatures wanting you dead, along with blood and guts everywhere. This is no softcore game when it comes to the levels of gore, blood is everywhere, and in some areas limbs, guts, heads and torsos litter the environment. Rest assured many of the ‘people’ you’re fighting would like to see you the same way, throw a crazed serial killer into the mix and be ready for some interesting outcomes.
Despite the gore, the levels are nicely different from each other. Most however are dark, in fact very dark. In some areas almost nothing is visible without turning on your little light with the O button. Despite this, levels vary from apartment blocks, to SCU headquarters, museums etc; basically they don’t exist of the same office or warehouse environments which many games use for half of their environments. The flip side is that some good levels can be over far too quickly, before moving on to the next; however this seems a small price to pay to get the level of variety offered.
The levels look nice, in some cases very nice. Condemned 2 is not just putting out some standard ‘next gen’ graphics, these are a step above the average. Textures look defined, the creepy mood is very well represented with the right amount of light offered and the creature animations are also very well represented. The exact state and scale of some of the gore scenes have to be seen to be believed, the Saw movies could learn a thing or two from them.
The sound in Condemned 2 is again something else. With a proper sound system installed, this game will offer quite an experience. Random sounds can come from any direction, some may mean something, and others may not. However with the volume turned up you can be expected to jump more than once or twice.
Condemned 2 does feature a couple of online multiplayer modes, however, much like Dark Sector’s, these feel tacked on. An extra which was included because they thought the game should have it, rather than being a fundamental objective from the outset. There is a deathmatch mode which generally just results in a large brawl. The better mode is called Crime Scene; one team represents the SCU and has to find a box with a head in it. It is the job of the other team to prevent them from doing so, to help with this they have a variety of different methods at their disposal.
There are some nice little extras after completing the main game as well; there is the fight club, which features little missions which could prove addictive to those who are a fan of online leader-boards. A FPS mode is also available to unlock for those who prefer the gun swinging action rather than hand to hand combat. Concept art can also be unlocked with progression; however this is often of little value, as it can take a lot of effort just to unlock one drawing.
Condemned 2 is a great game, an increasingly gory and creepy story driven experience, with the right levels of gameplay variety keeping gamers fixed to the end. A decent length campaign is offered, especially as progressing slowly is the best way to tackle such a game. Once this is over though, the extras can be discarded, same to with the multiplayer. However the single player game is one you will want to experience again, getting stuck in with a toilet seat and being absorbed into the games soundtrack is a memorable experience.
Where exactly did Sega's survival horror franchise disappear off to?
They were amazing games.
Still play them from time to time, that bear scene..
Part one was absolutely amazing. Didn't care for part 2 though. But I would love to see a part 3.
It's a shame how many awesome game IPs from a lot of developers will forever lay dormant because of low sales, rising costs of production and no brand recognition. It will only get worse as the new gens come.
First game was a scary good romp. I was shooting mannequins cause I was on the edge!
Players have been crying out for certain sequels for years, but for some reason, they haven't been made.
L.A. Noire for me since that original was a phenomenal game except for that terrible ending. Maybe a sequel will rectify that nonsense!
LA Noire was a game I was SO excited for and then completely let down. That being said, I would like to see another stab at it, as I think it had great potential. And I loved the music/setting/time period.
Mmaaaannnnn I loved that game, would love a sequel. Also one for lost odyssey, LA Noire, and Jade Empire.
Are you aware of "Shadow of the Eternals"? Supposed to be a spiritual successor or something.
It didn't pass Kickstarter, but Denis Dyack says he is still working on it.
All games that I’ve owned and played at some point in time and never finished. Out of them, I’d most likely go with LA Noire for a sequel
lost odyssey was a great game for its time.. I wouldnt mind seeing it revived.. Jade empire too
Carlos writes: "In the years since the release of Condemned 2: Bloodshot we’ve seen the horror genre evolve in a wide variety of ways. Zombies have returned to prominence as a key enemy within the genre, Resident Evil has both lost and then regained its classic horror feel, and a select few horror movies have become so fearsome that they are now arriving with warnings for those with heart conditions. All in all, horror is now in a very different state to what it was back in 2008. Nevertheless, very few games have been able to capture the unique style of horror seen within the Condemned series, with maybe only Outlast coming closest."
I loved both Condemned games, great atmosphere and clumsy but brutally entertaining combat. Criminal Origins was a nice surprise for the 360 at launch.
The maniquinns scared the shit out of me in the store. The fight at the applefarm was epic. Great atmosphere! !
The original Condemned is the only media[movie or video games] to legitimately "scare me". I used to play that game in a dark room with surround sound and it was genuinely terrifying. Good memories.
Me and my friend passed the controller around on the first one a lot back in the day. Really good game, freaky atmosphere, they did a great job at building up the suspense with sound effects and everything else. I really liked how combat was really visceral and in your face instead of a shooter. The investigative aspects were also really cool. Sadly I think I only ever played the demo for the second one, so I never really got to see how that one was.
They really need to make another one of these. F.E.A.R. was another good one too.
The original F.E.A.R. was awesome! Sadly, all the sequels just felt like they were somehow finding ways to continuously jump the shark. They just didn't do it for me like the original.
The condemned series was incredibly well-realized. The melee combat was ridiculously satisfying, the visuals were top notch, and the atmosphere was incredibly thick and unique. The world-building was absolutely sublime. Love these games. And the entire cabin sequence in Condemned 2 will go down as one of the creepiest encounters since Silent Hill 2.
These games are really hard on the hardest settings. Definitely not tooo hard- once you get the hang of it, but a challenge.
The original wasn't too hard once you got your hands on the rebar with the chunk of concrete on the end lol. Best weapon in the game.
I remember being so hyped for the sequel and so underwhelmed at the final product particularly due to its focus on combat and less about scaring the player and creating an uneasy atmosphere found in the original.
I really enjoyed your review. Given my stance on the game, I would have rated it the same. However I disagree with the audio, the frequent pops in the sound we're agitating, so much so I found it affecting my game play and the ambiance of the atmosphere.
Clowns and dirty toilet seats is just down right disturbing!WHAT THE F***!