Globe & Mail games reporter Chad Sapieha reviews Condemned 2: Bloodshot.
"...The game's writers seem to have gotten lost in the gloom they have created. Our hero, an ex-cop recruited back onto the force, is a vicious, mean-spirited, swing-first-and-ask-questions-later drunk. Most of the officers he works with are just as unlikeable. And heaven knows we don't run into many characters worth caring about as we prowl the streets. One can't help but wonder whether these reprehensible people and their hellish world are worth saving.
And that makes the horror and viciousness all the harder to stomach. I believe that violence-even the extreme kind-has its place in modern, mature video games. Used in appropriate context it can have a marked impact on the emotions the player feels as the game unfolds. We need look no further than to a violent but psychologically complex game like Bioshock, in which players are able to choose whether to kill the strange, seemingly possessed little girls attacking them, to understand that brutality can have narrative purpose. But without the interesting protagonists and moral conundrums integral to a good story, it just becomes violence for violence's sake..."
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.
