The Xbox 360 launch lineup wasn’t very impressive. It, in fact, had a handful of letdowns (I am looking at you Perfect Dark Zero!). One of the standout titles, and really a surprise hit, was a game coming from Monolith, published from Sega called Condemned. This is one of the few games that I will never forget. I can remember every game setting, from the abandoned department store littered with mannequins to a skipping Christmas music record playing over the intercom. A video game had never made me afraid to peek around the corner in fear of a something attacking me – until now.
Condemned 2: Blood Shot picks up a few months after the first game’s ending. The main character, Ethan Thomas, is now having hallucinations, is an alcoholic, and is too busy drinking to shower or shave. With all of this going on in his life, he now has to help out SCU with a case to which he seems to have a connection. Sure, the story is pretty far out there, and goes a bit too far at some points. But the story is really just the track for the roller coaster ride. The action and tension are what Condemned is all about.
Condemned 2: Blood Shot is a lot like its previous iteration, but everything that was broken has been fixed, and everything that worked has been improved. The atmosphere is much more of the same regards the theatrics. They create the mood of a horrible nightmare that might even creep out Freddy Kruger. Five minutes in, you know this is Condemned. You have to prepare yourself to be scared out of your seat.
In the first level, which acts like a tutorial, the player learns how to utilize the new punching and combo systems. The combo system allows for multipliers and “QuickTime events,” a la God of War, where you dish out some brutal beatings on your enemies. All of the hand-to-hand and melee combat is extremely satisfying, sometimes to the point where you might question whether you are still a good person after messing up the freaks in the game.
The variation in weapons from lead pipes to 2 by 4s to sledgehammers, and the occasional gun, were among the most enjoyable aspects of the first Condemned. Again, this has been vastly improved with a much larger list of melee weapons that include toilet seats, cleavers, prosthetic body parts, and the list goes on.
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ul1dgPyNeCc[/youtube]
Firearms play a much bigger role this time around, even to the point where assault rifles are used for the majority of one of the levels, since you have a tactical unit in pursuit. I found this to be the least enjoyable part of the game, simply because the hand-to-hand combat is so good that you will miss it. But without the use of the assault riffle in that level, you won’t survive for long. After you beat the game, “FPS Mode” will be unlocked so that you can play through the game with unlimited ammo for the gun you are carrying.
I went halfway through the game playing FPS Mode and thoroughly enjoyed it, partly because you feel more like a badass, picking off the enemies, though much of the tension evaporates.
Multiplayer is worthless. I played a few games on Xbox Live and it ended up being two to eight Ethan Thomas’ beating the crap out of each other with no real skill or tactics. Don’t worry, you will get at least 15 hours out of the game if you play through a second time in FPS Mode.
If you liked the first Condemned, then this purchase is an easy one to make. You are guaranteed to be nervous, and possibly feel uncomfortable the whole time through. I strongly suggest you play only in bits, otherwise you will feel like crap from all the uneasiness that can come from playing the game.
Score: B+
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