A brutal game that takes survival horror into the Next Generation.
The game Condemned is at heart a survival horror and delivers frights as well as the amazing ability to unnerve the player even when there is nothing there. Even if you have played every Resident Evil or Silent Hill game, there is something new to be found in Condemned Criminal Origins.
Story—The story is an original one although it is a little far fetched but easy to follow, basically there is a increasing number of murders happening in the city but the murders are getting more and more violent each time. Enter Ethan Thomas a detective for the Serial Crimes Department who goes to investigate the gruesome discovery of a woman’s body in a ‘condemned’ building. When he arrives there is only two polices officers, (if this was in real life there would be dozens) after taking notes from the body the lights go out and Ethan sets off to find the fuse box, later on while searching for the fuse box, Ethan looses his gun to a unknown person, later on in the same level the unknown person shows his face, and shoots the other two police officers dead, naturally as Ethan is the only survivor and it was his gun that delivered the fatal shots the FBI soon come look for him, so begins the game…
Game play—the game plays in a first person perspective and has limited hud display which is health and stamina. The stamina is only used when running, but most of the game is spent walking. Sadly this is a big let down for the game as it slows the pace down and can even become boring when walking down long corridors, sadly the running doesn’t improve this as it is only a fraction faster then walking.
The controls are easy to master and feel right, there is the top triggers for firing and defending, the L1 for the stun gun which can be very useful when the enemy has a gun or strong weapon. There is no jump action in this game but it isn’t needed anyway.
An interesting feature of this game is the use of forensic tools to help solve murders, find a trail and collect proof that you are innocent. There are six different forensic tools to be used which range from a UV light to pick up blood on the floors to a camera to take pictures of any bodies or evidence.
The level designs are all similar to each other in the way that they all dark, damp and abandoned apart from a few drugged up violent gangs who seem more interested in smashing your head in then running and hiding away in a cupboard. The levels range from an underground rail network, an old school for troubled youths and even to a hillbilly farm were strange freaky mutants seem to roam, and all offer a different set of tasks and hidden items like dead birds to be found. The dead birds are what unlock achievement points as well as extra in the main menu. As well as birds there are pieces of metal (three for each level) and hidden Xbox 360 hidden in some levels.
But getting back to the levels, it is almost impossible not to get unnerved by the themes and what could happen. It can be from dead bodies in school lockers, to the basement of an old house, but most of the time it’s just a gang member holding a 2x4 who jumps out from behind a pillar and sadly never offers much more in scares. But people playing for the first time will be on the edge of there seat wondering what could happen next as it never gives any clues to what is going to happen. Good examples of this (spoiler) is when you find the dead body in the school locker, and then have to take a picture of his face, which at this point he jumps out and grabs your arm, but sadly this fear is lost when playing for the second time. The game looses all the qualities that made it great the first time through. Most of the game requires the use of a torch but thankfully, Sega got it right, the torch is always on no matter what weapon you have but best of all it lights the whole screen and not just a tiny little circle like in Quake 4 or DooM3. There are many different weapons to use from pistols to a double barrel shotgun but only have a limited amount of ammo which is about five bullets. Most of the time melee weapons are used which can be from a mannequin arm and lead pipe which are fast but weak, to sledge hammers and fire axe, which are slow but very powerful. Graphics—the graphics are fantastic and give a good indication to what the Xbox 360 will be able to do in future games. The characters are well detailed but up close look a little square and not so detailed, a good example of this is on the train during a cut screen when Ethan sees the shadow people. The light and shadows are perfect which both help to deliver an unsettling mood all the way through the game. The enemies may all attack pretty much the same, but the further through the game you progress, the different appearance they gain, from mad druggy to people dressed in Christmas suits to strange thin creatures rapped in bands. They are all amazingly done and animated well. They attack in a realistic manner and when they are hit, blood covers that area.
Sound—the sound is a great part of this game. The music really helps to put a creepy feel to every level and always provides a great horror theme. The speech isn’t great but it is clear, and always easy to understand. The sound effects are well chosen for each weapon and sound perfect. The environment sound effects are great well put together and sound right, sounds like gas leaking from pipes to splashing out water.
Value— the game may be good, but at £50 it is far too short to justify the price tag. But if you like survival horror games, then this is perfect for you.