Fun game with well-done combat system stumbles with a very short game and absurd plot twist.

User Rating: 6.5 | Condemned: Criminal Origins X360
For an XBOX 360 release title, Condemned is a good looking, enjoyable game with a simple but well-done fighting system. The atmosphere is dark, engrossing and chilling. The graphics are decent as is the audio.

Sadly, the mature story line is far too short and falls apart at the end with an insane and absurd twist. The 'interactive investigation' is nothing more than point and shoot with investigative tools and the process is neither difficult nor interesting. Most importantly, the game is far too short. I played through the entire thing in ten hours, only restarting from checkpoints a handful of times. Even the final fight was incredibly simple. In fact, it was so easy that I didn't realize I had beat the game, until I realized how long the cut-scene after the final fight was.

I look forward to the sequel and hope that it is has a more complete story-line and more challenge to it, but in light of the simple and easy game play and limited play-time, I wouldn't spend more than $20 to buy this again.