Gabriel Stanford-ReisingerI have to commend Monolith for actually trying to break the mold and trying something a little different. I am a fan of a lot of Monolith’s past work (i.e. Shogo, Aliens vs. Predator, No One Lives Forever1 & 2, Tron 2.0, and the recent hit F.E.A.R). I have to say that Condemned: Criminal Origins was a title that caught me off guard and surprised the hell out of me. Very little press was given to this game prior to the launch of the Xbox360. I read a detailed preview about this title in a major publication and it intrigued me enough to grab this as one of my launch games. And I sure am glad I did. This game had me hooked form start to finish. If this game had just been a tad bit longer (I completed it in about 10 hours), and had some minor game play tweaks, this would be one of my contenders for my top 10 games of 2005. Why, because this game is scary and creepy as hell. I not talking “B-Movie” schlock scary with predictable seat jumps. And I’m not talking about Resident Evil scary because the horrendous camera didn’t allow you to see around the corner (not RE4 though). I’m talking I don’t want to play that game at night by myself because it’s creepy!
When I first heard about this game I thought it was going to be a feeble action game with CSI elements to try to appeal to a broader crowd (i.e. try to grab some older gamers). When I researched the title and read about the horror and the investigative elements I decided that I would have to try this game out. And I have to say the game didn’t totally let me down. The investigative elements of the game are absolutely brilliant and seamlessly blend into the game play. I like the fact that Condemned doesn’t weigh you down with the investigative parts, it’s done very well and really helps as a story telling device. During the game, you learn the main character has knack (actually an ability) to perceive when something is odd. And then you will automatically select the appropriate device. The XBox360 graphics really immerse you into this aspect of the game. When you use the UV light to find blood stains or trauma wounds it’s just cool as hell. Taking pictures and samples to upload to your lab partner is easy and provide more of the mystery elements to the story. After Chapter one, I was hooked into the story. A very well done story, up until the end and….well I won’t spoil it.
The combat is what will make or break the game for most people. You will either like it or you will hate. Let me state upfront that this is not a first person shooter or action game. It’s more like a creepy horror story being told from the first person perspective to make the experience more immersive (and the game more than exceeds at that). You basically use whatever bludgeon you can find in the game environment and that is your weapon. A steam pipe will have different attributes than say a fire ax, or crowbar. You can also find firearms, but the ammo is in short supply. You may pick up a pistol or shotgun only to find that you have 2 or 3 rounds (finding a fully loaded weapon is rare). And when you run out of ammo, you’re out. You can use the shotgun as a club when empty but if you break the stock against the head of an enemy, you’re in a world of trouble. You attack with the right trigger and you can block/parry an enemy swing with a well timed press of the left trigger. The combat is visceral, gory and in your face. Once you get used to it, it is not that bad, but may seem a lot of work for some. It seems to fall apart when you get jumped by 2 or 3 enemies, but you also have an electric taser to stun them with (which takes a small amount of time to recharge), and you can push in the right stick to execute a kick. You can use it to kill weaker enemies, and to keep strong foes at bay or knock them off balance. Once I got used to the combat I could live with it. Also when you stun a foe you can walk up to them and select different ways to dispatch them. And you deal with them in a very violent fashion. Snapping necks or ramming their face into the concrete are my two personal favorites. You just have to check it out yourself, it’s raw and primal…and for some reason I love it!
The two things that make this game truly frightening are the art direction and the sound. This game is just creepy as hell, you will encounter enemies and just say to yourself, what the hell? Some things are just going to freak you out. The XBox360 really allowed the artist and programmers to deliver a really dirty grimy dark world populated by very frightening characters. If you remember the killer’s apartment in the movie Seven, just imagine a whole city like that. Not many games actually end up looking like their concept art. The whole game just feels dark and foreboding. When you get to the abandoned shopping mall, the look will just make the hair on the back of your neck rise. Also this game uses sound better than most of the games I’ve ever played. It’s a MUST that you play this game on a Dolby Digital 5.1 setup. I think sound is a major 50% of the immersive experience of this game. Just the ambient sounds in the background and environments will put you on edge. You’ll kick a bucket or a can and literally jump out of your seat. There was one situation where I kicked a bottle and heard it roll. About four seconds later I heard it roll again behind me and I turned around just to catch a pipe to the face. My wife laughed hard when she heard me scream from downstairs. But it’s not just moments like that it that make the game. The story is dark and you sense that there is something evil and sinister going on. I don’t want to give too much of the story away, but you find out that you are being manipulated.
If the game had been just a tad bit longer in regards to flushing out more of the story elements. But I’d rather have a nice story that moves along in 10 hours than a game that has slow pacing and purposely drags out the story and redundant game play just to make the game 25 hours. Also there were some things that could have been improved in the way of combat, but I can see what the developers were trying to do, the execution could have used just a little tweaking. But overall I enjoyed the hell out of this game (when I wasn’t cowering on the couch in fear that is). Monolith did an outstanding job with this game, and I hope it does well enough to warrant a sequel. The ending left some things unresolved. I really like the way they handled incorporating the forensic tools and investigative elements into the game play and how this also drove the story. The UV light effect is cool as hell! Even though there were some things that could have been worked out, I like the fact that they did some new innovative stuff. I enjoyed this game as much as I was scared by it.
While the game was a little short, it was a good time (which isn’t a bad thing), the entire time I played. It looked and sounded spectacular and the story was very engrossing. I felt the pacing was just right and it kept my interest. This game is not a first person shooter but more of a horror story told from the first person perspective to immerse the player. And this horror game actually succeeded in scaring the heck out of me on several occasions. In the end I wanted more and hope we get to see a sequel or more in the series. Monolith did a lot of things right with this game and I commend them on their first effort for the Xbox360 console. Now if we could only get F.E.A.R. on the console…but I digress.
Author: Apharmd Battler
