Condemned: Criminal Origins was one of the best launch titles for a new system I have ever played. It not only showcased the impressive things the 360 could do at the time of release, but it was a great game in its own right with a unique gameplay system, high presentation standard and a really well written story.
Three years later and it gets a sequel in the form of Condemned 2: Bloodshot. Bloodshot has big shoes to fill as Condemned became something of a cult hit, so does it cut it?
18 months after the events of Criminal Origins, Ethan Thomas is a homeless drunk, stripped of his badge and has nothing left to live for. Haunted by the events of the original game and by hallucinations from the alcohol, Ethan's life has gone drastically downhill.
However when uncle of Serial Killer X, Malcolm Vanhorn, contacts Ethan's friend Rosa, she brings him back into the loop as to what has happened in the past 18 months, leading into another investigation as to who is killing off some of the city's most important public figures.
Bloodshot's story starts off incredibly strong and continues to get better until about halfway through the story, its set to top the originals up to the point where it begins to introduce ancient cults and then starts to get a bit sci-fi as well.
What made the original so good was the blend of realistic crime sleuthing with a slight touch of supernatural horror thrown in to catch of off guard every now and again. It did seem a little weird at times, but it was all playing on Ethan's mental state which made you question whether any of it was actually real. In Bloodshot however, its fact that an ancient cult are involved and that Ethan out of nowhere gains the superpower to make peoples heads explode by shouting at them. It just becomes absurd and unbelievable as well as delivering a slightly underwhelming ending to what had been being set up as an excellent sequel.
Criminal Origins had a fantastic, original combat system. Though it wasn't perfect, the hit detection was a little off and there were few variations on weapons. Not to mention the stupid system of needing a specific weapon to open some doors.
Condemned 2 gets rid of all of the bad and introduces only good things. First of all fighting is now handled with both the left & right triggers compared to just the right trigger from the original. Blocking is done by holding both triggers compared to using the left in the original. Weapons are more varied and include level specific unique weapons, also they feel more like they are part of the environment rather than just laying there. Fist fighting has also been included along with weapon degradation to add a more realistic feel to it, seriously, there is nothing more satisfying than belting someone round the face with a heavy metal pipe for it to snap when you do it, makes the game so much more gritty & brutal than it already was.
The forensic investigation has also been improved, in the original game it was more of a device to throw some plot at you but in Bloodshot it has become a lot more interactive and puzzle-like.
You enter a crime scene and may have to search the scene for blood trails, take pictures of clues, give your opinions on how you think based on the evidence supplied that things went down and in some cases the investigations will be the central part of the mission and be the main objective, rather than just getting to the end of the level. Though its never difficult to pass these sequence with flying colours, its certainly more engaging than being told where to go and what to do when you get there.
The one problem I have with Condemned 2's gameplay is that it has a habit of closing you in arenas and not allowing you to pass on until you have killed a specific amount of enemies. When done in context of the story it fits well and really makes the gameplay shine, but when it begins to do it needlessly it feels like some really poor padding mechanic made to draw attention to the refined combat system.
The graphical improvement in Bloodshot compared to Criminal Origins is staggering. For a launch title, Criminal Origins wasn't bad looking and it had some pretty good animation but it was very quickly surpassed in nearly every technical aspect. Bloodshot however provides a very good looking game both in cutscenes and gameplay.
It looks like a high quality animated film, it has lost its realistic look slightly by having a chunky look for everything, but it easily matches F.E.A.R 3, another Monolith title and a pretty one at that.
The audio much like the first is nothing overly special, however the use of audio is critical in giving the game atmosphere. Voice acting has also improved but that came with the cost of replacing most of the cast, this is slightly jarring if you're a fan of the original game but it is something that can be looked over due to it being a significant improvement.
To sum things up, Condemned 2: Bloodshot is in many ways a significant improvement over the original Condemened. Monolith listened to criticism of the first title and delivered a much more polished and refined experience to gamers. However its biggest shortfall, with the story becoming a bit of a joke around halfway through really hinders its overall performance.
Had the story slip up not happened, Condemned 2 could have been well on its way to being a serious contender for Game of the Year awards, however due to this monumental cock-up the overall quality of the product suffered.
It goes to show that even one mistake can really hinder a game, and its a shame because Condemned 2 is a brilliant game in every sense of the word, but it does have its problems and one problem has seriously affected it.
Condemned 2: Bloodshot – 8/10
+Great Story For 1st Half
+Excellent Gameplay Refinements
+Graphical Improvements
-Poor 2nd Half Of Story
-Lacks Challenge Compared To Predecessor
