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Condemned 2 Review
Chris Leyton
10/04/2008
Ethan Thomas has had a very bad eleven months, but it's all seems to have been worthwhile...
Despite its many issues, Monolith's Xbox 360 shooter was, with hindsight, one of the more convincing next-gen titles to be found in the format's launch line-up. A gritty, macabre, and atmospheric offering, Ethan Thomas' hunt for the mysterious Serial Killer X provided plenty of moments for those with nerves of steel and a penchant for brutal, bloody, (virtual) combat.
Making a return (and switching the PC for PS3 in the process) it seems Ethan Thomas has hit hard times since the last time we saw him. Barely recognisable from his appearance as a clean cut SCU agent in the original, Condemned 2 picks up the many scattered pieces of Ethan's alcoholic, homeless life and takes plenty of strange and unexpected twists in a storyline that provides some answers to the slightly more surreal tones of the original's closing sections. These answers however may point to a conclusion (naturally after the third title) a little too far-fetched and fanciful for those that were hoping for something slightly more down to earth and along the serial killer lines hinted at during the early stages of the original.
Fortunately, the improvements and extra features that the sequel brings tackle many of the original's issues, and then goes that little bit further. Key to the improvements is the vast expansion to Ethan's combat repertoire. TVG had the opportunity to talk to Monolith during the early development of F.E.A.R, where their goal to add 'more' to first person shooters was made abundantly clear. Such notions were immediately recognisable in the melee combat of Condemned and only more so with the sequel. Probably due to his homelessness and addiction to the sauce, Ethan gets down and dirty in the sequel, fighting barehanded against the hysteria that has brought violence to the streets. Although we can't condone the benefits of such a career change, it has provided Monolith the scope to refine the combat system with a considerable overhaul.
Whereas the original offered little more than clumsily bashing thugs with a lump of 2x4 (or any other nasty object that comes to hand) using an ungainly whack of the shoulder triggers, Condemned 2 expands combat considerably with a heady offering of specific techniques and special moves. From sprint charges to parries, Ethan can hold his own against the most psychotic thugs that stand in his way. Chaining attacks together, such as the good old 'left-right-left', fills up a gauge that activates a mini sequence of rapid button attacks, characterised by the excruciating look of pain and fear on the adversaries' faces. Be warned Condemned 2 is never afraid to cause a shock or two through its extreme and intensely graphic level of violence, there's a good reason it's an 18 BBFC!
Melee combat has rarely worked convincingly in first person shooters, but there's little doubt that the visceral and brutal nature along with the refinement offered by the expanded moves-list puts Condemned 2 well ahead of the pack. Much like the original, guns are kept to a minimum with the scarcity of ammo ensuring a certain level of tension and vulnerability throughout. Despite the restrictions, gunplay reaches a similar level of quality as the melee combat, packing a punch with every bullet and alleviating the nerve-racking tension for a brief few moments - just be sure to make every shot count.
The success of the combat system is in no small way down to Monolith's skill in creating opponents with strong and convincing AI, made even more impressive by the tense nature and survival/horror tendencies. Screaming manically and lunging towards you from out of the darkness, grabbing hold of whatever makeshift weapon is nearby, the various thugs and otherworldy creatures put up a good fight and employ entertaining tactics such as running away from a fight, only to hide around the next corner waiting in ambush. Condemned 2 is a game that knows how to make the most intrepid gamer whimper in fear, whether it's seeing something flash by in the corner or objects being knocked from a nearby shelf, followed by the terrifying psychotic screams - if you don't get the chills when playing this game then there's something disturbingly wrong.
Taking the combat to extremely sick and twisted proportions, Condemned 2 introduces a series of environmental kill options. Pummelling an opponent into submission opens up the ability to drag them to their gruesome demise, handily indicated in the game with an illuminating skull icon. Cue plenty of heads smashing through TV screens and squished between heavy-duty mangles - as we said, Condemned 2 isn't one for the faint hearted or those who consider gamers to be the spawn of Satan.
The enthralling sense of immersion provides a genuine sense that you're actually in the game (a pretty scary concept), dropping you quite literally into Ethan's shoes. Continuing the Monolith theme of being able to see the protagonist's body and limbs, Condemned 2 takes this to a new level with plenty of stunning sequences that you can really throw yourself into and heighten the cinematic qualities of the game. Whether it's padding down his burning clothes, checking how many bullets are left in a clip, or making a desperate lunge across an elevator shaft to grab hold of a ladder, the animated sequences help to suck you into Ethan's dark and depraved world. Further still interactions and dialogue between characters takes the form of timed button responses, the success or failure revealing possible clues and affecting the overall mission rating.
It's not only combat that has enjoyed a vast overhaul, with the forensic aspects of Condemned 2 improved beyond recognition compared to the original's shallow offerings. Armed with the four essential tools of any forensic expert, Ethan's challenge often involves detecting traces of blood with the UV light, taking photos of crime scenes, discovering the game's cryptic sonic emitters (linked to the birds and the rampant psychosis across town) with the Spectrometer and a handy GPS that serves as the game's map.
Investigating a crime scene often requires choosing between several responses based upon evidence from the scene, such as whether a bullet wound is an entry or exit wound, deciphering a hotel room number with part of the door number missing, even going so far as conducting X-Files-esque autopsies. With multiple questions and a grade on each response there's a satisfying sense of non-linearity and a puzzling challenge to the forensic sections of the game, which helps to balance the brutal and wanton carnage on offer.
Each stage grades your forensic performance, in turn unlocking a range of useful extras such as a holster for storing an additional weapon, rubber soles to make sneak kills easier, and dropping waypoints onto the GPS. This sense of development lends a satisfying sense of rewards, offering the glimmer of hope that you might actually bludgeon your way to the end.
Regretfully when it looked as though Condemned 2 was staking its early claim as one of the surprise shooters (loosely speaking) of the year, one thing lets the package down and there seems to be little n - yes, the online multiplayer offerings. Little more than multiplayer for the sake of it, the four multiplayer modes on offer fail to capture the stylish combat of the single player, leaving a mess of players running around aimlessly, unskilfully bashing away in an experience not too dissimilar to Whack-A-Mole. There's absolutely no need for this, it only weakens the solid impression left by the single player mode, which comes in at a respectable length as it is compared to the likes of Bioshock and Call of Duty 4. Further longevity also comes from the Bloodshot Fight Club, providing a series of killing on a time limit challenges and leaderboards; nothing much, but more noteworthy than the poor attempt at multiplayer.
julez316
Date Added:Fri 18th Apr 2008 13:54
Anonymous
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Glyndwr
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