

You won't have to pull any Law and Order knowledge out (unless you consider Ice-T's character the brains of the operation), but you will be graded on your ability to make observations and simple inferences. Condemned 2 requires you to use your noggin. The crime scene investigations are an involved process in the sequel - you won't simply point a tool at a dead body and learn its mysteries. Another area of success is the improved forensics. Toilet seats, bowling balls, broadswords and more are all in play and all a great deal of fun to wield or hurl at an oncoming lunatic. Still, nothing beats the grotesque satisfaction Condemned 2 provides with its weapons of convenience. If guns are your thing, you can even unlock a first-person shooter mode by completing the game once. By the end, you'll have been tossed into a number of situations where gunplay takes on too much significance for a game that supposedly isn't about shooting. Like the story, the combat loses its way a tad as the game moves along. This is a huge leap up from the first game and continues to be a great alternative to traditional first-person shooters. The combat system is fleshed out with combos, environmental finishers, brutal quick time event special attacks and good old fashioned fisticuffs. Monolith has taken this concept and run with it. It was the unique first-person melee take on the survival horror genre that caused it to make a splash. Or course, the first Condemned didn't become a moderate hit because of the story.
#Condemned 2 bloodshot ps now free#
I'll keep this review as spoiler free as possible, but know that Condemned 2 takes Ethan beyond the city limits into a number of attractive and twisted environments. There are moments you'll never see coming that are very cool and memorable in all the right ways. Even so, the tale does have its high points. Whatever the reason may be, Condemned 2 doesn't have the sense of urgency or power that the first game did. Or it may be because some parts of Condemned 2 appear written into the story simply because the level designers had a good idea. Perhaps this is because Monolith had to at once tie up all of the loose ends (of which there were many) of the first game and create a story that could stand on its own for people who may have missed the first one. While Condemned 2 starts off with a bang, the story is oddly unsatisfying by the end. The story is presented in a more focused manner with cutscenes book ending each chapter and an easy to follow tale that continues to unfold as you play.Ī focused story is not always a better one. You won't have that problem with the sequel. The narrative of Condemned: Criminal Origins imploded towards the end of the game, leaving many confused as to what the ending meant. As a survival horror game, it should come as no surprise that things get crazy fast and the story quickly diverts down a supernatural path. Things start with a search for the missing Van Horn, an old friend of Ethan's. Against Ethan's will, Condemned 2 drags the protagonist back into action. It's a sad state of affairs, but an interesting gameplay mechanic to be sure. Not quite Leaving Las Vegas bad, but the sauce has become such a part of his life that he can't hold a gun steady without first downing a bottle.

The alcoholic stupor he lives in has taken its toll and this game finds him battling demons both real and imaginary. Ethan Thomas, our unlikely hero, has fallen on hard times since leaving his job as an SCU agent.

It's not the perfect sequel, but it'll do for those of us that found the first a refreshing alternative to the standard first-person formula.Ĭondemned 2 picks up several months after the first game ended. Condemned 2 offers up the same formula that made the first game a success and tackles every criticism levelled at the franchise with success in most areas. The sequel to Monolith and SEGA's Xbox 360 launch title returns to the seedy underworld for more first-person melee combat with a hint of horror. If it came down to it, would you be willing to rip your toilet seat off of its hinges to beat down a frenzied meth addict? You'd better be prepared to answer 'yes' to that question if you're going to take a swing at Condemned 2: Bloodshot.
