Sega’s 2008 release of Condemned 2: Bloodshot – or as what I like to call it, Bum Fight Simulator 2 – is a sequel to one of the better Xbox 360 launch titles of 2005. Bringing forth thrills and chills, Monolith created an entertaining title in Condemned: Criminal Origins that turned out to be a sleeper hit. With a creepy conclusion to the original’s storyline, it’s time to dwell deep into one of the better murder-mystery investigation titles on the consoles.
Offering a very similar formula that made up the original, Condemned 2 stays true to the implementation of only a few guns as weapons (at least for the first half of the game), rather relying on miscellaneous items found throughout the level such as a lead pipe, toilet seat and a broadsword. Yeah, that’s right, a broadsword: the kind that King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table would bring into battle. That’s not to say everything has remained the same, because who would want to play a game without improvements? Monolith did listen to the criticisms of the first and tried to work in more crime scene investigations with comparing blood samples, checking for fingerprints or foot marks, and several other aspects where you must unravel the secrets that Condemned 2 hides.
Starting off right after the first one ended, Ethan Thomas returns with even more skeletons in the closet and demons that haunt him. Furthering himself as an alcoholic, Ethan is no white knight savior, but rather a man who can’t seem to put his life together. Due to a lot of confusion of how Condemned: Criminal Origins ended, Monolith has committed a lot more time in making the storyline focused and understandable. No longer will you be asking, “What in the world just happened?” as you’ll be asking yourself, “No way, did that just happen?” due to the anteing up of violence in the sequel.
Opting to throw in several supernatural tidbits, Condemned 2 has a lot more science fiction aspects as opposed to the original. By halfway through the story, you’ll notice how whacky the game has become in determining to push forward and try to surprise the gamer with shocking revelations of Ethan’s troubled past. This isn’t to say that the storyline is bad since it does have its moments, but the main concern is that it often strays off the path with awkward twists and turns that even Tim Burton at his finest would ask “What?”So to strive to make sure we don’t spoil the fun, all we can say is that storyline will run the fine line of ‘love/hate’ since it’s extraordinarily unusual.
For the gameplay portion of Condemned 2, fans of the original should feel right at home. The combat system has been fleshed out with new combos, finishers, special attacks and improved hand-to-hand combat. If you really want to show off to your friends, I advise inviting them over for a quick session to demonstrate how brutal Condemned 2 can really be. They’ll be amazed on how excruciating the maneuvers look when performed by Ethan. With a quality surround sound system, you’ll even be able to let them hear every bone in the enemy’s body break.
Unfortunately, by the end of the game, Condemned 2 takes a route in which many had hoped Monolith would never ventured to: the overuse of guns. When the second half gets underway, Ethan begins to run across enemies that carry machine guns and heavy armor, so guns are often found at the ready throughout the levels. Some may say this is a good thing, but as a true Condemned fan, you’ll see that the first-person melee mechanics are more entertaining than the shallow first-person shooter mechanics. If you want a quality shooter, Condemned 2 surely isn’t it since the aiming isn’t precise and the guns aren’t as liberating as they could be. The core of the Condemned series is the possibilities of picking up weapons lying around on the ground and using them to have your enemies meet their end. My advice: avoid the guns and pick up a bowling ball for a more entertaining experience.
