Condemned: Criminal Origins

[CaptNKILL]

After finishing Dead Space I decided to grab a random game off my shelf that I hadn't played yet.

So, I installed Condemned.

I just played it a bit and I don't know if I'm missing something or not... but... is this game supposed to be reaaaallly boring? There's nothing going on and nothing to do. I thought I'd be investigating things and bashing in heads, but so far I've mostly just been wandering through run-down rooms with nothing to do. I try every door until one opens and then repeat until I have to bash a guy... then continue wandering and trying to open doors.

Maybe this was just a bad game to play right after finishing one as intense and interesting as Dead Space.

Basically, this game feels like FEAR with lots of trash on the floor and no shootouts (ie, 90% of the game).

Also what's with the achievements? How am I supposed to get sucked into a seedy and dangerous world of crime when the game keeps reminding me that I'm supposed to be completing these achievements that have nothing to do with the game? Yay, I found a dead bird! Yay a piece of metal! Yay a TV!

Sorry, this game just makes no sense to me and I feel like I just wasted an hour and a half of my night off.

[Mr. Hunt]

I am right there with you. I kept hearing how great it was. Played the demo and decided not to play the full game because it just felt like nothing ever happened.

[SilentMercury]

For a game I grabbed in the bargain bin, I think Condemned is a solid game if you are into beating crackheads with various blunt instuments in dark environments.

[CaptNKILL]

Originally Posted by Mr. Hunt

I am right there with you. I kept hearing how great it was. Played the demo and decided not to play the full game because it just felt like nothing ever happened.

I think its supposed to be one of those games that gets to people who are easily creeped out.

I was just running through the levels without a care, smacking a hobo when I had to.

After wiping out a few hundred lightening fast "meat aliens" in Dead Space its hard to be afraid of some guys stumbling around with pipes.

[BioHazZarD]

It gets better more on, i also thought the first chapter was nothing special. Its a slow game really dont expect that much from the first hour.

[CaptNKILL]

I'll probably keep at it.

I am getting a sound bug though.

I used ALchemy to get hardware sound and it sounds amazingly realistic, but there is this ambient background noise that keeps popping and skipping. The music volume doesn't seem to affect it at all.

Anyone else play this game using ALchemy on an X-Fi? What settings did you use?

[NarcissistZero]

It's a great game in my opinion... finished it ages ago. I believe I mostly loved it for the atmosphere and the tense moments.

When you have a pipe and spot a guy across the room with a shotgun and have to run for your life, it's quite intense.

Also, it gets much scarier later.

[crainger]

I liked it. I wish it had more crime scene stuff. I had more fun looking for clues.

I have a raging clue right now.

[NaitoSan]

I played it few months ago and I thought the first few levels was a little slow but it gets more tense later in the game. I'm glad I did because the game is really good and a bit scary. The atmosphere in game is great, it's dark and moody. I did get jumped few times.

I'm too afraid to play Condemned 2.

Seriously, you need to play more than just "a bit" because it's not enough to get know where game's going. Don't think too much, open your mind and see if you enjoy the game or not. It's not hard.

[Ywap]

I also loved it. The atmosphere and story is great!

[CaptNKILL]

Well, I'm farther into the game now and it is a bit more interesting, though the gameplay is overall pretty mediocre.

It seems like it should have had a lot more to it, like the investigating and fighting were both stripped down a lot just to get the game done. Like, how there isn't any thought or user interaction involved in the investigating... you just hit the button, point the tool and then its done. And the combat is waaaay behind a lot of similar games (like Riddick, Zeno Clash or Dark Messiah). Even the guns seem like they're sorely lacking an iron-sights aiming feature, which most other first person action\horror games have (FEAR, Call of Cthulhu, Cryostasis).

Also, for how violent the game is, there is hardly any gore, which makes the combat seem even more disconnected. I bash some guy in the face with a paper cutter blade and there is a grey puff of dust? Come on...

The first few levels were terrible but it does improve a bit and the story actually gets interesting, so I'll definitely finish this. I'm just glad I got it cheap.

[NaitoSan]

It's not a traditional first-person shooter. The focus of the experience is on improvised melee. This game is a survival/psychological horror game. I finished it without using a firearm on hard difficult. Can you do that?

If you enjoy The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en, then you would find this game fun and enjoyable.