Condemned : Criminal Origins has become something of a cult classic since its release in 2005 and I for one was greedily awaiting the follow up, Bloodshot, this year. Sadly, it wasn't worth the wait.
What made the original special was the tense, claustrophobic atmosphere which took it's lead from movies like Seven, Silence of the Lambs and Saw. Sure it had it's flaws. The combat system, especially the blocking, was very temperamental and the forensic investigation sections where little more than point and click exercises. Nevertheless, playing this game with the light off was a bone chilling and memorable experience. Who could forget the department store level when the mannequins silently surround you or having to take the close-up picture of the victim in the school locker only for him to return to life. It makes me wonder then why the developers chose such a different tact for the sequel.
Condemned 2 play much more like a traditional FPS and two of the levels in particular where assault rifles can be found every few minutes turn the game in to a poor mans Call of Duty. There are still some levels where hand-to-hand combat prevails but they are now so many options the whole process feels diluted. Ironically the poor combat system in the first game probably added to the experience as every foe you took on was a challenge.
The storyline for the second outing is, to be blunt, an absolute mess. Forget hunting down a serial killer this time. Now we are off to the sci-fi land of secret organisations and plots for world domination. Yawn. Is it just me or has the whole conspiracy theory that goes all the way to the president idea been done to death in recent years? And in the case of Condemned 2 it has been done much, much better. Oh, and why has Rosa from the original gone from being a squat, bespectacled women in her forties to a skinny model come actress?? I liked the original Rosa!
Don't get me wrong. This isn't a terrible game but with expectations being so high it has fallen some way short. I really do hope that the team behind the game see their folly and start Condemned 3 with Ethan Thomas waking up to discover that Condemned 2 was just a dream and he is back working the beat as an SCU agent tracking down another psychopath.