A small consolation, to be sure, but it literally brought a glimmer of hope to the nightmare that is Condemned: Criminal Origins.
As Ethan Thomas, you have a talent for investigation and a knack for surviving the most unpleasant experiences. And, as luck would have it, your employment in the FBI Serial Crimes Unit provides plenty of opportunity to polish such instinctive skills. However, your latest case is something else - it breaks the boundaries of decency while simultaneously allowing you to appreciate just how intelligent the killer is. This is especially so when the hunter becomes the hunted; every shadow in the city becomes infused with pure hatred and evil in a night that Ethan will never forget.Condemned has the player perpetually poking into nooks and crannies, positively fearing what will jump out of the shadows - it is the most intense and frightening release that Gamestyle has played to date (and well worthy of its 18 BBFC rating in the United Kingdom). There is a real sense of dread, and Monolith have orchestrated some fantastic mind games - in fact, you'll never look at a mannequin in the same way again - as you try to reach the end of each chapter.
Doom 3 pitted players against Hell itself, but Condemned's evil is far more intrinsic and therefore unsettling. It retains the close-combat brutality of Silent Hill, but uses a first-person viewpoint exclusively: attacker and defender stand toe-to-toe and simply trade blows until a victor has emerged. Apart from a one-button attack move, Ethan is only able to block attacks and this defensive manoeuvre must be precision-timed - the key is to attack first (relying heavily on your taser to stun foes) before battering them into a pulp (often finishing with a close-up view to satisfy your bloodlust). While guns can be found, they are in short supply (and come pre-loaded with ammunition); unfortunately their discovery will often 'trigger' (sorry) an opponent who possesses a firearm himself.
In this day and age, the dearth of an arsenal is unforgivable, but Monolith have shied away from the popular route and brought us a variety of unique weapons instead. These include metal pipes, spades, signs and many more besides (each with their own characteristics). However, the developer has short-changed its own good deeds by placing certain restrictions on the player; a particular type of weapon can only open certain doors, locks and cabinets. This leads to backtracking or rummaging through adjoining rooms in search of the unique item: all of these great strides forward for realism and visuals come tumbling down when an axe (instead of a sledgehammer, for example) is required to open a door. Much has been made of your investigative abilities through the inclusion of forensic tools. This feature is a red herring, though, because you can only use such items when prompted (and they only become available in specific areas). Given the linearity of the trail you must follow, Gamestyle had hoped for more room to experiment and to ultimately piece together the clues. Instead we were lead by the hand - thanks to the wonders of modern technology and your friendly 24/7 forensic assistant, Rosa.
It is disappointing that Condemned: Criminal Origins only offers the main story and no other modes to improve its longevity. The game is spread across ten chapters and these are of varying length, but Peter Jackson's King Kong has proven that most of us opt for quality over quantity when given the choice. While Condemned comes up short in terms of playtime, it never fails to satisfy (or terrify) and represents tremendous value for money. Monolith has attempted to build in some form of replay value (as most Xbox 360 titles do through the use of achievements) by hiding dead birds and pieces of metal across each chapter. Although only a masochist would try and find each and every one: Condemned is so dark that quite often you have to stand on something to realise it's even there.Visually, Condemned is impressive for a launch title, and the levels are of reasonable size and fully checklisted with detail.
The key components in the next generation experience are the lighting effects (which are superb), the fluid animation and unbelievable physics. The smoke and water effects that appear later on (especially in the department store) are, quite frankly, sublime. In a game such as this, sound is everything. Playing your favourite tracks whilst experiencing Condemned will not only spoil the atmosphere, but also limit your ability to track opponents.
Monolith resort to every trick in the book to scare and confuse players (along with cut sequences and voice direction that are professionally placed to enhance the experience). It's just a shame the developer couldn't expand upon the promise of forensic options and truly deliver something novel and terrifying. However, as its stands, Condemned: Criminal Origins overtook all our fears and certainly points the way forward for survival horror.
