Condemned: Criminal Origins

The suspense in this game is just marvellous. There is this one chapter in the game which is just amazingly scary. I suggest you make sure you don’t have a pacemaker, play at night, turn up the volume, kill all the lights and enter the chapter named ‘Bart’s department store’. When playing this level you will get scared, you will shit your pants and you will have to pause it occasionally just to catch your breath. Worst scene in the store is a corridor where you just know and feel what is going to happen and it still scares you stiff, and you’ll surely feel your heart in your throat after you’re done with that one. Words can not describe how amazingly well Monolith, the company behind this game have created such a great atmosphere.

This game isn’t all about killing enemies though; you’re an investigator and have to solve a crime, which will also clear your name. Ethan has the ability to use investigation tools. With these tools you can analyse fingerprints at the scene of a crime, he can also follow footprints or blood tracks which can lead him to further clues. These tools have to be learnt properly as on some occasions you will need them to help you advance through certain areas. You’ve also got a tool that has an ability to smell decaying flesh; this can be used to either find dead bodies or decaying birds. Luckily these tools are always with you and you can’t exactly loose them and you can’t bring them out manually, it’s all automatic so it’s more of a mini-game when they do come into use. You’ve got some outside help from a fellow colleague named Rosa. She believes you’re innocent and helps your put together all the pieces of this puzzle, and provides you with valuable information about yourself.

Decaying birds and metal pieces are scattered throughout the game. Both these items, if collected can unlock extra content available on the Bonus section from the main menu. They also unlock extra yummy achievement points. Sometimes they’re hidden behind various objects though, but in the case of birds you can hear audio clues as to their whereabouts e.g. the buzzing of flies around a bird corpse. Lastly, there are a few Xbox 360’s which can be picked up on various levels which unlock bonus points too.

Controls

Controls can be set for regular and southpaw.

Left Trigger = Block incoming attacks
Right Trigger = Attack with your melee/firearm in hand or use your investigative tools

A button - Standard action button, grab weapons, open doors etc
B button - Flashlight on/off toggle
Y button - Check your firearm and current ammo
X button - Toggle between melee and forensic investigation modes

D-Pad - Various finishing moves

Left Shoulder -  Fire your taser
Right Shoulder - Toggle between firearm and melee mode

That flashlight is invaluable for the certain levels when it’s just too dark to see a thing. Unfortunately it also even heightens the already tense atmosphere because it ends up casting shadows onto nearby objects, and you panic if you see something move. You just can’t win!

Visuals / Audio

This game is violent, bloody and very gruesome, make no mistake. The superb engine recreates hauntingly dark, dank, spooky environments incredibly well and the immersion factor is extremely high. The engine makes superb use of the 360’s 4x Anti Aliasing capabilities and everything in game looks extremely polished as a result. You’re in for a visual and audio treat here, especially if you have a 5.1 Surround sound system. I got drawn into this game so badly that towards the latter levels, I ended up hearing things - it was that bad. Looking at the reviews and comments on the Xbox.com Condemned forums, I wasn’t the only person going through this experience. Many gamers were shocked at how scary this game was and the way it builds up suspense within the storyline. You NEED to play this game in the dark, with a 5.1 sound system for that full effect because it really is an audio treat.

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