The storyline is captivating, although the end leaves a bit to be desired. Some things go unexplained; I'm hoping that means a sequel is in store.
The gameplay is very nice, and the rough melee action leaves you a twisted satisfaction nothing quite like slashing someone with a meat cleaver :).
Some of the complaints people had were 'the enemies look the same' and 'it was too short.' The first of these complaints I would not agree with. Some enemies are recycled late in the game, but it certainly didn't make it any less fun. The length of the game, however, was slightly disappointing. Although, I suppose I would rather have a very fun 10 hour game than a mediocre 15 hour game.
All in all, a VERY underrated game. I strongly recommend this for all gamers.
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Condemned has to be one of the more screwed up games I've played in the last years...Actually, until now, this would be one of the first bizarre games I've played. It's about a serial killer who is playing around with the police by committing a series of brutal murders. These people who were killed were not random people, no, they were other serial killers. You are an FBI Agent (Ethan Thomas) who is sent in to track a serial killer down by unraveling the clues he leaves behind. With the story, you encounter a lot of other beings who are unexplainably deranged and they come at you with either a pipe ripped from the inside of an old wall or a piece of thick wood with rusty nails sticking out of it. You usually only find guns on occassion, but you mainly do whatever you can to survive...You use a pipe, big pieces of wood with either nails or bolts sticking out of them, or anything else from big signs or boards. You beat the living hell out of anything and everything that comes at you to stay alive and keep coming closer to the truth behind this killer. That isn't it though, you discover more about yourself (the character you play in the game) and learn that you've had exams with a doctor and he finds some abnormalities in your brain, but I'll stop at that. You begin to go a little bit insane yourself as you keep seeing this strange monster-looking being in black and white illusions...All the way to the end. This game gets into your skin. People often compare this game to FEAR because it uses the FEAR engine (which I don't think it does, but I could be wrong). Don't compare this game to FEAR because they are not the same. Overall, an interesting game.Best Deals for Condemned: Criminal Origins
The the first thing this game reminded me of was Doom 3. It's dark, creepy and there are bad guys who sneak up on you and all that good happy stuff. But then again, this game is nothing like Doom 3 because I actually enjoyed it. You're an FBI dude and you are investigating a killing when a bunch of crazy stuff starts happening and that's all I'm going to say so as not to give it all away. Now that we got that over and done with, the action in this game is brutal! You're only allowed one weapon at a time and you can't save ammo either. Creepy homeless crackheads will come up to you, reach over into the wall, pull out 2x4s and start trying to bash your head in and you'll have to do the same thing to them if you want to survive. The story behind this game is really pretty cool, but there are some loose ends left open when you finish it. The game also isn't very long, I believe it took me about 14 hours to finish, but it was still very fun and I enjoyed every minute of it. Overall, this is a good game if you want something with a slightly different take on the way the action in a game should be and if you want something dark, creepy and attention grabbing.Honest reviews on Condemned: Criminal Origins
Condemned: Criminal Origins was unlike any FPS/Survival horror game I've ever played. It wasn't a run and gun nor was it a typical limited ammo survival game. It was more like a run from your enemies and make every swing/bullet count type of game. The story starts out pretty straight forward, you're an FBI agent framed for murder by an unknown serial killer. As you progress through the story there are some twists and turns making things a somewhat convoluted but still understandable. The story however isn't what the key part of the game is but rather the combat. It's probably the most brutal and realistic game I've ever played when it comes to melee combat. Not for the player who is turned off by violence and in your face scares. Here's my take;Pros
+ Extremely scary and creepy atmosphere. I play a lot of survival horror and FPS games and I honestly don't think I've jumped/gasped/let out startled yells this much since I played the Silent Hill series. It's also the first game I've played where I've never been so afraid of an enemy with a gun. (If an enemy has a gun, get to them as quick as you can and get it out of their hands. Not only will you live longer but you'll be able to pick up more bullets as they won't be wasting them on trying to kill you.)
+ Excellent ambient music and atmospheric sounds. Once again very Silent Hillesque with everything from whispered voices, screams, banging noises and labored breathing. The gun sounds are also very realistic. Do yourself a favor and play with all lights off and the sound turned up to fully experience what the game has to offer.
+ Brutal melee combat. The combat is unforgiving and violent. You really feel like you're fighting for your own life against your attackers. They're absolutely merciless forcing you to tap into a primal urge just to survive.
+ Insanely clever AI. Opponents will flank, use cover, gang up and outmaneuver you in any way they can. I've honestly never seen a game with enemies so clever it turns you into the poor AI that many games normally have.
+ Superb and realistic physics. The way enemies attack and react to blows is amazing almost to the point of disturbing. I'd flinch EVERY time an enemy hit me with a pipe or some other object as you could almost feel it.
+ Vast array of weapons or items to use as weapons. Everything from pipes, nail studded 2x4's, electrical conduit tubes, sledgehammers, fire axes and the occasional pistol or shotgun.
+ Great graphics especially the environments and character models. The graphics did take a slight dip when it came to facial close ups during cut-scenes however and could have been a bit smoother.
+ Hallucination scenes (very similar to those in F.E.A.R.) were tense and spooky. One in particular still sticks out in my mind which was in Bart's Department store. There was a sequence where you would hallucinate and constantly be surrounded by mannequins. It may not sound like much but it was incredibly creepy.
+ Decent voice acting. Greg Grunberg (aka Matt Parkman the police officer from the TV show Heroes) does the voice acting for Ethan Thomas, the FBI agent you play.
Cons
Character movement was a bit too slow even when you were supposedly sprinting/running. And when you'd hit a section of stairs you stopped sprinting and walked up them normally. It would have helped to be able to move a bit faster but perhaps it was the developer's intention to add to the tension of the game.
No jumping or crouching. These two options seem to be an industry standard in any FPS game and Condemned had neither. It wasn't a game breaking issue but it was frustrating when you're being shot at or are trying to get over an object. It made the game feel a bit too linear for my tastes.
Repetitive level design. Even though you may be in a subway station, office building or department store they all felt the same despite the fact they were totally different environments.
Story became somewhat disjointed and confusing at times.
Tool use to collect evidence felt a bit too forced. More freedom using these tools would have been preferable.
All in all this was a great game a something quite different for a change. In an industry plagued with plodding FPS' this was a welcome and enjoyable surprise. I would highly recommend giving it a try if you're into the genre's of Survival Horror, FPS or CSI style games. I do have to confess that it took me a while to finish this game because I could only play it in small sessions. The stress of the scare factor got to be a bit much at times and as I said I love survival horror games. Just keep in mind it's not for the timid or faint of heart!
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The scary feeling is well done, especially the sound, the footsteps behind you when no one is really there...well done. The gameplay is good, but repetitive. Mostly the same bad guys, different building.
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