Condemned 2

[Belmit]

I can confirm that the manual is very nice indeed.

That is all. Grr. More to follow.

[Joe 90]

should be getting this free shortly along with The Club :D

[Belmit]

My recommendation - Get Condemned. Play it. Get this. Play it.

Just finished going through the single player missions for the first time and it's a much different game to the first apart from the basic 'grab weapon, hit enemy' format. I'm completely in awe of the storyline for this as it didn't feel like there was a sequel lined up after finishing the first one - there so is! I'm fairly sure they're going to finish this off with a third outing to bring things to a conclusion.

In summary, the first game was about trying to catch a serial killer amongst a city that is for some undisclosed reason falling apart, socially speaking. Dead birds litter the streets after suffering apparent brain hemorrhages and the amount of violent crime is on the increase, with people seeming to become aggressive very quickly - could the two be related? Slowly we learn more about who the serial killer is and his motives, but the strange goings on in the city seem to speak of something deeper and more sinister. The protagonist, SCU agent Ethan Thomas, is the one trying to track down the serial killer and at the same time combat some strange hallucinations - possibly connected to why the other people in the city are turning violent.

With the second game, it's 11 months later and (no longer Agent) Thomas has become an alcohol dependent mess. Still suffering from hallucinations, exacerbated by his drinking, he is called in by the SCU to help investigate the disappearance of the man who helped him in the first game. Things that were fleetingly mentioned back then are starting to become more important now, and the appearance of strange sonic emitters around the city suggest that the ever increasing violence may not be an entirely natural occurrence.

It really feels well though out. Hopefully whatever they come up with for the third and maybe final installment will live up to the previous two.

In terms of gameplay, combat has become far more complex. With the first game you could carry one weapon, either a firearm or object, and you hit/fired with one trigger and blocked with the other. You also had a reusable taser that took ten seconds to recharge. With the new game you earn upgrades as you progress through levels, allowing you to holster a firearm and still carry another weapon. You can also fight hand-to-hand, with the left and right triggers being your fists. To block you now have to pull both together. This game is much more arcadey then the first, with combos, chain attacks, and only five charges on the taser. Firearms are much more widely spread compared to how sparse they were in the first game, and essential in later levels. You can also aim with the left trigger, and steady your aim by taking a swig from a bottle of spirits (if you can find one), since Thomas is now an alcoholic.

One feature that has been drastically improved is the forensic evidence part of the game. In the first you had an impressive collection of ridiculous implements to help you solve the clues, which was a nice idea but the game basically steered you completely in the right direction. With the second game you are actually required to think. You've found a body; who is it? How did they die? Were they killed here or killed and then moved? How long ago did they die? You have to actively search for evidence such as the way blood markings leave trails and formations, see if you can find any identifying marks on the body, search for weapons, identification, anything that might help. A lot of things are red herrings, and whilst you're free to submit them as evidence they're unlikely to help and you may lose part of the storyline because of it. After submitting the evidence you are also often required to ask follow-up questions. Some are the right questions, some are complete dead ends, and again you may be deprived of some information that helps you to understand better if you ask the wrong ones. You can still keep playing but there'll be little bits of the story missing. You're also required to keep your eyes and ears open - sometimes you'll have to ask questions or provide responses and occasionally one of them will throw you as you think 'Oh god, what was that character's name?' or 'I need to ask a follow-up question but can't remember what the thing was that the person just referred to'.

A classic example of this was during a part in the museum where I was asked to give a specific exhibit to the person on the radio so they could give me a GPS location. Because I wasn't paying close enough attention I gave them completely the wrong exhibit as a response and had to find the way myself. Was infuriating at the time but really adds to the experience.

I still haven't got the hang of all the combo moves yet and pretty much suck at the combat as a result, but I'll definitely be playing through again for achievements. There's also multiplayer, and a customisable single-player section called Bloodshot which has games like one-on-one combat with continuous thugs, kill three people as quickly as possible, and keep the security guards alive. You can choose the weapons and stuff and set it up how you like. You have to unlock all the different modes by completing the single-player missions though.

I've tried not to spoil any of the story too much as the plot is so good. It feels like they've adapted novels the way they spin the story out, and reminded me a little of Harry Potter insomuch as the first game was a nice little story in its own right, with seemingly innocuous asides, but later on you can see it's a small part of a much bigger and more fascinating tale.

I wish all games were as enthralling!


Edit: Completely forgot to mention you can now throw weapons as well, and instead of drinking the booze you can chuck it at an enemy and set them ablaze with your taser!

[Creature]

My recommendation - Get Condemned. Buy brown trousers. Play it. S**t self. Get this. Play it. S**t self again.Fixed :(

[leowyatt]

Haha couldn't agree more Creature, I remember watching Jen play it at ours and she vowed she'd NEVER play the game on her own, she'd only play it at ours or when someone was there with her as it is that scary ;D

[Davey_Pitch]

I'm looking to get this soon after I 100% Bully, though I still need to complete the first game as I don't want to play the sequel without knowing the whole storyline from the first game. Glad it's as good as I thought it would be, looking forward to playing it now :)

[leowyatt]

I still need to rob that off you at some point Davey if that is ok, never got round to completing it and will need to start again as I don't know how far Jen got in the game.

Talking to Kitten about this in the car to work today and we both remember Jen pausing the game when one of us went into the kitchen or out of the room ;D

[Davey_Pitch]

As soon as I'm done with it it's all yours :)

[leowyatt]

Cheers mate, though I think after the 29th I doubt I'll be playing much apart from 1 game ;D

[Davey_Pitch]

I wonder what game that is? ;D

[Belmit]

2008 World Snooker Championship!

[leowyatt]

2008 World Snooker Championship!

Bingo!! ;D

[Haly]

Haha couldn't agree more Creature, I remember watching Jen play it at ours and she vowed she'd NEVER play the game on her own, she'd only play it at ours or when someone was there with her as it is that scary ;D
I still need to rob that off you at some point Davey if that is ok, never got round to completing it and will need to start again as I don't know how far Jen got in the game.

Talking to Kitten about this in the car to work today and we both remember Jen pausing the game when one of us went into the kitchen or out of the room ;D

Haha. Thanks for that. Remembering that made me laugh and smile properly for the first time today :)
I'll have to complete it one day, got it for my birthday a few months back but haven't played it hugely due to being scared. :p Nowt can beat the fear i've had this weekend I think so I'll try again!

[leowyatt]

I was scared the entire time I was playing it :o kept getting Kitten to read out the bird/metal locations so I didn't have to play through it twice :D

[Creature]

As a side note, how is Jericho in comparisson?

I was scared the entire time I was playing it :o kept getting Kitten to read out the bird/metal locations so I didn't have to play through it twice :DWatch videos of the 100% speed run, fantastic help to avoid bricking it :)

[Belmit]

I think the thing you have to remember about Condemned is that the worst that will happen is that you'll literally **** yourself. On balance I think it's worth it.

"OK, I'll change them after this level for definite..."

[Joe 90]

still waiting on my free games - looking forward to condemned, saw the advert for the first time this weekend and it looks cool :)
never actually got to the end of the first one though so could do with reading up on a quick synopsis of how the story ended.

[Haly]

As a side note, how is Jericho in comparisson?

The parts of Jericho that I've played have been far from scary compared to Condemned. Quite fun game but nothing like scary! I think it's because you have other people alongside you rather than on your own, and you have plenty of guns. At worst, there's the odd moment that will make you jump ever so slightly......but I mean ever so slightly! Before you blast it away.

[Pickers]

hmm I played the demo of condemned and that was bad... is it worth trying to get the full game?

[Creature]

How do you mean bad, scary or rubbish?

[Belmit]

hmm I played the demo of condemned and that was bad... is it worth trying to get the full game?

Yes. You can probably grab it for next to nothing if you don't mind a second-hand copy. I would lend you mine but I handed it over to someone at work just today.

[Pickers]

bad scary..