Condemned: Criminal Origins (2005)

Rating: 9/10

Mini-review:

What I like about this is that it starts of gritty and kind of scary because you're fighting insane people in dark areas, so you always have to be careful, but then it slowly descends into the psychological horror and imagery that F.E.A.R. had, though not as far obviously. Story was always interesting. Gameplay is brutal. Atmosphere's on point. Voice acting is a little wonky but it's forgivable. Doesn't overstay its welcome. Save system is frustrating dog shit though.

Full review:

My reference point for Monolith games will always be F.E.A.R because while Killzone is my favourite multiplayer FPS series, F.E.A.R. has probably my favourite FPS campaign (I know there is online but outside of a revival server, I've never played any F.E.A.R. online). I don't think Condemned is as good as F.E.A.R. but you can see the similarities. It's wild they released these two games the same year.

There's a reason I bring this up. Throughout the first few chapters I was tense while soaking up the gritty atmosphere. It was a lot of fun bashing these insane people as I slowly crept through dilapidated buildings and shit. It really has some of the best atmosphere in the genre, at least from what I've played. But I hadn't felt the dread that I felt during F.E.A.R. However, it does come close sometimes. There was one part where the game goes all screwy and then there are a lot of mannequins all looking at you, and I actually thought, "Ah, that's F.E.A.R." That's about the highest praise I can give the game.

Just to touch a bit on everything else. While I prefer shooting people, walking around, picking up weapons, deciding whether you want to go with the shotgun with 3 ammo or a melee, that was all good shit because the combat felt brutal. Not overly complicated but satisfying. Even today it feels good. And you can't just smash your button, you have to actually block and be careful, or these psychos will rip you up.

The story's interesting. It reveals it slowly, and it goes from gritty but grounded into more supernatural, and while I can understand how that might turn off others, I like it. And it's not like they don't foreshadow it all with some of the weird stuff that goes on before it fully commits. And above all else, the plot's always got something neat going on. The dialogue isn't always delivered the best. Ethan, the main character, isn't voiced especially well, but it never killed it.

The one thing I have to rant about is the stupid save system. I pushed through it because I was really digging the game and want to play some of the Monolith games I had never played. But holy hell is it misleading and just straight up dysfunctional at times. The biggest horror of the entire game might be when it says it's saving because you can't trust it.

So with all that said, while there are horror games I like more, I shouldn't have waited so long to play this. Now onto the sequel.

This game is quite a unique horror game. Made in 2006, the atmosphere is top notch, and honestly, the enemy AI is more interesting that majority of games released today. It's based mostly on a visceral melee combat system, where you fight with whatever blunt object you get your hands on (with some firearms). The melee combat is honestly excellent and difficult throughout, even though it doesn't change much throughout the game. The simplicity of it is its strength. There are also some "forensic investigation" sequences which are not difficult, but fun enough as you scan for items of interest and report it to your forensic specialist on your blackberry (lol).

The story is good, the mystery interests you throughout, however I'm not sure about the ending/concluion of the game, as it leaves something to be desired. The last level isn't my favorite either, but sometimes last levels of games are hit or miss... Another negative is that the voice acting is bad. But that almost... adds to the charm lol. The graphics of the environment, while not having updated textures, are extremely atmospheric, but the character models are obviously very dated. Anyway, I enjoyed this early 2000s horror game for its effective simplicity.

When it comes to video game controversy, very few periods can rival the original Xbox / PS2 era when it comes to output. Max Payne, Manhunt, The Suffering, GTA III and San Andreas, Silent Hill 2, Hitman 2, DOOM 3, all of these and more have found themselves on the crosshairs of some wider discussion or other surrounding gratuitous, possibly dangerous violence in video games, this according to the organisations that tried to muzzle them. It was a time where I honestly feel some devs were pushing boundaries just to see what they could get away with, and I loved every minute of it.

Condemned: Criminal Origins is one such case. This game was unapologetically violent, gruesome, and boasted some genuinely disturbing scenes, a clear product of a moment in time when games weren’t holding anything back, and often were made all the better for it. Some natural jank aside, combat in Condemned - its main draw - still feels quite brutal, visceral and satisfying to this day. Melee is the obvious gameplay anchor around which everything else revolves. There’s a great variety of weapons right off the bad, most of which feel punchy and have its own advantages and drawbacks. Since you can only carry one weapon/gun with you at any given time, this adds a strategic element to your playthrough (guns for example are pretty powerful, but you quickly run out of ammo). It makes for some genuinely tense and satisfying encounters.

Speaking of tension, this is another thing the game is still able to evoke, al these years later. Something I had never thought I’d say about Condemned is that it gave me some real Bioshock vibes, not in story of course, but in atmosphere and even set pieces. A big part of it is due to its excellent lighting and sound design, which do a lot of the heavy lifting, but some is also related to smaller aspects sprinkled throughout the game. One example would be how it handles enemy AI: in their crazed, demented state, enemies will attempt to ‘ambush’ you by hiding behind things and jumping at you when they see you approach. It’s an interesting design choice, and it creates this palpable feeling of anticipation because you know what’s there, yet you’re still tensed up about it. Another game I surprisingly found a parallel with was Silent Hill 2, since there’s this surreal tone to Condemned that is hard to put your finger on, but that brings with it a sort of haze that makes the whole experience stand out even more. The story is also above what you’d typically find in a lot of these games: there’s nothing fully groundbreaking about it, but it still encompasses a pretty interesting narrative with a somewhat cryptic thread.

There are certainly some issues with this game. As satisfying as combat feels, both it and movement show its age. And again, as awesome as the sound design is, there are some issues with identifying the direction it’s coming from, as is typical with older games. However, Condemned: Criminal Origins definitely impressed me more than I thought it would. It’s a game that still holds some staying power, even today, something out of a time capsule that we rarely get to see these days, and a must for anyone who’s a fan of the violently in-your-face survival horror genre. 8/10

I'm sorry, but this game was truly awful. The story was initially interesting but fell off at the end, only to conclude in the random addition of a "cult" so as to tie things up or to foreshadow a sequel. The gameplay was clunky, the combat didn't work for me very well, the there was no progression for your character. But worst of all was the fact that we went around murdering drug-addicts to apprehend a serial killer. The inclusion of this almost seemed like the developers wanted a combat mechanic but couldn't think of anything that would work. But the thing is, with some thought, they could have even made it work: the serial killer could have revealed that you have become a killer like him, or your detective tools could have led you back to the bodies of the addicts who you killed... Something, anything to have you repent for murdering hundreds of random addicts. And finally the fact that the entire city had no real civilians made no sense. I guess the atmosphere was pretty good, but when that's the only thing positive I can say, then that's pathetic.

0.75/1.00

Full Review: https://watchreadgame.com/condemned-criminal-origins/

It’s really good. The first person brawling is insane, the first couple of times you smash the head of some delirious junkie with a conduit or a rebar or some rusty locker door feel exhilarating, very intense. Firearms are featured but aren’t as fun to use and are a little rare for the most part of the game. Also you can’t reload them or holster them to grab a melee weapon, it’s a nice balance, firearms feel very powerful and kill instantly on headshot.

The enemies are great, well animated, they mostly swear and groan, but sometimes taunt as well, very fun to fight.

Story-wise most of the game is a nice enough detective thriller about an unusual serial killer but towards the end the conspiracy is little too ridiculous and what was vague and mysterious becomes very in-your face.

The investigative work mostly consists of pressing a button and sometimes looking for a clue on the floor or on a body/evidence piece you’re inspecting. It adds something to the game still, even if so simple.

It’s on Steam and is also backwards compatible on the Xbox One and newer.

Overall a great horror game from the 7th gen, when there weren’t that many.

Recommended for fans of: Silence of the Lambs, Se7en, & CSI.

Condemned: Criminal Origins stars SCU Agent Ethan Thomas as he tries to clear his name after being framed by an unknown killer. The player controls Agent Thomas as he traverses Metro City trying to follow the trail of a serial killer with only the help of a sympathetic colleague and a mysterious man named Malcolm Vanhorn. The games standout features are as follows:

*Visceral Melee Combat System with occasional gunplay

*Smart AI that can feint during fights and retreat from battle

*Tense Oppressive Atmosphere

*Captivating Story that continuously hints something much bigger is going on

Although the game has a few minor problems:

*Certain doors can only be opened with a specific weapons (Axe, Sledgehammer, Crowbar) which the player usually has go find which feels like a poor way to artificially pad a level.

*The forensic sections are neat but usually require very little interactivity on the players part and can come off a little tedious as a result.

>Fortunately the two minor problems are just that and for what it's worth were fixed in this games sequel.

Condemned: Criminal Origins is a sadly underrated gem that deserves much more attention and is just as good as "Dead Space" or "Resident Evil (Remake)".

This game gets a hard ★★★★★ and my "Must Play" recommendation!