This is a tough one to judge. For all the things I feel Condemned 2 improves on over the original, there are also some tangibles - and intangibles - that left me with the impression that it was, overall, a step backwards in the series, or at the very least a step in a direction I wasn’t thrilled about.

There are a ton of significant changes from Criminal Origins to this sequel, some of which are great. The addition of proper unarmed combat is awesome, blocking feels a lot more fine tuned, environmental kills are great, drinking alcohol to calm nerves and thus improve aiming is a neat addition, the detective work is a lot more intricate and enjoyable - very reminiscent of Arkham Knight, except better executed in my opinion -, some levels are clearly more memorable (e.g. the dollhouse, the lodge, the magic theatre), and I love how the upgrade system works: the better you do in each level, the better your rewards, which normally come in the form of useful upgrades such as gun holsters, vests, metal fists, abilities, etc. The combos, chain attacks, weapon destructibility and the new stun gun system (which now doesn’t recharge) are things I can take or leave, not because I don’t like them necessarily, but because I think they suffer from some lack of proper implementation.

All of this combined with other gameplay tweaks mean that the game is now visibly more challenging than what came before it. Is this a good thing? Not exactly. Combat is certainly more involved, but not necessarily more satisfying, and gameplay feels somehow jankier and clunkier. I think some of it at least is related to the lack of backwards compatibility (I had to bust out my old 360 to play it), but it still felt considerably more noticeable than I would’ve liked. Had that been the sole issue, however, it would’ve been somewhat fine, but there’s a lot more that conspires to make Condemned 2 a subpar sequel when compared to the first game.

For starters, I strongly dislike the segments where they simulate wearing a gas mask or having to fight through either a hallucination or simply haziness. Not only does it not add anything meaningful atmospherically, it actually creates this artificial layer of visual difficulty that, quite frankly, results in a mediocre gameplay experience. I also disliked the dramatic changes to cast and characters. Models look vastly different from the first Condemned, and even not going into whether they look better or worse (I suppose I can take it or leave it), it’s still quite a jarring contrast. They also went with a terrible choice for the voice actor replacement of Ethan Thomas, one which I will never understand, since it now sounds and feels like he’s a completely different person. And no, I don’t mean one scarred by the serious issues and experiences that changed him, I mean a completely different person. And speaking of Ethan Thomas, the fact that we didn’t get a proper conclusion to his story is also weird to me. I get that the goal was a potential third game, but this narrative decision amounted to little else other than an unsatisfying ending in this case. To make matters worse, the game wraps up with quick time stupidity for the last boss fight. Utter nonsense, and I hate that this was the time we started seeing QTEs so widely implemented in gaming with little to no regard for actual, satisfying gameplay.

Like I said above, I definitely liked some of what Condemned 2 changed and brought to the table. But ultimately, I think the main problem with this sequel is that it tried to do too much for what its limited mechanics would comfortably allow. This, alongside some truly questionable character and narrative choices, seriously dampened my enjoyment of it, even though, paradoxically, it also features some of the most memorable moments of the series. A series I do wish they pick back up at some point, because I like the world it shows and the stories it tries to tell. 6.5/10

Rating: 8.5/10

Mini review:

This has higher highs and lower lows than the first. The combat and save system are much better. I find it scarier than the first because it leans into the psychological horror quicker, but perhaps the first had a slightly better atmosphere because you drown in that shit. But they're comparable. The final plot reveal is rightfully hated by a lot of people, though despite that, the game did set up a Condemned 3 in an interesting way.

Full review:

I actually don't think it escalates poorly. Make it a global conspiracy with a shadow organization that has caused all the ills of mankind through the years because they think they're protecting us from some other, unknown threat. I really dig that. I would have liked to see how that panned out in Condemned 3 but unfortunately that ain't gonna happen. I'm not original here but the sonic voice shit is stupid. There were so many other things they could have done to make Thomas special while not having that. Or just not have him be ridiculously special. There were just so many other things they could have done.

And there was a little bit of padding. The Magic Man level was pointless with a bad boss fight. I thought it was going to be neat when it started but by the end of it, I was like, "You couldn't have given me this information another way?"

The combat is definitely better though I don't actually know how much better it had to be. It's cool to grab people and smash their heads into TVs, and combos are nice, but it could have gotten by with only minor upgrades, because the combat in the first one was completely fine. And the upgrades are nice but not especially impressive, meaning they technically add to the experience, but the game doesn't change much if they aren't there.

Same with the investigations. They're more in-depth, and you answer questions, and that is an improvement, but it wasn't an improvement I needed. Still, it's cool it's there. Save system is more modern too. You don't manual save but there are decent amounts of checkpoints and the game doesn't fuck you over like the first one occasionally does. So that's worth pointing out.

All-in-all, it's a more pleasant game to PLAY than the first, but the first one's still better because it's a more solid experience from start to finish. This has hiccups.