Condemned 2: Bloodshot

The Xbox 360 launch titles were really no huge thrill. Sure there were a few winners: Call of Duty 2, Perfect Dark Zero, and Condemned. Besides that, nothing else was really memorable for me. Only now has Condemned been given a sequel to spring off its original success. Condemned 2: Bloodshot has you follow Ethan Thomas once more, only now he has been out of the force and is a drunken mess. You are sent off to find your friend Van Horn. While it starts out on a high note, the finish is actually a bit sour.

I was visually impressed with Condemned 2 from the moment I first started playing it. The artistic design is really something to marvel and the use of filters makes this survival horror feel even eerier. Of course, this is not the best looking game on the market, but it definitely has its moments. The cut scenes propel the story forward in a beautiful way, using extremely dynamic lighting and texture mapping to get the mood just right. The character models are impressive as well, though you will be fighting a lot of clones through the levels, but that is usually the case in most games. Levels are thoroughly detailed, although I believe there is not enough interaction with the environment from the actions around you. Dropping frame rates and slowdown, however, hinder the ultimate appreciation of it.

As with any horror game or movie, its sound can really set the tone and quality of the whole experience. Condemned does not disappoint here as the score to the game does an outstanding job of setting the feeling of the whole experience right from the get go. It also does not hurt that the voice talent is pretty well done, making for some rather interesting characters, especially a drunken Ethan Thomas that seems to talk and react much like a drunkard would: mad and violently. Frightening effects and simple hand to hand combat feels so real from the sound that you might even feel it.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot is a very tough game to play. Not only is it difficult, but the game play actually kills much of the enjoyment of Condemned. Gunplay is not very solid at all. At times, I felt that it was forced on the user and these are the areas I died the most. Hand to hand combat is where Condemned shines with combination blows and environmental kills. The AI is a bit weak, as they will run right at you, but they can be vicious at time and really do a number on Ethan. The investigation moments stand out and add puzzle elements unlike many other horror games, but some of the physics in the game were not tuned right. It draws a clear line between real life and fiction when there are random floating objects in places.

Besides the campaign, there are a few things to keep you busy for a little while. One of which is the Bloodshot Fight Club. This mode gives you mini-missions to tackle and an online leaderboard to climb. This is merely a minor distraction and really will not keep your mind occupied for too long. Eight person multiplayer has also been added to Bloodshot, allowing for a little more bang for your buck. While the multiplayer is centered on melee combat, it really is not that great and you will find other multiplayer games more appealing (i.e. multi-player centered games like Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl). While Condemned 2: Bloodshot is not bad by any means, I would say it is only good for a rental for a weekend escape, but not much more after that due to its limited replay value.