Condemned 2: Bloodshot Review

Background: Survival horror is a genre that has seen very few innovations over the years. The original Resident Evil paved the way for countless other horror games with its fixed, cinematic camera, third person perspective, and limited ammunition. Since then, horror games have been taken into the first person perspective (FEAR) and reinvented the third person perspective (Resident Evil 4) but very few have really revolutionized the concept with any success. The original Condemned was released when the Xbox 360 hit store shelves, making it one of the first examples of the power a “next generation” console. Monolith did a respectable job of bringing something new to the horror genre by emphasizing first person melee fighting rather than gunplay. While the original game contained one of the scariest environments in game to date, it did have its problems including repetitive combat, lack of variety, shallow forensic tools and a strange, misguided story. I’m happy to say that Monolith has taken these complaints to heart with the development of their long awaited follow-up.

Story: (70 out of 100): The original Condemned placed you in the shoes of Ethan Thomas, a crime scene investigator that is framed for the murder of two police officers. The game was full of shocking moments and creepy environments as Ethan was forced to use his environment as a weapon against seemingly crazed homeless people. What was driving them mad? The game eventually contorted into a supernatural cult tale that left a lot of questions unanswered. The sequel picks up about 8 months after the original ended where we find that Ethan Thomas has left the bureau given in to the bottle. All of this seemingly happened as a result of the incredibly disturbing events of the original. The game leads you through a variety of dark, dank, disturbing environments and pits you against every form of societal filth imaginable. The story manages to answer a few unanswered questions from the original but still leaves a few new ones unanswered. While the presentation of the story is top notch and provides some excellent action sequences, the story ultimately falls into the “what the hell” category by the end. I won’t say that the story is bad but it is definitely not what you might expect. During the final minutes of the game, you will most likely be thinking that the final antagonist and even the final level of the game just don’t fit. Ultimately though the story satisfies and will definitely leave you wanting more.

Presentation (90 out of 100): The presentation is one of the biggest areas of improvements in Condemned 2. The original title was a good-looking game but still suffered from a variety of technical issues that were common among first generation Xbox 360 titles. Some of the animations were particularly odd and annoying, particularly the kick animation. Of course, many of these problems were simply the result of being one of the early next gen titles. Bloodshot has significantly improved on all of these issues. All of the environments are impressively detailed and full of things to interact with and use as weapons. The character models are infinitely more detailed and the character movements are a lot more believable this time around. Cutscenes are impressive and provide almost perfect introductions to each one of the games chapters. The environments are also much more diverse by offering unique environments, each with their own theme and feel. One level even seems to be directly influenced by Bioshock. The game offers players a unique, cinematic experience with improved, detailed visuals that live up to the standards set by some of today’s most beautiful games.

Gameplay: (85 out of 100): The original Condemned put a new spin on the classic first person formula by taking the emphasis off of gunplay and instead relying upon melee combat for a more visceral experience. Condemned 2 very much expands upon this idea and adds some welcome changes to the somewhat repetitive gameplay of the original. The first game allowed you to pull things off of the environment and use them as weapons, which was a cool idea but still, somewhat limited. After knocking the enemies to their knees, you were allowed to do one of four finishing moves. In the sequel, the environmental weapons are definitely more diverse. Just about anything that looks like a weapon can be used. For instance, you can pick up crowbars, pipes, saw blades, dolls, toilet seats, and even the butt of your own gun. Also, environmental kills have been added which allows you to slam enemies heads through TV’s, toilets, and glass windows (among other things). The actual melee combat has also been expanded by designating each trigger button as its respective arm meaning you can create different combos by pulling the triggers in different orders. The forensics investigations have also been improved in almost every way possible. Forget about the shallow, boring forensics of the original. This time around, Ethan must investigate crime scenes and then pick from a list of different scenarios to determine what occurred. At the end of each investigation, you are graded over how many you guessed right. This mechanic is surprisingly deep and one of the most intriguing aspects of the game. My only complaint with the gameplay would have to be the stronger emphasis on shooting near the end of the game. The lodge level makes more sense with weapons but after finishing that level, the emphasis should have returned to melee combat. It is also worth mentioning that when a group of enemies attack you at once, it is easy to be overwhelmed. When this happens, combat mechanics usually go right out the window. Overall, the gameplay is a drastic improvement over the original with only a few small flooks. Trust me when I say this, Condemned 2 Bloodshot is some of the most entertaining gameplay in the survival horror genre.

Sound: (95 out of 100) Monolith did a wonderful job of creating some great atmosphere in this game and a lot of that can be credited to the sound. There is not much music in the game, which makes the ambient noise and enemy movement all the more noticeable. The sound effects implemented into the combat system are brutal and fitting. The voice acting is fairly impressive and makes the cinematics a real joy to watch. Nothing truly revolutionary in the sound department but an overall impressive attention to detail. Did I mention the games features unbelievable bucket sound effects?

Content: (75 out of 100) Most survival horror suffer in the content department because they usually lack any multiplayer components and tend to feature a short single player mode. Condemned 2 actually clocked in at approximately 10 hours, a relatively long time for the genre. Monolith also added some multiplayer features including Bum Rush, which pits two agents against a group of player controller bums that re-spawn. One of the more interesting modes would be the “crime scene”, a mode in which bums race to hide a box with a severed head in it while agents try to find the box and identify the head using their forensic tools. The downfall is that even if the agents kill off all of the opposing team before finding the head, the agents remain on the map until they find the head. This is unnecessary and essentially hurts this original mode. The online multiplayer is a nice feature to the game but ultimately feels tacked on. Deeper multiplayer and maybe even co-op gameplay would have made nice additions to an overall intriguing package.

Closing Thoughts and Recommendation- Condemned 2: Bloodshot is great game. It takes a good idea that was born at the beginning of the next generation life cycle and improves on it in almost every way possible. The game is not perfect of course but is enough of an improvement over the original to warrant a purchase.


Pros: (+)
-High production values
-Great atmosphere
-Deep, melee combat mechanics
-Surprisingly deep and fun forensics investigations
-Brutal environmental finishers
-The Bear

Cons: (-)
- Good story that almost falls apart by the end
- Combat becomes frustrating with multiple enemies
- Could have been a few hours longer (minor complaint)
- Potentially broken multiplayer

0-10 = F
11-20 = D
21-30 = C
31-40 = B
41-50 = A

Final Letter Grade: 83 Out of 100 (B-)