Condemned: Criminal Origins Review (Xbox 360) By Graeme Lunn

8 / 10
10 Jul 2006 at 23:42

Review by: Graeme Lunn

Condemned..... mmm well, I must admit being a bit skeptical really. I'd fallen victim to the survival-horror genre's more than capable hype machine once too often (I'm sorry but all that running in fog in Silent Hill 3 was sooo boring!) and felt a little unsure about parting with my hard earned cash on this one.
How wrong could I be. Monolith have created a game here which in my view does everything that makes a great survival horror game. Firstly it's atmospheric - the first person viewpoint, once you've been playing for a while, succeeds in really sucking you into the game. Played on a large screen HDTV with a surround sound kit at full pelt lets you really appreciate the work that has been put in here to create that really creepy feeling in a variety of settings, whether it be a run down school, a warehouse, orchard or an apartment building, there's plenty of sound effects drawing you further into the game world. I have no issue with admitting to you that there have been times when i have heard a sound and actually turned around thinking it was outside. Imagine my horror when i then saw the girlfriend stood there in full "battle-paint" - a new title in the making perhaps! :-)

Secondly, largely due to the atmosphere, it actually has the ability to make you jump. This is something I feel hyped-titles like Resident Evil & Silent Hill have failed to do - Monolith/Sega really seem to have worked on the genuine "fear factor" (no, not eating bugs) here which actually makes you realise this is no "token effort" as i was led to believe by the review of a certain xbox 360 magazine whom gave this title a paltry 6/10. Believe me, just as you get used to the dosed up junkies flying at you, you'll still fly when you are suddenly attacked from behind by what seemed a harmless department store mannequin a moment ago (believe me you go on a paranoid frenzy where if it looks like a mannequin, it dies!).

The weaponry options are inspired. From firearms to literally anything melee-wise you can lay your hands on. For the ultimate Condemned experience i would recommend trying to plow through it using only melee weapons - there's nothing better than close quarters killing with the remains of a pipe of desk drawer. To bde honest, the experience is somewhat runied by using the guns etc. and my review would have been a 6 rather than an 8.

The cut-scenes are on the bizarre side, but then again so is the story of the game. My main criticism here is that the characters heads seem rather "blocky" and there is no attempt at lip-synching - pretty much like an ugly Kryten from Red Dwarf doing the old "i'm in church and I dont know the words so i'll mouth like a goldfish and hope no-one notices".

That really is THE main leveller which prevents this title in reaching the dizzy heights of a 9/10. You get the feeling that although the game is just about pretty enough, bar a couple of good strobe / other lighting effects, this really has the quality of a very high end last generation title.

My final whinge is that, for me, the game is just too short. I feel that any experienced gamer could actually finish this game in a couple of days. Gamerscore addicts could find themselves sated here as you literally would have to play through twice to snag all of the achievements, which may prolong the lifespan of the title. I believe i am 5 or 6 achievements away from 100% completion, but to be fair, i found trekking through the game when I knew what was coming far less appealing.

In closing, Condemned is a fine, yet somewhat flawed title. My best advice would be to borrow it from a friend and see if it tickles your fancy. The best news should be that if you do enjoy it during a loan spell, as it was a launch title, i feel it's a matter of time before you'll get this at a bargain price. As for myself, i did really enjoy the game and can forgive it's flaws for the simple enjoyment i have been provided for my £50, and all i'll say is bring on the sequel. See y'all on live; Gamertag GraemeLunn

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