About two years ago, I - for no reason in particular - became obsessed over survival-horror games. After playing through F.E.A.R., Resident Evil 4 (Wii version), and Eternal Darkness, I went out to the store and just stocked up on a bunch of old, cheap games to scare me. I have yet to beat a single game I bought that day (Silent Hill 2 & 3 and Condemned 1 & 2)... until now.
Condemned: Criminal Origins is the first game to the Condemned series in which you play as Ethan Thomas, an FBI agent on the run from the cops. While investigating a known serial killer, Ethan is framed for the murder for two of his comrades. Now it's up to him to track down the true killer. As you progress through the game, tracking down one psychopath-suspect after another, you are constantly bombarded by crazy homeless people that want to do nothing more than bash your head open and steal your pocket change. In most games this wouldn't normally seem like such a big deal, however C:CO has a great way of making the game "realistic" - in other words: your life sucks while playing this game. Ethan can only fight with what's around him (a pipe, wooden 2x4, perhaps a bent piece of rebar - it's all fair game), using any tools in melee fashion to cream the shit out of his enemies. There are a few chances where an occasional gun will come into the mix, but because of the realistic qualities, you may only have three shots before the weapon is useless. So you lay it down nicely - cause Ethan's throwing arm must be out - and go back to swinging that butcher's knife like a lunatic. The real challenge in the game comes down to your melee skills. You have to time your blocks with your opponent's attacks, then strike when you have the chance. Some may fine this exciting and fun - honestly, it's just bullshit.
I will say this about the game: it scared me. Usually I find myself immune to most scare tactics (creatures jumping out at you, scary sound effects, ect.), but because of this games shitty fighting style, I was scared for my life constantly. It's typical for survival-horror games to have real sluggish controls in a claustrophobic environment that's meant to induce a state of panic. Then the game tosses relatively easy challenges at you in hopes you'll just freak out and fuck up. But once you've got your nerves under control, you find the game has a pattern to beating it after all. This game doesn't have that quality. First off, guys will jump out at you from everywhere - or possibly chase up behind you - without any warning and slug you, forcing you to be on the defense. Maybe it's just me, but I couldn't block for shit. Needless to say, I became aware that without the ability to defend myself, I would be at the mercy of the game. After numerous deaths, I cranked the thing down to easy - I'm so ashamed. At least in child-mode I was able to rampage my way to end, leaving a wake of corpses in my path.
As for the story... well, I couldn't really gather much. While Ethan's on the run, he's aided by his partner Rosa who helps him solve this murder mystery. Eventually, as you find each new suspect dead at the end of the chapter, you learn that your culprit, Serial Killer X, is killing other serial killers using the same method that they originally killed their victims by. You finally track him down, and that's where the story gets kind of foggy. According to Wikipedia, after you finally capture Serial Killer X you battle this strange albino dude (Ethan would have frequent visions during the game hinting to this character's existence, but never explained him) who's apparently called the Hate and is responsible for all the homeless people going mad. I don't know. I didn't get any of that from the game. What's worse is that one of side characters eventually mentions to Ethan something about a cult, and Ethan later learns from Rosa that the FBI has all these files on him alluding to that fact that he has abnormalities in his brain and immense calcium deposits in his bones making him tuff as shit.
I don't know what this all means. Guess that means questions we'll have to wait for an answer in game two, Condemned 2: Bloodshot.
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