Condemned 2, though suffering from a few bugs, contains mind-blowing production values and top-notch AI for a scary ride
The story of Condemned 2 starts with Ethan Thomas, the protagonist of the first game. According to what has been said about the protagonist's past, a serial killer called Serial Killer X (SKX for short) who was thought to be dead is now on the prowl again with unknown intentions. Bits and pieces of the story are delivered in-game as well as through a series of cutscenes between levels. The quality of the voice acting, however, is a bit hit-and-miss but is not as much the fault of the actors as much as it is the fault of the writers. Even so, the quality of each intermission is superb.
As for in-game continuation of the story, certain investigation points are scattered throughout each level to provide an interactive and cerebral element to the experience. Through the use of forensic tools such as a UV light, camera, and spectrometer, evidence is gathered in crime scenes and vital information is transmitted to provide both direction and information crucial to the story. Also, there are damaging devices called Sonic Emitters that cause the screen to blur and have the player take damage until it is destroyed. Destroying these devices provide extras to the game as well as ways to get past enemies.
The one aspect where Condemned 2 truly shines is gameplay. Most levels begin unarmed, forcing the player to procure weapons from anything lying around that has some oomph to it. Everyday objects such as bricks, liquor bottles, 2x4 planks, pipes, and many other objects litter every environment to provide countless solutions to every situation. When pitted against an enemy, the impact sounds of each weapon are unique and absolutely disgusting. In fact, some impacts will cause teeth to fly out of an enemy's mouth after being cracked across the jaw. What's even more astounding is the reaction each enemy has to being struck. A near-infinite array of combinations of stumbling, cursing, and flailing ensures that the same response will never (knowingly) be used twice which offers amazing variety for each battle.
If a weapon cannot be obtained, hand-to-hand combat is also an option. Unlike the weapons, however, unarmed combat is a bit of a downer. A lack of variety is the first downside that comes to mind, only offering a few one-two hit combos that do not seem to work against most enemies. Also, although entertaining at first, environmental kills lack the brutality of weapons-based combat with only a few exceptions that only appear in the first few levels. For example, kills where the player can slam an enemy's head into a television screen or drown them in a clogged toilet are just as brutal as the weapon combat but kills where the player slams an enemy's head into the wall lack the satisfying crunch of the other impacts. However, finishers are intense almost every time despite the shared lack of variety. When using a finisher the screen goes black-and-white while prompting the player to press the R1, L1, or both simultaneously to deliver a fatal blow to a near-dead foe. Sadly, finishers can only be used when a bar at the upper-right hand corner fills up after a certain amount of brawling.
What truly makes Condmned 2 scary is its excellent atmosphere and character models. Throughout the single-player experience a variety of disheveled locations are provided, ranging from an abandoned tanker to the halls of a broken-down hotel. Every location is used to the best of the enemy's advantage by quickly scurrying out of sight and maniacally laughing while hiding in an undisclosed location. Sometimes the enemies will go so far as to rustle around some junk to draw the player to their location for an ambush. The constant shifting of the enemy's location is what really makes Condemned 2 unique, as opposed to previous horror games that simply hid the enemy somewhere for the player to find without having it move to far from its initial location.
Horror gives way to action later on, though, when guns become more abundant than melee weapons. Assault rifles, shotguns, and even handguns pack so much power that only one or two decently-placed shots will take any enemy down before they get a chance to hurl so much as a random curse in your direction. Although not abundant until the last few levels (with the tanker level being a short break) the amount of guns and ammunition throughout those last few make the experience less about whittling down the mettle of the player and more about providing some gory headshots. Also, although it only mildly detracts from the horror in comparison, upgrades are given at the end of each level that, at times, are not needed. Admittedly, upgrades such as the stun gun and extra health are welcome due to the increasing difficulty but upgrades such as the flak jacket and another that will not be said for spoiler purposes drastically decrease the overall difficulty.
Preference to action aside, the largest problem are the bugs that appear now and then. Although sparse, the severity of these bugs are horrible enough to cause a reload of the last checkpoint. Problems such as enemies being suddenly invincible, enemies stopping dead in their tracks and becoming invincible (which blocked a path in one level), and required prompts for investigation not showing up caused untold frustration. The one instance with the missing prompt was the absolute worst, forcing roughly 40 minutes of completely unnecessary searching before a strategy guide said that a prompt was supposed to be at a location but it never showed up until the last checkpoint was reloaded. A very frustrating bug indeed but, thankfully, it was the only instant where such a problem happened.
Lastly, the extra content is a bit lacking overall. Although there is a mode called Bloodshot Fight Club that provides several different mission types for instant in-your-face brutality, the reward for masterfully completing such tasks amount to concept art and the notion that you might enjoy smacking thugs across the face with a wrench a little too much. Also, the online mode was not explored due to a faulty internet connection (probably because of location) and could not be evaluated. Even without the ability to play online, the single-player modes still provide a brutally enjoyable experience.
In all, Condemed 2 is a very unique experience that should be played by anyone looking for a good scare. Even some who are inclined to action or puzzle titles may find something enjoyable underneath the unsettling presentation. That being said, the entire experience is astounding if one can stomach the various horrors that frequent its dark hallways.