Fast asleep, this hit will surely be able to scare you, very badly. This is one of the 360's greatest titles.
Game Play
~Pros~
+ I don’t care what you have played. Gears, Manhunt, whatever. THIS is the most brutal game ever created. Guns are a hard thing to come across on the streets. Instead, improvise! Use a locker door, a piece of wood, a paper cutter, or a mannequin’s arm! Anything is fair game to kill the many crazies you will face.
+ Visceral, in-your-face violence. Watch as enemy’s teeth are smacked out of their mouth, they are kicked in the face, and shot to death! The game has finishing moves you can perform on a dizzied enemy as he drops to his knees. All of these are wonderfully awful, and you will squirm every time. Folks, you have never seen fighting at this level of brutality. Wonderfully done.
+ Prepare to be terrified. Zombies, aliens, ghosts. Such scare gags are sure to run thin one day, and Condemned runs from such a thing. The opponents you will face are all very lifelike. They move with eerie realism, and are sure to make you poop at the minimum of seven times. The scares in this one are heart-attack causers, 911 makers, and sure to make you run on home to mamma’. + The violence, scares, and atmosphere are come together in a really great way. Feels great to play, and the controls are very solid.
~Cons~
+ You will use crime scene devises to help you progress through the game. These are a neat idea, but whenever you need to use one, the game tells you when, where, and what button to press. It’s a good idea, but unfortunately that’s all it is. More should have been done with it.
+ Rather short. Around 10 to 11 hours this one can be beat in one sitting if you know what to do. However, the game does have some achievements to go after following the completion of the game.
Graphics
~Pros~
Great choices on the color pallet! The environments all feel creepy, and will keep you tense! The different levels all look rather different too, unlike Monolith’s other recent title, F.E.A.R..
~Cons~
+ Yuck! Muddy textures galore! Upon close observation, the game doesn’t look too astounding (P.S. Who cares?).
Audio
~Pros~ + Good lord…did I just smack someone in the face with a conduit? This games audio is suggesting that I did! Lets face it, even if Monolith did actually harm other human beings to get their sound clips, it sounds freaking amazing. I will never, ever, EVER tire of the sound of a locker door being smashed downward onto someone’s head! Perfection, Monolith! Perfection!
+ The music (though scarce) is well done when it does make an appearance, and only serves to raise the already high set bar of tension.
+ Awesome voice work! Both on the baddies and the other characters. ~Cons~
+ Shut up, there are none.
Storyline
~Pros~
+ Instantly engaging, from start to finish. You will be hooked on what will happen next, and the game does a good job of keeping it all together.
~Cons~
+ Does get a little out of hand, and confusing in spots. You will probably become rather confused a few times.
+ The game ends on a weird note, and sort of leaves a bad taste in your mouth. It suggests a sequel that has yet to be announced, a bit frustrating. At the end of the day, Condemned: Criminal Origins is one of 360’s best. It’s brutal, dark, sadistic, and I loved every second of it! The audio is amazing in every respect, and the story (for the most part) is quite good. Not to mention the simple-yet-fun game play is something that really sticks. Woo hoo for beating up homeless people! Final Score: 9.4/10