The follow-up proper to the creepiest title for the 360?
The atmosphere is still thick with insanity, violence, and death. Dark corridors, rooms, and all manner of environments lay waiting for players with the cojones to explore them to make their way down them. Make no mistake, this game will scare the piss out of you. Enemies are deranged, lurking in shadows, corners, anywhere they can hide to take a cheap shot at you. The combat will feel very familiar to those who played the predecessor, which is a good thing. Weapons still connect with a thud that sends the psychotics of the city reeling. Old weapons such as locker doors, electric conduits, and 2x4 return, along with a plethore of new armaments such as deer antlers, fooseball arms, and deformed dolls that can be thrown like grenades. The gun combat works, but it's not what Condemned was known for. The weapons handle loosely, but are absolutely necessary in certain circumstances. Arguably, the most improved aspect of this title is the forensics. No longer are players limited to finding strictly the correct answer to progress, with a few exceptions. Rather, players investigate the scene and piece together the scene by choosing what they believe are the right answers. Granted, you should still investigate the scene rather than choose answers haphazardly. At the end of every mission, you are rated based on accuracy of forensics, conversation with other characters, "responses," optional objectives, tuning in radios and televisions, and destroying sonic emitters. Higher ranks mean better upgrades at the end of the mission.
In terms of the story, it does well. It nicely ties up the loose ends from the original and tells a new one. Ethan Thomas is an alcoholic and delusional. Even so, the SCU needs his investigative brilliance and fearlessness to investigate the continued crimes. Without spoiling anything, his character is fleshed out nicely. While the story does have some stereotypical aspects, it is still largely original and fits well into the world portrayed in the original Condemned.
Fans of Condemned: Criminal Origins should play this game. If you haven't played Condemned, don't worry about missing too much as a lot of it is explained. If you want a game that delivers psychological warfare on all fronts, this is your game. Seriously, if you scare easy or cannot handle disturbing images, DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME. Otherwise, Condemned 2: Bloodshot is an engaging experience that keeps the twists and scares rolling until after the credits roll (do watch the credits so you can see what happens after they're over...)