Atmosphere and intelligent AI make for a helluva scary game + picking up dead birds is a great incentive
User Rating: 9.5 | Condemned: Criminal Origins X360
This game is one of the best at what it does, and that is scare the piss out of anyone playing it. The combat is incredibly intuitive, lighting the way for 1st person horror. The gun-play is thankfully limited and so compelling because they suck as melee weapons and at this point you'll be so wound up that your gonna waste all your rounds on one or two guys *trust me, I give every corpse a double tap, just for making me have to waste my ammo on him*. The dark and hostile environment will keep you on edge the whole way through, and the levels are desolate and completely realistic. The baddies consist of crazed hobos and serial killers all looking to take a piece of the nice detective home with them. The investigative aspects aren't all that complicated but that can be a good thing when your not sure when the next raving druggie horde is going to show up. Some people don't like the movement speed, but i welcome it. A slow walking pace is just fine with me when sneaking up on crazies is oh so satisfying and I'm afraid of every unchecked room(expect to produce a fear of corners, not kidding). Also you might get lost, there's no map to follow so just make mental checkpoints of where you've been and what doors your scared to go through and its not a problem. The ending is extremely good, its just about the creepiest thing to imagine. A serial killer in a regular old run of the mill house, one that happens to look more or less like YOURS! The replay value is pretty high with two possible endings, and the challenge of going through the whole game with only melee weapons (tempting as well as fun). The best part is that it leaves you wanting more and thankfully there is in the form of Condemned 2:Bloodshot. Its overall a true blue horror game, its not an action game with people who very suddenly jump out of closets, its a **** your pants horror extravaganza.
