Review - Condemned: Criminal Origins | Condemned: Criminal Origins Review (Xbox 360)

Se7en; Fight Club; Silence of the Lambs - these must have been watched on more than one occasion by members of Monolith's development team when it came to moulding Condemned: Criminal Origins for Xbox 360. The game, the first to be published for the next-generation console by SEGA, follows the story of FBI Special Agent Ethan Thomas as he attempts to track down a serial killer through the bleak underworld in an undisclosed US city. Heavily driven by the narrative, I'm not going to be the one to unravel the spoilers dished out to players throughout the game, needless to say that it's not as plain sailing as it seems.

This takes the notion of what an FPS title actually is and tries to spin the genre on its head; rather than make the game an out and out blaster mixed with the supernatural (like Monolith's other title, the recently released F.E.A.R.), Condemned takes a more intelligent approach with an emphasis on melee attacks and puzzle solving. Taking advantage of the Xbox 360's requirement of player achievements has meant that along the way of the investigation, players will find themselves collecting the rotting remains of birds and shards of metal, not to mention some of the Xbox 360s dotted around some of the more secluded parts of the gameworld. Speaking about the gameworld, I personally don't think that I've seen more rancid and decaying environments in a videogame; even classic survival horror franchises Silent Hill and Resident Evil have been developed with so much detritus and dilapidation. Each of the areas in Condemned are heavily run-down, with certain ones more than familiar structures to most people such as a high school and library - though not even the most decaying public buildings look like the ones in Criminal Origins.

This is a game with an extraordinary level of atmosphere and tension, and is perhaps more aptly described as a first-person survival horror. Flash lighting, clever use of shadows, an eerily ambient soundtrack, and Thomas' reliance on using his FBI issue torch, all add up to create on occasion real scare moments. One of my enduring memories of the movies growing up was the opening scene in Ivan Reitman's Ghostbusters when the three investigators find themselves wandering around the secluded aisles of the New York Public Library Archives. Ever since then walking around the close altitude defying shelves of libraries have brought that memory back, and now so will Condemned thanks to one mission taking place within a burnt out library. Scripted events such as tables thrown down a stairwell towards the player, or being blind sided by a hidden enemy are just two examples of how the developers have used movie-style scare tactics to build the anticipation within the player.

Whilst the perspective is in the first-person, Condemned is largely far from being a traditional first-person shooter; in fact with such a strong emphasis on melee combat throughout the many chapters of the game it very much runs the risk of not actually appealing to the FPS market. Weapons such as fire axes and crowbars, which can be found lying around the environments are also accompanied by piping, crow bars, and even desk tops, as useful tools both defensively and offensively. Quick pulls on the trigger unleash jab-like blows with full pulls executing swinging with little variety beyond that; the quick look comparison tables that appear on screen to provide players with an instant breakdown on the level of damage, speed, reach, and blocking each of the weapons can cause is a neat touch that at least serves to differentiate between the blunt objects.

There are firearms in the game including a rather nifty sub-machine gun, but the ammo is severely limited throughout Condemned, and spare clips aren't dotted around. It's obvious that the developers desired players to use melee attacks and not the more traditional bullet driven weaponry synonymous with FPS titles, with all of the guns feeling a bit light and pathetic; there's a lack of impact in them. One of the key bits of gadgetry held by Thomas throughout a large section of the game is the trusty Taser, capable of disabling opponents before either knocking them senseless, or taking their weapon off them and then knocking them senseless. After a bit of a beating enemies have a habit of falling to the knees, which is the perfect opportunity for the Agent to deliver a heavy punch, slam them to the ground, or just snap their neck.

Like Agent Thomas, the enemies in the game will also scrounge around for bits of piping or axes with which to knock a blood curdling blow to the head; most of the guns that are dotted sparingly through the Condemned can initially be found in the hands of the zombie-like madmen too, so get ready to dodge that bullet. On occasion, the enemy AI pushes them to pick up and throw various objects towards Thomas, including wooden chairs, which all fly through the air with a real sense of weight behind them thanks to the physics programmed into the game.

The various melee objects do have a more practical use than just for beating the enemies over the head; in fact they're Condemned's version of keys. For instance, Sledgehammers are the only way to break through a padlocked door, whilst a fire axe has to be used to bring down a damaged door. Such strictness means that a significant section of gameplay is devoted to the player searching for the right tool for the job, which can be a bit frustrating at times. It also means that the age-old problem of games rears its ugly head: if I can use a fire-axe to break through a pre-determined door, why can't I use said axe to break through any damn door I please? Never mind the HD era, I'd settle for an era where such immersion destroying elements no longer feature. Leaning on such a gameplay dynamic throughout the game, Monolith have left Condemned feeling a tad repetitive in places, in fact there are times when the player's sheer determination to find out exactly what the hell is happening to Agent Thomas is the only thing stopping the boredom factor from reaching critical.

One of the key gameplay elements introduced into Condemned is the use of forensic tools and scanners; which allow Agent Thomas to continue with the investigation. Whilst a number of these puzzles restrict the player to a certain area, for example a room within a building, other forensic puzzles direct the player around certain areas of the map to find trace the evidence. Such journeys can be a bit hazardous since some of the more putrid opponents continue to track the player down, and much like id's Doom3, players can wither wield a forensic tool or a weapon at a time - duel wielding is very much out. Thomas' digital camera has players focusing correctly onto the evidence, whilst others are more passive, a case of locate and pull trigger. More of an interactive narrative tool, the use of the forensic gadgetry could have been further developed (perhaps something that will be done in a Condemned sequel, perhaps?) with more complex puzzles being introduced.

With Condemned one of the launch titles of the next-generation, one of the key questions that many will be asking is how does the game actually look? Well, eerie atmosphere aside, Condemned is a decent looking game, though it only represents a fraction of what the Xbox 360 is actually capable of. Visual effects and techniques go far to create a high level of detail, more noticeably in the environmental textures; certain locations look damp and dank, whilst others allow players to get a good look at some of the extra detail (the texture of the painted canvases in the library just one example of this.) Impacts between enemies and one of Thomas’ bespoke weapons displays some realistic reactions including blood and teeth flying through the air, which only adds to the sheer brutality of the melee combat. Characters models are quite disappointing however with a high frequency of enemies looking exactly the same; they do look good however, and it’s more surprising to see that the main characters are the ones that visually suffer. Cut scenes involving Agent Thomas show some of the niggling aspects including one of the weirdest ear lobes in memory and low quality textures for the jacket logo. Visually it’s more a game with atmosphere rather than overly-impressive characters, which at the very least manage to get the right reaction out of players.

Condemned is a linear affair both in terms of level design and narrative, so once completed there’s very little to go back to (Xbox 360 Achievements aside.) Most players will be able to complete it in less than 10 hours, and with the ending as it is, Condemned may leave some sections of gamers quite disappointed. With the whole narrative pointing towards the hunt for a serial killer of serial killers (the so-called Serial Killer X), to have such a clichéd explanation thrown at the end of the game does seem a bit lazy. Fun for the weekend, but not one to fork fifty quid for.

Condemned: Criminal Origins has a dark, foreboding atmosphere that wouldn't look out of place in one of David Fincher's earlier movies; the melee action means that somehow the violence is more real than true FPS titles and therefore it's not surprising that the game has made onto a list of ultra-violent videogames released this year. Virtually caving people's skulls in with a crowbar or snapping their necks is brutal and the game wholly deserves its 18 certificate from the BBFC. Having said that the gameplay is quite repetitive with seemingly endless searches for the correct blunt instrument does get a bit tiresome - there's an over reliance on the narrative pulling the players through, which also means that once completed, you're unlikely to go back to it again.

GAMEPLAY: 77%
Repetitive level designs and melee sequences (not to mention the continuous find-the-right-tool dynamic) means that some may be put off.

GRAPHICS: 87%
The environments in the game are beautifully degraded and rotting with an atmosphere that's remeniscent of several movies in recent years. The contrast between the shadows and the off spot of light works well, although the character models are slightly disappointing at times.

SOUND: 89%
Deprived of a score, the game relies on a heavily atmospheric ambience, which certainly manages to raise the tension levels.

ORIGINALITY: 79%
A first-person title with an emphasis on melee combat is certainly a neat twist, along with the initial narrative developments. Aside from that, there's ver little new in Condemned to shout about.

LONGEVITY: 70%
The story can be completed quite easily within 10 hours or so, which only leaves the player's desire to collect all of the Xbox 360 achievements as an incentive to return to the world of serial killers and Agent Thomas.


summary...

DIFFICULTY: Medium | LEARNING CURVE: Around 20 minutes

Condemned: Criminal Origins marks a solid if repetitive debut for both Monolith and SEGA on the Xbox 360 though it's far from perfect. Whether this will be the start of a franchise or a one-off title will have to be seen, but I'd settle for an explanation for some of the events that take place in the game.

via TotalVideoGames