Condemned 2: Bloodshot

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 10th April 2008
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Criminal Origins

Condemned 2 isn’t just about scaring players silly though and there’s actually a very strong, character driven story being told over the course of the various thrills and chills. Even better, unlike the story in Condemned: Criminal Origins which dished out the basics without ever really explaining anything of what was going on, Condemned 2 has a clear beginning, middle and end.

The game picks up a few years after the events of Condemned in which Ethan was framed for murder by a serial killer known as SKX, who delighted in killing killers in the manner in which they had killed. After working as a rogue agent however, and with the aid of his partner Rosa and ‘family friend’ Malcom Vanhorn, Ethan cleared his name and put SKX (unveiled as Vanhorn’s nephew) in his grave.

But it wasn’t a happy ending. Ethan was left a broken man full of unanswered questions about himself and the world around him – he turned to the only place he knew wouldn’t reject him, the bottle.

A born-again alcoholic, Ethan is a changed man both spiritually and vocally and the character has a grittier and bloodier look, plus a new voice actor too. With bandaged fists, Ethan no longer worries about who he hurts as long as he gets answers. So, when Malcolm Vanhorn goes missing and leaves a message trying to warn Ethan of incoming danger, the player has all the excuse they need to start busting heads.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot The Horror
Each battle in Condemned 2 is a different experience

Of course, we say busting heads, but in reality it’s more a matter of bursting heads. The game is incredibly full-on in the presentation and gore departments and within moments of starting the game you’ll be examining grisly corpses which have been dissected, eviscerated, perverted and mutilated. Really – this is something unlike anything we’ve seen.

Central to this bloodiness is the revamped and revised melee and environmental attack system that also featured in Condemned. You see, guns in the Ethan’s world are a limited commodity and rarely stumbled upon in most levels, so the focus of the game is shifted to fisticuffs rather than gunplay. Lucky thing too – Ethan is an incredibly tough cookie and an adept brawler, ripping his surroundings to shreds as he pulls pipes, planks, bats and boards from the walls to use as weapons.

However, where the original Condemned had had a fairly basic, though exciting melee system which gave players only limited attack types, Condemned 2 has a more sophisticated framework. Players can now parry blows, open up combos, use hook attacks and different types of kicks – all of which help even the odds against the perfectly animated AI which uses awesomely sophisticated feints, turns and swings to make battle unpredictable and engaging.

Facing a single opponent can take anything up to ten minutes in Condemned 2 and fights are always unique and memorable, full of foul language and splattered vitae. Making single battles last so long may sound dull at first, but actually it’s one of the most appealing things about the game – especially when the new RPG features are bought in, upgrading Ethan’s various combos and abilities based on how well he does in each level. Everything from flak jackets and steel-toed boots eventually make their way into Ethan’s arsenal.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot The Horror
Enemies range from the truly sick to the utterly gross

Don’t go thinking that Condemned 2 is a purely brainless beat-em-up though. Other parts of the game have been expanded too, most notably the crime scene investigation bits. What had been in the original Condemned a linear series of events which the player was lead through by hand has since evolved into something much more compelling.

Crime scenes in Condemned 2 function essentially the same – a case of looking for important details to further your investigation and move on to the next level. However, now the process is more complex and there are extra details to spot. Players can now choose which forensic tool to use and when, skipping over things by accident occasionally.

For example, when finding a body you might be asked to identify it – a process which usually takes three stages. How do you do that? Well, you might photo at the face, decide the gender and hazard a guess of the age. Or, you could check the ID, photo the face and take a fingerprint – multiple paths with similar conclusions. It's a stroke of brilliance.

It’s not always this simple though and there’s a stark difference between identifying a corpse and finding a cause of death – is that a gunshot or stab wound? Was the body moved? Is this arterial blood? When did this person die? Harvesting every screed of info and shooting for that perfect rating is something which will keep completionists happy for weeks.

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