Posted 09 April 2006 - 9:13 PM
Mini Review:
Condemned: Criminal Orgins
this was one of the launch titles for the 360, and they're just now releasing it on the PC.
The game is from Monolith, and it uses the same excellent engine that F.E.A.R. used, which is probably the most realistic looking graphic engine to date, utilizing zillions of fancy lighting and physics features, so it's just plain creepy as hell.
The game has been described as 'The Worlds Foremost Hobo Murder Simulator', and from the demo that pretty much sums it up. You play a CSI type detective, investigating a bunch of grisly murders in a decaying downtown urban setting, that's filled with a bunch of drug crazed homeless people, amped up on some new and exciting form of smokable Brain-Death, ala Max Payne. There are some portions of the game where you have to gather evidence using high tech lasers and digital camera's, which, frankly are boring and linear, I mean, just what I've always wanted, a digital photography simulator.
The rest of the game, probably 90%, involves walking through incredibly detailed and extremely filthy crack house inspired environments and killing the homeless with an assortment of pipes, 2x4's studded with your choice of nails or bolts, and a fire ax. I guess that cops in this fictional world only carry one clip of ammo, so you get to shoot 2 or 3 guys, then it's on the to smacking. The hand to hand combat is ok, different swings and block you can do, but probably not involving enough to support an entire game.
In the end, my recommendation is that if you, like me, have always dreamed of beating that crack zombie who tries to wash your windows to death with a large piece of pipe, you should at least download the demo, or warez the full version when it comes out, but don't pay for this game.
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