Review: Condemned: Criminal Origins - 360

Thoroughly haunting or one-trick pony?

By Trevan McGee (Contact)

Thursday, December 8, 2005

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Good: Creation of atmosphere

Bad: Single-minded gameplay

Does it feel “next-gen”: Not really

Se7en meets CSI in Sega’s newest addition to the Survival Horror genre, Condemned: Criminal Origins for the Xbox 360.

As Federal Agent Ethan Thomas, it’s your job to crack cases no one else can solve. Thomas’ newest investigation becomes more than he expected when he discovers that there is also a copycat killer hunting the same people he is attempting to bring to justice.

A mixture of simple puzzles and brutal combat, the majority of Condemned takes place in the darkest parts of a city driven inexplicably mad. The six run-down areas all feel as if they could collapse at any moment. Chunks of the floor cave in when stepped on inside a worn out tenement building. A partially burned library serves as a makeshift crematorium for people unable to escape the blaze. A closed youth center contains blood-spattered shower stalls and a kitchen that doubles as a dissecting table. As if that weren’t chilling enough these areas are also inhabited by drug-addicted squatters who aren’t too happy that Agent Thomas is snooping around.

Puzzle elements are introduced in the form of Crime Scene Investigation. When in an investigation area you’re allowed access to Thomas’ evidence collection tools. They include a UV light, an odor sensor and a fingerprint laser. One of or a combination of these tools are employed to collect evidence and wirelessly send it on to the lab. The results determine your next move and help progress the story.

As for combat, well sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands. When Thomas loses his service pistol early on in the game he resorts to using pipes, sledgehammers, axes and even 2x4s with nails in them to defend himself from a seemingly endless army of crazed junkies.

This improvisation is Condemned’s central gameplay element and Sega puts some serious mileage on it. Projectile weapons like pistols and shotguns are rare and limited to just the ammunition already in the gun, reloading is not an option. You’ll constantly be scanning walls and floors for makeshift protection and you’ll need it since Condemned’s enemies move so erratic and aggressive that approaching one without a weapon is unthinkable. Each weapon has its own advantages and disadvantages and certain weapons can be used to access new areas. The uncertainty of your weapon along with the constriction of the first-person perspective creates an excellent sense of paranoia. You’ll constantly find yourself looking over your shoulder or double-checking hallways. Especially since the game makes excellent use of a 5.1 surround sound mix to create ambient sound that comes from all directions.

In fact, the atmosphere Condemned accomplishes is easily its strongest asset. Shadows dance on walls, the light from a flashlight never fully illuminates an area, and at times Thomas falls victim to some terrifying hallucinations. During its most inspired Condemned feels like a haunted house--things go bump in the night and there it always feels as if something frightening lurking just out of view.

Unfortunately, at its weakest Condemned feels like a one trick pony. After an hour of gameplay you’ve experienced just about everything it has to offer. Many of the enemy character models are recycled so they begin to loose their shock value once you’ve taken on a few of them. Their movements are predictable and they all fall to the same basic approach of using the taser to disable them and then finish them off with a few melee swings. The game incorporates finishing moves and it’s also possible to kick enemies by clicking the right analog stick. Kicking leaves you open for a moment and should only be reserved for finishing off stunned foes.

Additionally, the investigation segments are very spoon-fed. When you enter an area that has a clue you’ll be alerted to bring out your investigation tool, which you use to comb the area. Once a clue is discovered you send the evidence back to the lab for testing. The problem with this mode is that you are confined to a certain area when in search mode. Leave that area and you’ll automatically put away your tools and return to normal gameplay. When a clue is discovered the camera automatically positions your tool in that area. All that’s left is to focus your camera.

On a technical level the dynamic lighting is the most impressive feat. Character models aren’t much of a step above the Xbox but their movements, especially when reacting to a blow from a melee weapon are realistic. The game even suffers from some clipping and framerate hiccups when entering new areas.

The most frustrating aspect of Condemned on a visual level is the lack of environmental interactivity. While most of your weapons do come from the environment items like walls, boxes and shelves suffer no visible damage or scarring when hit with a 10-pound sledgehammer. Objects that should be individually defined, like books on a bookshelf, are instead unconvincing textures on a flat surface. This is a Nintendo 64 level of interactivity and is simply unacceptable for a system this powerful.

Graphical shortcomings and half-boiled gameplay elements aside, Condemned is capable of some truly frightening moments, usually through the creation of dread of the unknown. If Condemned is a haunted house, it’s a haunted house with only one gimmick. No matter how frightening that gimmick is, it’s a gimmick nonetheless and eventually looses its grip.

Graphics: B-

Sound: A-

Gameplay: C+

First play: B

Last play: C

Overall: 78 C+

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Review: Condemned: Criminal Origins - 360

Thoroughly haunting or one-trick pony?

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