Condemned 2: Bloodshot Review (Xbox 360)

I’m not sure where my “bejesus” is located or what exact function it serves, but I know that I don’t have one anymore because Condemned 2: Bloodshot scared it out of me. The sequel to the surprise hit launch title for the Xbox 360, Condemned 2: Bloodshot more than satisfies as a gaming experience, whether you like the scariness of survival horror games or not. If you are of the weak-kneed or squeamish persuasion, my inclination is to warn you off of the title. But you’ll be doing yourself a great disservice if you do. If you like first-person shooters (or, in this case, more of a first-person puncher) with a story line you can really chew on—and, most importantly, a brain beneath it all—then Condemned 2 is not to be missed. Just leave the lights on when you’re playing, invite a friend over to hold your hand and maybe wear a diaper for unexpected loosenings below the belt. Yeah, it will scare the crap out of you.

Condemned 2 picks up where Condemned: Criminal Origins left off, with agent Ethan Thomas finding himself at the bottom of a whiskey glass after being kicked out of the SCU (Serial Crimes Unit) following the events of the first game. The first level gives you a refresher on the combat principles of the game, which center around basic fisticuffs, as well as melee combat with handy weapons such as pipes, boards, bricks or whatever else you find lying around on the ground. The first level also reintroduces you to the supernatural elements introduced in the first game, through your hallucinations and mysterious televisions and radios scattered throughout the levels that you have to tune in by moving the antenna around.



Just telling you any more about the first level of the game would expose major spoilers about the game, and I’m determined not to do that. Just take that as evidence that the game is chock full of plot twists and turns—some of them expected, but most of them completely unexpected, just like an infected bum popping out from behind a dumpster, holding a 2X4 with your name on it. Just trust me when I say that dirty back alleys and abandoned buildings are only the beginning of the places you’ll see and where you’ll beat up people.

First-person melee combat is one of those dicey propositions in most games. Many try to do it, but don’t manage to pull it off. Condemned 2 does it and does it well. Assigning your right and left fists to the right and left trigger buttons is only the beginning. By hitting people with one-twos combos and parrying their attacks with blocking maneuvers, you build chain moves. Build up a combo and unlock button-prompt moves that can result in a headlock and an ensuing finishing move involving things in your environment. Do it right and your immediate world fills with a bunch of little skull icons. These indicate places where you can execute a finishing move: When you drag your opponent to one, you can finish them with anything from a head slam onto a counter top to a vice that can be used to crush their melon.Condemned 2 is gloriously gory in its depictions of violence.

Platform:
Xbox 360
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Publisher:
Sega
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Developer:
Monolith Productions
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Genre:
Survival/Horror
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Release Date:
3/11/2008
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Game Features:
Offline Players: 1
Online Multiplayer: 1-8
Downloadable Content
Online Leaderboards
Online Voice Support
EDTV 480p Support
HDTV 720p Support
HDTV 1080i Support
Widescreen 16:9
Dolby 5.1 In-Game

Ratings :: 5
Average :: 9.7
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