First 15: Condemned: Criminal Origins - Xbox 360
Serial Killers are a rare breed. They enjoy extending the suffering of their victims and revel in the power of deciding whether their victim will live or die. They may torture their victim for several days to obtain as much pleasure as possible. Most victims are chosen at random, just being in the wrong place at the wrong time can land you in a whole heap of trouble. Sound scary? It gets worse.
In Condemned: Criminal Origins your job is to catch the aforementioned elusive psychopath using forensic tools, a variety of makeshift weapons and a determination to succeed. You are cast in the role of Ethan Thomas, a FBI agent with a death wish who pursues the serial killer through a variety of urban environments. This is a first person shooter with a difference. The city has been overran with a mass of mentally deranged psychotic killers who have lost touch with humanity; they will stop at nothing to slaughter anyone who crosses their path.
Click for larger imageThe game begins by launching you into a film-noir typesetting, and from the outset has an underlying feeling of impending doom. A police officer leads you into a gloomy building to investigate a murder scene. Using your forensic tools to investigate the blood strewn crime scene you gather clues to point you in the right direction. After the initial search for evidence the pace of the game changes. As you search the building for the serial killer you hear footsteps and noises manifesting from every dark corner. Out of the corner of your eyes you spot shadowy figures darting across doorways and down corridors. Around every corner lurks a nasty surprise; the feeling of oppression is strong. Psychos jump out at you when least expected; armed with an assortment of weapons, from pump action shotguns to metal pipes. There are many weapons that Ethan can use littered around the building. Pick up a piece of wood, a pipe, a fire axe or one of the other makeshift weapons and be prepared to defend yourself. In the first 15 minutes expect to jump out of your chair at least a few times as these deranged madmen hurtle themselves at you, determined to embed a weapon into your skull.
Click for larger imageThe fighting consists of using two buttons, the left and right trigger, one attacks and the other blocks. However, the fairly simplistic combat system has a violent twist. Just before you are about to kill a sociopath you have a few seconds to choose between four dispatch methods. Ethan can twist an enemies neck, punch them, or slam their head into the ground; a necessary addition to a game that becomes quickly repetitive.
The cinematic graphics are superb. The lighting and shadow effects help to create a tense atmosphere, whilst the musical score keeps you on edge. The atmosphere drives the whole game and, although fighting can become repetitive, you feel the need to continue to persist in finding out what evil has caused everyone to go mad and to pursue the mysterious serial killer. A radar or map would have been a nice addition as you often wander around wondering where to head to next through the eerie and unpleasant locations.
Condemned: Criminal Origins shows the potential of Xbox 360 to great affect. Although the gameplay adds nothing new to the horror survival genre, the game is a tense, lifelike insight inside into the mind of a serial killer. Be afraid, be very afraid
