All sorts of crazy and surreal came out of Monolith Productions’ 2005 FPS Condemned: Criminal Origins. I think that’ll be the last time I enter a clothing store stock full of mannequins; I can’t look at mannequins the same anymore. The game was successful for its creepy atmosphere, its survival/horror gameplay and the neat combination of using forensic tools to uncover various investigations.
In the upcoming sequel, titled Condemned 2: Bloodshot, players will don the boots of former agent Ethan Thomas. It’s been some time after the events from the original game and they’ve certainly changed Thomas. They sparked a rather bleak way of life for the poor guy, but he’s called back into duty to investigate his missing partner.
One of the main styles of gameplay in Condemned was its fighting system and the ability to seemingly grab anything that wasn’t nailed down and start smacking people around. For Condemned 2, the number of weapons will be bumped up; there will be 10 firearms (like a crossbow and sub-gun) and 30 blunt weapons to use (like mop buckets, tire irons and bricks). In addition, the sequel will feature the debut of defensive and offensive combo chains — grapples and holds.
I definitely praised Monolith for the creepy levels in Condemned — school, library, sewers, clothing store. For Condemned 2, Monolith is rolling out more outdoor environments complete with a dynamic time of day system and a more non-linear gameplay approach. Hopefully the non-linear approach will incorporate the forensic tools and investigating crimes, i.e. different ways to solve crimes. From what I’ve seen, even the forensic tools have been given upgrades. For example, illuminating different substances with the UV light were upgraded with neat effects, like billowing gases and a cool liquid effect.
As for the enemies, getting up close and personal with them in Condemned was surely a heck of an experience. Not only is Monolith adding more creepy foes, like dogs and other sinister looking killers, but they’re also enhancing their AI. This time around, they’ll be working together to overpower or trap Thomas in the new environments. Hopefully they retain their killer instinct and can attack each other, like in Condemned.
Monolith will also be adding multiplayer. Seemingly missing in Condemned, the sequel will add a few new multiplayer modes; for example a Hobo Fighting ring where players will have to survive an onslaught of foes and utilize all their combat skills to survive. Other modes include Deathmatch and Circle of Death.
Condemned 2: Bloodshot 2 is coming to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in spring 2008.
