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| Condemned - Criminal Origins |
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| Action |
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| Monolith Productions |
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| SEGA |
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2nd December 05 |
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15th November 05 |
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18+ |
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(M) - Mature |
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Wow, that’s how I’m going to start this preview. Wow, there I said it again! Condemned was one game that really surprised me at X05. Sure I’d seen the trailers and heard about the game but playing it was something else. Sega are truly muscling in on the horror genre with this title.
Let’s recap, I approached the 360 pod, fiddled with the headphones a little (in fact they didn’t work so I had to call the tech guy to fix them) then placed them on my head before spiralling into a dark and mysterious world of Condemned. From the very opening you get drawn right into the dark depths of this game world as the demo featured your character (a Federal Agent) being led by another cop to a gruesome crime scene. It’s dark, very dark and you can barely make out what is actually happening. The cop talks to you about how disgusting the scene is and how they can’t make heads or tales of it and it’s up to you to find the clues that will lead to the “sicko” that had committed the evil acts we were about to witness. One moment later as we walked (not run) we were given the option to switch on our flash light; that’s better now I could see what was in front of me, just! What game like this would be complete without one and using the first person viewpoint meant that I really was in the dark shining the light over every conceivable darkened corner.
Finally we reached the scene of the crime to be confronted by a uniformed cop guarding the doorway. He moves aside and we tentatively go in. It’s dark, who killed the lights? The room is unusual as it simply is barren with a table and chairs in the centre. There are some mannequins of kids at the back of the room and seated at the table is a man or is it a mannequin poised as if enjoying his meal? On the floor opposite is a woman, of course she is dead and it looks like she lent too far back or her chair and fell over. She is also gagged in some mean twisted manner; It’s a bloody mess in there and all the while the spookiness of the children mannequins stare at the scene like observers to a horrific accident outside a school.
Well the character that the player controls is supposed to do a job and find some clues that the killer might have left behind. This isn’t tweezers and a magnifying glass but something more hi tech. We got a call from the Lab Technician who offers us assistance in what to do next which is to get out a gadget that will detect the time of death. It’s pretty simple and the interface allows you to select the right tool easily but then it’s up to you to use it in the right area. I ended up scanning the entire room looking for clues until I zoomed in on the dead woman’s neck to find what I was looking for. I took a quick photo of this and then moved on to find the next bit of evidence, which was on the man’s face. I took a snap of this and then all hell broke loose as it appeared that someone (other than the two cops) was still in the building; the killer perhaps? Taunting us? The game immediately changed from what appeared to be a routine CSI type episode into a fully fledged resident evil type horror experience. Footsteps could be heard and so the cops decided to go one way and it was my job to try and restore power. It was time to bring out the gun because damn, it was scary and with very limited rounds things weren’t going to be easy especially as the building housed some crazed junkies who obviously didn’t take too well to uninvited guests. It was at this point that I noticed the excellent physics engine as I decided to waste a bullet on some old bucket which made it move realistically with the impact. Cool, except I shouldn’t have wasted a bullet!
In the corner of my eye I saw a shadow move quickly across a wall and I was even more scared! (Well not truly scared but scared in a gaming sense- on edge). The sound here is top notch and really puts you deep into the heart of this game world. I could go on here but I won’t because lets just say this alternative pace was invigorating and highly atmospheric. Condemned felt like a truly amazing experience, and one that totally put me into the horror. From the brief section I played I was very much impressed with the graphics, game play and the sound and from that moment I would say this is a must have game for those looking for psychological action. Think Resident Evil, Think Doom, think Silent Hill with a splash of CSI and there you have Condemned. The surprise game of the show because of how good it was!
Preview By: Robert Cram
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