I’ve been waiting ages to play Condemned 2 ever since going to Amsterdam to see the press demo. It’s the sequel to the moody launch title and this time they’ve pulled all the stops out to provide a compelling, creepy and sometimes downright dirty game that’ll keep you gripped right to the end.
You play as agent Ethan Thomas, a detective who’s now turned to drugs and booze since shooting serial killer SKX in the face in the boot of his car. Troubled by visions and flashbacks, you soon end up working with the force again as you get tangled in a web of intrigue and murder through some riotous streets.
Brutal is how I’d describe the combat. To begin with you just have a lot of fist fights, picking up melee weapons ranging from bottles to bricks and even prosthetic arms to hit people round the face with. Later on, you get to go bang bang with some boom sticks but even then, run out of bullets and you can throw your gun at your enemies’ faces.
There’s now a cool combat and upgrade system so you get bonuses for fighting well and can make things easier on yourself if you manage to solve clues and do your CSI-style bits as in the first game. These parts are really enjoyable and have been expanded upon since the first game.
It’s also very dark in condemned land. So dark , I recommend you play it in a dark room at night or you won’t see what’s going on or get the right atmosphere. Sometimes this works against it as the moody look makes it look like textures are missing if you don’t switch your torch on. Luckily, there are a few brighter moments where you can actually see your hand in front of your face.
On top of the single player campaign there’s also online play so up to 8 players can play at kicking each other in the face to see who survives.
Condemned 2 is a very compelling game that just won’t let you put it down at times. It’s hard and sometimes frustrating due to the unevenly spread out checkpoints but like all good mysteries, you want to get to the end to find out what the hell’s going on.
If you like your games dark, moody and gripping, then try this out when you’re alone in the house. Condemned 2 gets a very good 8 out of 10.
