One of the true original modern horrors. This is a game that really creeped me out when I first got it in 2006. With clear influences from such films as Se7en, Hellraiser and Silence of the Lambs, it was one of the few early horror games to really
nail atmosphere for me.
Playing it now, in comparison to games that have come since, it still holds a sense of creepiness and dread for what lurks in the darkness or what’s around the next corner, but every flaw it has stands out a lot more nowadays. Aged like a fine cheese, it holds a place in my classic horror games list.
I’ll start with what I like about it. The settings are well detailed. Each location in the game is a condemned building crawling with psychotic homeless drug addicts. Like Ethan, they believe they are forced to fight for their lives. I loved the train station, the library, the department store and the school. The atmosphere in these places is so thick, even with little to no music at all, when you hear the floors round about you creaking, the pattering of bare feet on concrete, the heavy breathing of some crazy person hiding somewhere as you know someone or something is waiting for you nearby with ill intentions.
As hit and miss (excuse the pun) as the melee can be, when it works, it works well. I mostly stayed in a pattern of attack, step back out of reach then attack again. I never relied on the blocking mechanic much as it seemed to arbitrarily block some shots and not others. If outnumbered you can always use the handy stun gun which is way overpowered but it can definitely save your bacon! Worst comes to worst though, Ethan has an extendable leg he can throw out his chest and knock back most enemies.
The environmental weapons are a brilliant means to make you feel like you are right in amongst this world with these cracked up enemies. Each level had its own favourite weapon for me. My fall back was always the large pipe or gas pipe, it works well with how I fought people. I did think it was a bit mad though that I really required a sledgehammer to destroy a padlock but the shotgun I picked up wasn’t up to the task but it does make for a few tense combat encounters with the hard hitting enemies knowing they have what you need and it’s up to you to get it! – Well, to a point. You can really just taser them and take the weapon right off them.
You get actual real rewards for picking up collectibles in the game and getting Achievements! Also, on the Series X it takes less than 2 seconds from when you press ‘Continue Game’ to actually playing. I’m not sure if this was the same on PC(?) but I was mighty impressed to going instantly from menu to in-game.
Now for the other stuff. The environments do look nice, however, the characters look like arse. Even at the time I remember thinking Ethan looked like what I imagine someone would look like with the body of a rugby player with the head of a dense concrete block and a face that someone has hastily constructed from plasticine.
During the first level when the suspect makes a break for it up the fire escape Detective Dickenson changes his mind and decides not to get back up but to split up and send Ethan to get the power to the building back on, for some reason. The detective could easily have ended the whole game by just waiting 10 minutes until back up arrived, covering all the exits and waiting!
The first enemy encounter in the game makes me laugh out loud every time. [incoherent shouting in background]
Ethan: “Federal Agent. Come out peacefully or I will use force!”
Enemy: “Fuck you!”
Later, in the same level, when the suspect has Ethan’s gun and has him pinned against a wall, the police kick down the door behind him and tell him to drop the gun while aiming their guns at him. The suspect then turns and points his gun at the police and shoots them both… Eventually. Between the time he’s aimed his gun and actually fired it, the police could quite easily have gone to the toilet, had their union sponsored cigarette and coffee break, came back and emptied their clips into the suspect before he bothers to pull the trigger. Also I’m pretty sure he just aimed in the general direction of the police and not directly at them, so I guess both policemen just died of embarrassment or something.
Rosa has a five o’clock shadow.
Thanks to the extras gained from getting achievements it showed the motion capture of the last boss which had him Filipino stick fighting. Even in game it looked relatively impressive, however, despite his fancy skills with a metal stick, his moves were completely negated by me running into his face and mashing the hit button and defeating him quite easily.
According to an article I read: on average throughout the whole of the US there are between 25 – 50 active serial killers at any one time. There are 5 total serial killers mentioned throughout this game (The Matchmaker, The Torturer, The Roadside Carver, The Bone-Cutter and SKX). The idea then must be considered that, on the minimum basis, around one fifth of all the United States’ serial killers reside in just Metro City. Or
did, before Serial Killer X gave them what for.
Whilst of course I am being droll and facetious about some stuff that hasn’t aged quite as well, I absolutely recommend Condemned and Condemned 2. These games are a precursor of future classics such as, Amnesia and Outlast. The Outlast games taking quite a few influences from Condemned and they’re some of my favourite modern horror games. Condemned’s atmosphere, settings, audio and the enemies are so drenched in dread that with headphones on, playing in the dark, on hard mode will leave you exhausted by the end. You will be scared but not for what you can see, but what you can’t.
Shame Monolith couldn’t get NIN for the opening title sequence.
3WR: Killer be killed