When you’re not in combat, you’ll be slowly exploring rundown environments ranging from the aforementioned apartment block, a metro station, a department store (with enemies dressed as mannequins hiding among mannequins), a fire-damaged library, a secondary school, and a multi-story rural farmhouse. Finally, you have a recharging taser (great for stunning and disarming a single foe), and a kick to interrupt strikes, but these are of limited use if you find yourself mobbed.įirearms are not as rare as they first seem, but as you're limited to the bullets in the clip, you'll be relying on melee weapons more often than not. As there’s no reloading – the number of bullets in the clip is all you get – it’s a risky proposition that can leave you swinging the ineffectual butt of a gun. Two or three bullets are a guaranteed kill (and that includes you if you get too close) but you need to be willing to hold your nerve and aim at charging enemies. Despite being far rarer than their melee counterparts, observant players can find pistols, shotguns, and rifles scattered around some locations. It’s a distinctly “gamey” mechanic but makes Condemned: Criminal Origins feel more grounded than its horror contemporaries. Couple that with the one-weapon limit and you’ll often have to swap out a weapon you're most comfortable with. Some of the melee weapons – specifically the heavy and unwieldy fire axe, sledgehammer, shovel, and crowbar – also serve as entry tools, required to open specific doors or lockers to progress. Inflicting enough damage can leave them in a stunned state, ready for Ethan to dish out one of four brutal finishers that suggested a considerable amount of suppressed rage. Enemies duck and bob, block your blows, feint then lash out, before finally crashing to the ground or into objects in an exaggerated manner the Havok physics engine was renowned for. It’s not that there are so many you can't learn attack patterns after a fight or two, but they ensured watching a brawl play out is always entertaining. Crazed and violent addicts or vagrants serve as your primary foes, weapon blows feel fantastic, and the animations – for the time – were brilliant. Investigations in the first game are simplistic diversions or trails to follow - something that could be rectified in a remake.Īt the time of release, many described Condemned: Criminal Origins as a “hobo beating simulator” and it’s hard to argue their point. Typically, you want to kite enemies to ensure you’re facing one at a time (or clump them together to strike each other as they swing wildly), as blocking requires precise timing and your follow up strike plays out depending on the weapon characteristics (damage, speed, block, and reach). While there are some fast-moving foes, the majority of melee combat – using blunt or sharp objects you can find or rip from the environment – is a methodical back-and-forth dance of blocks, parries, kicks, and strikes. Ethan moves like an ox, however, given his ability to absorb and dish out blows, it fits the character design and is an essential component of the melee combat system that emphasizes careful positioning, observation, and timing. You arrive at a derelict apartment block housing the latest victim of the “Matchmaker” and kick off a surreal 48-hours of violent melee brawls through the worst parts of Metro City.įor first-time players, the first-person perspective seems at odds with the sedate pace Ethan traverses the environment - moving from a lumbering stride to a (very) light jog when you “sprint”. Ethan, distinctly stocky but otherwise unremarkable, is backed up by his knowledgeable but nervous forensic specialist Rosa, who guides him through the use of several investigative tools that’ll you’ll use to follow blood trails, collect DNA samples, photograph prints, and solve murders as you progress.
Despite lacking any focus on stealth, it had me often thinking about the equally methodical and deliberately-paced Alien Isolation (which is a good thing, if you were wondering).ĭespite strong horror vibes, Condemned: Criminal Origins is still a brawler at heart.Ĭondemned: Criminal Origins places you in the boots or Ethan Thomas – a Serial Crimes Unit (SCU) investigator in the fictional Metro City – who has had a rough time as of late, with several promising investigations progressing to an advanced stage before the suspected killer disappears or turns up dead. Despite concluding with several dangling plot threads (ensuring we got a rubbish sequel), my recent replay of Monolith Productions’ Condemned: Criminal Origins reminded me of everything I loved about the game when I played it in 2006: the seemingly ordinary characters thrown into horrific situations the everyday locations that feel familiar yet terrifying the slow, methodical approach to combat the risk-reward system with weapon choice, and the simple entry tool design to progression.