 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Action Developer: Monolith Productions Publisher: SEGA of America |
For those that have ever had the thought of taking a person and smashing their head through a television or using a toilet seat to
smash someone’s brains out, they are very disturbed and should seek help. However, those people will also probably enjoy
“Condemned 2: Bloodshot” which all this and more is possible. Granted, players don’t have to be complete psychopaths to enjoy this
monsters in order to stop a serial killer that severs the heads off of his victims and rips their bodies apart, it is actually quite enjoyable,
but has a very creepy feel to it, much like “Bioshock.”
Players yet again take control of ex-agent Ethan Thomas who is now homeless, is addicted to the flask and is still in search of Serial
Killer X who has returned to his regular pastime of creating gore in the city. With the government putting him back into gear for action,
the game begins with teaching players the new two-armed fighting techniques in a back alley. This time around the L and R triggers
throw punches, slow and heavy. When both triggers are pulled at the same time Ethan blocks an enemy’s oncoming attacks. Clicking
the right thumb stick activates a kick that knocks enemies to the floor if attacked from behind. The attack system is very flexible and is a
great improvement from the original game. Of course, the real fighting action comes from the object based melee attacks that are
available to players.
Like other games, if something looks like it might be a good weapon, chances are players can grab it and cause carnage with it.
Players area able to use everything from crowbars, pipes, wood planks, claw hammers and steel bars. However, the weapons don’t
stop there. Players are also able to use some more obscure weapons, such as toilet seats and pool balls and that is just the
beginning of the weapons. Each weapon has performance ratings, much like the ratings in the previous game that let players know the
speed of the weapon, the strength of the weapon and much more. This time around there is more variants to take into consideration
when choosing a weapon. Also, there is a timing system to the combat in the game that can sometimes be quite unrealistic. Players
can hit an enemy with a steel pipe, but instead of stumbling backwards the enemy is back on top of the player attacking.
The game also offers combos to players which help level out the difficulty a little bit. These combos gradually upgrade and after a set
number of successful performances players can trigger slow motion attacks and environmental finishers which send any enemy’s
head through a window, into a neck breaking stomp or more.
The forensic work in the first game has been overhauled for the sequel. Holding down the X button brings up a radial menu of different
device functions including a camera, GPS, black light and sound detector. Each device is fairly self-explanatory, but players are now
expected to know what to do with them and how to do it. Those who played the first game will notice that many of the puzzles are similar
in the second, but now there are added functions and the question and answer mini-games keep the game feeling fresh.
The games story is extremely action-packed and will leave even the most veteran gamers sitting on the edge of their seats. One wrong
turn can quickly change how smoothly the game is moving along. There are also many situations in the game where a player will begin
to feel their physical presence in the game. This makes gamers feel less like an outside participant, but instead as a part of the game.
From running away from enemies through holes in the wall to tumbling down stairs and taking some big leaps, the game works at
setting an atmosphere that is very believable, again, like “Bioshock.”
Some of the tension that was created in the first game is lost in Bloodshot because of the overemphasis on gun play and the mess that
the story can become at times because of jumpy transitions and some rough voice acting throughout. The overall storyline is amazing
well thought out but a script is only as good as its acting, and in this case, the acting wasn’t all that good.
However, this time around the game has been lengthened significantly, giving gamers about two times as much game to play. Also,
setting the game to anything higher than normal difficulty will automatically raise the amount of time it will take to complete the game.
Also, the four different modes of play that are available will keep players busy for quite some time.
As a whole, “Condemned 2: Bloodshot” is a great game that falls apart at the end. The game quickly pulls players in, but because of
the over-the-top science fiction story that surface after the first couple of chapters, the game doesn’t hold together. The mechanics of
the game are fairly stable, but the overall combat controls can get to be clumsy at times and the AI can be at an advantage most of the
game, which can get to be very frustrating. The game overall is a good package with a lot of new features and it is sure to keep players
up at night.
smash someone’s brains out, they are very disturbed and should seek help. However, those people will also probably enjoy
“Condemned 2: Bloodshot” which all this and more is possible. Granted, players don’t have to be complete psychopaths to enjoy this
monsters in order to stop a serial killer that severs the heads off of his victims and rips their bodies apart, it is actually quite enjoyable,
but has a very creepy feel to it, much like “Bioshock.”
Players yet again take control of ex-agent Ethan Thomas who is now homeless, is addicted to the flask and is still in search of Serial
Killer X who has returned to his regular pastime of creating gore in the city. With the government putting him back into gear for action,
the game begins with teaching players the new two-armed fighting techniques in a back alley. This time around the L and R triggers
throw punches, slow and heavy. When both triggers are pulled at the same time Ethan blocks an enemy’s oncoming attacks. Clicking
the right thumb stick activates a kick that knocks enemies to the floor if attacked from behind. The attack system is very flexible and is a
great improvement from the original game. Of course, the real fighting action comes from the object based melee attacks that are
available to players.
Like other games, if something looks like it might be a good weapon, chances are players can grab it and cause carnage with it.
Players area able to use everything from crowbars, pipes, wood planks, claw hammers and steel bars. However, the weapons don’t
stop there. Players are also able to use some more obscure weapons, such as toilet seats and pool balls and that is just the
beginning of the weapons. Each weapon has performance ratings, much like the ratings in the previous game that let players know the
speed of the weapon, the strength of the weapon and much more. This time around there is more variants to take into consideration
when choosing a weapon. Also, there is a timing system to the combat in the game that can sometimes be quite unrealistic. Players
can hit an enemy with a steel pipe, but instead of stumbling backwards the enemy is back on top of the player attacking.
The game also offers combos to players which help level out the difficulty a little bit. These combos gradually upgrade and after a set
number of successful performances players can trigger slow motion attacks and environmental finishers which send any enemy’s
head through a window, into a neck breaking stomp or more.
The forensic work in the first game has been overhauled for the sequel. Holding down the X button brings up a radial menu of different
device functions including a camera, GPS, black light and sound detector. Each device is fairly self-explanatory, but players are now
expected to know what to do with them and how to do it. Those who played the first game will notice that many of the puzzles are similar
in the second, but now there are added functions and the question and answer mini-games keep the game feeling fresh.
The games story is extremely action-packed and will leave even the most veteran gamers sitting on the edge of their seats. One wrong
turn can quickly change how smoothly the game is moving along. There are also many situations in the game where a player will begin
to feel their physical presence in the game. This makes gamers feel less like an outside participant, but instead as a part of the game.
From running away from enemies through holes in the wall to tumbling down stairs and taking some big leaps, the game works at
setting an atmosphere that is very believable, again, like “Bioshock.”
Some of the tension that was created in the first game is lost in Bloodshot because of the overemphasis on gun play and the mess that
the story can become at times because of jumpy transitions and some rough voice acting throughout. The overall storyline is amazing
well thought out but a script is only as good as its acting, and in this case, the acting wasn’t all that good.
However, this time around the game has been lengthened significantly, giving gamers about two times as much game to play. Also,
setting the game to anything higher than normal difficulty will automatically raise the amount of time it will take to complete the game.
Also, the four different modes of play that are available will keep players busy for quite some time.
As a whole, “Condemned 2: Bloodshot” is a great game that falls apart at the end. The game quickly pulls players in, but because of
the over-the-top science fiction story that surface after the first couple of chapters, the game doesn’t hold together. The mechanics of
the game are fairly stable, but the overall combat controls can get to be clumsy at times and the AI can be at an advantage most of the
game, which can get to be very frustrating. The game overall is a good package with a lot of new features and it is sure to keep players
up at night.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
