Game Title - Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Developer - Monolith Productions
Genre - First Person Survival Horror
Rating - M
Release Date - March 12, 2008
Platforms - Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Game Overview
Before we begin this review, let me ask you a simple question. How creative could you be in a life or death situation. Because I may have lit a few hobos on fire with a tazer, but it was for SURVIVAL, dammit! Bloodshot is the follow-up to the launch title "Condemned: Criminal Origins", and tackles all of the games' flaws like it killed Bloodshot's dog. Is it a perfect sequel? No. Is it a damned good one? YES.
The first game ended on a bit of a vague note, leaving many questions unanswered. What did the government want with Ethan? Where was SKX's body? Where was Vanhorn? Who the fuck was that guy with the Tonfas? Rest assured, these question and others are answered before the end of Bloodshot, which tries to focus the story more and tie up the loose ends. However, at the end of the day, the story is a little limp at times. Perhaps there were just too many loose ends, perhaps someone had a really bad idea, perhaps the crew needed to excuse an awesome gameplay idea. (MAGICMAN, I'M LOOKING AT YOU, FUCKER.) In any case, it's just a bit weak.
The combat & forensics, on the other hand, have received the best overhaul I've seen in a sequel. Fist combat, combos, reaction based finishing moves, a varied arsenal, and reloads of sorts have all been added. My only real complaint is some levels tend to be all about the firearms, but it's still a fun experience. And the forensics no longer hold your hand, whispering you'll be fine with the damn training wheels. Instead, the game requires uncanny knowledge of abstract crime facts, and while this will no doubt annoy many, I LIKED it. Other than that, all the basic mechanics work fine, (Ethan's alcoholism playing into accuracy was a nice touch) the controls work beautifully, (Melee with a gun that has ammo can be slightly tricky) but, much to my dissapointment, the environmental kills aren't very satisfying and feel sort of tacked on.
And oh God, the GRAPHICS. And man, the SOUND DESIGN. This game is as beautiful as it is ugly. Everything looks realistically FILTHY, and I mean that in the best possible way. The textures are nice, the lighting is deserving of praise, and the visual effects, although somewhat overdone, are all appreciate. The sound is top notch, going so far as to alter music during fights to match blow-per-blow against some of the tougher enemies, and when away from that, everything still sounds great.
Sadly, the game shipped with multiplayer, which feels completely unnecessary and tacked-on. The deathmatch modes are a total cluster fuck. The only match type even worth touching is Crime Scene, pitting junkies against the SCU. The goal of the addicts is to prevent the SCU from finding a box with a head in it, which they can do by moving the box at any time or putting down emitters to mess with the SCU's equipment. Still, it's not that hot, and I doubt it'll take off.
1.
Audio - 9.75
I love the voice acting, I love the effects, I love the gunshots, and I love the soundtrack.
2.
Graphics - 9.75
Lighting is great, the models are fantastic, and the textures are GODLY.
3.
Controls - 9
Easy to get used to, with some advanced maneuvers being a little more difficult.
4.
Content - 7
There is bonus content, but it's fairly lacking.
5.
Replayability - 8
FPS mode ensures a few lulz, and it's worth going back a few times for fun.
6.
Multiplayer - 5
The Crime Scene mode is worth checking out, but otherwise, stay away from this HIGHLY UNNECESSARY addition.
7.
Story - 7.5
The story kind of stumbles and hits it's head towards the end, but it's still a great tale.
8.
Innovation - 8
There has been one before, but this has built on it in so
many ways.
9.
Getting Into It - 10
This game is a professional at sucking you in.
10.
Game Length - 7
Right in between long & short.
OVERALL SCORE
8 out of
10
Final Comment
An amazing game I'm rating even higher in my head, (Yes, I have review scores in my head) that I suggest you all play.
And yeah, I've most likely over rated it to all Hell.
THAT FUCKING CULT!
Captain Scrambles
