Condemned: Criminal Origins
November 21,2005 - With the advent of new hardware, game companies are given the opportunity to manipulate the newfound technology to created games which simply would not have been impacting in previous console generations. Some developers see this opportunity and grasp it immediately, making games that break away from the conventional forms of gameplay to bring players a new experience. Monolith Productions is a fine example of such a developer. Combining a compelling storyline and unfamiliar gameplay, Condemned: Criminal Origins truly sets itself apart from a number of launch titles which do nothing to actually innovate on previously established game styles.

Streaming Video

Some visually impressive, yet mature, gameplay footage.

You reprise the role of FBI Agent, Ethan Thomas. As a member of the Serial Crimes Unit (SCU) your job is to track down serial killers and bring them to justice. Thomas currently has nine cases open, seven of which have mysteriously gone completely cold. At the opening of the game, you are hot on the trail of the Match Maker, one of the two cases still active. After investigating the latest crime scene left behind by the Match Maker, you search the remainder of the building with two local police officers. During your search, you are taken by surprise, presumably by the Match Maker, who then uses your gun to kill the two officers accompanying you. In the typical thriller fashion, you are believed to have “snapped” under the pressure and killed the two officers. Now the Bureau is tracking you down and you are tasked with clearing your name and if possible, taking down the Match Maker as well. However, not everything is as it seems. Sometimes in the line of duty you have to think like the enemy to capture them. In Agent Thomas’ case, he has no choice.

Condemned is a psychological thriller, along the same lines as Konami’s Silent Hill. However, while you can expect to see mannequins, don’t expect to see them come to life. Although the game is mostly comprised of formal human enemies, amped up on some sort of substance causing them to act abnormally violent, from the halfway point on the game starts crossing the line of reality and hell-on-earth. It’s almost as if Monolith was confused with what kind of game they wanted to make. In the early parts of the game you’re going up against standard drug addicts, vagrants, and sociopaths, albeit viciously belligerent; but later on, you start to encounter odd human-like creatures; one such… thing crawling on all fours with packing tape wrapped around its head. It would have helped if they had have made the enemies follow one theme, or at least made an explanation for the hell-spawn you find in the dank lower subway chapters. By jumping from one form of enemy to another so drastically far from reality, Condemned sacrifices some of its down-to-earth gameplay.

The first thing you notice about Condemned is that it’s presented in first person, which is not typical of psychological thrillers and survival horror games such as Silent Hill and Resident Evil. Condemned can be considered a hybrid to the nth degree; it combines first person action with a somewhat survival horror theme. The first person perspective does an effective job of making the player feel as if they themselves are in mortal danger and that they’re solving this case; instead of Ethan Thomas. When one plays a game in third person, while you feel concern for the character, you’re not injected into the game as done in Condemned.

As an agent, or rather, ex-agent of the FBI, you have various state-of-the-art investigating tools at your disposal. While Condemned is a psychological thriller at heart, it throws CSI-like gameplay into the mix making it even more of a matchless title. Ethan Thomas was a valuable agent within the Bureau because of his exceptional instincts which alerted him to areas which required investigating. When you enter an investigation zone, such as the one left behind by the Match Maker, or when you’re simply searching for clues, you will be prompted to take out one of your three detection tools; UV Light, Laser Light, and Gas Spectrometer. Given the proper lighting environment, the UV Light is capable of illuminating traces of blood. Similar to the UV Light, the Laser Light, when given proper lighting, will illuminate concealed pieces of evidence, such as fingerprints, footprints, and residues. The Gas Spectrometer can be compared to a metal detector, but for foreign fumes in the air. There is a meter that indicates if the player is getting closer to the source of the gaseous substance.

Once you’ve found tracked down what you’re looking for, whether it be a clue, or a dead body, you will be prompted to use one of your three collection tools; Sampler, 3D Scanner, and Digital Camera. Like the detection tools, each one has its own unique purpose. The Sampler analyzes the chemical makeup of a piece of evidence. The 3D Scanner can almost be considered a three dimensional camera. It can capture three dimensional imprints such as footprints and wounds. Finally, the Digital Camera, which is relatively straightforward, allows you to take pictures of evidence. Any evidence you collect is transmitted, via your cell phone, to FBI agent, Lieutenant Rosa, who still believes you are innocent.

Lieutenant Rosa works in the forensics lab and helps you throughout the entire course of the game, piecing together the parts of the puzzle, which leaves the player somewhat bewildered if they will actually be able to connect any of the dots. For the most part, the game is very linear and holds the player’s hand for much of the story, leaving only one string untied at the end.

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