Condemned: Final Thought

Oh man has it been a while.  Sorry for the... very few readers that read this blog. Uh... yeah.  I've been busy with work and school and my other blogs.  I haven't had much time to play video games.

Anyways, here's the rundown for Condemned.

Pros:

• If you like this type of genre (psychological thriller/horror), then you'll love this game.  I know there are very few of these games that are done well, but this one ALMOST manages to pull it off.  But I'll get to why its a near-miss in the cons.
• The story line doesn't really disappoint.  It can be a bit confusing at first, and maybe I'm giving it more credit then what's due to it, but I was generally enthralled in the storyline since I couldn't remember it.
• The fighting system was very well done.  It might seem a bit clunky compared to today's games, but I enjoy the block and hit fighting style that this game uses.
• The mood and ambiance are really well done.  I usually play this game in the dark and I'm usually pretty scared by it.

Cons:

• As usual, I've very picky about games, and so this cons list might seem a bit... long.  First thing's first: acting.  This is where a lot of older games fail.... the horrible voice acting is a bit of a pain to listen to.  The second cut scene in the game is like someone scraping their fingernails on a chalkboard for me.  I hate that cut scene with a passion...  Also, the woman you talk to on your phone has almost NO passion in her voice... at all.  Let me stop talking about the voice acting before my blood pressure goes up to high.
• Repetitiveness.  The fights get a bit repetitive after a while... hit, block, taser, hit, block. Or, shoot, shoot, out of bullets, hit, block, hit.  It truly does get annoying.
• Gorefest.  Near the end of the game, guns become a bit TOO abundant.  I blasted through the last level up until the final boss.  That bitch was a ... bitch to beat.  However, when compared to Condemned 2, this "gore fest" is nothing; but that's for another review.

All in all, I'd have to say: if you can buy this game for cheap, GET IT.  Don't hesitate.  9/10.

Condemned: Criminal Origins

To compliment the childish gameplay of Viva Pinata, the next game I'm going to look back on is Condemned: Criminal Origins.  I remember when I first got this game three years ago, I played it about three times in a row -- in short, I loved this game.  Let's see how I feel about the game after about a year of not playing it.  Will it be worth the money?



I'm pretty confident it would be well worth the purchase since it's only $16 NEW.  Used, you can find it for as cheap as $3.

Here's the run down of the game:  You play as a detective investigating a series of murders.  You'll soon find yourself pitted against violent, unpredictable criminals with -- if you're lucky -- a gun or -- if you're unlucky -- a crowbar, a 2x4, or anything else you can find.  You'll also get to use forensic tools during the game.

Thus begins my journey into this terrifying psychological thriller.