Review – Condemned 2: Bloodshot (PS3)
- Ethan Cole
| Highlights: | Detractors: |
|
|
RUNDOWN
Play as Ex-SCU Agent Ethan Thomas; now with more refined investigative prowess and combat ability – with a few psychotic episodes and a drinking problem.
STORY
Continuing the story from Condemned: Criminal Origins; a few more mysteries are brought to light – but in the end almost everything is explained, albeit unsatisfactorily.
A disappointing loss in this title is the stray from law enforcement, despite the characters sounding like generic staples of an agency. Further, it falls prey to the sequel cliché-bug in which the main character is pissed off and downtrodden with an affinity for swearing. Given the events leading up to this incident it’s fairly warranted, however some personality is needed.
Ethan Thomas; effectively drunk and derelict as the hobos he bashed up in the first Condemned. If it wasn’t enough being haunted by personal demons; there are people and things trying to kill him (but not before fucking with him a little).
The element of Thomas’ psychosis is a nice touch (initially) though could have benefited from being played up more in regards to gameplay; as it was fairly predictable in so far as not being the villain – as evidenced from the first few encounters – and ends up being a rather generic attribute rather than a thorough haunting element that plays into the story. Unless it was supposed to be some sort of red herring… Although there are some excellent hallucination launched missions which play well as levels; almost hinting at more of a story, but doesn’t quite delve into the depths of his mind. There was a sign of promise and potential.
Despite being an Ex-SCU Agent, Thomas still has Rosa to count on – pretty much still just an information machine spouting exposition when needed, though this time she’s put at risk a few more times, though not quite to the suggestive danger of the first title, which is stranger given her makeover.
Typical of all pawns Thomas is part of the greater shit-storm, thus wouldn’t be dismissed so easily; drawn back into the game by higher powers. Thankfully there isn’t any retcon bullshit evident here. Pretty much everything is straight up – falling into place all tidy-like. Among the mysteries explained – a clear reason for the dead birds from the first game; and too the metal pieces.
The sonic-induced violence is explained and integrated loosely into gameplay, being optional objectives that don’t have much bearing on missions outside of getting a gold ranking. Why the destruction of these devices doesn’t have an effect on the enemy’s number or behavior is the real mystery. Furthermore, whilst the cyberpunkish Tetsuo: The Iron Man hybridization elements are warranted it almost doesn’t go far enough into the realm of sociopathic perversion of something grimmer and grittier, especially considering the almost pseudo-social commentary in regards to electronic surveillance (Big Brother).
As far as the greater mystery is concerned it’s almost a parody of conspiratorial threads; paralleling the typical conspiracy theory of some ‘secret’ global elite society that views themselves guardians of the world trying to enslave and reduce the world’s population by a certain percentage – the twist here is that it’s not through eugenics. Whilst the premise of such concepts aren’t necessarily ridiculous (enough to fuel 8 seasons of the X-Files) it only seems as such due to the problem with these reveals surpassing the plausibility of the established reality – effectively coming off hokey and absurd, particularly when coupled with some wacky theatricals. Suspension of disbelief is definitely stretched.
The primary flaw is a direct result of the execution – the undesirable byproduct of weak characterization and a lack of vindication in regards to the information they’re delivering – regardless of how plausible it may be. Further, it lacks that certain gritty edge that could have elevated it to something greater. Then again, considering the target demographic; the majority of console gamers – and an primary focus of hobo-bashing, it’s not wholly surprising.
Spiraling in towards the latter stages the game falls heavily into sci-fi, which wouldn’t necessarily be an issue where it not for the overreaching similarities to F.E.A.R. It’s almost if there was some incestuous spillage and intermingling of the F.E.A.R. dev team or some committee-driven-bastardization geared to rack up interest in the lesser title.
PRESENTATION/GRAPHICS
The menus this time seem more comic-booky, but whilst integration of blood splatters look nice the comic-looking avatar of the person you’re in communication with is a bit peculiar given the general feel of the game, but fits in with the general menu presentation.
This time around the forensic investigation system is superior – not clunky; using a dialog tree style of possibilities, it’s a great system; effectively streamlined and intuitive; near perfect; without being obtrusive or restricting pace, and in some sections, entirely optional. No longer are the clunky tools whipped out at the hit of a button. Now 4 choices of devices are available each with its distinct purpose; the tools of the trade: a newer camera, the spectrometer, GPS, UV light and the trusty PDA providing a visual link back to Rosa at SCU HQ. These briefings are prone to audio/visual sync issues, but whether this was intentional of the design; communicating latency or a bug is uncertain, as it occurs in all instances. Only is it troublesome in regards to a few instances when clue-related information is being divulged.
It would have been nice if the objectives menu was set to toggle – as opposed to having to hold down the SELECT button. But it’s not too much of an issue since progress is fairly linear, with the key locations identified through the new GPS feature.
Some subtle elements from the first title were lost, minor things that added extra immersion such as Thomas’ fingers typing on a keyboard – it’s not here. Maybe it was too hard to animated cloth-bound hands and brass knuckles. However his kicks are in this title are superior: more plausible and better animated – as is the camera’s relation to his body.
For the most part, all the enemies move the same, specifically: the regular human hobos/nut-jobs and guards. A difference in the behavior of museum guards would have been welcome. Although it is a nice touch that you don’t have to kill them, albeit an annoyance trying to do so given the new automated rage attacks – no where near as satisfying as the original finishers (even the somewhat weak ‘head slam’).
Whilst the graphics are a step up from the previous title – higher poly-count with better models and filters – some of the graphics seem rather dated with jaggies and weak geometry – particularly the city back drops replete with tearing and pixilation. However, the blood smears and splatters look fantastic as ever. Even with these anomalies there’s lots of slow down in a number of areas where many effects, filters or larger elements are concerned. The worst (and simultaneously most unforgivable) instances are when the slimy-X-Files looking monsters appear/attack/splatter – the slowdown hinders gameplay.
The level designs too are inconsistent despite the great portrayal of bleak and derelict locations – the washed out color can result in some dreary looking locations, which isn’t a good thing in the event of weak gameplay sections and the performing of monotonous tasks. Furthermore Condemned 2 isn’t overly oppressive or all that creepy despite some potential established in the early portion of the game. Some semi-mindfuckery is evident in a few sections; featuring some cool filters and grain effects, but only ends up so-so.
Perhaps one of the most disappointing levels was the ‘Mr. Magic’ one – short and not quite as eventful as it could have been, especially given the obvious theme of illusion. The latter levels then devolve into something that one might expect from F.E.A.R. as opposed to a condemned title.
GAMEPLAY
The controls will take some getting used to, with Thomas’ somewhat slow response time. In this incarnation; L1 – left fist, R1 – right fist, L1+R1 – block, as opposed to the previous title’s single attack button. Kick – press down on the right analog stick, and Thomas can bum-rush with a sprint (L2) – which propels you forth automatically without having to press forward on the left analog stick. When guns are concerned this new mapping can be a bit odd, given the standard familiarity with L1 – aim, and R1 – shoot, switching back to melee can take some time to acclimatize to the L1/R1 mapped to each fist. More irritating is weapons can’t be flipped (like previously) into a melee weapon – can ‘pistol-whip’ generic FPS melee hit.
Guns are fairly stupid due to their sloppiness and how overpowered the player becomes. It’s too quick to kill with some weapons, at times one-hit-kills, which is only acceptable for headshots (which look great, nothing like heads exploding like watermelon’s). Additionally the AI is too stupid for a shooter, mostly running about back and forth, whilst this makes sense for the bums/junkies, not so with the agents who are the primary enemy in the shooting sections. If you get up close and personal: they’re fucked, so throwing a spent gun into their face then pummeling them to a pulp is an option – provided you’re not being gangbanged by bullets from a distance.
A nice assortment of melee weapons available; such as a steel baseball bat (most satisfactory), toilet seats and crutches – there’s a certain satisfaction to be gained from bashing an enemies head in with a toilet seat (whether it be a friend online or the AI). The menu indicates a fair degree of combos available, but given how much blocking is required to perform them it’s almost weird there was no counter-attack available – sticking mostly to blocking and parrying.
Admittedly it is fun fighting w/ long sword (now now Magnus) - but the biggest problems w/ this game begin when it strays from bum-brawling. The game conjures up some similarity to Call of the Cuthulhu - though probably unintentional; mainly as a result of the whole medieval thing and no HUD. It would probably be more interesting if a Tetsuo-styled Cuthulhu showed up.
Upgrades are unlocked after each level – ranked bronze, silver or gold based upon your performance; essentially determining the effectiveness of the upgrade, it affects the gameplay to a certain extent, but not the point mission completion is hindered. A lot of the upgrades don’t amount to too much depending on your play style. No customization is really required of a title such as this so the fact they’re unlocked according to story-relevance is fine. The stun-gun is now an ‘upgrade’, as is the ability to holster a weapon which is sort of useful. Sneaking boots also makes it even easier to stalk enemies now, even though the flashlight whether on or of doesn’t do much in the way of alerting them.
A new element to the series is an aerial adjustment mini-game to receive a clearer signal for TV or Radio transmissions – a well implemented device from a design standpoint. The only disappointment is that you don’t get to beat the shit out of the news anchors given they’re both appropriately pretentious.
The coolest additions to the enemy list are the black-slime-monsters and the sonic-distortion-headed creatures (yeah… I can’t recall the names, just be glad I didn’t type “annoying donkey-punch-prick: type#1 as a description). Unfortunately the former is marred by a massive drop in frame-rate, and given they’re black, you cant really see them – so they might as well be ‘annoying donkey-punch-circle-jerking pricks… (that may or may not make felching noises). There are a few sections that come off cheap in terms of attacks – surprise “peek-a-boo” ‘horror’ moments are one thing, but taking damage due to a gameplay limitation is not. More often than not it would equate to frustration, rather than impeding doom or suspense. A majority of the suspense found in this game comes from something that seems almost trivial – effectively “Run for your life” sections.
The toy factory was fairly fun, but it didn’t quite go as far enough with the shock/horror or torment as it could have done. The fact I thought I was Batman fighting an army of bums, psycho clowns and some mark-1 prototype ‘blow-up dolls’ (exploding toy-babies – not the other kind) is irrelevant. Although the princess of the toy factory with her semi-femme-domination garb was odd, though heading in exactly the right direction, particularly with the almost pseudo-erotic elements. More could have been done here.
The worst section of the game: the lodge. You’re tasked with chasing down explosive charges by following a trail of tubes that only illuminate with UV light. Whilst this is nothing new to gaming in terms of mission objectives, a big part of the reason why it’s boring is mostly due the fact the game becomes a shooter… if instead Thomas had to stick with melee combat and a different set of enemies (or even introduce/reveal more plot threads – adding incentive) things might have reached a state of tension… as opposed to utter dull drivel. Thankfully checkpoints are plentiful, almost ridiculously so – which isn’t too bad considering these dull sections.
Adding mileage to the title is Bloodshot Fight Club – no longer is it necessary to replay levels for a few sections of good brawling. There’s some fun to be had here. Practice Arena – custom setup of enemy types (Thugs, Agents, Rioters, Metal Thugs or Mix), how many (1 – 3) enemies attack at a time, type of weaponry available, and the type of thrown weapons available. Given the custom settings here it’s a shame there isn’t a selection of environment (at least two more would have appreciated). The remaining modes offer some challenges - geared towards points (no doubt; achievements, on the 360). Lockdown provides a fair amount of fun; effectively a caged match: survive and kill as many enemies as you can in 5 minutes. The protecting cop’s challenges can be a bit of nuisance given the AI and their movements. As for the Blow Up 100 Blow-up Dolls challenge some bizarre entertainment is provided.
AUDIO
The new voices for characters are passable – suffering more from a fault of a weak script and possibly poor direction. At times it’s almost a contest of who’s got the gruffer gravely voice.
Generally the audio is inconsistent, at times things sound great – particularly the use of silence; excellent from a design perspective – getting the heads up on an enemy hiding with their breathing. At other times loud noises or certain action drowns out dialog (regardless of the Voice – setting in the options menu).
The sound effects too, are a mixed bag; what with the excellent sound of popping open a health kit, audio-dissonance and warped distortion of the sonic-devices coupled with enemy screams it’s a decent package. The guns however could have packed more punch – additionally some of the impacts and punches during the rage attacks; comes off more of an exercise in sound effects rather than the grit of flesh and bone pulp.
Whilst there are some good music cues in cutscenes adding a nuance and subtlety to performances; the soundtrack isn’t quite as prevalent as it was in the first title.
Present on the PS3 sound issues are evident with HDMI, though some instances of crackle and distortion where apparent even with composite output.
WRAP UP
There’s a fair number of things to like about Condemned 2 – unfortunately it’s mostly marred by the cliché-sequel bug and inter-committee decisions; would almost wonder how the game would have turned out were Species-X released before it. Story wise; there’s enough setup here for a decent sequel – provided some greater sci-fi elements are quelled back into the realm of extreme possibility rather than some hokey devices greater than the established universe.
It’s worth picking up as a rental, particularly given the unique and effectively implemented hand-to-hand first person brawling and integrated investigative elements.
Rating: 7.2/10
Cumjackulation Rating: 8.0/10
(ratings explained)