Oh my, two write-ups in one day! I think most who may be interested in it may have already heard of it, but here, let me tell you my take on Condemned: Criminal Origins, which is on sale right now for a week at the price of $3.75.
Condemned: Criminal Origins features a story of a detective who ends up on the run due to strange circumstances. He's after a demented serial killer, and to catch him and clear his name, he must take to the underbelly of the city. However, something strange is going on. Homeless people that have taken to living in abandoned buildings and tunnels are acting needlessly aggressive and violent. But it's more than just than, something darker, more sinister is thriving in the unseen places of this city...
Featuring a rather well-done and satisfying melee-focused combat system (seriously, not exaggerating, it has one of the best melee combat systems in a first-person type of game in my opinion), you'll find yourself exploring 10 different locations through the game, and periodically using some gadgets and gizmos for forensic sciences to try and track your killer. But of course, the best parts of the game aren't the combat or the detective work (though neither are bad!).
The horror element in this game doesn't really fully reveal itself until the later half of the game, which I think is an interesting choice. The atmosphere in this game is fantastic for certain, but things start to get seriously creepy and a bit unpredictable about half-way in. It's interesting as most horror games like to sort of blow their load at the start and then fuel the survival element in the second half of the game with more and more difficult enemies. This game does get harder per say, but its horror element really starts to shine in its second half, and I even think there may be less enemies in the second half of the game as well.
There are some very clever scares here, but honestly most of the horror comes from a really dreary atmosphere the game has, which is particularly strong in three specific locations/chapters in the later half. The story is interesting, though in this titles case I think you'll end off with more questions than answers (which might be for the best, as the sequel shows).
It's not perfect. Most notably, the final chapter and boss are a bit disappointing (a shame as they're promising in concept but just not executed all that well), but the game is definitely worth checking out for any horror enthusiasts out there. Most of the title has excellent execution and atmosphere, and it truly is one of the best horror games to have released in the last 10 years.
