Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Encyclopedia
Condemned 2: Bloodshot is a psychological horror
first-person shooter
video game, developed by Monolith Productions
and published by Sega
for the PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
. Condemned 2 was released on March 11, 2008, in North America
, on the Xbox 360 on March 27, 2008, in Australia
and later on April 4, 2008, on PlayStation 3, and April 4, 2008, in Europe
for both platforms. It is the sequel to the 2005
game Condemned: Criminal Origins
. A demo is currently available on the PlayStation Store
and Xbox Live Marketplace
. Due to its violent content, the game was indexed in Germany
by the BPjM in April 2008 and subsequently banned in October 2008.
Greg Grunberg
does not reprise his role as Ethan in Condemned 2. Instead, Ethan is voiced by André Sogliuzzo
.
. The mysterious phenomena causing insane violence and mass psychosis amongst Metro City's homeless population has only gotten worse, with massive riots breaking out across the city. Protagonist Ethan Thomas, having resigned from the FBI's Serial Crime Unit after the events of the Serial Killer X investigation, has been caught in a downward spiral and now finds himself homeless, violent, and an alcoholic. He still suffers from paranormal visions, and his alcoholism even manifests as an antagonistic alter-ego that taunts him during his hallucinations.
Under the orders of Director Farrell, Ethan is recruited back into the SCU to investigate the murder of his one-time mentor Malcolm Vanhorn. He is aided by his old partner Rosa and commanded by the hostile and antagonistic Agent Dorland, SCU's tactical commander. Over the course of Ethan's investigation, he discovers that his arch-nemesis Serial Killer X is still alive, having been nursed back to health by his uncle Malcolm Vanhorn after being shot in the head at the end of the original Condemned. Serial Killer X killed Malcolm Vanhorn, as well as Metro City's Mayor Rachel Mars, and eventually kidnaps Director Farrell.
Ethan and Rosa also discover the source of all the city's troubles is a secret organization known as "the Oro", the cult hinted at in the first Condemned, whose members use painful metal implants to develop psionic powers that allow them to influence and control the rest of humanity. Rosa theorizes that they are the source of all humanity's crimes, wars, and hatred.
Serial Killer X, having learned about the Oro, now wants to harness their psionic ability, and is currently killing and dissecting Oro members to obtain this ability. The Oro are much more powerful than previously thought; their members include many high-ranking members of society, including Mayor Mars, Director Farrell, and Agent Dorland. The Oro also control the SCU, and Dorland and his tactical teams attempt to kill Ethan when he discovers their secret. Ethan fights back with the help of Rosa and SCU Agent Pierce LeRue, and even Serial Killer X, who saves Ethan from the SCU, calling it "a future investment".
Malcolm Vanhorn, who has spent his life battling the Oro, leaves Ethan a videotaped message revealing the final truth; Ethan's parents were Oro members who defected from the organization and were killed for it. Ethan himself is "the Remedy", a long-prophesied being possessing "perfectly evolved" vocal cords capable of generating the Oro's sonic power without the metal implants the Oro use. Ethan's ability is more powerful than the Oros, capable of destroying flesh and bone. The Remedy is destined to be "the voice opposing that of the Oro". As a result, Agent Dorland and the Oro want Ethan dead. Director Farrell, part of a splinter faction of Oro that wants to recruit rather than destroy Ethan, sacrifices his life to unlock Ethan's sonic powers after the two of them are cornered by Agent Dorland.
Ethan proceeds to the Peninsula, an artificial landmass where the Oro have a secret base from where they monitor and control the entire city. Using his newfound sonic powers, Ethan defeats the Oro members, destroys the Oro machinery allowing them to control the city, then battles Dorland in a sonic duel within the collapsing Peninsula. Defeated, Dorland informs Ethan that the Oro's motives are "To create hostility, The unwavering desire to fight. To unknowingly become... our protectors." Ethan asks what they are protecting against, receiving no reply. Ethan tells Dorland he is nothing more than a puppet, and the former commander is flung to his death. Ethan escapes in a helicopter along with Rosa and LeRue, declining LeRue's offer of a drink and falling asleep. Meanwhile, the President of the United States
suffers an apparent heart attack after receiving the message "The Remedy is among us!", suggesting that the President was a member of the Oro. Finally, strongly suggesting a sequel, Serial Killer X is shown receiving Oro metal implants in his mouth, similar in appearance to the those of the "final boss" Oro member Ethan fought and killed at the end of the first Condemned.
elements in the forensic investigation of crime scenes.
Unlike the original Condemned, Condemned 2 allows for hand-to-hand combat with the player's bare fists, with the left and right triggers controlling the player character's left and right fist respectively. Additionally, the player is now able to chain together attack combos, as well as perform various finishing moves executed via quick time events
. The game also features context-sensitive
"environmental kills" (such as shoving an enemy's head into a TV or a spiked wall).
Like the original Condemned, Condemned 2 also features melee weapons and firearms. However, melee weapons now break after several strikes or blocks, forcing the player to be adept at resorting to the new hand-to-hand combat system. As in the original game, firearms are limited to the bullets in the current magazine, as the player is unable to carry additional ammo (although they can reload their current magazine by picking up spare ammo lying on the ground). An additional twist to the firearms combat is Ethan's alcoholism, which causes his aim to become blurry and unsteady unless he regularly drinks alcohol. Firearms combat is more prevalent in Condemned 2 than in the original game, with a few levels focused on firefights with assault rifle
wielding enemies.
Condemned 2 also features more in-depth forensic investigation gameplay. Players are able to investigate and catalog different elements of a crime scene, and make statements about the nature of the crime. Correctly guessing the nature of the crime earns the player a better ranking, which can lead to upgrades such as brass knuckles or body armor.
Condemned 2 also features several "Instant Action" maps, which are action-based levels independent of the game's plot.
Condemned 2 contains new powers for Ethan to use. Ethan's "instinct" powers are all but completely scrapped in this episode, however some useful combat abilities come into play. By building up a combo meter, Ethan can perform powerful "Chain Combos" that begin a short sequence requiring well-timed or rapidly placed button presses in order to deal massive damage. Later in the game, Ethan gains the power of the "Voice". This power allows him to produce a powerful shockwave from his mouth that can blast open doors, explode enemy heads, and destroy Oro "headpieces".
gave the PlayStation 3
version 82.90% and 82/100, and the Xbox 360
version 80.98% and 80/100. The April edition of Official Xbox Magazine
review of Condemned 2 gave it an 8/10, praising the areas of atmosphere, graphics and sound for the game, and found it to be improved in almost all aspects over the original. The review did, however, find the ending to be weak and one of its major downsides.
The three reviewers in Electronic Gaming Monthly gave Condemned 2 an A-, B+, and B. They praised the atmosphere and improved combat system, but were not satisfied with the "laggy, unnecessary feel" of the game's multiplayer component.
Official PlayStation Magazine (Australia)
gave Condemned 2 the Silver Award, with a score of 9/10. The magazine commented that the only minor problem was that the controls felt occasionally cumbersome.
Edge Magazine gave Condemned 2 a 5/10, stating that it had lost the first game's tight storyline in favor of a deranged psychotic bloodbath, in which guns and gore "occur anywhere and everywhere to ever-decreasing effect" and had taken precedence over the tension and fear factors which the magazine had enjoyed in the previous title. In a caption the review expresses surprise that "you can [...] make enemy heads explode by shouting at them" and noted that they did not expect that "the ABC Warriors
would appear in the game's final act, and that you'd take them down with a sonic crossbow and giant magnet."
Psychological horror
Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror fiction that relies on character fears, guilt, beliefs, eerie sound effects, relevant music and emotional instability to build tension and further the plot...
first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
video game, developed by Monolith Productions
Monolith Productions
Monolith Productions is a Kirkland, Washington-based computer game developer. Monolith is also known for the development of the graphical game engine Lithtech, which has been used for most of their games...
and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. Condemned 2 was released on March 11, 2008, in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, on the Xbox 360 on March 27, 2008, in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and later on April 4, 2008, on PlayStation 3, and April 4, 2008, in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for both platforms. It is the sequel to the 2005
2005 in video gaming
-Events:*March 6 — The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within video game controversy. This segment of 60 Minutes has been criticized by video game players for encouraging video game censorship....
game Condemned: Criminal Origins
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Condemned: Criminal Origins is a psychological horror first-person shooter video game, developed by Monolith Productions and published by Sega. It was launched worldwide in 2005 on the Xbox 360, with a Microsoft Windows version released later in 2006...
. A demo is currently available on the PlayStation Store
PlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store is an online virtual market available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The Store offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free of charge. Available content includes full games,...
and Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
. Due to its violent content, the game was indexed in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
by the BPjM in April 2008 and subsequently banned in October 2008.
Greg Grunberg
Greg Grunberg
Gregory Phillip "Greg" Grunberg is an American television actor. He is best known from starring as Matt Parkman on the NBC television series Heroes. Other notable roles included the characters Sean Blumberg on Felicity and Eric Weiss on Alias , both created and produced by childhood friend J. J...
does not reprise his role as Ethan in Condemned 2. Instead, Ethan is voiced by André Sogliuzzo
André Sogliuzzo
André Sogliuzzo is an Italian-American voice actor, comedian, and actor.-Animated roles:* American Dad! – Dill* Avatar: The Last Airbender – King Bumi, Hakoda, Haru* The Batman – Duncan* Brandy & Mr...
.
Plot
Condemned 2: Bloodshot takes place eleven months after the events of the first CondemnedCondemned: Criminal Origins
Condemned: Criminal Origins is a psychological horror first-person shooter video game, developed by Monolith Productions and published by Sega. It was launched worldwide in 2005 on the Xbox 360, with a Microsoft Windows version released later in 2006...
. The mysterious phenomena causing insane violence and mass psychosis amongst Metro City's homeless population has only gotten worse, with massive riots breaking out across the city. Protagonist Ethan Thomas, having resigned from the FBI's Serial Crime Unit after the events of the Serial Killer X investigation, has been caught in a downward spiral and now finds himself homeless, violent, and an alcoholic. He still suffers from paranormal visions, and his alcoholism even manifests as an antagonistic alter-ego that taunts him during his hallucinations.
Under the orders of Director Farrell, Ethan is recruited back into the SCU to investigate the murder of his one-time mentor Malcolm Vanhorn. He is aided by his old partner Rosa and commanded by the hostile and antagonistic Agent Dorland, SCU's tactical commander. Over the course of Ethan's investigation, he discovers that his arch-nemesis Serial Killer X is still alive, having been nursed back to health by his uncle Malcolm Vanhorn after being shot in the head at the end of the original Condemned. Serial Killer X killed Malcolm Vanhorn, as well as Metro City's Mayor Rachel Mars, and eventually kidnaps Director Farrell.
Ethan and Rosa also discover the source of all the city's troubles is a secret organization known as "the Oro", the cult hinted at in the first Condemned, whose members use painful metal implants to develop psionic powers that allow them to influence and control the rest of humanity. Rosa theorizes that they are the source of all humanity's crimes, wars, and hatred.
Serial Killer X, having learned about the Oro, now wants to harness their psionic ability, and is currently killing and dissecting Oro members to obtain this ability. The Oro are much more powerful than previously thought; their members include many high-ranking members of society, including Mayor Mars, Director Farrell, and Agent Dorland. The Oro also control the SCU, and Dorland and his tactical teams attempt to kill Ethan when he discovers their secret. Ethan fights back with the help of Rosa and SCU Agent Pierce LeRue, and even Serial Killer X, who saves Ethan from the SCU, calling it "a future investment".
Malcolm Vanhorn, who has spent his life battling the Oro, leaves Ethan a videotaped message revealing the final truth; Ethan's parents were Oro members who defected from the organization and were killed for it. Ethan himself is "the Remedy", a long-prophesied being possessing "perfectly evolved" vocal cords capable of generating the Oro's sonic power without the metal implants the Oro use. Ethan's ability is more powerful than the Oros, capable of destroying flesh and bone. The Remedy is destined to be "the voice opposing that of the Oro". As a result, Agent Dorland and the Oro want Ethan dead. Director Farrell, part of a splinter faction of Oro that wants to recruit rather than destroy Ethan, sacrifices his life to unlock Ethan's sonic powers after the two of them are cornered by Agent Dorland.
Ethan proceeds to the Peninsula, an artificial landmass where the Oro have a secret base from where they monitor and control the entire city. Using his newfound sonic powers, Ethan defeats the Oro members, destroys the Oro machinery allowing them to control the city, then battles Dorland in a sonic duel within the collapsing Peninsula. Defeated, Dorland informs Ethan that the Oro's motives are "To create hostility, The unwavering desire to fight. To unknowingly become... our protectors." Ethan asks what they are protecting against, receiving no reply. Ethan tells Dorland he is nothing more than a puppet, and the former commander is flung to his death. Ethan escapes in a helicopter along with Rosa and LeRue, declining LeRue's offer of a drink and falling asleep. Meanwhile, the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
suffers an apparent heart attack after receiving the message "The Remedy is among us!", suggesting that the President was a member of the Oro. Finally, strongly suggesting a sequel, Serial Killer X is shown receiving Oro metal implants in his mouth, similar in appearance to the those of the "final boss" Oro member Ethan fought and killed at the end of the first Condemned.
Characters
- Ethan Thomas (André SogliuzzoAndré SogliuzzoAndré Sogliuzzo is an Italian-American voice actor, comedian, and actor.-Animated roles:* American Dad! – Dill* Avatar: The Last Airbender – King Bumi, Hakoda, Haru* The Batman – Duncan* Brandy & Mr...
): A former investigator for the FBI's Serial Crimes Unit. Ethan resigned from the bureau following the events of Condemned: Criminal Origins, eventually spiraling downward into alcoholism and homelessness. As a result, he is a much darker, more violent character than in the first game. It is revealed in Condemned 2 that Ethan's parents were Oro members who were killed by the organization when they defected from it. It is also revealed that Ethan is "The Remedy", the voice that is against the Oro. Due to this, Ethan is able to have more powerful sonic powers than Oro members and does not need metal implants for his natural ability to work.
- Angel Rosa (Angel Parker): A forensics lab specialist, and Ethan Thomas' old partner in the SCU. Rosa is once again assigned to help Ethan in the new Malcolm Vanhorn investigation, and the two of them eventually uncover the Oro conspiracy controlling mankind.
- Agent Pierce LeRue (Phil LamarrPhil LaMarrPhillip "Phil" LaMarr is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. One of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv, he is also known for his small, but memorable role as Marvin in Pulp Fiction...
): An SCU tactical agent assigned to help Thomas in the Malcolm Vanhorn investigation. Unlike Agent Dorland, LeRue expresses concern for Thomas' well-being, and remains loyal to Thomas after Dorland and other SCU troopers are revealed as Oro footsoldiers. His first name was revealed at the end of the game.
- Serial Killer X (Henry DittmanHenry Dittman- History :He has performed on TV shows such as Crossing Jordan, Zoey 101, Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty, General Hospital, Titus, Hang Time and Felicity , as well as being a contributing writer and regular performer on The Chris Wylde Show Starring Chris Wylde on Comedy Central.Dittman has...
): Leland Vanhorn, the killer of serial killers. Ethan Thomas' nemesis from the original Condemned. SKX survived the gunshot to the face he suffered in the ending of the original Condemned, and was secretly nursed back to health by his uncle Malcolm Vanhorn. Upon learning of the Oro, SKX decided to "seek redemption through their power". He killed his uncle when he got in the way, and began killing and dissecting Oro members to "see how they work". In the final cutscene after the credits, SKX is seen with other Oro members, as they insert metal implants into his mouth.
- Agent Dorland (Dave B. MitchellDave B. MitchellDave B. Mitchell is an American voiceover actor and musician. Since beginning his professional voiceover career in 1997, his voice has appeared in hundreds of projects in film, television, animation, video games, audio books, and on the internet...
): SCU's tactical commander, and Director Farrell's right-hand man, Agent Dorland is hostile and antagonistic towards Ethan from the very beginning of Condemned 2. He is eventually revealed as an Oro member, after attempting to kill Ethan. At the end of the game, Ethan defeats him in a sonic battle and sends him plummeting to his death.
- Director Farrell (Paul EidingPaul EidingPaul Eiding is an American voice actor, voice instructor, and actor, perhaps best known as the voice actor behind Perceptor in the original Transformers cartoon, Roy Campbell in the Metal Gear series, the narrator in Diablo, Judicator Aldaris in StarCraft, and Max Tennyson in Ben 10, Ben 10: Alien...
): The Director of the FBI's Serial Crimes Unit, and Ethan's former mentor and boss. After being kidnapped by Serial Killer X, Farrell is revealed as a member of the Oro. Unlike other Oro such as Agent Dorland, Farrell has been protecting Ethan, hoping to recruit him to the Oro cause. Farrell is eventually captured by Agent Dorland, who attempts to force him to fight Ethan. Farrell instead sacrifices his own life to unlock Ethan's special sonic powers. The sign outside of his office states his first name is "Ike".
- Inferi (Keith SzarabajkaKeith SzarabajkaKeith Szarabajka is an American actor and voice artist.-Early life:Szarabajka was born in Oak Park, Illinois, the son of Anne, a school teacher, and Edward Szarabajka, a savings and loan officer....
): A thug with Oro metal implants who confronts and antagonizes Ethan in the game's first few levels by beating Ethan's head with a brick. Inferi fights Ethan and is killed by him at the end of the game's third level, the Commuter Tracks. His title is intended to lend a certain European religious ministerial slant to the character, the name its self is actually the Romanised title for the Greek Hades.
- Magic Man (Michael Bell): A former Oro member with a stage magician-themed appearance who escaped from the organization and is currently hiding in an abandoned theater. Ethan finds him on a list of SKX's intended victims, and tracks him down to interrogate him about the Oro. Ethan and the Magic Man fight each other, and Ethan tricks him into falling upon a bed of spikes. Ethan then questions him about the Oro, pushing him further into the spikes when he refuses to cooperate. Magic Man appears to be killed by Ethan's interrogation, but his body suddenly disappears and leaves a parting message for Ethan as he leaves the theater. The Magic Man character (and much of his featuring chapter of the game) appear to have been inspired by Montag the Magnificent from the exploitation film The Wizard of GoreThe Wizard of GoreThe Wizard of Gore is a 1970 film directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis. It stars Ray Sager and Judy Cler. According to crew member Daniel Krogh in his book The Amazing Herschell Gordon Lewis , the film was shot in Chicago, Illinois and a number of surrounding suburbs during the early summer of...
.
- The Alcohol Demon (André SogliuzzoAndré SogliuzzoAndré Sogliuzzo is an Italian-American voice actor, comedian, and actor.-Animated roles:* American Dad! – Dill* Avatar: The Last Airbender – King Bumi, Hakoda, Haru* The Batman – Duncan* Brandy & Mr...
): A hallucinatory alter-ego of Ethan's with a mask-like face, the "dark side" of Ethan's personality and the manifestation of his alcoholism. Ethan eventually defeats this alcohol demon in a fight, allowing him to overcome his alcoholism. However, the demon returns in the opening cutscene of the final level to support Ethan, saying "I represent all of your demons, Ethan. Alcohol was just one of them." He helps Ethan accept who and what he is and to ultimately see what purpose lies before him.
- The Oro: Oro is short for "Oro Invictus", which means "Invincible Voice". This organization has supposedly been around for three thousand years. The root of the Oro's plan revolves around a tradition known as "sonic generation", which is the ability to produce complex sounds that project out through, not just the mouth, but the entire body. Their ability to produce these sonic tones is said to work by having an enlarged, hollow sternumSternumThe sternum or breastbone is a long flat bony plate shaped like a capital "T" located anteriorly to the heart in the center of the thorax...
and higher than normal bone densityBone densityBone density is a medical term normally referring to the amount of mineral matter per square centimeter of bones. Bone density is used in clinical medicine as an indirect indicator of osteoporosis and fracture risk.This medical bone density is not the true physical "density" of the bone, which...
. Unique vocal cords can create, when trained, complex sounds that reverberate through the sternum and chest cavity like a finely tuned instrument. Various metal apparatuses surgically implanted into the bone and skin can amplify this effect. People subjected to these sounds experience acute bouts of paranoia, which is followed by hallucinatory episodes that slip quickly into psychosisPsychosisPsychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
and other forms of uncontrolled violent behavior. People with natural tendencies to be violent become even more so when exposed to these sonic emissions. These sonic abilities also have a negative effect on the Oro. Newborns exposed to the ability are mindless, deformed, and born without arms and sight, and because of these deformities they are used as watch dogGuard dogA guard dog, an attack dog or watch dog is a dog used to guard against, and watch for, unwanted or unexpected people or animals. The dog is discriminating so that it does not annoy or attack familiar people.-Barking:...
s.
Single-player
Similar to the original Condemned: Criminal Origins, Condemned 2: Bloodshot is a first-person action game focused on melee-oriented combat. The game features bare-fisted hand-to-hand combat, combat with melee weapons, and first person shooting. The game also has adventure gameAdventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
elements in the forensic investigation of crime scenes.
Unlike the original Condemned, Condemned 2 allows for hand-to-hand combat with the player's bare fists, with the left and right triggers controlling the player character's left and right fist respectively. Additionally, the player is now able to chain together attack combos, as well as perform various finishing moves executed via quick time events
Quick Time Event
In video games, a Quick Time Event is a method of context-sensitive gameplay in which the player performs actions on the control device shortly after the appearance of an on-screen prompt. It allows for limited control of the game character during cut scenes or cinematic sequences in the game...
. The game also features context-sensitive
Context sensitive user interface
A context sensitive user interface is one which can automatically choose from a multiplicity of options based on the current or previous state of the program operation.Context sensitivity is almost ubiquitous in current graphical user interfaces, and should, when operating correctly, be practically...
"environmental kills" (such as shoving an enemy's head into a TV or a spiked wall).
Like the original Condemned, Condemned 2 also features melee weapons and firearms. However, melee weapons now break after several strikes or blocks, forcing the player to be adept at resorting to the new hand-to-hand combat system. As in the original game, firearms are limited to the bullets in the current magazine, as the player is unable to carry additional ammo (although they can reload their current magazine by picking up spare ammo lying on the ground). An additional twist to the firearms combat is Ethan's alcoholism, which causes his aim to become blurry and unsteady unless he regularly drinks alcohol. Firearms combat is more prevalent in Condemned 2 than in the original game, with a few levels focused on firefights with assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
wielding enemies.
Condemned 2 also features more in-depth forensic investigation gameplay. Players are able to investigate and catalog different elements of a crime scene, and make statements about the nature of the crime. Correctly guessing the nature of the crime earns the player a better ranking, which can lead to upgrades such as brass knuckles or body armor.
Condemned 2 also features several "Instant Action" maps, which are action-based levels independent of the game's plot.
Condemned 2 contains new powers for Ethan to use. Ethan's "instinct" powers are all but completely scrapped in this episode, however some useful combat abilities come into play. By building up a combo meter, Ethan can perform powerful "Chain Combos" that begin a short sequence requiring well-timed or rapidly placed button presses in order to deal massive damage. Later in the game, Ethan gains the power of the "Voice". This power allows him to produce a powerful shockwave from his mouth that can blast open doors, explode enemy heads, and destroy Oro "headpieces".
Multiplayer
Unlike the original Condemned, Condemned 2 features multiplayer gameplay. There are 9 maps in total depending on the game mode being played. The game supports 8 players online and features four multiplayer modes:- Deathmatch – the player to reach the kill limit or the player with the most kills at the end of the time limit wins.
- Team Deathmatch – two teams of multiple players compete for the most kills.
- Bum Rush – a time based game of SCU Agents versus Influenced bums. The SCU cannot respawn but get to use guns, have a lot more health and kill with one shot or melee, and must last as long as possible against the bums.
- Crime Scenes – another gametype putting the SCU agents against the Influenced. The Influenced must hide two cases of evidence, while the SCU agents must use their equipment to find and scan the evidence before time runs out.
Reception
Condemned 2: Bloodshot received mostly positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gave the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
version 82.90% and 82/100, and the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
version 80.98% and 80/100. The April edition of Official Xbox Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine is a monthly video game magazine which started in November 2001 around the launch of the original Xbox. A preview issue was released for E3 2001, with another preview issue for November 2001. The magazine is bundled with a disc that includes game demos, preview videos and...
review of Condemned 2 gave it an 8/10, praising the areas of atmosphere, graphics and sound for the game, and found it to be improved in almost all aspects over the original. The review did, however, find the ending to be weak and one of its major downsides.
The three reviewers in Electronic Gaming Monthly gave Condemned 2 an A-, B+, and B. They praised the atmosphere and improved combat system, but were not satisfied with the "laggy, unnecessary feel" of the game's multiplayer component.
Official PlayStation Magazine (Australia)
Official PlayStation Magazine (Australia)
Official PlayStation Magazine is a magazine published by Media Factory Pty. Ltd. The magazine was previously called Official PlayStation 2 Magazine but changed its name to coincide with the release of the PlayStation 3...
gave Condemned 2 the Silver Award, with a score of 9/10. The magazine commented that the only minor problem was that the controls felt occasionally cumbersome.
Edge Magazine gave Condemned 2 a 5/10, stating that it had lost the first game's tight storyline in favor of a deranged psychotic bloodbath, in which guns and gore "occur anywhere and everywhere to ever-decreasing effect" and had taken precedence over the tension and fear factors which the magazine had enjoyed in the previous title. In a caption the review expresses surprise that "you can [...] make enemy heads explode by shouting at them" and noted that they did not expect that "the ABC Warriors
ABC Warriors
ABC Warriors is a long-running 2000 AD comic strip written by Pat Mills, which first appeared in prog 119 in 1979 and continues to run today. Art for the opening episodes was by Kevin O'Neill, Mike McMahon, Brett Ewins, and Brendan McCarthy - who between them designed the original seven members of...
would appear in the game's final act, and that you'd take them down with a sonic crossbow and giant magnet."