It’s easy to make gamers happy. A couple pretty explosions, a
half-second nipple shot, a shiny new sword—that’s generally all
it takes to ensure a game will sell half a million copies.
Conversely, it’s extremely difficult to genuinely upset a gamer. Bad
games annoy them, but very few have the emotional impact to actually
make someone uncomfortable or angry. Condemned 2 does just
that—and while you might be unsettled or disgusted by some of the
game’s content (for instance, the bare-knuckle assassination of the
homeless), the ability to influence a player’s emotions is,
nevertheless, a real accomplishment.
The game tells the story of Ethan Thomas, a tormented police officer
forced to unravel a dark mystery through state-of-the-art police work
and blunt force. Like its predecessor, the combat in Condemned 2 walks a fine line between visceral and sickening, and it trumps every
other action game for pure brutality. Bloody violence in games is
cliché, but Condemned‘s combination of bone crunches and
arterial sprays—the results of your actions as you beat the
game’s denizens to death with your bare hands—elevates it to a
level of violence usually reserved for snuff films. The violence is
rarely glorified or without consequence, but it’s still shocking,
especially if you’re new to the series.
Thankfully, the emotional impact of the game is complemented by
solid gameplay. The finicky controls of the original have been greatly
improved, the CSI-inspired forensic evidence gathering has been
expanded, and the graphics have been overhauled. Some might take issue
with the sequel’s brighter climes, but for those who spent hours
squinting into the darkness of the first Condemned, it’s a
welcome change.
Condemned 2 doesn’t have a whole host of additional content
to keep you coming back after you’ve completed the game’s story, and it
doesn’t have a poignant moral lesson—but, like a classic horror
film, it entertains and terrifies throughout its 15-hour runtime. If
you’ve got a strong stomach, you’ll dig it.