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Sweet game worth the money

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: October 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Well I love suspense, horror and a thrill and plus im a huge fan of pyschological thrillers wether they be novels or movies and Condemned is the first of its kind a pyschological thriller game. So I had to pick it up. I read some good and bad reviews and came to realize that this a fun game with its goods and bads, its very fun and suspensefull and while its not a blow you away game of the year game its still great solid fun and an awsome first attempt to create a Psycholgical thriller game and I hope to see and play many more games in this genre of gaming. Ok the goods of the game are if you computer can handle it (Mine barely managed to slip by) the sound is crisp, clear and amazing, the graphics are intensely awsome down to everything from the levels, to the shadows to the lighting to the textures to the totally controllable environment. On the posatives the mellee combat is awsome and while it gets repetitive after a while its still fun the whole way through and quite a nice change up from using guns so many times. The forensic tools are fun to use and add more depth to the game. The storyline and plot are pretty good not anything Alfred Hitchock or Stephen King could pull off but still very well done Condemned could almost be a novel and deff a movie. Level designs are a little repetative but they change up enough to keep interest (I didnt get half way through Doom 3 because the level design bored me to tears). There really are no bad aspects in this game or glaring holes that need to be taken care its just simply all solid and gameplay and story arent anything spectacular. Graphics A+, Sound A+, Gampeplay B, Combat A-, Story/plot B-. Have fun its worth a buy and decently fun and like I said its a first attempt into a new genre of gaming and they succeeded.

very good game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Considering that I've already played most of the other very good first person shooter games. This one really impressed me considering its age now. I love the game play and the sounds are awesome. Product works great! Thanks very much!

A decent game, but could have been much more

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: October 19, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I played the demo for this game and liked it a lot. It has a very chilling atmosphere, and I liked the serial killer story line. The retail game overall is worth a look if you are into first-person shooters and the horror genre. But after finishing the game (about 10-12 hours), I was left with the impression that Condemned could have been so much more if more thought had gone into the story line.

Gameplay: The story line is somewhat trite. You're an FBI agent who is framed for killing two cops, and you have to figure out the mystery while the FBI and the real killer are stalking you. Nothing special there. The game is genuinely creepy with dimly lit environments, good use of sound effects, and a number of grotesque opponents. However, after a while, you'll get very use to fighting the same 8-10 character models and crawling through the same shabby buildings and subway tunnels. The big problem with the game is that it lacks tension. There is little rhyme or reason to your investigation except for the fact that there's a serial killer on the loose. You do get the feel for being a crime investigator, since you use forensic tools and have a virtual laboratory at your disposal. But it all seems forced after a while as the game guides you through a linear story line and in many instances tells you exactly what to do next. There are a few cheap scares, but the game is more creepy and foreboding than outright scary. Unfortunately, the game leaves a number of unanswered questions--as if it were setting up a sequel, and I found the ending unsatisfying.

To its credit, Condemned does get a number of things right. The melee combat is well done and frenetic. Most of the fighting in the game is done with axes, sledgehammers, pipes, and other hand-held items. You can block, dodge, do combos, and finishing moves. The firearms, while powerful, are much less interesting since they are almost always low on ammo. Thankfully, there are no jumping sequences in this game and really no puzzles. The straightforward nature of the gameplay is both its strength and weakness, but you can adjust the difficulty level to increase the game's challenge.

Graphics: A pretty good looking games. Character models and animations are convincing, and environments are very detailed though repetitive after a while. Lighting effects are especially well done.

Sound: There is very good use of sound effects to make the game creepy. Creaking floors, growls, footsteps, weapon impacts, etc. are all convincing. Voice acting is passable, and I actually liked the theme song that plays when the main menu is open. The developers seem to understand that its not the visuals but the sounds that make a game creepy (good visuals, of course, help).

Technical issues: I think the game may have crashed once, but otherwise it was very stable. The manual is decent, and the opening sequence of the game serves as a tutorial. The controls are typical for a first-person shooter.

Replayability/Value: There is no reason to replay this game given its linearity. The outcome will always be the same, and there are no sub-plots or additional missions to unlock. If you like the FPS or horror genre, the game is worth a look. But be sure to get it at a discount.

Pros:
+creepy and atmosphere
+convincing sound effects
+good graphics
+dynamic melee combat

Cons:
-repetitive gameplay
-lackluster ending and some unanswered questions
-missed opportunities in the scares department

Overall rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

A Bit Too Realistic

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 18, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Very good graphics but maybe a bit too realistic, as you're immersed in the seamier side of life around subways and condemned, broken out buildings. Thugs around every corner is something you'll have to get used to in following the somewhat absorbing story line of a cop on the tail of one of these criminals. This is no shoot 'em up where you can proceed with guns blazing, as usually you have to face these creeps up close with only a broken 2x4 as your weapon. It's not a hopeless battle and once you get accustomed to your surroundings, you're in for quite an interesting change from other first-person shooters.

Interesting Concept

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 18, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Condemned PCI have to admit, when it usually comes to FPS-type games, normally I have to choose something else. I tend to choose third person shooter games 98% of the time, just because FPS tends to make me nauseated with a quickness. When I first started playing this game, I was disappointed...at first when I discovered that it was FPS. However, to my surprise, the graphics were so good that I never became nauseated once, which I cannot say for Half-Life, when I played it back in 1999 or 2000. It's a little dark as you are an FBI who track serial killers. Without giving too much information away, I will say this...You start out investigating a crime scene and then, while doing so, you discover that you and your team are not alone; therefore, you end up on a chase that does not end so well for you. And that, ladies and gentleman, is where the mystery begins. The eerie effects, the voice-over acting, and the atmosphere, in a whole, makes this a great gameplay, in my opinion. I await for a sequel.

Separates the men from the boys.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game to me redefined the survival horror genre. Walking through darkened hallways has never sent chills down my spine like this before, but once you get a weapon in your hands fear will turn to courage and you will fight through the bums to figure out what dark presence is a foot. Please do not go into this game thinking its a FPS. Think of it as an FPB (First person brawler). I highly recommend this game if your tired of the same old stuff. Oh yeah... make sure you play this with the light off and the volume cranked up to fully get the experience out of it.

what is around the next corner?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Here is a girl who knows when she likes a game ! I have played quite a few shooter games and found this one to be very unique.
Watch your back ! You just never know who may be there. This game continued to make me jump out of my seat all the way through. Yes, it is dark but that is what makes it so creepy good. The different things you find to use as weapons are what makes it so different from all the other shooter games.
Someone else mentioned in their review that the controls are klunky , and I agree somewhat . It seems that you could swing them alittle faster but they get the job done. the story is ok but I think the scare factor was the winning factor. I think it is a good buy.

great ambiance, ok game.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The scary feeling is well done, especially the sound, the footsteps behind you when no one is really there...well done. The gameplay is good, but repetitive. Mostly the same bad guys, different building.

So good, I bought it for both 360 and PC

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is possibly the greatest game I ever played. When I went up to college, I didn't bring my Xbox 360 for security reasons, so I bought the PC version of Condemned so I could play through it a third time. This game is so scary that even on the third play through, I jumped and screamed from time to time. The detective work in this game is creative and fun, and despite what the other reviews say, the tools are not hard to work with. It's simply a matter of following the arrows that are on the screen. This game is different than all first-person shooter games out there, so it's not worth comparing. All I can say is try this game by buying it or trying the PC demo. Believe me, it's worth it.

Interesting concept, somewhat flawed execution, so-so.....

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 11
Date: August 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

OK, I struggled through this game. Each time I thought something was about to happen, nothing happened. I must admit that is was the spookiest game I've personally played (I have over 100 titles, mostly FPS/RPG). But the action was frustrating, and the controls klunky.

The melee style of game is not really my thing, but this is not pure melee, there are guns scattered about, but they are not that effective.

The characters are pretty good actually, as are the voice actors and story. The "gear" that you get to use at the crime scenes is somewhat hard to use sometimes, but it does help move the story along.

Personally, I could have lived without playing this game, but it was not that bad, just not my style. If the control of the melee action was more precise, and you could actually feel like progress was being made, I might have liked it even more.

I presume that it is set up for a sequel, but I'll have to wait and see on that one. Really a 3.5 star score from me.

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