Condemned: Criminal Origins

The game can be described best in one word: creepy. It’s not quite scary in the sense that you become very much afraid to continue the game but it’s definately not a game you want to be playing by yourself in the middle of the night. The game uses inductive graphics, special effects, a seductive story line, and eerie music to create a setting for one of the world’s most intense horror-thriller video games ever.

Although I played this game through many times, I have never done it alone. I tried once and my reaction was to not want to leave my house anymore, until I played the last level, which made me want to run out of my house. Well, you’ll just have to play the game yourself to see what I mean...

Storyline

The game, like most of its genre, is a very large puzzle where you pick and place parts until you find yourself at the end. CCO puts you in the midst of a CSI episode gone horribly wrong (the FCC would have a field day). You start off as a member of the FBI’s Serial Crimes Investigation Unit who has to go through various well build crime scenes to all connected to solve one big mystery. The flickering lights and fully active environment set the stage for one heck of a thriller.

The crime scenes range from horrendous to absolutely gross, in some very well done 3D rendering. Tortured by the sudden appearance of the drug induced psycho’s whose favorite hobby is jumping out of unexpected places with a vast arsenal of weapons, you’ll have to visit and search all these scenes of vivid violence and gore to find the missing pieces of the puzzle. But don’t worry, you’re not alone! You’ll have various other side-players and you’re trusty analyst Rosa. With an unlimited amount of object-oriented weapons, and forensic tools, you’ll go through the game and see a side of the city that would make the toughest turn tail.

Remember now, this isn’t some thrill-seeker shooter, you’ll have guns, but the ammo supply renders them absolutely useless, they’re good for a quick kill and drop but I don’t suggest you depend on them for your weapons of choice. The melee weapons are very strong and don’t fall apart very easily – so they’re a good choice for going through the game on; and of course, my favorite, the good ole’ big boot to the face of some un-expecting psychopath!

Conclusion:

CCO offers you a wide range of puzzles and a first person view into the life of a Serial Crimes Investigator. I personally had a lot of fun playing this game and I think you will too. The wide ranges of environments, all together creepy, make for one heck of a video game.

Gameplay: 5
Graphics: 4
Audio: 5
Story: 5
Replay value: 4
Overall: 4/5

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