Hello and welcome to the first in a new series called the ‘Modern Retro Review’ (or ‘MRR’, for short). In it, each week I will be reviewing a new (old) game that isn’t quite ‘retro’ just yet, but isn’t really that ‘modern’ anymore either, hence the name. Starting of, we have Condemned, a horror game for the Xbox 360. Condemned was released way back in the dark mists of 2005, as an Xbox 360 launch title. It was developed by Monolith Productions and published by Sega.
The story of the game is basically: you play as a detective sent to investigate a murder, believed to be the latest in a string of killings committed by a suspect the police are calling the ‘Match Maker’. To cut a long story short, the player-character ends up on the run from both the FBI and other psycho killers. The player experiences inexplicable ‘flashbacks’, that depict the Match Maker’s actions and add to the story as an interesting side-note. The story has good pacing in the beginning, but becomes tired sooner rather than later.
In terms of sound and music, the music is suitably creepy, while the sounds are your average 3D surround, run-of-the-mill effects. The voice actors hired for this game are talented and convincing, thus making the characters believable, from the police officers, the player-character, to the primary antagonist of the game. Graphics-wise, there is not much to say; the character animations are okay, albeit rather dated by today’s standards, and their eyes tend to stare lifelessly into the distance – but hey, it was 2005.
The game’s primary USP (Unique Selling Point) is the ‘Forensics Tools’ the player-character often uses; these are enjoyable to use. The complexity of the enemy AI is impressive, making enemy encounters always intense affairs. However, the enemies quickly become an oft-annoying distraction from completing the next objective; it got to a point where I was literally saying to the screen, “not another enemy!”
The ‘hand-to-hand’ combat unexpectedly includes guns; however, the ammo for these guns is severely limited – as can be seen in the screenshot above – which makes players think and strategize, or plan ahead.
The levels are well-designed, and often nicely decorated as well. The dark and gloomy lighting is perfect for the game, emphasising the horror elements. The levels are overly linear, but allow room for – at least – an illusion of choice, as a successful attempt to up the engagement of the player more. There are many interesting and cool set pieces, as well as scripted events that make levels feel more alive. The only issue I have is that there is a lot – and I mean, a LOT – of retracing footsteps, going back through the level in search of that one item you missed; this can obviously get a tad repetitive.
In terms of replay value, there is a considerable amount worth going back to. Firstly, each weapon has different stats, which adds an element of choice (even though it would be a stretch to say there is room for developing significantly different play styles); secondly, there are collectables (Dead Birds and Metal Parts) to find and achievements to unlock; finally, there are various optional sections hiding secrets that are blocked off and require a specific weapon to be able to gain access, so if you missed a section before, a replay would suffice.
I found some problems during my play-through; while these weren’t particularly ‘glaring’ problems, they weren’t exactly that minor either. One major one was that, during cut scenes, the view switches from the normal 1st-person to a 3rd-person camera, which is at risk of disconnecting the player from their character. Another – smaller – problem I found was with the puzzles, which the player is seemingly guided through by visual cues, such as ‘helpful’ tips at the bottom right of the screen; this hand-taking prevents the player from feeling any real sense of achievement upon completion of the puzzle.
In my opinion, this game – despite its several flaws – is still a worthy title within the genre, 13 years after release; it is almost – and I mean almost – a modern classic, just let down by some annoying little issues. If this title were released today, I think it would stand the test of time.
Inside The Game 