![]() ![]() The story of Condemned is.weird, to put it bluntly. Really, the whole movement system was a huge downer in regards to my enjoyment, and combined with all the other little grains of salt I had to put up with, it quite spoiled the whole game, to the point where I sometimes quit out of frustration or boredom rather than fear, which is a shame, because Condemned has the capacity to be a very frightening game. If I can't hop over a table, it it just makes it feel even more like I'm in a video game and less like a cop wading through a city full of psychos like the game aims to portray. The game also does not feature a jumping or crouching mechanic, which might be passed off as a restriction of the game's design, were it not for the fact that the lack of such abilities is a huge damper on immersion, which is what the goal of slower pacing should be. I feel if the developers had made players just a tiny bit faster, or given them some means of improving the sprint mechanic, things would've been less of a chore. All of these, piled on top of a plodding movement speed that should help engender caution, but somehow just feels like the players is wearing lead overshoes, not to mention a sprint bar that feels painfully small and slow to recharge during basic exploration. The inability to skip cutscenes being trapped in rooms by invisible walls while phone conversations provide exposition the small spaces provided by the environment for combat that often lead to being trapped and swarmed by enemies the long, boring back-tracking sessions. It's hard to put a finger on just what makes the game so frustrating and exhausting but there are numerous small things. However, while I recognize the design choice, I do think it could've been handled better. Fights are relatively few and far between, with ambiance and atmosphere getting the maximum chance to sink in. I feel that on some level the reliance on melee was part of a decision to slow down the pace of the game. It can also be excessively frustrating to get used to. The combat is brutal and hectic, requiring much practice to master. If you get swarmed (and you will), you can fall back on your taser, which has infinite ammunition, but needs to recharge between uses, rendering it very timing-sensitive in terms of usefulness. The player can also kick enemies if they manage to knock them down, or perform scripted finishing moves for extra style if they''ve scored a disarming blow. All the weapons are rated on their swing speed, blocking power, reach and damage. Heavier weapons, such as fire axes and crowbars, serve a dual purpose, granting the player the ability to access sealed or hidden areas and items. In Condemned, many things can be weapons: a board with some bolts in it, an electrical conduit pulled from a nearby wall. A heavy emphasis is placed on melee combat, where reflexes and the ability to recognize physical cues are key to survival. Firearms exist, but are limited to the number of rounds they contain when picked up. Criminal Origins is played in the first-person, and its combat system is more beat-em-up than shoot-em-up. ![]()
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