Condemned 2: Bloodshot First Look Preview

Condemned, the Xbox 360 launch title from SEGA and Monolith, was something of a surprise, immersing players in a hostile environment packed with visceral combat and a heavy dose of creepy suspense. That was 2005 though, and for the sequel Monolith is looking to build on this solid base to thrust players into a more brutal, yet more intelligent supernatural chiller. I stopped by SEGA’s Games Convention booth for a first look.

Fans of the first title will feel right at home with Condemned 2. The demo began at the beginning of the game with Ethan Thomas chatting to a homeless guy, one of many NPCs to be found in Condemned 2 – many of which will have their own storylines. In the first title story elements played out in front of the player, but here players are required to interact through button presses as indicated on screen. This early encounter with the homeless guy required a simple button press in order to initiate conversation.

After following the guy through some dingy streets you come across a zombie-like character and an argument quickly ignites. Rather than engaging in combat himself he sends a goon in to batter you, and here we get the first taste of the much improved melee combat.

Both hands can be used this time around, through pressing the left and right trigger buttons, with blocking also key to your success in combat situations. In addition to punches you’ll be able to pick up a host of make-shift weapons including pipes, crow bars, bottles and bricks. If the demo is anything to go by, gun weapons will once again be scarce. A held weapon can, however, be thrown at an enemy to stun from a distance, allowing you to close in for the kill. A combo system has also been implemented which if utilised makes it possible to inflict greater damage.

After a series of blows the enemy falls and the player is given the chance to perform a finishing move. Demoed was a simple neck break, but more elaborate kills are promised including thrusting the enemy’s head inside a TV. It will also be possible to incapacitate NPCs in situations where you don’t want to perform a kill – although any such situations are still under wraps.

Moving on with the demo I was treated to a short example of Quick Time Events in a combat situation. Here the player needs to jump down to a lower area, but a pack of rabid dogs block the way. The game then enters into an in-your-face interactive sequence, in which the player has to correctly press the on-screen button combinations or else succumb to the four-legged threat.

The demo then moved onto a forensics section, an area of the game which has been almost completely overhauled following player feedback on the first game. Gone are the simple and mundane sections which guided you by the hand; now the player will really need to investigate crimes, discovering clues through simple observations or using more complex equipment.

In the demo you’re faced with a dead guy on the floor and the task of finding three clues to his identity. The first clue is the guy’s Police uniform, the second his badge which has the number 46 and the last the fact he is an adult male. These three clues are then sent to your forensics expert- the same female colleague from the first game – who in return provides another task.

You’re then asked to take a picture of the guy’s face, making sure it’s well framed and in focus or else it won’t be much use. Next up you identify the cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the torso entering from the chest, and finally through the use of UV light it’s clear that the guy dragged himself to his current location. This is made apparent through blood marks on the floor and what appears to be a hand print.

Although slow and heavily menu-driven the new forensics system, on first impressions, looks to be a great addition to the game. Action junkies who just want to get on with it can do just that, with approximately 80% of all these sections optional. As an incentive, the forensic work rewards the player with mission points which can be used to buy upgrades; something which players will definitely want to get hold of.

The final section of the demo was set in a fight club, an area in which players can go to hone their melee skills. After choosing the number of enemies and which combat types will be used, you can jump in to the arena and begin. During combat a blow to the enemy with a beer bottle followed swiftly by a zap from a taser saw the enemy burst into flames. Some locational damage was also shown, with a brick hitting the enemy’s leg making him hobble momentarily.

Although the demo only showed dark, grotty environments similar to those seen in the first game the scope of the environments in Condemned 2 is much grander. We can expect some fully outdoor locations, but the main focus is still those areas which will induce a sense of unease into the player.

With the demo over talk turned to the problem of game censorship, something Frank Rooke, lead game designer, said hasn’t been a problem. That said, Rooke did note that towards the end of development they will be working closely with ratings boards to ensure the game can be released without problems.

Condemned 2 is shaping up very nicely and looks every bit a worthy sequel. We’ll need hands-on time to say for sure how the new combat system works, but the new forensics system looks great and technically the game is looking and sounding great.