[NeonAges]

    I'm sure most of you know that I'm a First Person Shooter fanatic, but probably fewer know that I'm pretty big into survival horror as well.  Well, a game known as Condemned: Criminal Origins had piqued my interest after I had initially read about it in a magazine.  A visceral FPS survival horror game with psychotic and violent undertones?  Intriguing!  However, I was somewhat upset that it was only being released for the Xbox 360.  I had originally planned on getting one, but after hearing some of the launch stories with the consoles themselves, I decided not to.  I'm actually glad I never got one, seeing as the line up of games being released recently for it is pretty lackluster.  But I digress.  Recently, Monolith and Sega decided to release Condemned on the PC in DVD format.  I was thrilled, the game I had been so interested in was coming to PC.  After the demo was released, I downloaded it quickly and booted it up.  This was on my rig before I upgraded, so I wasn't expecting much.  But much to my dismay, even on the lowest settings, the game was unplayable.  This, and a number of other games coming out in the near future, pushed me even harder to upgrade.  When I finally did, the game had been released.  I quickly went out and picked it up and began installing.  I was surprised at the size of the game, six gigs.  The game was six gigabytes of space.  After firing it up and maxing all the settings, which I did with a smile, I might add, I could easily see why. 
    The game was beautiful.  The textures were crisp, lifelike, dirty, gritty, wonderful.  Sure, the character models seemed to have a slight 'Doom 3 sheen' effect, but it wasn't that distracting.  Dust danced in front of my flashlight, dim light poured in through cracks in walls, and through boarded up windows, broken glass reflected, piles of garbage shifted; this was a graphics engine.  Much to my delight, the sound also matched up.  As I walked around, my footsteps changed tone depending on the type of floor I was walking on, a somewhat hollow floor, a sturdy floor, concrete, carpet, wood, it was all there.  Rats scurrying through trash made me shift a little, doors slamming shut and tables tipping over made me outright jump. 
    After I did my fair share of gawking and my ears had orgasmed, I moved on.  Ah, my first investigation!  One thing I noticed, was how linear the investigation sequences were.  It was basically a 'investigation on rails' type situation.  You are told when you need to investigate something by a visual and audio cue, in addition, you may get a message over your radio that you should look around.  You then press your 'ready tool' key and the tool you need to use is automatically selected for you.  It's then just a matter of finding the evidence.  Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes it isn't.  Once you do find it, however, you then press your 'ready tool' key again, and you pull out a 'collection tool' in which to collect the evidence and send it to the lab for processing.  These sequences are really just there to move the story along, and I really didn't mind them being the way they were at all.  I would much rather have the right tool selected for me, rather than have me switch through a bunch to get the 'right' tool.  After a bit of evidence collecting, it was time to move on. 
    Now let's talk about what the game prides itself on, and rightfully so; combat.  Let me go ahead and say that the combat in Condemned is nothing short of awesome.  You can literally grab just about anything in the environment and use it as a weapon.  See a board sticking out of a wall or on the ground?  You can grab it.  See a pipe on a shelf or attached to some plumbing?  You can grab it.  See a locker door swinging idlely?  You can grab it.  A paper cutter blade?  Yep.  A school desktop?  Yep.  A rebar?  Yep.  A BOOKCASE!?  Well no, you can't pick up large objects and toss them, nor can you pick up smaller objects and toss them.  But, you will almost always be able to find a weapon to use.  There are firearms in the game, but you're limited to the ammo that's already in the weapon, you will never find extra ammo.  One thing that I wish you could do, is take the ammo from another firearm, and hang on to it.  But you can't, and I can see why they did so.  Firearms are relatively rare, and when you do get one, it makes the game a lot easier, but keep in mind, it only lasts for so long.  Enemies will be a lot less bold with you when you have a piece.  A nice feature that is also added to the combat is finishing moves.  While you don't have to use these, it's definitely a nice touch.  When you've sufficently beaten the living shit out of a loony, he'll stagger on his knees before you, groggily looking at you.  During this time, as you get closer to him, a tip will pop up, giving you a list of options consisting of things like slamming his face into the ground or snapping his neck.  You need to do it relatively quickly though, because he or she will recover eventually.  You can avoid doing this entirely though, as once you've seen all the finishing moves, they don't change.  A swift kick or another smack in the face does the same job, but it isn't as satisfying in my opinion.    
    Which leads to the next topic; AI.  The AI in Condemned is pretty damn good.  Enemies will hide from you, flank you, gang up on you, even analyze your weapon and the situation.  For instance, say you have a handgun and they have a piece of wood.  They will retreat behind cover, and wait for you to approach, where they will then leap out at you and stay close to you, making it a lot harder to shoot them when they're whacking you in the face with a board.  In these situations, you have a taser to use.  Your taser can be used at anytime, but after use, it must recharge.  Your taser will temporarily stun your opponent, letting you approach him safely and steal his weapon from him.  This is not recommended however, as even without a weapon, your enemies are dangerous.  In situations of desperation, your enemies will use whatever is at hand, including their own hands.  They will lunge at you and grab you by the throat, shaking you violently and squeezing your throat.  You have to shake the mouse to get them off of you, and after you do so, you'll be disoriented and turned around, you have to get your bearings back quick, because he or she will be going to do it again, you can be sure. 
    These males or females are absolutely insane.  I won't give away why they are, as it's part of the plot itself, but they are driven with such a homicidal rage, that they'll beat the shit out of each other, just like they will you.  You can usually use this to your advantage, and you should, because as soon as you pose more of a threat, guess who they're going to go after?  Depending on the level, you'll be facing a variety of psychotics.  For instance, in an abandoned department store, you fight some very creepy individuals who dress up in display clothing and even pretend to be mannequins.  They're so convinced they're mannequins in fact, that they've covered themselves in plaster, which will flake away as you beat them across the face, revealing their hideous features.  The game is chock full of interesting and disturbing enemies like this. 
    The game always kept me interested, and did a damn good job of scaring me.  Condemned is also a lengthy game, spanning many different chapters.  Even as long as it was, I still wanted more.  After completeing it in a week, I was aching for more Condemned.  The story is what really rivets you, at least it did for me.  It's a rollercoaster ride of hallucinations, psychotic visions, voices, and character interactions.  It certainly kept me coming back for more, and the ending satisfied me a little, but leaves it wide open for a sequel, which I am desperately hoping for.  All in all, if you are looking for a gritty, psychotic, and downright scary FPS that redefines survival horror, this is definitely a winner.  I can promise you it will creep you out, if not scare you.  I highly recommend it!

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