Condemned: Criminal Origins

Condemned: Criminal Origins
Studio	Monolith Productions
Publisher	Sega
Senior Developer	Frank Rooke, Eric Kohler, Nathan Hendrickson
composer	Nathan Grigg
Erstveröffent- lichung	Xbox 360: November 15, 2005 November 25, 2005 December 2, 2005 Microsoft Windows: April 11, 2006 June 13, 2006
platform	Windows , Xbox 360
Game engine	Lithtech Jupiter EX
genre	Survival horror , action
Subject	Serial killer , psychological thriller
Game mode	Single player
control	Keyboard , mouse , gamepad
system advantages preconditions	Windows XP or newer Pentium 4 2.0 GHz 512 MB RAM 128 MB 3D graphics card DirectX 9.0c 4.5 GB storage space
medium	DVD-ROM , download
language	English with German screen texts
Age rating	PEGI
information	Indexed in Germany and confiscated nationwide

Condemned: Criminal Origins is a computer game from the genres Survival Horror and Action for the platforms Windows and Xbox 360 , which from the studio Monolith Productions developed by Sega was published on 15 November 2005 in the US for the Xbox 360 console. The Windows version followed on April 11, 2006. In Germany, the game was confiscated nationwide on February 8, 2008 by the Munich District Court for inhuman and cruel depictions of violence as well as the glorification of vigilante justice and the use of violence according to Section 131 of the Criminal Code , although the federal inspection agency for media harmful to minors was involved the previous indexing in April 2006 on part A of the list did not see any criminal content. It is therefore subject to a distribution ban and can no longer be sold in Germany.

overview

In Condemned: Criminal Origins , the player takes on the role of FBI agent Ethan Thomas, who is on the trail of a serial killer . In an American city that is not described in detail, this killer known as a matchmaker strangles his victims and bizarrely presents their corpses together with department store dolls. But the killer is not the only danger lurking in the city. In some parts of the city, the incidence of violence has risen dramatically, birds are dying en masse for no apparent reason, and the cops who patrol these areas often come back changed and violent. It's up to Ethan to get to the bottom of these things.

Gameplay

Condemned: Criminal Origin is a survival horror game with elements of the first person shooter and action adventure . The developers name thrillers like Seven or The Silence of the Lambs as sources of inspiration. In contrast to most of the genre representatives, the game relies primarily on hand-to-hand combat. Firearms are rarely used due to the very limited availability of ammunition. Weapons include a. Fire ax , sledgehammer and cleaver used. In addition to the fights, other game content is also offered: the securing of evidence (fingerprints, traces of blood) always give the player a breather. There are hidden objects in the levels , the discovery of which unlocks bonus material (artwork for the game or background information on the plot). Furthermore, the game relies on psychological elements based on the films mentioned above. In many situations the player is given the feeling of being watched. It can e.g. For example, it can happen that the player follows an opponent around a corner and he suddenly disappears. The player knows that the opponent is still nearby, but together with the omnipresent darkness and the background noise, a clammy feeling of constant pursuit is created. The ominous atmosphere is supported by the martial depictions of violence: As a finishing move , the player can u. a. Break the necks of wounded, defenseless opponents or ram their fists in the face to kill them.

action

During his investigation, Ethan becomes aware of a man near the crime scene. He pursues the alleged matchmaker, but is overwhelmed by him and has to watch as two colleagues are shot with his service weapon. He himself survives and wakes up in amazement in his apartment. With the help of Malcolm Vanhorn, a friend of his late father, Ethan manages to escape from the police. He escapes into a subway station and finds evidence of the killer’s strong interest in Ethan's past. Fortunately, Ethan's colleague Rosa believes in his innocence and supports him with laboratory analyzes. Ethan pursues the killer, but is thrown from a moving subway while on the chase. He survives and finds a second secret hiding place for the killer, which contains clues to the Burnside Department Store. Once there, Ethan discovers another victim of the matchmaker. This time it's a man in combination with a female department store doll. However, Ethan quickly discovers that the victim is the matchmaker himself. Rosa and Ethan realize that the man Ethan was chasing is not the matchmaker, but a serial killer chasing other serial killers. He is christened "Serial Killer X" "by Ethan and Rose. And it becomes clear that the perpetrator is after serial killers, whom Ethan is investigating.

The two agree to meet to look for clues to the perpetrator together. In order not to attract attention, choose the city library as a meeting point, as it is closed for renovation after a fire. Rosa shows Ethan a secret file about himself. But the perpetrator manages to bring Rosa into his power and uses it to get information about another serial killer who is on Ethan's wanted list: The Torturer.

Ethan finds Rosa again and the two try to forestall the killer. To find the torturer, Ethan decides to follow one lead: the disappearance of Mr. Tibbit, the former gym teacher. The two suspect that the torturer brought the teacher to their old school. During their conversation, the two of them are overheard by Serial Killer X. Arriving at school, Ethan finds the mutilated teacher and learns before his death that Serial Killer X was faster. Thanks to a rare pesticide , Ethan succeeds in following the killer's trail to a remote apple grove.

Vanhorn offers himself as a driver and together they set off. Ethan finds the torturer who, out of sheer fear of Serial Killer X, has preferred suicide. Ethan takes the position of dead torturer and manages to overpower the killer, but is knocked down by Vanhorn himself. He sees Vanhorn trying to calm the killer, his nephew Leland, but Leland begins to choke him. Ethan passes out and wakes up in handcuffs. Leland speaks to him and boasts of his successes against the other serial killers. On a whim, he decides to cut off Ethan's index finger. A demonic figure appears behind him. Before Leland can finally kill Ethan, Vanhorn pulls him to the ground and yells at Ethan that "It" is behind all the madness and that it must be killed.

Ethan escapes from the now burning shed and chases "It" through the apple grove, where he brutally kills it (he rips the monster's metallic lower jaw and iron spine from the body). He returns to Vanhorn and they drive back to town. While driving, Ethan discovers that Leland is still alive and lying in the trunk. He tells Vanhorn to stop and opens the trunk, ready to shoot Leland. Vanhorn draws his own gun and threatens Ethan. Suddenly the two of them are surrounded by demons. Here the player has the choice of pulling the trigger and killing Leland with it, or waiting and forgiving him, if the player forgives him, Leland will execute himself with his own weapon. Regardless of the decision, Ethan finds himself in a café in the next scene. He has a date with Rosa. She explains to him that there is apparently a sect behind the murders and whether he knows anything about this sect. Ethan says no and Rosa says goodbye to him. Ethan stumbles into the toilet and throws up in a sink. When he turns his head towards the camera, it can be seen that his head has turned into that of a demon.

reception

Meta-ratings publication Rating Windows Xbox 360 GameRankings 79% 82% Metacritic 78% 81%

Condemned: Criminal Origins received positive ratings, with GameSpot giving the game 8 out of 10 points and IGN 8.5 out of 10 points. The graphics and sound design, the threatening atmosphere and the intense hand-to-hand combat were praised, but the short playing time, the plot and the monotonous level design were criticized.

The internet magazines Rock, Paper, Shotgun , PC World , IGN and GamesRadar included Condemned in their selection of the best horror games.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot

Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Studio	Monolith Productions
Publisher	Sega
Erstveröffent- lichung	Xbox 360: March 11, 2008 April 4, 2008 PlayStation 3: March 18, 2008 April 4, 2008
platform	PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360
Game engine	Lithtech Jupiter EX
genre	Survival horror , action
Game mode	Single player , multiplayer
control	Gamepad
medium	DVD-ROM , Blu-ray Disc
language	English
Age rating	PEGI
information	Indexed in Germany and confiscated nationwide

In Condemned 2 is again assumes the role of Ethan Thomas, eleven months after the events of the first part was a drinker and living on the street. Due to his enormous alcohol consumption, Thomas is also delusional and the crime rate in the city has continued to rise. The death of Malcom Vanhorn sets the story of Condemned 2 rolling. This mainly revolves around the sect of the Oro, which was already mentioned at the end of the first part.

On August 27, 2008, the game, like its predecessor, was confiscated nationwide by the Munich District Court because of its depiction of violence (file number 855 Gs 384/08). Both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 version are affected.

third part

Since it was very quiet around Condemned for a long time , a successor was considered very unlikely. A Sega employee said:

“Sadly it will never happen. Condemned 2 just didn't sell enough copies. It is sad that Condemned 2 got caught up in the 'everything needs multiplayer'. We could have really used the staff on multiplayer to make the single player campaign amazing. There were some good ideas of where to take the game. I've always wanted to do a reboot and just play Condemned 2 off as a bad hangover and have Thomas closer to what he was in C1. "

The Condemned brand is owned by Monolith co-founder Jason Hall. In 2015 he stated in an interview that he would have a successor developed if a studio could present him with a suitable game concept. Since Sega is the rights holder of the predecessors Condemned: Criminal Origins and Condemned 2: Bloodshot , remakes of the earlier parts would not be possible.

Web links

• Condemned: Criminal Origins at MobyGames (English)
• Condemned: Bloodshot at MobyGames (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Condemned - Reasons for the seizure schnittberichte.com from February 25, 2008
2. ↑ Fabian Siegismund: Hit list index? - Are we facing a wave of game bans? In: GameStar. April 11, 2008, accessed February 17, 2018 . 
3. ^ Meta-evaluation Condemned: Criminal Origins (Windows). In: Metacritic . CBS Corporation , accessed July 12, 2018 . 
4. ^ Meta-rating Condemned: Criminal Origins (Xbox 360). In: Metacritic . CBS Corporation , accessed July 12, 2018 . 
5. ↑ GameRankings Criminal Origins (Windows). In: GameRankings . Accessed July 12, 2018 . 
6. ↑ GameRankings Criminal Origins (Xbox 360). In: GameRankings . Accessed July 12, 2018 . 
7. ↑ Greg Kasavin: Condemned: Criminal Origins Review on gamespot.com (accessed July 12, 2018)
8. ↑ Charles Onyett: Condemned: Criminal Origins on ign.com (accessed July 12, 2018)
9. ↑ The 25 Best Horror Games On PC at rockpapershotgun.com (accessed July 12, 2018)
10. ↑ The 20 best horror games of all time on gamesradar.com (accessed July 12, 2018)
11. ↑ 20 scary PC horror games to play with the lights off on pcworld.com (accessed July 12, 2018)
12. ↑ The Top 10 Survival Horror Games on ign.com (accessed July 12, 2018)
13. ↑ schnittberichte.com : Report on newly indexed / seized media from October 31, 2008 (accessed on October 31, 2008)
14. ↑ http://sega-addicts.com/2012/07/30/condemned-3-will-never-happen-due-to-condemned-2s-poor-sales/
15. ↑ http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/02/04/condemned-3-would-be-made-without-interference-or-limitations