There’s one section that I feel deserves special recognition because it’s the one moment where they got everything right. About halfway through the game, I believe during Chapter 5, you’re investigating a cabin in the woods. When you step onto the main floor a message suddenly appears that reads, “Run for your life”. Heed this advice because if you don’t get moving you’re going to be mauled by a rabid bear. It’s not a short section either. For the next five to 10 minutes all you’ll be doing is running from cover to cover, vainly trying to find a way to defeat it. It’s intense, exciting and will fill you with a deeper sense of terror then I ever thought possible. It’s truly something to behold.
Once you’re out of the woods and looking for some action you’ll be pleased to know Condemned 2 still delivers. Combat is incredibly visceral, but has been greatly refined to include new features such as a block and parry system, combos and hand-to-hand combat. While Monolith has done a great job implementing these features, they really screwed the pooch when they decided to treat us to the sin of breakable weapons.
Let me make one thing absolutely clear, breakable weapons are not fun. Period. Sure they’re a necessary evil at times to keep the player from being too powerful, but in Condemned 2 they just force you to resort to using your fists. This wouldn’t be a problem if your fists didn’t do a pathetically small amount of damage, as it stands they can’t compare to even a conduit. Perhaps if your punch had a little more oomph I wouldn’t have this gripe, but as it stands breakable weapons are just a burden.
Thankfully forensic investigations have been polished as well. In the first game they were merely a glorified distraction, but in Condemned 2 they’ve been expanded in to a full series of puzzles that can have a real effect on your experience. The best part is your hand isn’t held this time around. The game expects you to make logical conclusions about blood splatter and trails and rewards you accordingly. There’s no real penalty for getting it wrong, but if you get it right you stand a better chance of getting good rewards at the end of your mission.
Article comments
1 - HerrDöpfel
Ugh... thanks for spoilering the bear scene in the review... guess it won't surprise me much now.