Condemned: Criminal Origins

 PC
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 241 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 152 out of 241
  2. Mixed: 73 out of 241
  3. Negative: 16 out of 241
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  1. MohammedN.
    Apr 21, 2006
    7
    A great hand-to-hand action game from Sega. Pity the game is short and the replay value is weak.
  2. asasasasdfxdvxvd
    Dec 16, 2008
    6
    Just like F.E.A.R the novelty of this game wears off really fast, except it's even more confusing than F.E.A.R ever was. For 3/4s of the game I couldn't understand what was wrong with the entire town. Why where they all beating each other to a pulp? Unfortunately instead of having somebody asking in the beginning of the game "what's wrong with everybody" or someone sayingJust like F.E.A.R the novelty of this game wears off really fast, except it's even more confusing than F.E.A.R ever was. For 3/4s of the game I couldn't understand what was wrong with the entire town. Why where they all beating each other to a pulp? Unfortunately instead of having somebody asking in the beginning of the game "what's wrong with everybody" or someone saying "there's unexplainable surge of violence amongst the civilian population in this area," they leave any such dialogue towards the end of the game. This makes it seem that such violence is completely normal, as none of the characters even mention it, with all dialogue focusing on catching a serial killer instead expressing concern for a town which literally seems to be ripping itself apart.
    The main character is extremely cliche - the old story about a cop who has been framed for murders he never committed. This barely serves any purpose in the game, as you very rarely encounter police officers, and when you do they're more focusing on riot control than capturing you. Otherwise you're investigating crime scenes just as you would be if you were still on the force.
    While its a struggle for the protagonist to get from area to area, other characters get around relatively easily rarely facing danger when they meet you in the streets just before or after you've just smashed some addicts heads in with a sledgehammer.

    The 'one weapon system' is interesting, but stupid. Why is it so difficult for the protagonist to put a pistol in his belt so that he can use it when he needs it? And how does his forensic equipment survive the many beatings that Agent Ethan Thomas receives. Then there's all those stupid dead birds that you can collect around the different levels. It's seriously arcadey and ruins any atmosphere when you're using your forensic equipment to locate these tokens.
    Overall this game is very repetetive and the locations dead boring. It's looks very much like the game designers ripped off the levels from F.E.A.R, and replaced gun fights with melee fighting. It looks like alot of Condemned's potential was realized in its sequel, which unfortunately is unavaible to PC.    … Expand
  3. hassenpheffer
    Dec 18, 2012
    6
    Damn it. Just when I thought I was playing an actual honest-to-goodness "survival horror" game that didn't involves zombies or mutants, CCO turns into a monotonous, limited FPS. It's creepy as all hell with its genuine look and feel. It has an engaging story with some good voice-over work. The idea of using items around you as weapons also stands out along with a few firearms here andDamn it. Just when I thought I was playing an actual honest-to-goodness "survival horror" game that didn't involves zombies or mutants, CCO turns into a monotonous, limited FPS. It's creepy as all hell with its genuine look and feel. It has an engaging story with some good voice-over work. The idea of using items around you as weapons also stands out along with a few firearms here and there. The detective tools are interesting and are used to further the story. Saves are automatic as well as manual. But with all that it still fails t be a realistic and consistent game. The engine suffers from a lack of direction. The player moves well but can't engage all items that are in his perspective - only ones that are pertinent to the storyline and "collectables" giving the gameplay a linear feeling. The player, according to the story, has physical attributes that are stronger and more resilient than normal humans yet suffer the same damage from one weapon that another stronger one. He also doesn't stay in shape since sprinting a few yards causes him to spend his energy quickly. There are no upgrades whatsoever for the player. There are areas that can't be accessed since the character can't duck/crouch nor can he climb anything since he can't jump. There are only two methods of attack: use and kick. The use function uses the weapon in hand. The kick is just that: a kick. Well, it's a kick that looks more like a third arm coming out of his bellybutton. There are what I call "finishing" moves like punch, ram and slam but why aren't these available before the finish? The weapons are a whole other story. The melee weapons are in clear view and can be picked up. Well, most of the time. Some are part of the environment like pipes mostly but can't be picked up. Firearms are another hassle. You pick up a weapon use up the ammo then can be used as a melee weapon, Fine, but why does a piece of metal break? Worse yet, if you walk over another of the same weapon you can't take the ammo from it. It's frustrating that you can not add ammunition to the weapon you're carrying. Back to what's around: The player can't pick up any items in the way but can be kicked aside awkwardly. There is very little player interaction with the environment and it limits the immersion of the reality. Another drawback is that areas that you just walked out of are cut off by closed doors for no reason. Lastly, cut scenes cannot be forwarded or cut so that's yet another annoyance. It's a damn shame that this could've been an excellent title. It could've been a true original experience with grit and grime but it suffers from lazy programming and narrow-minded common gameplay. What a waste...… Expand
  4. Lucif3r
    Feb 2, 2014
    5
    The biggest problem i had was the stiff gameplay. Like seriously Monolith you produce an masterpieces like F.E.A.R and Blood and after them this? This could have been an better game but the slow and broken movement simply robs the rating. And im quite sure it wasnt the same engine they used in F:E.A.R...
  5. SilentHightimes
    Jul 9, 2017
    5
    Worth $2.42 for 6 hours of gameplay. Lots of copy and paste no diversity but I enjoyed the violence, the story is eh. If you like beating people with melee weapons for 6 hours its okay fun. The story was nothing special.
  6. ReubenIsAGod
    Sep 30, 2015
    6
    Condemned: Criminal Origins is a creepy game, at times it can be absolutely terrifying, yet mostly...because of a rather bland setting...it can come off as rather dull. This game was so great, the amazing use of Melee weapons opposed to fire arms was a nice change of pace. Also the creepy setting and drugged out psychos instead of zombies or over creepy ghouls was also nice. The biggestCondemned: Criminal Origins is a creepy game, at times it can be absolutely terrifying, yet mostly...because of a rather bland setting...it can come off as rather dull. This game was so great, the amazing use of Melee weapons opposed to fire arms was a nice change of pace. Also the creepy setting and drugged out psychos instead of zombies or over creepy ghouls was also nice. The biggest flaws with this game is basically just the rather bland environments and the repetitive nature of the narrative. Its a fun game but very flawed, I recommend buying it at sale price.… Expand
  7. russiangamer
    Mar 16, 2020
    6
    Поначалу механика кажется интересной и многообещающей. Но играть становится всё скучнее и скучнее. Сюжет вообще не интересен.
    Порадовала графика и первые час-два геймплея.
  8. shkipermann
    Feb 25, 2023
    7
    {__/}
    ( • - •)
    /つ☕______________________________________________________________________
  9. Acidoic
    Feb 16, 2021
    5
    cool melee combat but ruined by some dumb hitboxes, combat animations are pretty cool tho !
    Seeing scary people running arround the whole game trying to scare you, get boring pretty fast, it felt like i was a **** haunted house.
    you can beat people up with desk drawers which is quit rare in video games
  10. Larux18
    Feb 18, 2020
    7
    Really unique game with a really cool atmosphere and quite suspenseful and challenging gameplay, you really feel the intensity of it since the levels are designed incredibly well and you never know when the next enemy is coming and will never be quite comfortable dealing with them. I enjoyed my time with this game overall, however an unconvincing final level coupled with glitchesReally unique game with a really cool atmosphere and quite suspenseful and challenging gameplay, you really feel the intensity of it since the levels are designed incredibly well and you never know when the next enemy is coming and will never be quite comfortable dealing with them. I enjoyed my time with this game overall, however an unconvincing final level coupled with glitches throughout the course of the game and clunkiness in the gameplay make this truly a diamond in the rough.… Expand
  11. hwanin
    Sep 18, 2021
    7
    The basic plot was good. I really enjoyed this game, though I had to quit it few times and I almost broke one of my wireless keyboards :D
    What I did not like:
    1. You can equip only 1 weapon at a time... Why the logical f*ck can't I carry a pistol in my pocket, while keeping a shotgun in my hands????? Most probably for thrill factor or tactics, but really... LOL, There should've been    The basic plot was good. I really enjoyed this game, though I had to quit it few times and I almost broke one of my wireless keyboards :D
    What I did not like:
    1. You can equip only 1 weapon at a time... Why the logical f*ck can't I carry a pistol in my pocket, while keeping a shotgun in my hands????? Most probably for thrill factor or tactics, but really... LOL, There should've been even less shooting weapons, but keeping the option to carry 2 at a time...
    2. The ending. For me, it pretty much sounds & looks like the developers wanted to continue it, though they never released it on PC.
    3. "Boss"-fights. During these fights, you can't really interact with the environment. You have no time, and you can't use tricks--- just the same method you use against every other opponent.

    In spite of the negatives, I really enjoyed it (except the "pool"-scene, which I managed to re-try about 25 times, until I realized there are 2 machine guns at the left side and the further end of the pool), as the game really tries to keep the thrill factor all the time and it mostly work.
    I didn't tell about graphics. It's an already old game and graphics are so much subjective. I say the graphics are good for this kind of game.
    The sounds and cutscenes were also good to my taste.    … Expand
  12. Tomle1202
    Apr 15, 2018
    7
    The atmospheric environments in which Condemned: Criminal Origins takes place can only do so much, especially when both its promising gameplay and storyline were executed so poorly.
  13. Panica3643D
    Jul 21, 2018
    7
    Начало было неплохим, а потом всё скатилось к обычному шутеру.
  14. KapralDominik
    Aug 8, 2022
    7
    Бодрый детективный хоррор, отдающий вайбом к фильму "Семь" бросая нас в самую гущу социального днища большого города. Это не самое приятное место так и кишит разнообразными городскими страхами - страхом лишится дома и соц. обеспечения, проблема наркомании и алкоголизма, панков и различными фриками, ну и вишенкой на торте выступают маньяки и психопаты. Антураж тоже соответственный: нищиеБодрый детективный хоррор, отдающий вайбом к фильму "Семь" бросая нас в самую гущу социального днища большого города. Это не самое приятное место так и кишит разнообразными городскими страхами - страхом лишится дома и соц. обеспечения, проблема наркомании и алкоголизма, панков и различными фриками, ну и вишенкой на торте выступают маньяки и психопаты. Антураж тоже соответственный: нищие полузаброшенные кварталы, давно оставленные ветки метро, закрывшийся перед Новым Годом торговый центр... С противниками довольно просто и интересно сражаться, AI у них на уровне (благо разрабы F.E.A.R. стоят за производством), а детективные элементы добавляют некой разрядки и реализованы любопытно. Оценка: 7.… Expand
  15. hileger
    Dec 3, 2022
    7
    прикольный хоррор для свое времени на развитие идеи я бы ща глянул
  16. bergcamp101
    Aug 10, 2020
    7
    The game is truly great, mostly because of its scary atmosphere and interactive gameplay.
  17. F1_is_WWE
    Jun 12, 2023
    6
    This is not survival-horror. The levels are entirely linear and there is no inventory. Combat is basic and bare-bones. Other reviewers call it clunky and heavy, but I found it unique and interesting. A great turn-your-brain-off game for when you're not in the mood to play something more demanding.
  18. DonyDoNya
    Aug 21, 2023
    5
    Graphically impressive guns, animations and interior designe. Low quality character models and map backgrounds.
    Enemies' AI is not that stupid and fights are fun, but really repetative and they're losing their charm after first hour of gameplay. I feel lack of additions of mechanics throughout the game. They could be: upgrades, new fighting moves, more ammo, etc.
    Although most people    Graphically impressive guns, animations and interior designe. Low quality character models and map backgrounds.
    Enemies' AI is not that stupid and fights are fun, but really repetative and they're losing their charm after first hour of gameplay. I feel lack of additions of mechanics throughout the game. They could be: upgrades, new fighting moves, more ammo, etc.
    Although most people complimented fight mechanics the character can't even do fast dodges and more than one hit at a time despite of enemies.
    Plot has a stupid start where main character is guilty of killing his fellows police officers just because they were shot from his gun - well THAT MAKES SENSE!!! And no one checked the finger prints of a killer on police gun?! Plot has mystic intigue that I was dissapointed at the end. The thing is you need to play the second part of the game for understanding the whole thing...
    And yea, this game has a few scares and all this spooky atmosphere. I enjoy horror games where you can beat the scary screaming thing's whole **** out of her    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

53
#53 Best PC Game of 2006
33
#33 Most Discussed PC Game of 2006
16
#16 Most Shared PC Game of 2006

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. GameSpot
    81
    This first-person action game hits you like a sledgehammer with its astounding, stunningly creepy presentation, but it sacrifices opportunities for more shocks and surprises by settling for repetition.
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  2. IGN
    85
    Condemned: Criminal Origins isn't a long game and it only has one game mode, but it's an unforgettable experience while it lasts.
    Read full review
  3. Cheat Code Central
    88
    CCO has all of the gameplay, story, visuals and atmosphere that you could possibly want in a mystery game and I think does them all to a proverbial "t".
    Read full review
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