Condemned 2: Bloodshot

Not only is this the best first-person adventure I've played but it's the most brutal, skillfully detailed and paced as well. [Apr 2008, p.50]

The combat engine has been dramatically improved, making every fight a unique experience.

If you're on the trail of a first-class scare, this truly terrifying game is unmissable. [Mar 2008, p.103]

It has enjoyable gameplay, an engaging story, some freaky visuals, and super-effective sound. And while it is the single player mode that stands out as the best part of this title, the multiplayer is not too shabby either.

It's an unbridled one-of-a-kind mature ride with scant a boring moment in its 11 mission single-player campaign. Multiplayer is welcome, but ultimately passable.

That said, Condemned 2 is still a heck of an experience that should be played by any who are fans of survival horror type games.

Probably the best survival horror title we’ve seen this generation. The online multiplayer modes aren’t going to blow your mind, but they are a thoughtful addition. It’s got a higher level of action than its predecessor, and some gorgeous horror backdrops.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot will stand well against the competition in action, horror and even most shooter games, just on the merit of being a sequel improving on the original, rather than slipping beneath its foundation like so much land-filled garbage.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot takes everything the original game offered and expands on the gameplay with new combat mechanics and upgraded forensics spots.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot is the ideal sequel. Monolith fixes most of the problems of the first game, expands the good points and offers a more intense atmosphere.

This horror-themed sequel's thrilling set pieces and bloody combat are remarkably satisfying but not for the faint of heart.

A perfect example of how to make a sequel. Sega and Monolith have fixed everything that was wrong with the original and made it an all around better game. The entertaining story and genuinely creepy atmosphere is well worth the price of admission and the substantial story mode is satisfying and challenging.

The gameplay elements are great but it’s the creepy atmosphere and story that will keep you glued to your controller.

My final though on this game is that it was good but it could have been better. One of this games down falls is the fact that the environments are to coincidental.

Above all, it’s well worth just for its incredible atmosphere of pure tension, with the help of the technical side of things that work “for” the game instead of enslaving it. The first person action has an even more physical approach than in the original game and delivers a more “personal” experience. [Apr 2008]

One of the nastiest experiences you are ever going to have in a game, but in a good way.

Condemned: Criminal Origins did a lot of things right. Condemned 2: Bloodshot improves on that foundation in nearly every way. More brutal, visually fantastic, an aural treat, and familiar gameplay makes for a compelling and decent title.

Gorgeous visuals, tough hand-to-hand combat and insanely creepy. Shame it's so damn dreary. [Apr 2008, p.64]

This is the first proper horror experience on PS3 and it's a truly terrifying one. Whether it's a set-piece scare or a random hobo jumping out at you, it genuinely can make you jump out of your seat. [Mar 2008, p.90]

Quite possibly the ugliest game I've ever played--literally. I tip my hat to the developers at Monolith Productions for crafting a consistently dark, dirty, dilapidated, and decayed (and a host of other "d" words) world for both Condemned titles.

The anything-is-a-weapon aesthetic is still ace, but the combat system is too unwieldy when tackling multiple foes. It’s a game of ups and downs, but horror fans will be more than satisfied with its bleak and gloomy disposition.

There are more features, fan complaints are addressed and it's still as spine tingling as ever. The story, though less akin to Swiss cheese than the first one was, is not as gripping and the game feels as if it lost its focus in the latter stages.

Condemned 2 is a pleasant but also frightening game in which the gameplay feels quite fresh. The fighting system works great and the murder investigations are a good way to involve the player into the storyline. Unfortunately the game doesn't stay as fun as the first few missions.

It's the audio that steals the show though.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot has plenty of creepy moments, but it favors action over atmosphere. To that end it performs very well, and even throws in some juicy plot twists and a cliffhanger ending. But I miss the tension of the original, just the same.

Anyone that remembers the shopping mall (with the mannequins) in Condemned will take great delight in knowing that Bloodshot has it's own uber-scary environment for you this time around too - in fact we'd happily say that the sequel ups the fear factor considerably throughout. If you like to play your videogames with white knuckles, this is a great ride.

There are more than enough memorably twisted moments of genuine fright and bewilderment to keep any horror fan's eyes wide open through these ten warped hours of madness. [July 2008, p.80]

Despite being awash with new features and ideas, Condemned 2 is no match for its predecessor thanks to clumsy pacing and a lack of any real craft of subtlety. Still, fans of extreme violence won't be disappointed. [Issue#165, p.88]

Monolith has once again proved that they are quite capable of developing fear-based first person shooters. I found a number of problems with the game that will frustrate most FPS fans, such as the often clunky hand-combat controls.

As sequels go, Bloodshot is sort of a mixed bag. Chances are if you liked the first Condemned you’ll like the second, even if it doesn’t pull it all off with the same panache.

Condemned 2 does succeed at what it what it intends to do, which is providing a truly horrifying experience for a player unlike the majority of "survival-horror" titles on the market. However, a bit of that "new" sheen has worn off the second time around, and while improvements have definitely been made, there's still more areas that need a bit of work.

It's pretty irritating to play a sequel and face so many of the issues of the original, but Bloodshot's ability to take you into the terrifying world Monolith has crafted is astonishing.

Despite its shortcomings, Condemned 2: Bloodshot is a good game by all accounts.

As a survival horror game, Condemned 2 is too short on horror. As an FPS game, it’s too short on strategy and level design. At best, it’s a brawler with some horror and FPS elements.

As it is, Condemned II is a scary, clichéd, sometimes engrossing videogame, with good relay value, personality and, darkness permitting, an enjoyable single-player mode.