Videogames-To-Flix #16

Strike Back below!

by: Alex Keen Jun. 13, 2006

VIDEOGAMES-TO-FLIX is a JoBlo.com column showcasing reviews of videogame translations of Hollywood films (or games soon-to-become Hollywood movies). With both industries getting closer and closer, and videogames, in general, getting so much more popular, you knew it was just a matter of time before we hit that stuff!

CONDEMNED: CRIMINAL ORIGINS

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Developer: Monolith Productions
Publisher: Sega
Systems: XBOX 360, PC

INTRODUCTION:

CONDEMNED: CRIMINAL ORIGINS released exclusively with the XBOX 360 at launch and mixes violence and police work in a gritty urban aesthetic. You play FBI Agent Ethan Thomas, an investigator trying to track down a serial killer on the loose. Things get complicated when you are accused of being a murderer and you have to prove your innocence. All the while you’ll still be trying to track down the man that set you up. The game looks and feels like an interactive version of SE7EN. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

GAMEPLAY:

CONDEMNED: CRIMINAL ORIGINS is a first person “shooter” but plays more like a first person fighter. The guns in this game have very limited ammo and you’re better suited just grabbing a pipe or a shovel to splatter some brains onto the wall. Close quarters combat is central to this game's gameplay. Players are forced to fight with common objects and will need to keep swinging until they kill. The fights are up close, personal, and will keep you on your toes. A taser is there for assistance and works well to slow down your opponents long enough for you to mentally prepare. Also, finishing moves are available for you to effectively have a happy ending. Choosing one of four options (Ram a knee to the head, Punch to the head, Slam to the body, or Snap the neck) was a cool thrill and a worthy innovation.

CONDEMNED: CRIMINAL ORIGINS excels as a fighter because it allows enough time between fights to keep you appropriately scared, while also making each fight feel like it could be your last. The difficulty of this game is not too hard to force you to go to the internet for answers, but also not easy enough to breeze through in an evening. Because of the developers did such a great job on the atmosphere, I found myself only capable of playing an hour at a time. I don't get scared by horror movies, but this game got to me.

While the fighting in this game is superb, the criminal investigation portion is pretty lacking. Most of it is paint-by-numbers and not very puzzling. That's just fine for me because I don't incredibly love puzzle games, but there was really no need to force the player to do the investing. Cut scenes would have been just as good in this situation.

Gameplay: 9.1/10

GRAPHICS:

Fortunately for XBOX 360 owners, CONDEMNED: CRIMINAL ORIGINS was one of the best examples of Next Generation graphics available at launch. The gritty visuals are high quality and a perfect show off for gamers wishing to quell their PS3 fanboy friends. This was one of the few games that successfully disproved the notion that the 360 was merely XBOX 1.5.

CONDEMNED: CRIMINAL ORIGINS successfully shows blood and violence with the appropriate level of stylization. Players will see the similarities to the great thrillers they've enjoyed and get sucked in almost immediately. The only drawback of the graphic design here is the limited level size and the absence of exaggerated movement effects. Games like CALL OF DUTY 2 and ELDERSCROLLS: OBLIVION both show next generation graphics with an incredible draw distance (revealing things miles away). While CONDEMNED: CRIMINAL ORIGINS fails to do this, the decision to avoid excessive effects (like motion blur and bloom effects) was the right one. Pretty graphics in games are important, but should never outweigh tight controls and a good storyline.

Graphics: 8.9/10

AUDIO:

Essential to any great horror movie is sound design. The same goes for a great horror game and CONDEMNED: CRIMINAL ORIGINS follows through with strong audio. Where the audio excels is at setting the mood. Rattling subway trains, screaming psychopaths, and pipes parrying all add a jarring sense of realism to this game. I can’t tell you how many times I was creeped out by a screaming enemy heard from across the level. The audio effects for this game are perfectly matched with the graphics.

Unfortunately, the game’s voice acting falls into the trap of sounding like video game voice acting. Most of the lines seem a little flat and could have used more sculpting. They support the story well enough but fail to come close to some of the great voice acting that can be heard in more successful games.

Audio: 8.7/10

FINAL VERDICT:

The final verdict here is that CONDEMNED: CRIMINAL ORIGINS is a game made for movie fans, specifically horror fans and fans of SE7EN. The game puts you right into a familiar movie setting but makes you figure out where you’re going and how fast you’ll get there. The fighting engine is well crafted and the scares are well thought out. So, if you’re looking to spend a couple nights holding onto your blankey, CONDEMNED: CRIMINAL ORIGINS can do just that. And while a film version of this property is in development, it will have a difficult time making the transition without the help of a great filmmaker.

OVERALL SCORE: 9.0/10

STATUS OF THE MOVIE:

Currently, the film version of CONDEMNED: CRIMINAL ORIGINS is in development at Warner Brothers. Variety.com reported the simultaneous development of CONDEMNED: CRIMINAL ORIGINS and its sister project, SPECIES X in October of 2005. The film is being produced by David Goyer and Basil Iwanyk. Goyer was a writer on GHOST RIDER, BLADE I-III, BATMAN BEGINS, and DARK CITY. Kurt Sutter (of The Shield) is currently writing the script. According to imdb.com, SPECIES X is currently being called THE UNFORGETTABLE.

Source: JoBlo.com's Cool Columns