The best words that can be used to describe Condemned: Criminal Origins are violent, creepy, and chilling. Placing you in the shoes of Agent Ethan Thomas, this game is all about creepy settings, visceral combat, and solving a mystery. Who is this mysterious Matchmaker? Why is he so interested in Agent Thomas? What has turned ordinary citizens into psychotic killers?

Features

• Gritty and realistic combat played from a first person perspective.
  
  
• Amazing next generation graphics.
  
  
• Hunt down and capture a serial killer.
  
  
• Creepy and immersive atmosphere.

There is no doubt in my mind that the next generation of games has arrived. All I need to do is take one look at Condemned: Criminal Origins to see it. Everything is hyper detailed, right down to the labels on soda bottles you find around the environments Agent Thomas must travel thru. I actually caught myself reading a subway train schedule during the game just because it was so realistic looking. If your not looking at this game in high definition you are definitely missing out on some of the sharpest graphics you will ever see. That’s not to say that if you are looking at the game thru a regular TV you are missing out, your just losing some of the potential this game has.

These hyper details graphics generate some of the creepiest atmosphere you will ever experience. Low lighting and creepy passages are the order of the day, as Agent Thomas finds himself exploring empty department stores, abandoned buildings, and closed subway stations as he progresses. The dark and oppressive atmospheres generated by these locations start making you jump at shadows. More than once, you’ll find yourself reacting to a noise that is seemingly innocuous. Bucket falling off shelves, bottles falling and breaking over, desks falling over, these are the kinds of things that will get you swinging that melee weapon at objects in the environment. Or even shooting a bucket, as this poor review did, when it hit a desk.

Which brings us to combat. Agent Thomas can take melee weapons from the environment to protect him from the dangers he faces. Pipes, crowbars, fire axes, and sledgehammers seem to be the weapons of choice, as there are very few guns just laying around for people to use. Those few guns which are available… Well, lets just say if you find one, you are probably going to need it in a few minutes, so you have to make sure you don’t waste bullets. You can’t find clips laying about the environment so gun are a sweet reward for surviving so long. Of course, if all else fails, Agent Thomas also has a Tazer, which acts as a quick stun. If you can reach an enemy before the stun effect wears off, you can disarm him and steal his weapon. This is a very valuable asset to have, especially when you encounter armed enemies while you only have a small pipe. One good zap from the Tazer, and you are now facing an unarmed enemy with a gun.