In Condemned 2: Bloodshot, Ethan is back, but things have changed since the events of the first game. Apart from his appearance being much more rugged, his mind is constantly playing tricks on him as he hallucinates and tries to figure out what is real and what is not. Obviously this is going to make things a whole lot more interesting to play as well as you try to figure out what is going on. It's been assured that players who missed out on the first title won't be left completely in the dark going into Condemned 2; while there will be nods to the first game for those who played it, new players shouldn't feel too left out.
Kill that crazy looking hobo!
The intense melee combat was certainly memorable in the first Condemned, so fans will be pleased to hear that it's being refined for the second title. Rather than just the basic attack and block mechanic, players will have the ability to chain together specific attacks to be more effective. Weapons can also be thrown at your enemies, and they will be able to respond in kind. For example, throwing a brick at an enemy's legs will cause him to fall to the ground in pain, unable to walk, while you shouldn't be surprised to see a foreign object hurtling towards your head at any given moment. The finishing system in the game will also be getting a bit of an overhaul, as each finishing move will be specific to the environment that you're in at the time. Rather than only being able to choose out of a few set 'finishing moves', Bloodshot will allow you to physically grab your enemy when they are stunned and drag them to certain objects which you can then of course throw them through, including TVs and bookshelves just to name a couple. There will also be guns in the game, but like the first title, they won't be common and easy to find. At least this time they can be reloaded rather than discarded!
The sections of Criminal Origins which required you to forensically examine the bodies were definitely the weaker points of the game. While somewhat fun in their execution, the actual examination aspect felt quite linear as you were given the right tool to use and basically told exactly how to achieve your goal each time. In the sequel, players will need to gather evidence themselves using a number of tools provided as well as answering questions about the crime scene. Points of interest will be highlighted at times for those that may find themselves struggling, but the forensic part of the game is going to be much more detailed and complex than the first title. Paying attention and doing well in these forensic moments is important, because the better you do, the more upgrades you'll be able to get in terms of weaponry.
This guy kind of makes you miss the weapon-wielding hobo's, huh?
Apart from some exciting upgrades to the single player game, there is also the newly added multiplayer mode which allows you to show off your skills online in four different multiplayer modes for up to eight people, including the obvious deathmatch and team deathmatch modes. When entering into a map, you'll find yourself weapon-less, and there isn't a variety of weapons to be found like you'd expect. Fist-to-fist combat is important, with each trigger assigned to your players respective hands. You can change your punches to be uppercuts or specific jabs based on your other button presses, meaning that there is some method to the madness rather than just mashing the punch triggers. Of course you'll be able to block these attacks, as well.
The other game modes which are entirely unique to Bloodshot are 'Bum Rush' and 'Crime Scene'. In Bum Rush, two players are given the role of being a Serial Crimes Unit squad member with an automatic weapon while the other 6 players rush at you with their melee weapons and crazed antics in an attempt to kill the SCU members as quickly as possible. Roles are then switched repeatedly based on performance in each round. Crime Scene seems to be the most tactical of the modes available, where the four 'influenced' as they're called have to hide and protect two cases, which have heads in them, from the four SCU members. This mode in particular should allow for some interesting team strategies, keeping in mind that each player in this mode only has the one life.
The only thing better than a 2x4 is a flaming 2x4.
All of this, as well as a mode appropriately called Hobo Fight Club where you just have to keep fighting enemy after enemy until you eventually die with the aim to be the best hobo-killer on the leaderboards, and Condemned 2: Bloodshot could quite easily win the award for 'Most Improved Sequel' this time around. While the original may have been overlooked to begin with, Bloodshot seems to be dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's, as developer Monolith seem to have listened to the criticism of the first game and made improvements on all aspects. Keep an eye on this one, it could be the sleeper hit of 2008.
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