Does anyone else have Condemned!

[ThaMaskedGamer]

I would say Condemned and COD2 are the two games that need to be in every 360 gamer's library. This game is fantastic i'm on the fourth level and I can't think of one solid knock against the game. For those who played the demo of the first level, that is not the complete first level either, they chopped it up it is about 50% more to it.

This is one of those games the review sites got wrong. And I knew I made a mistake getting PD0 instead of this game, don't make the same mistake I did.

The action in this game gets brutal too. They really come after you with pistols and shotguns while you have none. Its creepy brutal dramatic game. I really don't understand the review sites they seem to complain for the sake of complaining, I guess Sega didn't pay 'em off enough or send them enough sh*t to get a good review. Here is an example. The reviews will lead you to believe the detective aspects of the game lead you by the nose to the extent that that part of the game is trivial. Well all the game really does is let you know when you should use your detective tools, but the evidence isn't always apparent. Some of the trails and evidence you have to follow a good distance and you could be attacked in the midst of searching for evidence. Also what is the resut of the game not giving you clues? You would be endlessly searching the map, get stumped and frustrated, and then the review sites would be crying about that too. As it is I think it works fine and keeps the game moving along. If they didn't give you clues I wouldn't complain about that either, but I am kinda thankful i don't have to looking under every trash can or searching every nook and cranny of the map.

Its an outstanding game and a great new IP. I hope people give it a shot. There is a lot of complaining about the lack of new games and innovation with this launch lineup. Well this is a new IP and the gameplay is unique too, oh by the way it happens to look absolutely amazing and sound better than it looks if that is possible.

[Cuddly Knife]

I totally dig Condemned, except for one thing. When I play this game, I always get sick. Like I need to puke sick. This happens to me with certain games, so i'm not to freaked out by it. It must be the framerate of the game. It runs at 30fps, while the games that don't make me sick(DOA4 and CoD2) run at 60. I'm barely on level 2 on Condemned, but that's because I've been playing so much DOA4 and Hexic and very soon I'll be tearing up Geometry Wars.

Anyways, the atmosphere of this game is on par with the PS2 classic series Fatal Frame and Silent Hill, and knowing that pretty much all of the combat is going to be close encounters, it gives the game a little more edge-of-your-seatiness. Graphics are damn good, too.

[Fivespot]

Yeah, I got it and are enjoying it. I'm glad you said something about the relentlessness of the enemies (I thought I was sucking at the game and feel better now after reading your post). Those baddies are aggressive, grab anything from anywhere and can use it to start bashing ya, sneak out of dark corners where you'd never expect something to come from. I especially dislike the ones that jump onto you and start biting at your face (you have to shake both analog sticks to pry him off).

The atmosphere in this game is fantasic along with the graphics. Best console graphics to date in my opinion. It's all the little things that do it. You can read newsclippings posted on tack boards, can read brand names off of computer equipment, etc... - it's quite unbelieveable actually the depth at which they take these graphics. I've never felt more immersed in a game.

I was playing a level yesterday where these..... forget it - I won't post any spoilers.

[SMALL SPOILER]Let's just say that I had a manequinn whisper something to me and it sent shivers up my spine.

I'm currently on level 7.

[Fivespot]

I beat Condemned this evening and had to come back and post a couple additional thoughts. For one, the story is well-written with a couple plot twists. I liked the writing all along but wanted to see how it ended before making my final decision on the overall story. I can't say much as I don't want to ruin it for everyone who is currently playing (Cuddly Knife, TMG) and for those of you who plan to play it eventually, but the plot gets real thick at the end....and I'll leave it at that. When you get to that part, you'll know what I mean.

Overall, I'd give the game a B+.

It has great graphics, fully realized 5.1 digital sound that takes every advantage to scare the crap out of you, and a fantastic story line. Why not an A or A+? Because it's relatively short (leaving room for more I hope) and because it's a bit linear.

A sequel with more open ended gameplay would be well received in my opinion. And by open ended, I'm also referring to the forensic tools used during gameplay. The game tells you when to use those tools and forces you to use a specific type (laser, smell sensor, ultra violet light, etc..). Now that I think about it, the forensic tools portion of this game could be used to make a spin-off that focuses more on just that aspect because playing with those tools was a lot of fun.

[Cuddly Knife]

Good job, Five! You have all kinds of Gamer points, and I have only 400. :( How many achievment points were you able to get out of this game?

I'm glad that the story keeps up, since I'm a big fan of a good story. I need to get back to this game. i've been playing a lot of DOA4 and Burnout 3...

...and I need to get on CoD2 also, before the other games start coming out and I won't play my old stuff for months.

[ThaMaskedGamer]

Good job, Five! You have all kinds of Gamer points, and I have only 400. :( How many achievment points were you able to get out of this game?

I'm glad that the story keeps up, since I'm a big fan of a good story. I need to get back to this game. i've been playing a lot of DOA4 and Burnout 3...

...and I need to get on CoD2 also, before the other games start coming out and I won't play my old stuff for months.

Yeah I noticed the other day, dude has like 2500 gamer points CRAZY! Anyway good job finishing the game. I'm switching on/off between COD2 and Condemned. My problem now is what the hell am I going to play after I finish these games? The games I want won't be here until March, Oblivion and GhostRecon. I suppose I can grab DOA or PGR two game on my second tier of wanted titles. If it wasn't for LIVE I really wouldn't consider either game.

Do you guys find achievements worth trying to get. For example there is an achievement for playing the game without using firearms. Hell I like using the firearms. And collecting all the birds and metal pieces, waste of time, to me.

[Fivespot]

Keep in mind that I've had my 360 since launch so I've had more time to build up my 2500 gamer score. Frankly, Cuddly you are playing more often than me so I expect that you'll catch up and beat my score in a matter of time.

You can actually click on my gamertag signature to view my status on XBOX360.com (for those who are currently also participating - I don't believe you can view specifics w/out a password and login).

Then choose to "View games" to display a list of all the games I've played and also see how many points I've earned on each. You can then delve further by clicking on an individual game which then displays all the achievements I've earned for that title specifically. Some achievements are "Secret" and therefore only viewable by others who passed the same achievement otherwise they just show as a Secret Achievement passed. Besides that, you should be able to easily view where I got all my points.

In response to TMG, no I don't play with achievements in mind. I've seen a few people that are more concerned with achievement points than the game itself which I think is silly (oh well - to each his own). So I didn't play Condemned with a focus of finding everything and earning every achievement. I simply played it like any other single player game not concerned with earning every achievement. I'm not that type of gamer overly concerned with earning everything otherwise I'd have an even harder time finding time to play all the games I'm interested in.

[ThaMaskedGamer]

Keep in mind that I've had my 360 since launch so I've had more time to build up my 2500 gamer score. Frankly, Cuddly you are playing more often than me so I expect that you'll catch up and beat my score in a matter of time.

You can actually click on my gamertag signature to view my status on XBOX360.com (for those who are currently also participating - I don't believe you can view specifics w/out a password and login).

Then choose to "View games" to display a list of all the games I've played and also see how many points I've earned on each. You can then delve further by clicking on an individual game which then displays all the achievements I've earned for that title specifically. Some achievements are "Secret" and therefore only viewable by others who passed the same achievement otherwise they just show as a Secret Achievement passed. Besides that, you should be able to easily view where I got all my points.

In response to TMG, no I don't play with achievements in mind. I've seen a few people that are more concerned with achievement points than the game itself which I think is silly (oh well - to each his own). So I didn't play Condemned with a focus of finding everything and earning every achievement. I simply played it like any other single player game not concerned with earning every achievement. I'm not that type of gamer overly concerned with earning everything otherwise I'd have an even harder time finding time to play all the games I'm interested in.


You Five, don't worry i'm not hatin' oh your achievements score, I hope it didn't come across that way. I've never cared about leader boards and rankings and all that stuff. I was mainly talking about the achievements in the games from the standpoint they are so contrived. MS made it mandatory that developers have achievements in every game and thus far, developers are not going out of their way in terms of creativity. I guess some games probably lend themselves to setting up achievements that make sense, a racing game comes to mind like PGR3.

So now that you are finished what game are u on to next?

[Fivespot]

You Five, don't worry i'm not hatin' oh your achievements score, I hope it didn't come across that way. I've never cared about leader boards and rankings and all that stuff. I was mainly talking about the achievements in the games from the standpoint they are so contrived. MS made it mandatory that developers have achievements in every game and thus far, developers are not going out of their way in terms of creativity. I guess some games probably lend themselves to setting up achievements that make sense, a racing game comes to mind like PGR3.

So now that you are finished what game are u on to next?

I understand - I didn't take it the wrong way or anything. I would agree that the first batch of games (launch titles) don't have the most creative achievements (all the sports titles especially). DOA4 on the other hand.... They seem to have it right making the achievements much more difficult to earn forcing players into every nook and cranny of the game (all modes of play including online achievements). Hopefully more games will continue down that path as I predict they will.

Regarding what game I'll play next; I haven't yet decided. I took yesterday off which was a needed break from gaming. I'll proabably keep it light for awhile before embarking on a new title.

Right now I'm debating between starting Perfect Dark Zero, finishing COD2 on veteran, or earning the A rankings on Kameo in time attack mode while playing more NBA2K6 single player (this is the only game my cousin plays and he is now kicking my arse everytime we're online so I may need to dust off my 2K6 skills a little).

I'm kind of awaiting two February titles as well - Fight Night Rd 3 & Full Auto.

Any suggestions???

[Cuddly Knife]

We'll have to hook up and box on Fight Night when it comes out, Five. I will definitely get it on its release or very soon after. Full Auto also.

[ThaMaskedGamer]

Wow guys, I kinda forgot about FN3 being on LIVE! Realizing now that may make this title truly bad-azz. I might have to reconsider. The thing I didn't like about the demo is the game seemed kinda slow.

I can tell you that playing COD2 on Veteran mode isn't really hard at all. The hardest time I had was on the first American mission. After you take out a German bunker you have to run out of it and there is heavy MG fire all over, i didnt know where to go so I kept getting killed. Turned out that there was a trench in front of me I couldn't see. But it has been a real joy playing this game on Veteran mode. It should be easier for you since you already finished the game, you know where to go, i'm playing from scratch on veteran mode, so that has really been the only hang up, getting kinda lost from time to time.

PD0 I don't what kinda shooters you like so its hard to say. It is definitely NOT a military shooter, so if you can deal with some of the corny action, I'd say get it. It is hard for me to judge the game properly. There are definitely a lot of frustrating moments in the game so prepare to reload a lot and there is a problem with game balancing. On the hardest setting it is very frustrating but drop it down one level and it is way to easy. Ideally the developers want you to finish the game on an easier setting and then play it again on the most difficult setting, that way you know what you are supposed to do, but for me it just wasn't fun playing the game on the easier setting as you can literally take out 20 guys at once. You can stand there and not shoot back it will take them a good 2 minutes to kill you. I'd be very wary of PD0.

The full auto demo is out tomorrow, so it will really have to be fun to impress me cause thus far i'm not interested in the game from the media i've seen thus far. But a demo has that crysalizing effect.

[Cuddly Knife]

I know what you're saying about the FN demo seeming slower than usual, and that's because it is going slower. Kind of. The animations in FNR# are way more realistic than those before it, giving it the illusion that the characters are moving slower. Something about having realistic movements require more frames, or something like that. I read about it in GI or OXM or something like that.

TMG, you're a fan of Forza and such, right? If so, then you will probably not like FA. Like I said before, it's a mix between Burnout and Twisted Metal Black with a rewind feature. Pretty much nothing else. But eight player online is going to be funskies, if nothing else. I really want this game to be good, because I don't want to be forced to buy Burnout Revenge to get my arcade racing fix. Unless they make B3 b/c, then all is forgiven.

[Fivespot]

I can tell you that playing COD2 on Veteran mode isn't really hard at all.

Man, I wish I could agree with you. I've actually been having a hard time with COD2 on veteran. Sure I beat it on normal, but it's a whole different game playing through a second time on veteran. Almost seems like the enemies only aim at me.

I could easily see it taking me 2-3x as long playing through on the higher difficulty level. I think part of my problem is that all the console FPS games I've played previously were more of the twitch/arcadey style shooters. COD2 is more realistic than that forcing me to use strategy and planning (something I'm not at all accustomed to). I never really got into Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, FSW, and the others that were more sim slanted. Does that make sense? Is it possible that COD2 is more like these other games I haven't played? Either that or I just plain suck. :(

I fired up PD0 last night and played through the first mission. Not much to write home about yet but I see it having potential. I'll try more tonight or sometime real soon.

[Cuddly Knife]

Well, that end came rather quickly. The last battles death scene was cool, though. And so was the ability to choose(but not really, since it didn't matter). I loved the last third of the game. Hopefully, part 2 will be more like that, and more jacked puzzles like the one where you had to find your path tp different areas of the house.

Overall, this game is a very good impression for starting this generation. I needed ten achievements to get them all. I probably won't bother trying to, even if I do play through this one again soon.

[ThaMaskedGamer]

Man, I wish I could agree with you. I've actually been having a hard time with COD2 on veteran. Sure I beat it on normal, but it's a whole different game playing through a second time on veteran. Almost seems like the enemies only aim at me.

I could easily see it taking me 2-3x as long playing through on the higher difficulty level. I think part of my problem is that all the console FPS games I've played previously were more of the twitch/arcadey style shooters. COD2 is more realistic than that forcing me to use strategy and planning (something I'm not at all accustomed to). I never really got into Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, FSW, and the others that were more sim slanted. Does that make sense? Is it possible that COD2 is more like these other games I haven't played? Either that or I just plain suck. :(

I fired up PD0 last night and played through the first mission. Not much to write home about yet but I see it having potential. I'll try more tonight or sometime real soon.

Basically there are two things that you gotta do, one is always move forward, even if all you can do is move forward and take cover, your guys will then charge forward and be more effective. If your guys are ducking and not doing anything, that is a sign to move. The next thing is to use your smoke. Finally don't hesitate to change weapons, the american weapons have crappy magazine capacity and for some reason when you get a scoped rifle they only give u a few bullets. I changed my American scope rifle for a German when I had the chance and I immediately had like 56 bullets. You might not be able to use the same strategy as before on veteran, I learned that lesson in Halo2, switching to legendary mode was a whole different game.

Did you guys try out Full Auto? I gotta say, i'm not impressed AT ALL with the demo.

[ThaMaskedGamer]

Well, that end came rather quickly. The last battles death scene was cool, though. And so was the ability to choose(but not really, since it didn't matter). I loved the last third of the game. Hopefully, part 2 will be more like that, and more jacked puzzles like the one where you had to find your path tp different areas of the house.

Overall, this game is a very good impression for starting this generation. I needed ten achievements to get them all. I probably won't bother trying to, even if I do play through this one again soon.

I finally finished the game. I was suprised because I thought the game was ending 2 levels before it actually ended, so I kinda felt like there was 2 bonus levels. The last few levels were really really excellent and intense. Starting with the Mall Level with the Mannequins, I have to say I have never been scared playing videogames, but part of that Mannequin level spooked the hell outta me. The one part where you had to get to the library and you go outside and the helicopter is searching for you, then you get jumped by a bunch of thugs and you kinda ride along in a dumpster, that was intense! The last few levels at first i didn't appreciate, I felt kinda mad cause they took away something very important, actually I realized my fighting sucked. But after a while I figured out something that makes me want to play the game all over again. THE WEAPONS REALLY ARE DIFFERENT! The reach rating and block rating and speed ratings really really make a difference. You don't or I should say I didn't realize it until I was forced to fight like the enemy. The fighting on the last level was great great great, except the last guy!? I was like who the hell is this dude, the swordmaster? I really didn't understand how the last level fit into the whole context of the game. Where did all these freaks come from?

I felt the game was too short or if it was maybe a hair. Maybe cause it took me some time to figure out all the clues in that damn house where you had to follow the trail of words through the house. I was sleepy and kept messing up, it took me a long long time to finish that, then when I did and fought you know who, I thought the game was over.

I absolutely loved this game, I hope it is successful enough to warrant a sequel. I would say the game is probably a tad bit too easy though. I played on the hardest difficulty too. I think there were too many health kits and too many firearms, and the taser upgrade made it really easy. I felt way more terror in parts of the game where I was fighting for my life.

Overall I would give this game a strong 89/100, just a shade below AAA status in my mind. I really liked that they gave you a good ending. When all the fighting finally stopped, they didn't just end the game really quick. It was a nice little movie and twist in the end.
I can't wait to play F.E.A.R.

I have a few more missions on COD2, then I won't have anything to play anymore, where are the new games?!