Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Have to say, this wasn't as enjoyable as the original. I didn't find the plot as interesting and the graphics and combat seemed to be the only 2 main things that were improved upon the most. Trust GameSpot to give it a slightly better rating, than the first, just because of these 2 improvements.
Yes, the graphics and combat have been improved and are better, but still... The story, sort of, had an interesting concept but, as Rosa said, was a bit far-fetched.
Speaking of Rosa, and the other characters (mainly Ethan Thomas himself), they just weren't the same characters anymore. Different looking models and different voice actors. WTF were Sega/Monolith thinking? Sure, Ethan was a wreck because of his drinking and the effects of the Influenced, but like i said, he just didn't feel like the same character anymore. He was more aggressive and a bit unlikeable tbh. Rosa was a lot younger looking than the middle aged woman she was in the first one. And
Spoiler:SKX was just unrecognizable. Even without the skin missing from the right side of his mouth.
These character changes are just as bad as replacing Jodie Foster with Julianne Moore in Hannibal.
The horror side is a lot more creepier and, ahem, fucked up than the first. These were my thoughts as i played through the first time. Especially the first level. But like with the majority of horror games/movies, you get used to them the more you play/watch. The game still has the power to make me jump when things/people leap out (which is no bad thing), but the scripted scares just don't do anything anymore.
To be honest, some of the scary effects became annoying. There are moments later on where Ethan's view becomes hazy and disorienting. This is supposed to make things more scary and uncertain, especially when you can't always see what's attacking you. There lies the problem. On the harder difficulty, near the end, everything goes darker, the flashlight is pretty useless and the only kind of light you have is fire spinning around. These black slinky looking critters appear from both sides and constantly hit you. Within a matter of hits, you're dead and you can hardly see a bloody thing.
The investigating side is fun, but again it doesn't seem as fun as the first one. But being able to choose, out of a number of options, what you think the answer is, is certainly an improvement. And after each investigation, you're rewarded with a rating/score on how well you answered.
At the end of the day, i think the best investigation happened at the end of the original in a deserted (or was it?), creepy farm house. Unusual text scrawled along the walls, floor and ceiling, which was only visible with the UV light, which led you all around the house to different clues. Including the creepiest part of the house: the basement. The second one could have done with something like this imo. In the first one, it's a game of cat and mouse. Stalked by a serial killer whose leaving clues behind for you, whilst he's killing other serial killers using their styles. It certainly had a Silence of the Lambs/Seven kind of theme/feel to it. The second one does not.
Either way, by the end of my second playthrough (but still ended up going through it a third time for a couple of achievements) i became pretty fed up with the single player mode. The game just feels too linear, short and the same each time. Problems which even the first one suffers from.
And finally, Multiplayer. Disappointing to say the least. I still have achievements to get, but no one ever seems to want to play any Ranked Matches. By setting up your own, you could be waiting forever for people to join.
There only seems to be Player Matches at the go and the people hosting them all seem to set-up Deathmatches using the same maps. Everyone just seems far too good and you never stand a chance of winning. Even Team Deathmatches are just as bad. The host and his team always have the advantage: guns. Even if there's more Influenced against the SCU's, one or two shots from their weapons and your gone.
Condemned: Criminal Origins 4/5.
Overall, i'd give this game 3.5/5.
Good but more flawed imo.