Condemned: Criminal Origins
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| Condemned: Criminal Origins | |
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| Developer(s) | Monolith Productions |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Designer(s) | Frank Rooke |
| Engine | Lithtech Jupiter EX |
| Release date(s) | November 15, 2005 (NA) |
| Genre(s) | Action, Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Mature PEGI: 18+ |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Xbox 360 |
| System requirements | Minimum System Requirements:
Recommended System Requirements:
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| Input | Keyboard, mouse, Controller |
Condemned: Criminal Origins is a video game developed by Monolith Productions and published by Sega for the Xbox 360. It was released on November 15, 2005 in North America and December 2, 2005 in Europe, where it is known simply as Condemned. A version was released for the PC on April 11, 2006.
Players can expect a particularly gritty tone, as the developers cite such films as The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en as inspiration for their game. Monolith Game Designer, Frank Rooke, was also noteworthy of design collaboration in the game Tron 2.0, a sequel to the 1982 motion picture Tron.
The game uses a first person perspective and, like other current games, tries to put the perspective to new use. Condemned: Criminal Origins places an added emphasis on melee combat and puzzle solving, including searching for fingerprints and gathering evidence. It is firmly placed within the horror genre, and more specifically survival horror. The game also implements elements of psychological thriller. The game is also notable for its cutting edge graphics and advanced artificial intelligence. Stylistically, Condemned shares many similarities with Monolith's own F.E.A.R.
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[edit] Premise
In Condemned: Criminal Origins, players take the role of Ethan Thomas, an FBI forensic investigator who becomes trapped in the condemned sections of a fictional American city named "Metro City", while hunting a deadly serial killer. Thomas' investigation is further complicated by a mysterious phenomenon that is transforming the transient population of these areas into insane, violent psychotics. As Thomas, the player investigates crime scenes using forensic tools and techniques, while fighting off the constant assaults by the "crazies" in the hopes of catching the serial killer and escaping alive.
[edit] Gameplay
[edit] Combat
Although the game is played entirely from a first person perspective (only broken for cut scenes) it is not a traditional first-person shooter. Firearms are present, but fleeting. The guns that can be found, or taken from enemies, are only good for as long as the current ammo in the magazine lasts; once this is depleted, the butt of the gun can be used as a weapon.
The focus of the experience is on improvised mêlée, allowing players and enemies to collect, or even pull, weapons from their surrounding environments, such as pipes, shovels, and 2x4s. The word often employed by the developers of the game to describe the combat is 'visceral'. A Duke Nukem 3D style quick-kick is available for attacking without, or alongside, a hand held weapon, and attacks can be unleashed in different directions and configurations, such as left to right or overhead, but combat is notable for not utilizing a combo system, unlike similar titles such as The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. In many cases, blocking is necessary both before and after landing a successful hit.
The artificial intelligence displayed by enemies requires the player to think on his feet a great deal more than similar games. Enemies are able to flee and hide effectively, often surprising the player by quickly appearing from a concealed spot. Enemies can also effectively feint, in order to trick the player into blocking at an inopportune time, leaving themselves open for the real attack.
It should be noted that although there are sharp weapons in the game, one cannot stab or dismember enemies. In fact, the player can never wield an actual knife or sword (the usual melee weapons in first person games) Some mêlée weapons fall under the class of entry tool, (like a fire ax or crowbar) and act as keys in the gameworld, allowing the player to access new areas or locked boxes.
The player also has a taser gun which when used stuns the target, does some damage and allows the player to seize the stunned enemy's weapon. Later in the game it also becomes very damaging. Common uses for it are safely attacking enemies with guns (since it allows players to stun them from a distance and then seize the gun while the enemy is incapacitated), countering an immediate attack since using the taser does not require the precise timing that blocking does and obtaining the chance to make a free hit (a hit where the player does not risk being hit first). However it has to recharge between shots so it cannot be used to bypass the games system of carefully fighting enemies.
The entire game takes place in derelict urban environments, with minimum lighting. The player must use their flashlight to navigate through the game's constantly darkened environments, while dealing with frequent enemy ambushes.
Near the end of the game the player loses both the flashlight and the taser. This means all strategies which required the taser become impossible and the only personal light source becomes burning planks which means carrying a gun reduces visibility. This effectively forces the player to rely exclusively on blocking, hiding and evasion for defense and close range attacks for offense.
[edit] Crime Scenes
Condemned directly involves the player in crime scene investigations, offering the ability to, at the press of a context-sensitive button, call upon a suite of forensic tools to find and record evidence. The player character is linked to an FBI lab via his mobile phone throughout the investigation, allowing (almost immediate) remote examination and analysis by his support worker. Crime scene evidence can be used to solve puzzles, allowing the player to pass previously impassable barriers, and provide clues to the overall mysteries of the story.
Examples of evidence include fingerprints, footprints, fibers, fluids (such as blood or chemicals), particles, residues, markings/etchings, material, imprints, wounds, small objects, documents, and body parts.
[edit] Instincts
The player character is gifted with the instinctual ability to detect when forensic evidence is nearby, allowing players to bring up the detection and collection tools when appropriate. However, the "instincts" of the character only vaguely highlight the area in which the evidence resides, it is up to the player to methodically sweep the scene and catalog any findings.
[edit] Full Plot Synopsis
In an undisclosed US city, disturbing events are unfolding: in abandoned areas, violent crimes are increasingly prevalent amongst the homeless, addicted, and deranged. The police are helpless and avoid treading within these places, both because they fear for their own safety and because colleagues assigned to such locations seem to become increasingly violent themselves. Strange localized audio linked to all this is also affecting birds, causing them to come and die of induced brain hemorrhaging.
[edit] Prologue
In response to a police call, FBI agent and protagonist Ethan Thomas arrives on a homicide crime scene in an abandoned building. On-scene evidence shows a modus operandi matching that of the "Match Maker," a serial killer who abducts and strangles young women, posing them in twisted tableaux with male department store dummies, their faces always partially disfigured.
While Thomas collects evidence, which shows that the Match Maker is missing his right index finger, it becomes apparent that there is still someone nearby: the cops scramble to find him, but the man evades them and is also able to take Thomas' firearm while Thomas is briefly incapacitated from an electrical short. Thomas escapes immediate danger, but is later again ambushed by the killer, who spares Thomas for unknown reasons, but kills the two patrol officers using Thomas' own gun. Before killing the others he tells Thomas "...don't mess this up for us. We are on the same path of righteousness." The killer hurls Thomas through a window and down several floors onto a car roof.
[edit] Subway Station
Later that night, Thomas awakens on his apartment couch after an eerie dream about being attacked by a strange man-like creature. Standing over Thomas is Malcom Vanhorn, an old friend of his deceased father, who warns him to flee the police: the two dead officers were killed with his gun and with his disappearance from the crime scene, it appears that he was the murderer.
Now wanted himself, Thomas flees to the adjacent metro station and finds evidence of the killer showing a distinct interest in his Bureau career. Fortunately, Thomas' FBI lab worker Rosa still trusts him and continues analyzing the evidence he is collecting on his quest to prove his innocence.
Thomas traverses the station fighting off violent squatters and their ilk, all the way following the real killer to his hiding place. Aware that he is being hunted, the killer manages to lose Thomas, who continues investigating. He finds a second hideout supporting evidence found on the initial crime scene, and also linking him to a Burnside department store.
[edit] Department Store
Thomas is forced to visit the abandoned criminal-infested Department Store, with evidence and a residual blood trail leading to another Match Maker tableaux. This time, the dummy is female, and the victim male. The victim's facial markings match that of the earlier male dummies and surprisingly is also missing his right index finger. As fingerprints confirm, the corpse is the Match Maker himself.
[edit] Library
Puzzled by this, Thomas and Rosa surmise that someone is tracking down serial killers and murdering them with their own methods, a "killer of killers" whom they name "Serial Killer X". The two rendezvous in the downtown library, currently closed for extensive repairs; intending to find an operating computer terminal which they can use without fear of FBI monitoring. Evidence from the Metro hideout suggests he concluded 7 out of Thomas' 9 serial killer cases: they assume the Match Maker to be 8, which leaves number nine, "The Torturer."
There, Thomas is shown an addendum to his personnel file; in addition to superhuman bone and muscle density plus a hyperactive brain serotonergic system, his chest x-ray has the esophagus and larynx areas redacted, with the revelation that the redaction has its own special highly-classified and inaccessible addendum. Shortly thereafter Rosa is kidnapped and forced to detail the Torturer's Modus Operandi to Serial Killer X. When reunited, they link the Torturer's hideout to newspaper reports of Mr. Tibbits, a recently-missing ex-teacher who provided information on him. Serial Killer X is eavesdropping on their discussion and once discovered, flees the library, thus forcing Thomas into a race to find The Torturer and Tibbits.
[edit] School
Thomas and Rosa identify the Torturer as Carl Anderson, a former janitor at a local school. Believing the school to be the Torturer's hideout, Thomas goes there to investigate. The run-down school is infested with deformed, emaciated people, led by a huge and insane cleaver-wielding lunch lady. Fighting his way past them, Thomas manages to find Tibbets, horribly-mutilated but still just barely alive. Before finally dying, the man manages to tell Thomas that someone knocked out Anderson and took him away.
At the crime scene, Thomas finds traces of a restricted pesticide, which he links to Serial Killer X. Coupled with prior evidence, Rosa sends Thomas to the rural town of Brier, where an outlying apple orchard uses the same item.
[edit] The House
Thomas gets Vanhorn's help, who drives him to the orchard and drops him off at the main house. Thomas finds scattered mysterious writings and is attacked by a strange man-like creature which disappears when killed. Alerted by a heavy noise, Thomas finally locates Carl Anderson, who has committed suicide by impalement on a fireplace poker after being extensively mutilated. Before Serial Killer X can return, Thomas switches places with Anderson and plays possum, ambushing the killer. Thomas battles Serial Killer X while chasing him throughout the house, but after landing several blows is knocked unconscious from behind by Vanhorn. The killer is revealed to be Vanhorn's nephew Leland. Vanhorn tries reasoning with Leland, saying that he's not in his right mind but can be helped. Leland responds by strangling Vanhorn unconscious.
[edit] The Showdown
Thomas wakes up to find himself at the mercy of Leland Vanhorn: he reveals using Thomas to find serial killers, and then killing them by their own methods. As Leland speaks, on the rafters Thomas sees a man-like creature similar to but significantly more mutilated than the one he fought earlier, watching. Meanwhile, Leland taunts Thomas and even cuts off his left index finger with a combat knife. Before Leland can harm Thomas further, he is suddenly jumped from behind by Malcolm Vanhorn, who wrestles his nephew to the ground. As Thomas breaks free of his bonds, Vanhorn yells to him "Quickly! You must find and destroy 'It'. 'It' has caused all this madness. Go! Kill it now!"
The creature taunts Ethan, telling him "You belong to us Ethan. You have always belonged to us". Thomas tracks the creature across the orchard, fighting off deformed freaks as well as a few of the strange man-like creatures. Thomas finally confronts the main creature in the roof of the Orchard's barn, and succeeds in killing it by ripping out its metal prosthetics.
[edit] The Ending
Thomas returns to Malcolm Vanhorn and they drive back to town. Vanhorn tells Thomas that he can never go back to the Bureau or his old life. He has seen the visage of hate. They are the ones who drive people to violence and murder. Along the way and much to Thomas' dismay, he discovers that Leland is alive and in the trunk of the car: the agent wishes to exact revenge from the killer and the older Vanhorn protests, pleading that both Thomas and Leland still have a chance at redemption. After Thomas argues with Malcolm, Malcolm pulls out a gun and several of the creatures from before surround Thomas and Malcom and mutter things in the background. It zooms in on Thomas' face and as a possible easter egg you hear a rambling that is not major to the storyline and is just a random rambling. The voice says "Power for life" or "Cower for life" At this point the player is given the option of taking revenge or showing compassion. If the player chooses to shoot Serial Killer X, the scene ends. If the player chooses to spare him, Serial Killer X pulls out his own gun and aims it around at both Malcom Vanhorn and Thomas. He then puts the gun to his mouth and pulls the trigger.
Some time later Rosa confronts Thomas in a diner after the whole debacle, informing him that the Bureau can link the whole thing to an ancient cult: Thomas finds the idea preposterous, but is unable to provide any evidence to the contrary. While Thomas wishes to tell Rosa all he knows, she warns him with a note that she's wired, so in the end Thomas says nothing. When Rosa leaves, Thomas enters a bathroom, When he enters the lights flash a little and he begins a small cough. He throws up all over the sink and moves in to wash his face. As he does so one of the creatures appears behind him in the mirror. The screen darkens for a second as Thomas brings his head up slightly. The screen goes back to normal view as Thomas quickly turns toward the screen, revealing that his face has transformed into a mutated visage with a metal jaw, similar to that of the creatures.
[edit] Characters
- Ethan Thomas: An FBI investigator with a highly successful record, due to his possession of supernaturally keen investigative instincts. Thomas has psychic visions throughout the game, and later in the game it is revealed that he has superhuman muscle and bone density, a hyperactive serotonergic system, and something mysterious in his esophagus and larynx. Thomas' superhuman durability is demonstrated several times throughout the game, such as recovering within seconds from electrocution, a 2-story fall, and being thrown from a speeding subway train.
- Lieutenant Rosa: Thomas' forensic investigator at headquarters. Thomas sends Rosa crime scene data electronically using his data collection tools, and Rosa analyzes and interprets the data for him. She trusts Thomas, and continues to help him clear his name after his is framed for murder by Serial Killer X.
- Malcolm Vanhorn: An old friend of Thomas' father, Malcolm assists Thomas at various points throughout the game. He appears to know more about the mysterious phenomena gripping the city than he lets on.
- Serial Killer X: A serial killer who hunts and kills other serial killers, executing them using their own methods. He has been following Thomas' career for some time, using Thomas' investigation into serial killers to help him track down his victims. Thomas begins hunting SKX after the killer frames him for the murder of two cops. SKX is eventually revealed to be Leland Vanhorn, the nephew of Malcolm Vanhorn. Malcolm believes that Leland is not in his right mind due to the influence of the creatures, and is not responsible for his actions.
- Farrell: Thomas' superior at the FBI, Farrell seems convinced that Thomas is guilty. Farrell makes occasional calls to Thomas over his cell phone, at first trying to convince him to turn himself in, then later threatening him and Rosa.
- The Dark Creatures: Strange, mutilated man-like creatures with pieces of metal protruding from various parts of their bodies. They wear torn black robes, and fight with long metal sticks in a style based on eskrima. Thomas has visions of these creatures stalking him throughout the entire game, and finally ends up fighting a few of them in the game's final levels. The game's final boss is a creature with more metal piercings and mutilations than the rest.
[edit] Forensic Tools
[edit] Detection Tools
- UV Light - The UV Light's primary function is to detect traces of blood visible and invisible to the naked eye causing it to stand out brightly if within the light range of the device. It will illuminate the immediate area directly ahead of the device with a purplish light.
- Laser Light - The Laser Light device produces a relatively small cone of light that's greenish in color. It's capable of illuminating latent pieces of evidence invisible to the naked eye, causing it to stand out brightly if within the light range of the device.
- Gas Spectrometer - The Gas Spectrometer monitors the presence of a foreign substance in the air, displaying its concentration in a meter. The player can use the meter to track down the pollutant's source such as fumes (most notably methane gas emitted by decaying flesh).
[edit] Collection Tools
- Sampler - The Sampler evaluates the chemical makeup of a piece of evidence and transmits that back to the lab for identification and evaluation.
- 3D Scanner - The 3D Scanner captures the three dimensional aspect of evidence and transmits the information back to the lab.
- Digital Camera - The Digital Camera is used to capture images that are transmitted back to the lab for evaluation.
[edit] Unlockable content
The version of Condemned: Criminal Origins for the Xbox 360 console employs the achievements system mandated by Microsoft. As the criteria for the achievement awards are met, bonus content is unlocked, which can then be accessed from a special menu. Content includes concept and production sketches and paintings, work-in-progress animation, video from motion capture sessions, and a rather lengthy video showcasing a complete level from an early version of the game. These features were later carried over to the PC version of the game. One interesting thing to note about Condemned's achievements is that they only total up to a value of 970 gamerpoints, with every other retail 360 game having a total of 1000.
In certain pieces of unlocked concept art, street names can be seen in the subway stops which make it clear that the game was at least originally intended to take place in New York City. Furthermore, if all birds and metal pieces are collected, a series of Propaganda Reports will be made available. These provide further background to the story in the form of classified documents.
[edit] Early versions
Condemned: Criminal Origins was originally known as The Dark, quite far into production. Under this name, the game was largely similar but differed in several key areas. The player character was known as Agent Cross, and the game appeared to follow him on a Government-sanctioned investigation, or investigations, rather than acting as a rogue on the run from the law. Although Cross possessed the supernatural leanings of Thomas from the final game, he could actually use various magical spells. For example, a spell could be uttered to pull a gun from an enemy's hands and bring it to you through the air, and another spell saw doors and other obstacles break in front of you, seemingly negating the need for a fire axe. The forensic tools used by Cross also differed, as the detection and collection tools were typically one individual item - the UV light, for instance, could illuminate clues and then be used to physically swipe across them, to take samples.
[edit] Film adaptation
On October 4, 2005, Warner Brothers Studios announced plans to release a film adaptation which is set in the same "universe" as the then upcoming Condemned: Criminal Origins.[1] Warner Bros. Studios had acquired Monolith Productions during 2004 and is expecting for the movie to receive a currently to be announced 2008 theatrical release date. A report from The Variety states that Kurt Sutter, co-execute producer of the television series The Shield, would be writing the screenplay for the film under the working title Species X.[2] The project's name had since been changed to The Unforgettable by 2006.[3]
According to earlier drafts of the script, a police officer hunts down a serial killer in an attempt to clear his name from murder. However, during the process he discovers that he may be tied to other ongoing murder cases in an unusual way. The cop soon begins to question throughout his investigation upon discovering his supernatural abilities, "who he is as a man, until he realizes he's not a man. A tug-of-war emerges among a faction of good and evil aliens."
Also connected with the project is Jason Hall, a former Monolith CEO who joined Warner Bros. to become Vice president of Operations over their gaming division. Hall, along with Nathan Henderickson, was responsible for the film's concept and state that he seeks to "come up with something specifically designed to use multiple mediums to tell stories that had some continuity and connective thread... We wanted to create a universe that, like a Star Wars, was big enough where different stories could exist." Variety indicated that the plan was to introduce audiences to the "universe" of Condemned with Criminal Origins, followed by a film adaptation which will tie-in with a sequel video game gradually expanding the story's universe. As of January 25, 2007, David S. Goyer and Basil Iwanyk are attached to produce.
[edit] Reviews
The Xbox 360 version scores 82% on Game Rankings based on 79 reviews.
The PC version scores 79% on Game Rankings based on 30 reviews.
[edit] Sequel
Although it has not been officaly confirmed many have speculated a sequel is in the works, many online sites such has play-asia have already started accepting pre-orders for the game. OXM had an article in the March 2007 issue on what they like to see in the sequel including Highier Resolution Character models, brining back Ethan and Rosa and explaining and expanding on the ending, although Sega has remained silent about this project.
