What sticks in your mind the first time you play Condemned isn't the decrepit, rotting buildings which apparently house every frothing-at-the-mouth psychopath on the eastern seaboard, or even the aforementioned psychopaths themselves - they're a dime a dozen, those guys. No, what really sticks with you on your first trip through the seedy underbelly of Metro City is the sheer brutality of Criminal Origins' melee system - there's nothing showy, graceful or elegant about it, and neutralising enemies never feels like anything less than the total obliteration of flesh and bone. It's not a dance, it's a fight for survival, and the slightest misstep could result in you scooping your brains off the floor with a dustpan. Interspersed throughout the carnage are forensic sequences which, while not being as fleshed out as they probably could have been, do provide a change of pace as well as some genuinely scary moments, the most famous of which involves a body in a locker. Condemned isn't a perfect game by any means - the latter half in particular introduces some truly baffling plot elements (the sequel somehow manages to make those seem downright pedestrian by comparison though) - and while Bloodshot polished the core mechanics to a mirror sheen, the original provides a more consistently frightening experience overall. You can't go wrong with either game, though.
