Of all the XBOX 360 launch titles, Condemned: Criminal Origins has to be the most unique and the most gruesome of the bunch. You play as Agent Ethan Thomas, an investigator that has been forced into following a serial killer through a tainted city filled with crazed lunatics all the while coming to grips with your own sanity. Condemned’s initially jaw dropping graphics and brutal fighting mechanics make for an enticing experience right out of the box, but unfortunately the gameplay quickly becomes repetitive and monotonous. With such high quality storytelling and presentation it’s a shame that Condemned ultimately amounts to a high quality next generation tech demo.

The story isn’t really anything special to begin with but that quickly changes as it weaves a tale even CSI would be proud of. On your quest to find the truth you’ll be in constant contact with Rosa, the only agent at the FBI that still trusts your judgment. As you progress through the levels of Condemned you’ll stumble upon areas that require evidence gathering which is then sent back to and analyzed by Rosa. Along with her you’ll also come in contact with and receive calls on your cell phone from a host of characters which thicken the plot every time they decide to talk to you. You’ll also have momentary lapses in sanity which change the whole look of the game and put you into a dream like state on screen. This quest to bring down a serial killer and stop the evil that has possessed the people of the city gives you access to some extremely brutal weaponry and many frightful moments that might just make you jump from your seat.

The weapons in Condemned consist mainly of melee objects with the occasional shotgun, pistol, or machine gun which only last you through about 2 to 3 enemies do to their tiny clip size. So for most of the game you’ll be holding some object you’ve grabbed from the environment like a pipe or a fire axe. Because the main weapons are melee, the combat tends to be extremely gruesome and downright disgusting at times. Each time you bash in your opponent blood sprays about and the enemy’s features are bashed in. At times you’ll beat a lunatic into submission and a small finishing move type menu will popup that lets you do one of four kinds of brutal murdering techniques like neck twisting or head butting.

While bashing in enemies you’ll also have your foot and a taser at your disposal as well as the ability to block incoming attacks. All these melee options may make it sound like there is a robust fighting engine here but that’s far from the truth as the fighting amounts to slow motion button mashing. The delay on most melee weapons is around 3 seconds with larger weapons like the sledge hammer taking about 5-6. While this may not sound very slow, in actual practice it feels like the game drops below 10 fps when fighting when actually it’s just how the fighting system works. And while it’s completely playable it’s not all that fun after awhile as 80% of the game is wandering around beating the crap out of these crazed individuals roaming the streets of the city.

The other function of many of the melee weapons found throughout the game is to progress forward in the current level. Many doors will be locked and require the sledge hammer and many doors will be busted up and require the fire axe to break through. This is all fine but what makes this aspect of the game so ridiculous is that it’s one of the main puzzle elements. You’ll be walking along see an axe on the wall, think nothing of it, and then low and behold there will be a door needing an axe to get through it, what a coincidence. So you’ll have to backtrack a bit, grab the axe, and bust down the door to go on. Every single one of the times you have to use an object to progress, the object is a few steps back. This really detracts from the immersion as every time this happens you’re thinking, “wow that was a hell of a coincidence.”