IGN Gets Condemned

[Sense Field]

IGN has posted their review of Monolith's new Xbox 360 title, Condemned: Criminal Origins.

This game is dark, it looks great, the sound is insane, it's got an engaging melee combat system, and it's one of the scariest games I've ever played. Even though the game's level progression and puzzles are extremely linear, you'll have a hard time being disappointed by this one. That is, unless you've got a severe aversion to ramming your head into the pulpy face of a grotesque sledgehammer-wielding sewer-dweller.
Read the full Review (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/667/667802p1.html) at IGN (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/667/667802p1.html).

WOW, now I want this game.

[bKangy]

Look, no offense to the author, but how that comment wasn't cleaned up so it read like anything else I'd expect to read at any other news site? I'm noticing this problem quite a bit.

[Echani]

Condemned

Capital I in the comment, while we're at it :P

[Kelegacy]

Another short game?

The shortgameaholics must be extremely satisfied these days.

[Serapth]

Yeah, Condemned is the perfect example of the type of game that gets hurt by rentals.

Im pumped about this game, it looks pretty wicked and on a big screen with surround sound and the lights out, it will probrably make me shit my pants ( a good scary game puts me more on edge then any horror movie... even System Shock 2 had my nerves so wired I had trouble sleeping ).

That said, no way am I going to buy it. It looks like one of those games you rent over the weekend, play the hell out of, beat, then return never to play it a game. Thus, instead of forking out 50$ for the experience, im forking out 5$. Sadly, if it wasnt available at rental, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

[Kelegacy]

I need to start renting. I could save a shitload of money. But then again, I read tons of reviews...and seem to always overlook that a game is too short.

Maybe if more people rented short games instead of bought them, it would make developers start putting a bit more meat on the metaphorical bone in order to earn our retail dollar. Then again, probably not.

[Phades]

I have no problem with a game being a bit on the short side but I do think they should be a bit cheaper. Paying $60 now for a 10 hour game is a bit too much. I'll pick this one up used or borrow it from a friend. I don't rent games because I never know when I'm going to have the time to play. If I have time to do some gaming, I don't want to have to run down to the rental store first and waste a good 30 minutes that I could've been playing.

[Serapth]

I have no problem with a game being a bit on the short side but I do think they should be a bit cheaper. Paying $60 now for a 10 hour game is a bit too much. I'll pick this one up used or borrow it from a friend. I don't rent games because I never know when I'm going to have the time to play. If I have time to do some gaming, I don't want to have to run down to the rental store first and waste a good 30 minutes that I could've been playing.

Since your in the states, you should try that mail order rental service ( forget its name ). So far as I understand it works alot like net movie service where you pay a fixed amount, play it till your done, then send it back and get something different. If it was available in Canada, it would be perfect for me as im like you for timing.

[Royal Fool]

I'll have no problem with skipping this one.

[Ludoc]

Serapth, you'll be glad to hear this then:

"At this time only DVD memberships are available, however Zip.ca will soon be expanding our online services to offer a new games membership plan (2-games at-a-time, for $24.95/month).
Game Rentals for the following consoles will be available: Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox 360 (when available).
To subscribe to Zip.ca updates on Game Rentals click the 'Notify Me by Email if this Answer is Updated' button below."

They're associated with future shop, so you know it isn't a company that is going to go under in two months. I, personally, can't wait.

[EternalGamer]

I have thought about doing Gamefly a number of times, but I am not sure the monthly fee would work out in my favor since I dont' play that many games and the ones I do play, are generally ones I want to own in the first place. Nevertheless, my major reason for not signing up for one is that I figured there would be supply problems with the larger title essentially negating the value it might otherwise have. Does anyone here use Gamefly? Can they disabuse me of this notion?

Dan

[Serapth]

Awesome news, thanks Ludoc.

[Achilles]

FEAR was about 10 hours long and it didn't leave me feeling ripped-off. I think being longer probably would have hurt the game. It’s hard to drag out a suspenseful storyline for longer than 10 hours. Even the Silent Hill games are only about 12-14 hours long.

[Serapth]

FEAR was about 10 hours long and it didn't leave me feeling ripped-off. I think being longer probably would have hurt the game. It’s hard to drag out a suspenseful storyline for longer than 10 hours. Even the Silent Hill games are only about 12-14 hours long.

Flipside to that is, I can see myself replaying a FPS after I have beaten it. A game like Silent Hill, playing it a second time would be boring as hell.

[Rafer]

FEAR was about 10 hours long and it didn't leave me feeling ripped-off. I think being longer probably would have hurt the game. It’s hard to drag out a suspenseful storyline for longer than 10 hours. Even the Silent Hill games are only about 12-14 hours long.

I sorta agree, I think you could use Doom III as an example of a game that dragged on for too long until it lost most of it's suspense. Though I am enjoying Resident Evil 4 and that game is suppossed to be close to 20 hours in length.

[The Iron Weasel]

Yeah Doom 3 went on WAY too long, in fact I never beat it because of it. (well mostly because those mother fucking trites scare the fuck out of me.

[Tyrant]

Wacky executive: "I think it's pretty obvious that instead of giving gamers a solid game that's less than 10 hours long, we should just drag them out as long as possible in an attempt to give gamers the best bang for their buck! Sure, it'll get hurt in reviews and some people will just not finish the game at all because it's so long, but to heck with them!"

Wacky Executive's underling: "Sir, I don't think making the story mode for our Poker game 10 times longer than it should be is a particularly good idea."

Wacky Executive: "Why do you say that?! Everyone loves poker! Everyone loves long games! Everyone will want to see Ted the Poker Star win 50 poker tournaments in a row, thus garnering enough money to purchase new prosthetic arms and legs for himself and his family!"

[The_Darr]

Yeah Doom 3 went on WAY too long, in fact I never beat it because of it. (well mostly because those mother fucking trites scare the fuck out of me.
i couldnt even FORCE myslef through that HORRID elevator level (near the middle i think). ugh, one of the WORST levels in a shooter EVER.

i think Condemned since the first screens/details looked fucking awesome. glad it turned out so, though 10 hours IS a tad weak for me...

[Achilles]

I think there's certainly something to be said for replayablity in these games. Ada's mission in RE4 being a good example. If the replayablity's not there, than maybe it's a problem, but I'm gald to see it's not only me that thinks a basic experience of 10 hours for a survival horror game isn't bad as long as it's a good 10 hours.

[Serapth]

I think there's certainly something to be said for replayablity in these games. Ada's mission in RE4 being a good example. If the replayablity's not there, than maybe it's a problem, but I'm gald to see it's not only me that thinks a basic experience of 10 hours for a survival horror game isn't bad as long as it's a good 10 hours.

Oh, I dont think its bad, not at all. I dont think length makes a game better. That said I tend to buy games that last a long time, either racing games where you constantly unlock stuff, RPGs that last forever, fighting games or sports games. Stuff that I can play and play and play.

Everything else I tend to rent or borrow. Like I said way earlier in this thread, its too bad for game developers that rental outlets exist as alot of them would have gotten my money by now. (The exception being 19.99 greatest hit type games... ill risk 20$ on just about anything and the simple fact that everything I rent normally comes with 3 days of late fees from me forgetting or being to lazy to return it, it comes out about even ).

[The Iron Weasel]

The best really short game ever was easily Max Payne 2.

[Royal Fool]

After reading through the review, I'm simply baffled at the game's rating. How did it ever pass through as Mature?

Oh, wait... they're only adult if they have sex or nudity.

[Achilles]

Oh, I dont think its bad, not at all. I dont think length makes a game better. That said I tend to buy games that last a long time, either racing games where you constantly unlock stuff, RPGs that last forever, fighting games or sports games. Stuff that I can play and play and play.

Everything else I tend to rent or borrow. Like I said way earlier in this thread, its too bad for game developers that rental outlets exist as alot of them would have gotten my money by now. (The exception being 19.99 greatest hit type games... ill risk 20$ on just about anything and the simple fact that everything I rent normally comes with 3 days of late fees from me forgetting or being to lazy to return it, it comes out about even ).I agree with your earlier comment about replayablity. It's not hard to drop in some invisible triggers and put in 3 endings to encourage the player to buy the game instead of rent it. I buy all my games but I realize that a lot of people are like you and really only buy it if they can't beat it in a weekend, or if they really love it. I just think that a spooky game looses something after a while. It goes from being disturbing to just being a place where you kill stuff, which is what happened to me while playing RE4.

I'd say that a horror game should be whatever length best tells the story in the most suspenseful way possible. Then offer other endings or side stories so that the player can see the world from different angles, and that kind of thing.

Best really short recent game I can recall is Katamari Damacy. The game's only about 4-6 hours long but it's a heck of a lot of fun.

[The Iron Weasel]

Best really short recent game I can recall is Katamari Damacy. The game's only about 4-6 hours long but it's a heck of a lot of fun.

BUT ITS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THE SHORT GOODNESS OF MAX PAYNE 2! :D

[Achilles]

BUT ITS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THE SHORT GOODNESS OF MAX PAYNE 2! :DLOL I'll take your word for it, I haven't played Max payne 2 :)

-the pills help ease the payne.

[The Iron Weasel]

Why haven't you played that game yet!?!?!?! ITS PEOPLE LIKE YOU THAT HAVE CAUSE MAX PAYNE 3 TO BE OUTSOURCED! YOU....YOU BASTARD!

*cries*

:D

[Achilles]

Why haven't you played that game yet!?!?!?! ITS PEOPLE LIKE YOU THAT HAVE CAUSE MAX PAYNE 3 TO BE OUTSOURCED! YOU....YOU BASTARD!

*cries*

:DActually yeah it is people like me that did that. But it's all just part of a plot to get Remedy to move on to Alan Wake as soon as possible. Max Payne 3 is collateral damage, look at the big picture! :p

[ElectricMonk]

nothing comes close to the short goodness of Beyond Good & Evil. I'm not opposed to short games, but BG&E was barely a game demo.

[The Iron Weasel]

Actually yeah it is people like me that did that. But it's all just part of a plot to get Remedy to move on to Alan Wake as soon as possible. Max Payne 3 is collateral damage, look at the big picture! :p

YEAH BUT NOW MAX PAYNE IS GONNA SUCK YOU FUCKING ASS HOLE! :D

EDIT: BTW, Alan Wake is gonna be fucking sick!

[Heretic Machine]

For me replayability is the MOST IMPORTANT POINT of a game. I don't want to pay $50 for something I'll play once. Games like Halo, Smash Brothers, Morrowind, or Disgaea have the sort of replayability I need from a game. DoA games rank high up there as well. Most J-RPG's get this too, but then again only one out of a hundred is worth playing and keeps me interested to the end <.<

The Grand Theft Auto games captured my heart with their replayability... I can just flip on my PS2, pop in a GTA and rampage for HOURS without getting bored. Even today I can drive around Vice City and have more fun than I will ever have with most other games. So for me, replayability is something every game needs if I'm expected to buy it.

[holycrapper]

actually, someone said something about silent hill, it had a hard mode, where the puzzles were more involving, i think that was the major difference, there were proabably some replay differences and storyline changes, but yeah, to really be scared, apparantly you have to have no idea what to do to solve the problem presented before you, WHILE being attacked by 3 foot high klan members with pocket knives, GOD that game scared me, silent hill 2 scared me even worse, i didnt even make it nearly as far as i did through the first one....

[Twigz'N'Berries]

Is ten hours too short for a game? I don't think so personally. I don't want a lot of extra filler if it isn't crucial to a story. If the storyline is enaging and immersive, then a 10 hour game is just fine.
There are plenty of games you can site that dragged on for 12-20 hours and could have been easily condensed and improved. The only way I feel disappointed is if I am left feeling that the game should have had more to it. If there were a lot of holes in the story or plot lines that should have been explored but weren't, then I dislike the game length.
I for one am looking at the Condemned (along with 2k6, Madden, Kameo, PGR3 and Call of Duty) on my shelf and can't wait to get my 360. The other 5 pre-order games PD0, Gun, Quake 4, Ridge Racer 6 and DOA4 aren't out yet.

[MasterKwan]

Gamefly has saved me literally hundreds of dollars on crap games that, I normally would have paid for. They just sent "BattleField2" for the XBox. Played if for a few minutes, wrapped it up and sent it back. It's everything that's wrong about FPS's on the console.

I still buy many games, I just buy alot fewer stinkers.

I didn't consider MP2 to be too short by any means. The story carried me forward and the length was correct. It's the kind of game I'll play over to try different tactics. Like a good book, playing it more than once lets me revisit the experience. HL2 is another example, I just played through Ravenholm using just the Gravity gun.

[Paltry]

I cant beleive no ones mentioned Riddick yet on this thread. Its the perfect example of a good short game. I beat it in a weekend, returned it to Blockbuster, and all was good with the world. Great game, reading the review for condemned made it pop into my head, namely the melee system.

I would love to see see multiplayer for these games, with just some simple modes so you can kick the shit out of people. Image 8 dudes on a tiny map fighting over one pistol with paper cutters and fists and metal pipes. As they say, dat shit would be tight yo.

And, since im at work and i have nothing to do, im gonna ramble some more. If they could make a game with the grit and gameplay of Condemned, a living open city like GTA, and fleshed out forensics/detective aspeacts I think we would have one of the most badass games ever. Fuckin cruise around lookin for speeders and potheads until the dispatcher comes on the radio talkin about a murder or a hold up, yeah, yeaaaaaah...........

[The Iron Weasel]

Yeah Riddick was a fantastic game. I played that game 7 times.

[Paltry]

I played through it once, but I think I got everything out of it I could.

I really really hope people make more games like this. Im freaking out here, my xbox broke and Ive been playing nothing but source and mmo's for monthes. I need something story driven, short, and sweet. Can anyone here suggest any worthwhile pc games along those lines, any genre really...

[dr_wily]

The best really short game ever was easily Max Payne 2.

3rd that motion.. ajourned!

[MasterKwan]

I need to order a couple XBox DVD drives. I have 2 'Boxes with broken DVD drives. My Kids Xbox isn't sounding too hot either.

[Achilles]

I played through it once, but I think I got everything out of it I could.

I really really hope people make more games like this. Im freaking out here, my xbox broke and Ive been playing nothing but source and mmo's for monthes. I need something story driven, short, and sweet. Can anyone here suggest any worthwhile pc games along those lines, any genre really...FEAR. Very story driven, moody, it's about 12 hours long. Great graphics and intense gameplay. The AI is nothing short of amazing, they flank, they flush you out, they sneak up on you from behind and try to melee you. The slo-mo thing is great, and none of the encounters just spawn in, usually you confront them head-on actually and all the flanking happens as they try to take you out. For the story elements they do a lot of spooky stuff with camera filters, speeding up and slowing down time, ceilings made of blood, etc. And I loved its ending.

Basically I liked the game so much that it made Condemned one of my most anticipated titles even though it wasn't done by the same team.