Condemned 2: Bloodshot -- Final Opinion.

I have completed the eleven levels that make up Condemned 2. It took a little longer than I expected as I've found myself replaying levels as to earn perfect gold rankings for each. Condemned 2 is an all around better game than the original. They've done pretty much everything you'd want for a sequel. And that's improve just about every aspect without straying too far from what made the original shine. The graphics are the most obvious improvement. The game looks great in all its gore and grime and grizzle and nastiness. Also improved are the levels themselves. They're far more varied in design than the original. The game still has you roaming the back alleyways and tenement buildings, but it also expands out to pristine office buildings and otherwise ideal mountain lodge settings before returning to the trash and sludge. The level designs are also generally less confusing. Something the original Condemned suffered from a little bit. The game's story is also much improved. Not only is it more coherent, it even helps fully explain the events of the first game. Beyond just giving the original a canon ending, it clears just about everything up. I liked where Condemned 2's story went, and where it's pointing towards in the hopeful future sequel. The combat is still yet another improved upon area. The game offers far more depth in combat. It also offers up generally tougher combat. Improved gun play, truly vicious and painfully brutal melee combat, environmental kills, and improved boss battles all await the player. The original condemned was a wonderfully jump-scary game. I can say that Condemned 2 retains a lot of the original fright factor that made Condemned such a success. The developers have taken what they've used in the original and messed with it as to keep the player guessing. They're teasing your expectations. They're still masters of misdirection. They'll have you looking here or there at the obvious scare so you don't see the real scare. Condemned 2 will make you jump. It's not going to mess with your head, it only wants to make your wet yourself. The last area they've improved up is the crime scene sections. The new system where you're graded for your use of logic is far more fun and rewarding than those found in the original. It's just too cool analyzing blood splatter patterns to determine if they were caused from arterial spray or from an exit wound. I'm still not entirely finished with the game. I'm likely to play it two more times through to wrap up the single player achievements. I really enjoyed Condemned 2 and I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel. I'm giving Condemned 2: Bloodshot for the Xbox 360 a 9.