Condemned 2: Bloodshot -- Initial Impression.

Next up for me is the Xbox 360 version of Condemned 2: Bloodshot. The game is the sequel to Condemned: Criminal Origins, which just happened to be one of the best titles for the launch of the Xbox 360. The original was a wonderfully scary and brutal experience, if a slightly flawed one. Bloodshot picks up twelve months later with Ethan Thomas having quit and having fallen on hard times. He's haunted by the events of the first game and is a raging alcoholic who has nearly lost everything. He's a bum in a city filled with bums and the insane and it's just going to get worse from there. It's a rather depressing jumping off point, but  that seems to be the intention. From my initial play time spent with the game I can see that the graphics have greatly improved. That the scare tactics employed by the first one are still in place. That they're going to try to shake things up and take everything to the next level. The combat system has been expanded. I found myself struggling with the learning curve throughout the first level. Another thing greatly apparent is the combat is as mean and brutal and cringe inducing as the original, if not more so, if that's even possible. There's a lot more going on in combat this time around. The first level took me places I wasn't expecting, which is a good sign. It means I have no idea where the hell I'm going. It means they're going to keep me on my guard. They're smartly messing with my expectations. Hopefully this will pan out through the full game. If I can wrap my head around the new combat subtleties and if they continue to shake things up, I should be in for one hell of a scary fun ride. We'll see...