Condemned: Criminal Origins
- October 29, 2012
- Monolith
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"Condemned: Criminal Origins" is a horror-crime investigation game with an interesting plot following Detective Ethan Thomas as he uncovers the minds of serial killers. The game boasts fabulous gameplay, pretty visuals, amazing music, and an amazing atmosphere, but may have some bugs and grinding. Experience tense investigation, collecting evidence, and intense combat with makeshift weapons as you reveal the terrors lurking in the city.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a genuinely creepy atmosphere that keeps players on edge throughout.
- Melee combat is visceral and satisfying, allowing players to use a variety of improvised weapons.
- The enemy AI is surprisingly intelligent, often ambushing players and using the environment to their advantage.
- The game suffers from significant performance issues on modern systems, requiring community patches to run smoothly.
- The story becomes convoluted and less engaging towards the end, with a disappointing final boss.
- Movement is painfully slow, especially when navigating stairs or uneven terrain, which can detract from the overall experience.
- story559 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story of "Condemned: Criminal Origins" is generally regarded as intriguing and engaging, particularly in its early stages, where players follow FBI agent Ethan Thomas as he investigates a series of gruesome murders. However, many reviews note that the narrative becomes increasingly convoluted and wacky towards the end, leading to an underwhelming conclusion that detracts from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the atmospheric storytelling and psychological horror elements keep players invested, making it a memorable, if imperfect, journey through a dark and unsettling world.
“The story itself is very interesting as you are relentlessly trying to track this killer down all while trying to clear your own name.”
“The story is genuinely excellent and I love the unnerving atmosphere created throughout the game.”
“The story is engaging and the AI is incredible.”
“My main gripe about the game is that the story seems to go off the rails towards the end.”
“The story is a silly mess, with plot holes and characters that feel underdeveloped.”
“The story starts out pretty strong but suffers at the midpoint, leaving many plot points unresolved.”
- atmosphere359 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Condemned: Criminal Origins" is widely praised for its thick, oppressive, and eerie quality, effectively immersing players in a gritty urban horror experience. Reviewers highlight the game's exceptional sound design, lighting, and environmental details that contribute to a sense of constant tension and dread, often comparing it favorably to other horror titles. Despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics and story, the atmosphere remains a standout feature that captivates and unsettles players throughout their journey.
“The atmosphere and enemy AI are good, but everything else is barebones because the game barely has any real mechanics.”
“The atmosphere is palpable and yet again no other game has come close to achieving the urban decay and grime of Condemned.”
“The atmosphere is thick and oppressive, you can hear sounds all around you that make you wonder if a bad guy is coming up to get you (most of the time they are) and the gritty detective story is balanced quite well between the supernatural elements in the plot.”
“The atmosphere gives anxiety for sure but the combat system becomes too repetitive after a while.”
“The atmosphere of this game is very chilling and dark that makes you paranoid as you watch your back throughout the game.”
- gameplay332 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Condemned: Criminal Origins" is primarily focused on melee combat, with players utilizing various improvised weapons and limited firearms in a linear progression through levels. While the combat mechanics can feel clunky and repetitive, they are often described as visceral and satisfying, contributing to the game's tense atmosphere. However, many reviews note that the gameplay suffers from technical issues, simplistic mechanics, and a lack of variety, which can detract from the overall experience.
“Absolutely phenomenal gameplay, audio, and enemy design that delivers an extremely tense experience.”
“The gameplay is really upfront and visceral: melee your way grabbing every weapon you can hold while beating up the filth of the city and following a mysterious trail, that gets crazier with each passing hour.”
“The brilliant use of everyday locations and objects in creating a decaying, unsettling sense of place, unique and brutal first-person melee combat and simple -but smart- usage of crime-solving mechanics steal the show.”
“The gameplay consists of you going through 10 linear levels.”
“The gameplay is boring as hell though, and repetitive as it could possibly get.”
“The gameplay itself is quite literally just walking, solving a dumb 'puzzle' that is usually just getting a specific weapon by walking even more, and sometimes pointing a stupid tool at photos and dumb stuff like that.”
- graphics225 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Condemned: Criminal Origins" are widely regarded as dated, reflecting its 2006 release, with many players noting that while the environments and lighting contribute to a compelling atmosphere, character models and textures often appear low-resolution and glitchy. Despite these shortcomings, some reviewers appreciate how the older graphics enhance the horror experience, creating a gritty and unsettling aesthetic that aligns with the game's themes. Overall, while the visuals may not hold up by modern standards, they still evoke a sense of dread that resonates with fans of survival horror.
“Even all these years later, it still sticks out in my mind because of the eerie atmosphere and jump in graphics compared to PS2 era stuff, especially the lighting and motion capture.”
“Despite being old, the graphics hold up very well, and I think the crust adds to the scare factor similar to that of 'Cry of Fear's' graphics.”
“The graphics are great for a game from 2006, and are still nice to look at today.”
“The graphics are, let’s face it, terrible.”
“The game is not scary in the slightest, the graphics are an eyesore in the worst way, the movement is clunky and feels awful to just walk in general, and the story is enough to make you sleep.”
“The graphics aged terribly and the port has a lot of bugs and issues, like framerates getting stuck below 30fps, missing audio, etc. all can be fixed by an externally downloadable patch, which you can find by googling it, but, retroactively, I'd say it is more trouble than the title is actually worth.”
- music59 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its effectiveness in creating a sense of unease and horror. While the soundtrack is often minimalistic and ambient, it is described as fitting and impactful, contributing significantly to the game's immersive experience. However, some criticism is directed at the voice acting and occasional audio glitches, which detract from the overall sound quality.
“The game has an absolutely good soundtrack which supports its atmosphere and environments.”
“The soundtrack is spot on and hard to describe with how good it is as it fills each level and event with just the right feeling of unease.”
“The music and atmosphere are very terrifying and scary, leaving a huge impression on me after exploring dark places.”
“The voice acting is subpar, there is little to no music, and the sound design isn't very good.”
“A very thrilling moment, with just one problem: there was no music and hardly any sound effects for this section.”
“The PC version (at least on Steam) has a lot of sound issues where various effects and music are either missing or so low that they can barely be heard.”
- optimization39 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 41 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has been widely criticized, with many players experiencing significant performance issues such as low frame rates, stuttering, and graphical glitches, even on high-end PCs. Users often recommend downloading community patches or mods to improve performance, as the game is deemed unoptimized for modern hardware. While some players report smoother experiences after adjustments, the overall consensus is that the game requires considerable tweaking to be playable.
“Go use this guide from the amazing thirteenag because he gives you files that will fix optimization, graphical issues, missing audio, etc. Also, turn VSync on; if not, it causes an issue where you won't be able to walk up stairs.”
“One more thing: despite this game being old, it can still be laggy and difficult to run if you have a low-end PC, unless you go into the 'performance' settings found in the 'options' menu and turn down certain settings in both the 'detail' and 'graphics' sections, such as effect detail and texture filtering.”
“This title needs a few simple tweaks to fix low performance on modern hardware and some graphics glitches (if present).”
“Ok, so I have a pretty monster PC for specs, but for some reason when I first started this game, I immediately noticed the game ran way below 30 FPS and constant stuttering, which made it unplayable.”
“There are also massive performance issues that you need to install a mod to fix.”
“Condemned: Criminal Origins is a staple of the horror gaming genre, a well-crafted bloody gem of the first-person survival horror thrashers... but this optimization is absolutely awful.”
- stability34 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 88 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many users reporting various bugs and glitches, particularly on PC, including issues with sound, hitboxes, and environmental interactions. While some players experienced smooth gameplay without crashes, others faced significant problems that required troubleshooting or even prevented progression. Overall, the game is considered playable but in need of optimization and a remaster to address its numerous stability issues.
“But the game played well with no glitches or issues.”
“Such a great game, brings back a lot of memories and still runs great on Windows 10.”
“Runs great on Windows 10 for me.”
“It's certainly showing its age, and it will take some troubleshooting online to get it working right.”
“Great game, but can be buggy on PC.”
“If you can get this game to work (PC port is a buggy mess), then you are in for a treat.”
- humor23 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a mix of intentional and unintentional comedy, with players finding amusement in ragdoll physics, absurd animations, and humorous dialogue. Many reviews highlight the contrast between the game's serious horror elements and its laughable moments, creating a unique experience that blends terror with hilarity. Overall, the game's quirky charm and comedic aspects, often reminiscent of B-movie tropes, contribute to its appeal.
“I had a shovel and an enemy was climbing up a ladder, I smacked the life out of them and I just went 'What did you learn?' and we both busted up laughing because of the stupid look of the corpse just splayed out like you just hit them with a semi-truck.”
“The dialogue is hilarious; everyone is incredibly calm for what's happening in the story.”
“This game is unintentionally hilarious and weird at times while it tries to maintain a scary atmosphere, although it did give me a good scare at times. Many times I laughed due to the accidental animations and ragdolls.”
- grinding21 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 5 % neutral mentions
- 90 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that grinding in the game is characterized by tedious mechanics, such as slow movement, repetitive investigation tasks, and frustrating backtracking for weapons. Players often find the pacing slow and the need to perform mundane actions detracts from the overall experience, making it feel more like a chore than an engaging gameplay element. While some enjoy the nostalgic aspects, many agree that the grinding elements significantly hinder enjoyment.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Possibly the most tedious thing about this game is how often it interrupts you to perform 'investigations' which involve pressing a button when your screen flashes to bring up the required tool (which the game selects for you) then just looking around until you see a highlighted footprint or splotch or map you need to take a picture of/scan.”
“The combat seems fun at first but quickly becomes tedious and boring.”
“It's unique but this is a tedious and boring game that earns way more praise than it deserves.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the engaging combat and atmospheric design that encourage multiple playthroughs, many others find it lacking due to its linear structure, slow pacing, and minimal changes in subsequent runs. Collectibles and enemy AI offer some incentive for replay, but the consensus leans towards limited replay value, with several reviewers noting that once completed, the experience feels largely exhausted.
“Story was captivating, combat was responsive and held great replay value thanks to the inventive enemy AI.”
“Good FPS melee combat system and lots of replayability.”
“6/10 and fully replayable.”
“There is not much replay value here and while there are collectibles, I never felt compelled to specifically locate them.”
“My only real complaint is that it has little to no replay value since nothing changes, cutscenes are slow and not skippable, and the game is very slow-paced; something most people will tolerate the first time they play it but not during a second playthrough.”
“For a game without much replay value (it's essentially a corridor with cutscenes), that's not very long.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to evoke a deep sense of unease and moral complexity, with flaws enhancing its compelling nature. Players appreciate the unique detective tools that contribute to an immersive experience, reminiscent of iconic characters like Batman, though some still find the overall impact lacking.
“It's been a while since I experienced a piece of art where pretty much every flaw just ended up making it more compelling to me specifically... super uncritically morally depraved in a way that perfectly reinforces the hyper-draining aesthetic, emotional, and mechanical experience.”
“No horror game has made me feel so uneasy in quite some time.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviewers express a nostalgic appreciation for the past when game development was less influenced by monetization strategies like microtransactions and free-to-play models, allowing for a focus on creating enjoyable gameplay experiences. The emphasis is on the quality of the game mechanics and atmosphere rather than on monetization practices.
“It's amazing what the developers could create back then when there was less interference with experimentation, fewer microtransactions, no free-to-play models, and they just focused on making good, fun games.”
“It's amazing what the developers could create back then when there was less interference with experimenting, fewer microtransactions, no free-to-play models, and they just wanted to make good, fun games.”
“The monetization system feels overly aggressive and detracts from the overall experience, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
“I feel like the game is designed to push players towards spending money rather than enjoying the content, which is really disappointing.”
- character development3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features strong character development, highlighted by well-crafted designs and a suspenseful story that evolves into supernatural themes, enhancing the unsettling atmosphere. Players appreciate the integration of character mechanics and fighting styles, contributing to an immersive experience.
“The story is suspenseful, and once the game begins dipping into supernatural territory, the character designs become quite unsettling.”
“That's some impressive character design and fighting style right there.”
“Pretty good game with solid mechanics, story progression, character design, and atmospheric music.”
