Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Uninspired"

Condemned 2 isn't a fitting successor to one of the scariest games ever made. Nor is it a competent shooter, even though it wants to be at times.

It's not all bad. It's just not very good, either. The fighting system is actually deeper and more fleshed-out than the first game, as are the forensic tools. Fighting is much more fun in this new game, even though it feels like you can hit people from about five feet further away than you would in real life. The forensic events are much more interesting and varied, and actually require some thought and attention on the player's behalf. Also, the graphics are pretty well done, a noticeable step up from the first game's visuals.

That's where the positive comparisons end, though. The story is bland at first, and veers on awful at the end. Condemned's feet seemed firmly trenched in reality, while Condemned 2 veers off on the tangential. The last boss encounter looks like it was ripped straight from the game Prey environment-wise, and while the first game seemed like a videogame version of Seven, the sequel feels like a Trent Reznor video directed by Mel Brooks.

But where Condemned 2 really falls short is in the scares department. The first game doled out heartstoppers seemingly at every turn, while Condemned 2's scares are few and far between. Players will likely miss memorable locations like the cabin and the mall from the first game. Condemned 2 also blatantly apes a level from Bioshock as well, which, contrary to popular opinion, is not a good thing.

There's also a ho-hum multiplayer component thrown in the game like a piece of meat for wild dogs. Why a game like this even needed online multiplayer is beyond me, but here it is, in all it's milquetoast glory. The game would've benefitted from more single-play polish and less of this garbage (which, if you want the achievements in, you better play fast, because no one will play this a second longer than they need to).

Everything generally works as it should in Condemned 2, it's just that it isn't as powerfully evocative as the original. It doesn't match its predecessor from a horror standpoint and it's certainly not a very good shooter, which means it's just sort of average.

Much like Ethan's whiskey, this game is watered-down, and the results are disappointing. A rental at best.