Sega announces first next-gen game

The handful of officially announced next-generation games grew by one today, when Sega unveiled its forthcoming game, Condemned. Described as "a suspense-filled, first-person psychological thriller," the game is the first from the Japanese publisher to be released solely for next-gen consoles and the PC. However, Sega did not name any specific consoles for the game, nor did it divulge its release date.

While light on ship-date details, the announcement did offer some central information. It will be developed by Monolith Productions, developer of Tron 2.0: Killer App and the forthcoming The Matrix Online, which Sega is copublishing. It will follow Ethan Thomas, an FBI agent in the Serial Crimes Unit (SCU), which is a team of G-men dedicated to tracking down serial killers, Clarice Starling-style. While playing as Thomas, gamers must navigate "urban environments filled with deadly sociopaths who lurk on the periphery of humanity."

Unsurprisingly, Sega and Monolith are quite excited about their new project. "Monolith's goal with Condemned is to combine a disturbing atmosphere with realistic physics, devious AI, and a sophisticated combat system," said Samantha Ryan, the developer's CEO. Scott A. Steinberg, Sega of America's vice president of entertainment marketing, concurred. "The atmospheric tension and cinematic qualities of Condemned offer consumers the rich experience of a psychological thriller, something that has not been accomplished on previous hardware platforms," he said.

GameSpot will have all the latest information on Condemned as it becomes available