New combat system
Condemned 2: Bloodshot looks even more impressive than the original. The familiar gloomy atmosphere has been re-created once again thanks to cutting edge graphics and dynamic lighting techniques that effectively cast shadows on every location creating a sense of paranoia and impending doom.
More importantly, the gameplay has been significantly enhanced thanks in no small part to a totally new and invigorating combat system, which adds extra weight to every melee attack and leaves you feeling like you've taken part in a hard fought battle. Despite there being a limited number of firearms to discover, Condemned 2's main focus is on the melee combat. There's a large array of weapon such as pipes, bricks and planks of wood embedded with nails, along with a number of sharp objects such as axes, allowing you to inflict some severe and visually shocking damage on your opponents. In total there will be approximately 140 weapons to choose from, with each having 5 factors relating to their strengths, such as durability and speed. Ethan uses two hands to put his full weight behind every thwack to his opponent’s skull or body as he attacks his enemies with brutal force.
Click for larger imageThe animations of the enemies as they lunge at you wildly or they suffer a firm whack from your own attacks have been improved greatly. They'll stumble backwards if you hit them in the stomach, clutching their chest in agony, drop to one knee when you smack a piece of lead-piping across their shoulder or go hurtling backwards if you smack them full-on on the chin with a spade. In the 10 minutes or so of gameplay that we saw there were dozens of different animations and the enemies responded accurately to the position on the body where they were struck, clutching those body parts and stumbling and falling in the right direction.
For all the adventuring elements in Condemned 2, it's the meaty melee combat that will be the bread and butter of the gameplay. This back street brawler is at times jaw-droppingly shocking, but intensely satisfying thanks to the enhanced combat system and the enjoyably ruthless animations.
