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Condemned: Criminal Origins is another example of
SEGA’s efforts for the Xbox360. Featuring once again the
substantially more westernised theme as seen in Full Auto,
the game acts as a brutal first-person-shooter in the vein of Chronicles
Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay – only far more
violent. The title was shown in video format but was also playable
to media representatives – which obviously includes your beloved Electronic
Theatre journalists.
The preview build began with you as an unarmed thug with
your top priority being to remove the oncoming street-thugs from
action whilst also obtaining a weapon – which ranged from street
signs to planks of wood. As you progress down a dimly-lit alley, a
siren sounds in the distance and you are immediately warned to flee
the alley to avoid arrest. At this point, the system crashes. After
a reboot from a SEGA associate, the game immediately crashes once
again.
Moving on to another system, reaching the end of the alley
was our primary goal. Hiding in a dumpster to escape police
custody, when were then informed the demo had reached an end.
Great.
Clearly far from finished, the title felt sluggish and
unresponsive.
The controls were awkward and the analogue was awfully calibrated.
The armourment available was limited to melee weapons, a basic
pistil and a shotgun – however using any weaponry outside of the
close-combat variety either caused the game to grind to a halt or,
once again, crash. Astounding graphics and a moody atmosphere
don’t make up for an appalling presentation and, although Condemned:
Criminal Origins features some nice touches, it’s hardly
groundbreaking work. I can’t help but feel that SEGA would’ve
been better off by keeping that titles presentation limited to
video format.
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