Condemned: Criminal Origins

Overview

Condemned: Criminal Origins (released as simply Condemned in Europe and Australia) is a 2005 first-person action and survival horror video game for Xbox 360 and Windows. Developed by Monolith Productions and jointly published by Sega and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, it was an Xbox 360 launch title and was released in North America in November 2005, in Europe in December, and in Australia in March 2006. The Windows version was released worldwide in April 2006. Monolith also released an online episodic flash game prequel, and there were plans for a film to expand the Condemned universe, with at least three additional games already mapped out by 2005. However, the film was never made, and the only addition to the franchise was Condemned 2: Bloodshot, which was released in 2008 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The game tells the story of Ethan Thomas, an agent with the FBI's Serial Crime Unit (SCU). In the fictional city of Metro, there has been a surge in both serial killings and assaults perpetrated by vagrants, and Thomas is convinced the two are connected. As he hunts a killer dubbed the Match Maker, Thomas is framed for murder and, pursued by his former Bureau colleagues, he finds his whole life upended as he stumbles onto something that goes far beyond any one individual killer.

Aesthetically influenced by films such as The Silence of the Lambs and Seven, Condemned's designers wanted to create a game focused on either a new game mechanic or an existing mechanic with a fresh spin, and so they decided to apply their experience with first-person shooters to a game focused primarily on something not usually seen in first-person games, melee combat. Building a simple but robust combat system, the designers utilised the capabilities of the Xbox 360 to create a realistic and unsettling environment, with a heavy focus on visceral and violent close-quarters combat.

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Shooter, Puzzle, Adventure

Developer

Monolith Productions

Publisher

WB Games, Sega

Series

Condemned

Engine

LithTech Jupiter EX

Platforms

Windows, Xbox 360

Age rating

ESRB M

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

No

Online multiplayer

No

Co op

No

Age ratings

PEGI

18

ESRB

M

GRAC

19+

ACB

MA 15+

Release dates

Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

Single-player only, with no online features.

Online

Plays offlineYes

Credits

Publisher

WB Games, Sega

Developer

Monolith Productions

Released

2005-11-16

Age rating

ESRB M

Region

US

Time to beat

about 8 hours