Something went wrong. Try again later
    Follow

    Condemned: Criminal Origins

    Game » consists of 7 releases. Released Nov 15, 2005

    Condemned is a first person horror game in which you play as detective Ethan Thomas who is on the hunt to find a mysterious serial killer amidst a rising tide of insanity and violence in Metro City.

    Short summary describing this game.

    User Reviews
    Grid
    List
    Add new review
    5 (8)
    4 (8)
    3 (4)
    2 (1)
    1 (0)
    4.1 stars

    Average score of 21 user reviews

    Criminally Entertaining 2

    One part CSI, One part first-person/survival horror, Condemned is a game that relishes in it's visceral delight and dense atmosphere, while trying to tell an interesting mystery teetering on reality and insanity. You play as Ethan Thomas, FBI crime scene investigator who is following The Matchmaker serial killer. You arrive at the newest crime scene and begin the first of what will be many somewhat useless crime scene investigation sequences. I say useless because the game pretty much tells you...

    4 out of 4 found this review helpful.

    Oddly compelling, but not without flaws 0

    Condemned is a strange game, but it's also one that is more than the sum of its parts. From a strictly gameplay perspective, Condemned is about as straightforward as can be. About 90% of the game consists of guiding the character of Ethan Thomas through a wasteland of abandoned urban landmarks, such as a decrepit school and a shuttered city library (the nameless post-industrial city that the Saw movies take place in seems like an inspiration for the setting here). Three missions in a row take pl...

    2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

    Condemned is great fun, despite some issues and inconsistencies. 0

        First person games are few in far between. Okay, let me slap myself in the face for lying to you. OK, first person games that aren't shooter-based are few and far between. While they can be used for superb immersion, many people look to other styles for their non-shooter games. Condemned is a welcome exception to this rule. While there are guns in this game, they are a smaller part than most other FP games, which makes it unique from the start. Couple that with a genuinely interesting story ...

    2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

    This game is dark, creapy, and just plain fun.... 0

    I really enjoyed this game and have beat it already. The melee weapons and the fire arms are great. The environments look very realistic and are very detailed. The character models look good but at times look very choppy/bumpy and nasty but all and all there really good. The cut scenes are really good i enjoy watching them and they can be creepy at times. The puzzles and the finding of clues in this game are hard and it will take you a while but you will eventually find it fun to search for stuf...

    1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

    Once upon a night, in a creepy deserted dark building... 3

       So do you like dark, deserted places? With all those objects & walls falling apart? With blood spilled all over & strange noises coming from all directions? Did you ever dream to beat up someone to death with a water pipe or a desktop? Did you ever dream to rip apart somebody's jaw with your bare hands? Did you enjoy F.E.A.R? If you answer "Hell yeah" to most of those questions, than it means Condemned-Criminal Origins is the perfect game for you. Let me explain... Story:9/10   You're...

    1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

    Condemned to be remembered 1

              Best-Dressed 2006 - Murdering Psychopath category If you’re the sort of person who finds themselves wondering ‘Why am I not soaked in my own urine often enough?’, then this review may appeal to your senses, and moreover Condemned: CO might just be the sort of game that you’ve been looking for your whole life. Taking place in a world that apes David Fincher’s Se7en about as much as is possible without a team of friendly solicitors beating down publisher Monolith’s office doors, Condem...

    1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

    Creepy as hell. 0

     Let's face it: the majority of 360 launch titles sucked. Kameo and Perfect Dark Zero weren't exactly shining examples of the technology. Out of all the titles available at launch, Condemned stands out as the best, and it may even be one of the best horror games. You take the role of Ethan Thomas, a cop investigating a series of serial murders. when he is suddenly framed for the murder of 2 police officers. You spend the game chasing the man who framed you and generally getting the shit scared o...

    1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

    An enjoyable and tense experience, but not without flaws 0

    Condemned: Criminal Origins is horror, pure and simple. You play as an FBI agent called Ethan Thomas, and he's got problems, big problems. There is an intriguing story here, but it doesn't quite get enough attention to make it game's main selling point. The game is not quality throughout. The first level of the game is one of the scariest video game experiences I've ever had, with the expert use of lightning and enemy behavior that will make your heart thump out of your chest. However, the rest ...

    1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

    Haunting. 0

        Condemned: Criminal Origins is quite possibly the scariest game ever developed.  This might seem crazy...Condemned is scarier than Silent Hill, Resident Evil, or Clock Tower?  Hell yeah it is.  Scarier than those games combined.    The game opens with our hero, Ethan Thomas, investigating a crime in a condemned building (get it?) in a bad part of town.  It's here where we're introduced to the investigation mechanics.  Investigating a crime consists of...pressing the X button and listening to...

    1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

    Does Not Age Well 2

    Some games do not age well. Condemned was made back in 2005, a launch game for the Xbox 360 and it looks every day of its age. It looks like it was originally made for the original Xbox and the developers simply up-res'ed some of the textures. It has "innovative" gameplay involving mostly melee combat in a first person perspective, but I think the fact that few games have since tried doing this shows how successful that was. It might have been good back in its day (and reviews I'd read were posi...

    3 out of 9 found this review helpful.

    The First Great Xbox 360 Game Released 0

    It was the 360s only true next gen game for the 3-6 months post release. It has a interesting story and is a blend between CSI, Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay and Resident Evil(when it was scary and the crazy Spanish ppl from 4). Great graphics compared to other games at the time like say PDZ and COD2 and others that were out at the time. But the greatest thing about the graphics is the awesome atmosphere and lighting that really makes the game even more creepy then it already is.It has amazin...

    0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

    Mediocre Horror 0

    1. STORY & GAME MODES As the game’s story begins, you take on the role of a Federal agent in to investigate a recent murder committed by a now well known serial killer. As the game progresses and you inspect the crime scene, things take a nasty turn and the criminal you’re looking for actually seems to be in the building with you, cutting out all the power. So as always, it’s your job to find the power supply and get the light back on so that you can hunt down and detain the wanted criminal...

    0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

    This is why I'm a wimp... 0

    I'm a coward. Seriously. I am such a coward. And games like these probably don't help. The weird thing is, I was a coward before I played scary games and the more I delved into it, I realised that the thing about them that scared me most was that they simulated dreams that have been freaking me out for a solid decade. Either these developers are probing my brain each night, or I'm an undiscovered prophet.I'm still not sure which.Condemned is quite frankly, messed up. I'm sorry that I'm not breac...

    0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

    300 Word Review - Condemned 0

    Condemned: Criminal Origins is a first-person psychological survival-horror game. The game stars Ethan Thomas, a forensic investigator who is called to investigate a murder victim when he is framed by an unknown serial killer who shoots two police officers. The rest of the game follows Ethan as he tries to apprehend the mysterious serial killer to clear his name.  Melee combat is a major focus of the game. There are a wide variety of weapons you can wield, such as a sledgehammer or a conduit, ea...

    0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

    Condemned: Criminal Origins 0

    Condemned: Criminal Origins is a brand new game from Monolith. In the game you play as an FBI name Ethan Thomas who specializes in serial killers. The game opens with you investigating the murder of one of the serial killers you have been after. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned and you are quickly on the run from the police, determined to prove your innocence. The game’s main draw is its intense visceral hand to hand combat. The game features mostly hand to hand weapons like metal pipes...

    0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

    Scary but fun 0

    You are just about asleep... and then you hear something. You think that maybe someone is in your house. Perhaps in your kitchen. Your heart pounds. Ever so slowly, you pull back your sheets, trying to make almost no noise, as your heightened sense of hearing continues to search for any sound that is out of place. You creep ever so slowly to your door. The floor creaks fainlty under your feet, and you catch your breath, hoping you have not alerted the intruder to your prescense. You reach for so...

    0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

    CSI meets Call of Duty 0

    Condemned: Criminal Origins is the predecessor to Condemned 2: Bloodshot on the Xbox 360. It was kind of pioneering on its release in 2006 as managing to combine the genres of a FPS game with forensics and mystery solving of a CSI game, firmly placing it in the hallowed halls of the Survival Horror genre. It’s very original I have to say, and keeping in the survival horror style, there is next to no ammunition throughout the game. You play the role of Serial Crimes Unit investigator Ethan T...

    0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

    It's scary alright; it is absolutely horrific 0

    This is one of the scariest games i have ever played to date, as i am writing this review. I mean, it is absolutely horrific, it is intense and psychologically disturbing. The developers have done this best by atmosphere and use or lack of music and ambiance; coupled with almost complete dark stages, and view is only possible with a flash light.A twisted paradox i have been pondering for a while now, is the fact that people have, especially teenagers, been saturated with violence. It does not ha...

    0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

    A good horror adventure game 0

    Game-play The Game is based for an arcade-style racing game and the game has over 50 licensed cars including police cars. In the game you can play Hot pursuit or championship, hot pursuit is for races with police cars and challenges. But championship is a little different you get to be the cop a couple more times. The gameplay is good overall even know the game has a bad frame rate some and some little problems. Also the controls is the worst part when you drive a car it doesn't feel like you're...

    0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

    Under-rated 1

    This game is a hidden gem for horror gamers.Condemned is so scary, it actually makes me scream. I can't even play it on my own, and I nearly can't even play even with a friend in the room, we both got too scared and creeped out that we had to turn off the 360 for a while and regain our senses.It's a FPS-Survival Horror game, it is more realistic-driven at the start, but later on gets a bit sci-fi/ghost-ish, which is all good too. Your weapon choices are things you pick up/find around the environ...

    0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

    A game that is enjoyable at times but its a one-trick pony. 2

    Condemned is a first-person action game brought to you by Sega and Monolith Studios, the same team that brought you the hit PC game, F.E.A.R and if you have played that game then as you play this game, you see some certain similarities with the spookiness and craziness that occurs as you progress through the short but fairly enjoyable 10 chapters.Condemned: Criminal Origins to give it its full title sees you play the part of a federal agent known as Ethan Thomas who is somewhat on the run...

    0 out of 1 found this review helpful.

    This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:

    Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.

    Comment and Save

    Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.