Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Monlith
Survival Horror
Xbox 360, PS3

This game is scary. Perhaps that’s an understatement. This game is f@#king scary. There, that’s better. Condemned 2: Bloodshot is the sequel to 2005’s Condemned: Criminal Origins, and follows the main character from the previous game, Ethan Thomas, as he continues his hunt for the deranged psychopath, Serial Killer X (I know, what a dumb name. Right?).

Since the events of the first game, Mr. Thomas left the Serial Crimes Unit (SCU) to pursue a career in professional alcoholism. This glamorous lifestyle has taken its toll on poor Ethan, and his fashionable appearance rates somewhere in between deadbeat hobo and something out of a Rob Zombie flick.

Thomas’ alcohol “problem” manifests itself in a series of vivid hallucinations in which he is forced to fight off legions of black-goo monsters whilst trudging through filthy, opaque muck as he tries to escape his waking nightmares. Quitting would be much easier for the guy if there weren’t so much damned alcohol lying about, or if drinking didn’t steady his aim (can someone please explain that one to me?). There’s also the matter of his inner demon – a masked version of himself – who somehow reveals information related to the real world chaos surrounding him.

When Ethan isn’t off in la-la land, he is continuously forced to investigate a sequence of crimes related to the mysterious reappearance of his aforementioned, poorly named nemesis. Aided by his trusty internet sidekick, Rosa, Thomas skulks the darkest, most disgusting settings in search of clues. From fending off meth addicts with baseball bats in the dingy apartment buildings of Metro City, kicking exploding baby dolls in a burning doll factory, and running from a human-munching polar bear in the icy north, Ethan seems to be a gigantic shit magnet of epic proportions.

Ethan’s efforts would be for naught without the myriad of tools available to him throughout the game. His forensics kit allows him to detect clues at murder scenes, and locate randomly placed sonic thingamabobs that are at the center of the murderous rage experienced by the rioting citizenry of a city in turmoil.

Even though the game isn’t focused on combat as much as Monolith’s other horror game, F.E.A.R, there is a significant amount of bloodletting to be meted out. Guns are in short supply and ammo is rare, therefore Ethan is compelled to use various weapons taken from the environment. Prosthetic arms, bowling balls, baby grenades and brass knuckles are just a minute sampling of the strange arsenal available throughout the game.

Although the controls are a little wonky, there is much to love about this seriously demented horror game. The atmosphere is undeniably grotesque, and there are several edge-of-your-seat moments as you wheeze your way through the dim, trash-filled corridors of Metro City. If this game doesn’t make your skin crawl, then please see a psychologist.