The graphics are great. Lighting is done extremely well on some levels, however the game can sometimes be a bit too dark. Also there are times where things go grainy or your character is hallucinating. This can look extremely cool and add a lot to the mood or scariness or the scene. However, it can also get to the point where you just cannot see what is going on.
There is a fantastic sense of weight though. Even in first-person there are a lot of times where the developers make you aware you are more than a floating camera. You get to see more of your body while moving around the environment. What you can also see is that you are in a city that is not just falling apart, but actually tearing itself apart.
It’s not only the environment that displays this but you can hear it too. You can hear the chaos all around you. There are police sirens, the grunts and screams from bums and drug addicts who try to kill you around every corner. Even the sound of metal to flesh as you connect your weapon to someone’s face is very satisfying in a disturbing way.
The voice acting in the game is very good all around, from the main characters to the news presenters in the game. You can be kept up to date with what’s happening in the city by watching or listening to news reports found on random TVs and radios found around the levels.
It’s actually in your best interest to find them too as you are rated at the end of every level for how well you did. Getting a high rating will score you some bonus stuff for the rest of the game, such as a taser gun, extra health, the ability to holster a firearm etc. These all become very handy in later levels of the game, as the enemies become more challenging.
Fortunately they are never too challenging though. The game does a great job of maintaining difficulty without ever getting unfair. Fighting multiple people at once can become pretty tricky though. The reason for this is because of how combat is handled.
You see, just like the first game, Condemned 2 keeps you in first person perspective while you fight people all with your bare fists or whatever weapons you can find in your environment. These can be pipes, crowbars, bowling balls, bricks, bats and even creepy little dolls that explode when thrown like a grenade.
There are a few missions mid-game that focus more on gun play. These stages are actually pretty disappointing, as using a gun in Condemned 2 just doesn’t feel good. This is surprising as F.E.A.R was one of the best shooters to come out a few years ago.
Another disappointment that didn’t follow from F.E.A.R is the AI. For the most part, it will get the job done - but there are some noticeable moments where you can see enemies are just following a fairly strict pattern. They will often hide and wait for you to come close before trying to beat you with whatever they are holding.
The hand-to-hand combat system, thankfully, is actually very deep. There are combos, blocks, parries, kicks and special moves. Also in some cases if you knock an opponent down you can grab him and use something in the environment to kill him, such as smashing their heads into a TV screen.
It’s all very gruesome and violent.
