Finding the perfect balance between horror and action is a slippery affair in survival horror games, since more often than not developers end up either overpowering the protagonist to the extent that the game’s challenge level goes down immensely, nullifying the feeling of dread; or they make the game too difficult, to the point that you get ticked off and stop playing out of sheer frustration. In this respect, concocting a perfectly balanced formula has always been a fine art, one that developer Monolith has mastered through both F.E.A.R. and Condemned: Criminal Origins.
Both F.E.A.R. and Condemned took vastly different approaches to same genre (gameplay-wise), showing gamers that Monolith knows exactly what a horror game should play like in each of the two scenarios. The former focused on gunplay, with the slo-mo being an integral part of dealing with the enemy, while the latter was made ground-up around melee combat, where each enemy provided a fair amount of challenge. Condemned 2 takes what the first iteration did extremely well, and builds on it to form a solid experience that falters in only a few areas.
The combat system in Condemned 2 has really evolved. The punches feel tighter, parries/counters are easier to execute and have a larger impact on combat, and the overall responsiveness of the controls have been greatly tweaked. All these factors, coupled with the new and improved combo system, make for a very satisfying melee experience that gives you the tools and the freedom to dispose of the gazillion hobos the game throws at you, in any way you want.
For those slackers who haven’t played the first game, here’s a rundown of how the combat works. You can whack with your right and left hands using L1 and R1, and block by pressing down both. To counter attacks, you have to time your blocks right – when your enemy’s attacks are about to hit you – and strike when he’s off-guard.
To add depth to the combat system, Monolith’s implemented a very extensive combo system. The way to execute a combo is to time your punches, hooks, and parries in the right sequence without being hit... and you'll manage some really hardcore damage. Since there are a crapload of combos, the game even features a combo list in the pause menu for you to refer to.
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