CNET Networks Entertainment GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer | Metacritic | MP3.com | TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Games

Playstation Reviews
PS3 | PS2 | PS One | PSP

Xbox Reviews
Xbox 360 | Xbox

Nintendo Reviews
Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64


PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Games In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

77 Aces of the Galaxy
60 Alone in the Dark
74 Assault Heroes 2
85 Battlefield: Bad Company
50 Battlezone
55 Beijing 2008
43 Bliss Island
54 Brain Challenge
58 Buku Sudoku
54 Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The
83 Civilization Revolution
73 Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath
81 Condemned 2: Bloodshot
45 Crash Time
72 Dark Sector
63 Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm
56 Don King Presents: Prizefighter
73 Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit
69 Elements of Destruction
69 Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
77 Football Manager 2008
42 Frogger 2
xx Golf: Tee It Up!
98 Grand Theft Auto IV
86 GRID
73 Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
59 Hail to the Chimp
55 Happy Tree Friends False Alarm
50 Hellboy: The Science of Evil
88 Ikaruga
57 Incredible Hulk, The
44 Iron Man
77 Kung Fu Panda
77 LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
66 Lost Cities
78 Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition
xx Madden NFL 09
45 Mr. Driller Online
74 NASCAR 09
55 NBA Ballers: Chosen One
xx NCAA Football 09
81 Ninja Gaiden II
42 Operation Darkness
77 Penny Arcade Adventures Epsiode One: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness
76 Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
71 Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy
xx Rocketmen: It Came from Your Uranus
37 Rocky and Bullwinkle
81 Roogoo
xx Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends
63 SBK-08 Superbike World Championship
xx Schizoid
58 Sea Life Safari
67 Sega Superstars Tennis
80 Soulcalibur
xx Soulcalibur IV
xx Space Chimps
xx Spectral Force 3
56 Supreme Commander
68 Ticket to Ride
58 TiQal
82 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
xx Too Human
79 Top Spin 3
80 UEFA Euro 2008
66 Universe at War: Earth Assault
85 Unreal Tournament 3
68 Viking: Battle for Asgard
56 WALL-E
53 Warlords
63 Wits & Wagers
66 Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums
Condemned 2: Bloodshot xbox360 Game Reviews
Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Critic Score
Metascore: 81 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.9 out of 10
based on 74 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 94 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

Featuring new fighting mechanics and online multiplayer functionality, Condemned 2: Bloodshot is a first-person action thriller immersing players in a world of psychological terror. Following a string of gruesome murders, players must use their deductive skills and brute force to track down sadistic serial killers. Players assume the identity of Ethan Thomas, former Serial Crimes Unit investigator, who has been called back to duty to track down his missing partner. The disturbing events from Ethan's past have left him a broken man – a desperate burnout drifting aimlessly through society in an inexplicable decline. Fighting inner demons throughout his one-man investigation into a sinister conspiracy, Ethan needs to use anything and everything in the environment to survive as he unravels the mysteries shrouding the city in darkness. As Ethan, players engage in visceral combat using a variety of firearms, blunt instruments and a new fighting system complete with defensive and offensive combo chains, as well as grapples and holds. To help track the killer and solve the mysteries behind Condemned 2: Bloodshot, players crack open an all-new set of high-tech forensic tools. Using wits and brute strength, murders can be solved a number of different ways to keep players guessing throughout each suspenseful investigation. Condemned 2: Bloodshot introduces a variety of online multiplayer modes, including deathmatch. [Sega]

PUBLISHER: Sega
DEVELOPER: Monolith Productions
GENRE(S): First-Person Action, Adventure, Horror
PLAYERS: 8
ESRB RATING: M (Mature)
RELEASE DATE: March 11, 2008

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
Giant Bomb
This game is all raw nerves and bloody fists, so if that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll find plenty of it in the equally damaging Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Condemned 2: Bloodshot.
Read Full Review
95
Game Chronicles
At the end of the blood soaked night, I was very impressed with the Condemned 2. Monolith continues to be an unstoppable force in psychological terror.
Read Full Review
95
Play Magazine
Not only is this the best first-person adventure I've played but it's the most brutal, skillfully detailed and paced as well. [Apr 2008, p.50]
91
1UP
Most of the game, though, achieves its goal, keeping you off balance but entertained. Experiences like the grimy claustrophobia that comes from wearing a decades-old gas mask as flames lick around you or being caught in a tense chase through an old cabin will stick with you. With rock-solid gameplay and plenty of creeps, Bloodshot finds its soul by making your heart race.
Read Full Review
91
GameShark
The combat engine has been dramatically improved, making every fight a unique experience.
Read Full Review
90
Totally360
An unsettling horror-laden rollercoaster ride of a game, and possibly a contender for "best sequel of the year so far". Don't play it alone at night without a change of underwear!
Read Full Review
90
AtomicGamer
Minor gripes aside, this one's an extremely satisfying ride, especially in light of the criminal lack of survival horror titles on the Xbox 360.
Read Full Review
90
Console Monster
Not only are the environments detailed and fitting the style of gameplay, but the character models are superb and show a great range of emotion, especially during the many cutscenes placed throughout each level.
Read Full Review
90
Team Xbox
The kind of logical thinking it requires of you in the forensic mode is unheard of in action games.
Read Full Review
90
GamerNode
It's an unbridled one-of-a-kind mature ride with scant a boring moment in its 11 mission single-player campaign. Multiplayer is welcome, but ultimately passable.
Read Full Review
90
Cheat Code Central
It has enjoyable gameplay, an engaging story, some freaky visuals, and super-effective sound. And while it is the single player mode that stands out as the best part of this title, the multiplayer is not too shabby either.
Read Full Review
90
AceGamez
However, given SEGA's approach to criticism held against the first instalment, the final chapter in this series has the potential to reach a near-perfect balance if handled correctly.
Read Full Review
90
GamingExcellence
That said, Condemned 2 is still a heck of an experience that should be played by any who are fans of survival horror type games.
Read Full Review
89
MEGamers
Playing or even watching someone play this game is a unique experience. It is like...you are watching a very disturbingly scary horror flick.
Read Full Review
88
Game Informer
Probably the best survival horror title we’ve seen this generation. The online multiplayer modes aren’t going to blow your mind, but they are a thoughtful addition. It’s got a higher level of action than its predecessor, and some gorgeous horror backdrops.
Read Full Review
88
Ferrago
If you were a fan of the first then this is an improvement on that in almost every aspect and you will love them all, however if you hated the first one then chances are you won't take to the sequel either as it is very similar in most aspects.
Read Full Review
87
Xbox360Achievements
The entire presentation is much more professional looking this time around. It's still one of the premier gaming series for chills and thrills.
Read Full Review
86
Extreme Gamer
Condemned 2: Bloodshot takes everything the original game offered and expands on the gameplay with new combat mechanics and upgraded forensics spots.
Read Full Review
86
GameZone
The melee combat is a unique system that works amazingly well in one on one combat. The disturbing and unsettling storyline will also please anyone looking for a “survival” horror game for the 360.
Read Full Review
86
Games Master UK
Brutal, shocking, gruesome - a horrific adventure let down by iffy level design. [Apr 2008, p.78]
86
Gamers.at
Whether you like the intense gore-level of Condemned 2: Bloodshot or not, the newest nightmare of alcohol-addict Ethan Thomas is a worthy sequel to its predecessor. Most of those issues which were criticized in Condemned: Criminal Origins were eliminated, for instance the shallow forensic investigations or the unvaried melee-fights. But the improvements have also been creating new problems, such as the gun-fights, which do not deliver as much fun as the rest of the game does.
Read Full Review
85
Kombo
Condemned 2: Bloodshot improves on its predecessor in several key areas. The gameplay -- the melee-based action to the crime-scene investigation puzzles -- is far more polished and well- thought-out this time.
Read Full Review
85
ZTGameDomain
A perfect example of how to make a sequel. Sega and Monolith have fixed everything that was wrong with the original and made it an all around better game. The entertaining story and genuinely creepy atmosphere is well worth the price of admission and the substantial story mode is satisfying and challenging.
Read Full Review
85
GameSpot
This horror-themed sequel's thrilling set pieces and bloody combat are remarkably satisfying but not for the faint of heart.
Read Full Review
85
PTGamers
Condemned 2: Bloodshot is the ideal sequel. Monolith fixes most of the problems of the first game, expands the good points and offers a more intense atmosphere.
Read Full Review
85
PALGN
While it maintains the atmosphere of the original title, the silly sci-fi twist of the second half of the game prevents it from reaching the white-knuckled heights of atmospheric tension that Condemned: Criminal Origins thrived on.
Read Full Review
85
Gaming Nexus
With its improved combat system, fantastic graphics, cool levels and fun crime scene instigation, Condemned 2: Bloodshot is easy to recommend to anybody that enjoyed the original.
Read Full Review
85
Maxi Consolas (Portugal)
Above all, it’s well worth just for its incredible atmosphere of pure tension, with the help of the technical side of things that work “for” the game instead of enslaving it. The first person action has an even more physical approach than in the original game and delivers a more “personal” experience. [Apr 2008]
84
IGN AU
Unique to a fault. It's adventurous, dark, silly, and it'll keep you up at night whether you want it to or not.
Read Full Review
84
ActionTrip
The game does, however, take a significant step forward in terms of first-person combat realism.
Read Full Review
84
Worth Playing
This game was intended to scare the pants off of you and gross you out, and Bloodshot definitely does that. It gives other games high expectations to live up to, and it's an instant classic for any horror fan.
Read Full Review
84
Jolt Online Gaming UK
One of the nastiest experiences you are ever going to have in a game, but in a good way.
Read Full Review
84
Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
If Condemned was the starter, this is the main course. Gory, dark and great. [Apr 2008, p.64]
83
Electronic Gaming Monthly
With rock-solid gameplay and plenty of creeps, Bloodshot finds its soul by making your heart race. [Apr 2008, p.74]
82
NZGamer
Overall, if the violence doesn’t put you off, Condemned 2 is a worthy purchase. If you’re a shooter fan, and are after a visceral, disturbing experience, then this is the game for you.
Read Full Review
80
MS Xbox World
I've enjoyed playing Condemned 2 as the style of play is really unlike any other game on Xbox 360 (bar the original). The first person viewpoint really puts you in the game, and the slow pacing makes things a lot more tense and engaging.
Read Full Review
80
360 Gamer Magazine UK
The first-person mêlée combat is just downright exceptional as is Condemned 2’s often overwhelmingly grotesque atmosphere.
80
Gameplayer
Not quite as special as the original, but still impossible to ignore.
Read Full Review
80
Gamer.nl
Condemned 2 is a pleasant but also frightening game in which the gameplay feels quite fresh. The fighting system works great and the murder investigations are a good way to involve the player into the storyline. Unfortunately the game doesn't stay as fun as the first few missions.
Read Full Review
80
VideoGamer
It's the audio that steals the show though.
Read Full Review
80
Total Video Games
What it is however is a stylish first person title that successfully blends hard-hitting combat with thought provoking mental challenges. It's brutal, atmospheric, tense, and scary as hell - we love it.
Read Full Review
80
Gamers' Temple
Condemned 2 is still a unique horror game with some nice enhancements but fans of the first game may not enjoy the new story direction.
Read Full Review
80
Gameplanet
The first level of the game does a great job of introducing you to the world of Condemned. This game has thick (and I mean thick) atmosphere. Almost every level oozes with evil, tension and fear.
Read Full Review
80
Wired
Condemned 2: Bloodshot has plenty of creepy moments, but it favors action over atmosphere. To that end it performs very well, and even throws in some juicy plot twists and a cliffhanger ending. But I miss the tension of the original, just the same.
Read Full Review
80
Boomtown
Even the fast turning speed with beautiful motion blur seems to add to the sometimes frantic feel of the game.
Read Full Review
80
IGN
As a sequel, the game doesn't have the originality the first had going for it and, as such, the shortcomings are more noticeable. The gameplay improvements are strong enough to overshadow these for the most part and you're still left with a wild ride.
Read Full Review
80
Official Xbox Magazine UK
An all-out assault on the brain, a gruesome spectacle to behold. A horrific beauty has once again been born by Monolith. [Mar 2008, p.87]
80
X360 Magazine UK
Condemned 2 takes every weakness from the original and desperately attempts to eradicte it. It can become difficult to take, but persevere. It's worth it. [Apr 2008, p.76]
80
GameTap
Quite possibly the ugliest game I've ever played--literally. I tip my hat to the developers at Monolith Productions for crafting a consistently dark, dirty, dilapidated, and decayed (and a host of other "d" words) world for both Condemned titles.
Read Full Review
80
GameTrailers
The anything-is-a-weapon aesthetic is still ace, but the combat system is too unwieldy when tackling multiple foes. It’s a game of ups and downs, but horror fans will be more than satisfied with its bleak and gloomy disposition.
Read Full Review
80
Official Xbox Magazine
Condemned 2 was designed to mess with your head, and boy, does it succeed. We’re glad we got the chance to return to Metro City, but the old town has changed — in some ways for the better, but a little for the worse.
Read Full Review
80
GameDaily
There aren't too many multiplayer options, and the single player game could be longer, but Condemned 2 is still a terrifying sequel.
Read Full Review
80
Talk Xbox
All things told Condemned 2 is a good sequel that does manage to do the first game justice on most counts.
Read Full Review
80
games(TM)
With this same level of investigating, the original would have birthed a classic horror videogame not a cult title. [Apr 2008, p.102]
80
EuroGamer
Condemned 2 deserves hearty praise for improving on everything it did first time around. The melee combat is brutally intense, the investigations play a bigger part, the visuals are top-notch, and the whole thing's wrapped up with engaging narrative.
Read Full Review
80
Gamervision
A major improvement of its predecessor, and is well worth the price of admission, considering the amount of bloody fun to be had.
Read Full Review
80
Kikizo
Bloodshot is a very solid title with excellent visuals, engrossing sound, engaging forensics, and intense hand to hand combat.
Read Full Review
80
Planet Xbox 360
It’s by no means better than the original, but it does produce a similar play through of exhilaration that’ll have you on the edge of your seat.
Read Full Review
80
Deeko
Condemned's instruments of brutality may be blunt, but the game itself is not - despite what the inclusion of such frivolities as thugs attired in medieval armour might suggest.
Read Full Review
80
DarkStation
Condemned 2: Bloodshot is another solid outing for Monolith and SEGA.
Read Full Review
77
DailyGame
Condemned 2 is a decent game that suffers from a gameplay identity crisis and strays too far from the original's successful but under-rated formula.
Read Full Review
75
Game Over Online
As sequels go, Bloodshot is sort of a mixed bag. Chances are if you liked the first Condemned you’ll like the second, even if it doesn’t pull it all off with the same panache.
Read Full Review
75
Xbox World Australia
Condemned 2 is a worthy successor to a great game, and fans of the original will no doubt have rushed out to buy this without even waiting for reviews.
Read Full Review
70
GotNext
More often than not, Bloodshot is one step forward and one step back. For every progression, there is a setback that shines some light on the dark atmosphere and spoils the unique sense of dread that permeated its predecessor.
Read Full Review
70
Thunderbolt
A fun game, a mess, for sure, but a good mess. While it never reaches the scares of the original, or the compelling story and characters, it's still a rollercoaster ride of butchery, blood and out and out violence - violence that never lets up.
Read Full Review
70
GameSpy
It's pretty irritating to play a sequel and face so many of the issues of the original, but Bloodshot's ability to take you into the terrifying world Monolith has crafted is astonishing.
Read Full Review
67
Game Revolution
As a survival horror game, Condemned 2 is too short on horror. As an FPS game, it’s too short on strategy and level design. At best, it’s a brawler with some horror and FPS elements.
Read Full Review
67
The Onion (A.V. Club)
A series of amazing shocks that are never quite worthy of suspension of disbelief.
Read Full Review
66
Gamer 2.0
As it is, Condemned II is a scary, clichéd, sometimes engrossing videogame, with good relay value, personality and, darkness permitting, an enjoyable single-player mode.
Read Full Review
60
DarkZero
In truth, you’ll probably end up being more shocked by the gore and brutality you see on screen this time round instead of jumping from your seat at the shock of one of the game’s set pieces.
Read Full Review
50
NTSC-uk
Overall, Condemned 2 starts off brilliantly and has much potential, but ends up a crushing disappointment. Not only does it pail into comparison to its predecessor, but it also fails to stand up against other games in the FPS genre.
Read Full Review
50
Gamestyle
Condemned 2 really is a menagerie of bad design choices.
Read Full Review
50
Edge Magazine
It’s too fantastical, its violence occurring anywhere and everywhere to ever-decreasing effect. [Apr 2008, p.88]
30
Destructoid
Condemned 2 is bad. It's got one or two fun mechanics, which it absolutely refuses to let the player enjoy for any significant length of time. The story sucks, the level design is even worse, and the graphics are grimy to the point of being ridiculous.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 8.9 (out of 10) based on 94 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

a guy gave it an8:
the scariest game ive ever played period. the level of emersion in the game is simply fantastic with a deeper combat system and improved forensics based puzzles this game is a significant improvement over condemned criminal origins. its not perfect however the game can be a little to dark at times making it hard to see whats going on in the game and the story is a little weak wth naff voice acting and bad character design. none of these problems should be deal breakers however and i would definitely recommend condemned 2 to anyone who likes a survival horror or fps style games

Matt D. gave it a5:
What a let down. The story does suck. The game is not scary. It's lets you know when anything will jump out at you with the crappy effects. And your vision. Why the hell do I have to wlk through almost a whole level with my screen blurred out?

Shannon L. gave it a10:
If you enjoyed the first COndemned then you should basically know what you are in for with this sequel - tense nail biting atmosphere combined with one of the darkest, most mature plots and scripts to be in a videogame, put with some of the most savage hand to hand/melee combat seen in a game to date. the plot gets a bit awkward toward the end but the ride is a hell of trip - if your a fan of horror/FPS/Fighting/CSI then do yourself a favor and pick it up!

[Anonymous] gave it an8:
There is some real quality here. But in the end a major annoyance was that the difficulty was mainly from control issues or overwhelmingly disorienting visuals and not much skill. However, with the underling fighting mechanics that really shine sometimes its worth a play. And in the future this series could potentially turn out an unbelievable game.

Sean T. gave it an8:
This game is a lot of fun! Very intense and scary at times. It's starts off kind've slow but it really picks up once you get to the rundown apartment level. There were parts in this game that made me levitate off my seat from shock. The multiplayer isn't something fast-paced and frantic like COD4 of course but it's just as crazy and scary as the single player campaign. It's alot of fun in multiplayer to take your time and hide in the shadows to attack other players and hear them scream.

Steve B. gave it a7:
I've never been a huge fan of first person perspective games, however after reading some good things about this I picked it up and was pretty happy with what I found.. Overall I think there is a pretty steep learning curve for the combat and I get really annoyed when something is hitting me and I can't see it.. Which is why I don't like first person games to begin with but with some practice I found I could clear the zones and have fun while doing it.. I didn't get scared or find any parts that had me on the edge of my seat but it takes a lot to startle me in the first place.. the doll factory is probably the lvl that disturbed me the most.. Overall I'd say it's a better than average game and for first person fans it's probably a must buy.. I can only speak for myself though I can't say I regret buying it.

B Merrill gave it a6:
C2 has some great additions in terms of foresnics, combat, and dialogue options but it's missing the same creepiness and quality storyline that the original had. The MP modes are ok but feel tacked on and are not going to keep players online for too long. All in all, I'm disappointed and would suggest a rental here.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this game in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: World News | Fantasy Football | Amy Winehouse | Baseball | E3 | Batman | Firefox 3 | iPhone 3G

About CNET Networks | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CNET Networks, Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use