I don't really play survival horror games, but I casually tried the demo for Condemned: CO and thought it was really scary and brutal. There was something I liked about it, but I didn't try the full game for years. Then, as I was attempting to play as many launch and first year Xbox 360 games as possible, I got Condemned and started it up for real. I got totally hooked on it and played it to completion. The ending was hugely satisfying.

         The game is in first person and it has guns, but it's primarily a melee fighting game because you get very little amo. You don't even get sharp weapons like knives. It's all about blunt instruments. You're best bet in surviving the game is learning how to melee with whatever you can find as a makeshift weapon. Pulling a pipe off a wall is a very good idea. In fact, the game makes you learn melee fighting, because in the final confrontation, you are tested in every aspect of it, from blocking, to quick jabs, feints, and a massive attacks that end in a finishing move. Your enemies are brutal forces of nature who attack with suicidal intensity. They smash through windows, hide around corners, and stalk you in the dark. Be ready, or you will die.

    I really loved the tension as you explored not knowing when or where the next attacker would come from. The environments are dirty basements, abandoned houses, and empty offices. Everything is dark and full of shadows. Jump scares happen often but sometimes it's just a feeling of dread as an attacker is coming for you and you have no choice but to fight them up close. Shooting puts you at a distance from your enemy, melee puts them right there in front of you, a way more intense experience.

    You, as SCU investigator Ethan Thomas, are investigating the murders of a serial killer The Match Maker when you are framed for the murder of your fellow officers. You're only recourse is to track down The Match Maker and prove your innocence. Along the way you suffer from visions and there are a lot of twists to the plot as your target keeps changing. Along the way you are a fugitive, but in contact with Rosa at SCU who gives you the results of your investigative tools because she believes in your innocence. It's a good story I think, and a lot of fun to gather fingerprint and forensic evidence as you watch your back for attackers.

      Condemned: Criminal Origins was developed by Monolith Productions who also did F.E.A.R. 1 and 2 and Condemned 2. They did a magnificent job on this gem of game. It sits at 81 on Metacritic but I give it a perfect 100. Go get it at Gamestop for $5. It's a steal.