As an obsessive fan and follower of all things horror, I have lately been hooked on the unique combat and tone of the Condemned series, largely because it’s so baffling that such a promising and ambitiously different type of first person horror has since been completely forgotten.
Even though Condemned 2 did improve a lot of the problems from the inaugural game, I don’t think anyone would argue that the series didn’t have a long way to go to really find its sweet spot. So naturally, I’ve been aching to know: is there ever going to be a Condemned 3?
Silly me. Of course not.
A little while back, one of the developers spoke up on NeoGAF, flat-out crushing any prevailing hope for Chapter 3:
Sadly it will never happen. Condemned 2 just didn’t sell enough copies.
It is sad that Condemned 2 got caught up in the ‘everything needs multiplayer’. We could have really used the staff on multiplayer to make the single player campaign amazing.
There was some good ideas of where to take the game. I’ve always wanted to do a reboot and just play Condemned 2 off as a bad hangover and have Thomas closer to what he was in C1.
Of course, we all pretty much assumed that a third game was never going to happen, but that doesn’t make the sting any less unbearable. Condemned had so much unrealized potential. Hearing these words about forced multiplayer just makes it worse. Believe it or not, gaming industry, some developers really, really don’t need their attention diverted by something so extraneous as multiplayer in a horror game. As proven here, such distraction has the capacity to actually kill really promising franchises.
Nowadays, you can easily find both Condemned 1 and 2 at any Gamestop for a measly $5 each. The visuals and controls are dated, and both games come saddled with their own problems, but the franchise honestly boasted some of the best ideas and set pieces I’ve seen in horror this generation. Please give them a try.
[Source: NeoGAF]
Not surprising, but still not something I actually wanted to hear. Condemned 1 and 2 were really good games, each in their own ways. I felt that 2 really nailed the first person melee combat in a way that no other game really has, and the multiplayer was unnecessary and tacked on, yeah; but I could still appreciate that it at least tried to do something unique and was more than just your standard generic deathmatch multiplayer.
I don’t know what’s going on with Monolith but they’ve lost something in the last few years. They’re the creators of 4 of my favorite franchises (Blood, No One Lives Forever, FEAR, and Condemned) but it’s been awhile since they’ve done anything with those licenses opting to work on Gotham City Imposters and that upcoming Middle Earth game instead. Even FEAR 3 wasn’t developed by them just overseen and it was definitely missing the Monolith touch.
Oh, well… I really hope after this Middle Earth game they move onto another project that excites me again.
Condemned was a fun 2 part series. Not sure where the story would go if they made a third one. It appealed to me because the creators were making a game with little influence from other games, it had a unique feel to it. I for one would be happy to see it turn trilogy, perhaps for the next generation consoles.
First person hand-to-hand combat is great, I’ve enjoyed it since Breakdown for the original Xbox. I don’t think that game did great in terms of sales either so I’m starting to think I’m one of the few interested in this type of game.
Condemned has been the best game I’ve played yet. I loved the melee fighting, the crazed villains ripping conduits off the walls to attack you, the creepy factor, and the fact it wasn’t another “Ammo around every corner” kind of game. The storyline was also amazing as you track down a crazier version of Dexter Morgan basically.
Bioshock may be my favorite series, but nothing has yet to match the single game of Condemned yet for me. I am a huge horror buff having watched horror movies since I was around 8 years old (About 24 years). No game, or movie even, in the last decade or so has freaked me out as much as Condemned, and I loved it.
🙁
This series is amazing. I can’t get any of my friends to agree with me, or even try this game. What a bummer, this game embodied what excites me about video games. It elicits an emotion, like no other game does. That emotion? Fear. The game made me jump and my adrenaline pump. That, in my opinion, is what makes a game truly great. If a game can reach inside and grab an emotion from you, and pull it out, then you will have really connected with that game. It is a very special feeling.
So because you have a good game with an awesome campaign that casual gamers liked not sell while you have another *series* that always sells millions (despite how how many times you shot the horse, killed it and tried reviving it) like Call of duty, you think its alright to just abandon a few gamers that like going solo with condemned just to keep continuing with a game that’s been broken for years just to keep that lowsey million dollars off a shot game? So you ignore the fans that not only loved an installment and also praised the game, but you just give the finger and leave an unfinished game on a cliffhanger.
You value money more than you do the certain group that like their solo campaign. A real shame on this industry for turning backs on not only the casual gamers but a successful game that had a good beginning and could have had a good ending if this industry ACTUALLY FULL HEARTEDLY CARED more about the games community and less about how much money they make.
I will NO LONGER keep up nor stay updated with this industry. They have turned their backs on me with multiple games. Why should i keep up with this industry nor even care about it, when they dont care enough about me? They have turned their backs on me, i will turn my backs on them.
don’t WB own the fanchise of Condemed now?
Sega don’t make worldwide games anymore.