Condemned 2: Bloodshot | A Complete History and Retrospective

Hey Dad,
In my last video for the October season, we'll be taking a look at Condemned 2. Let's see if it holds up to the legacy of the first game.
Thanks to ‪@evprince‬ for helping out with the video. Go check out his channel!
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CHAPTERS
Intro 0:00
Development: 2:32
Condemned 2 5:40
Evan Prince 41:42
Final Thoughts 49:40

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

How do you feel about Condemned 2?

[@diamondhamster4320]

Too bad there were no more Condemned games or games inspired by it. That is about it. Also Xenia runs almost perfect but with work-around and some forks.

[@Gruntvc]

Condemned 2 and FEAR 2 get too much hate. I won't say either are as great as their respective 1st games, but both sequels are good fun games. Hopefully Condemned can return one day. It isn't owned by WB Games who loves to do absolutely nothing with great old IPS they own like: FEAR, The Suffering, Psi Ops The Mindgate Conspiracy, Area 51, etc.

[@AngriestPeanut]

Classic game from my childhood, absolutely one of the best combat systems with such a gritty realism in the impact of hits. It’s a shame it didn’t do well commercially, would have loved to see more studios build upon and spin off of the combat in this.

[@MattHew-rq8zw]

well, I got some plusses and some minuses to list off in my experience, back when I picked it up entirely: 1). I strongly, and I cannot state it enough, strongly dislike how firearm focused bloodshot was in contrast to Criminal Origins - I felt that it lost the vibe of "firearms might be potent, but you will not face that many of them throughout your journey, so be happy once you do! It won't save your skin for too long" The shotgun and handguns in C.O was the best example there, very often I caught myself using melee with them after a while... hell defaulting to not using firearms until facing oppositions where that wasn't an option, were my go-to. Might be a personal point of mine to make, due to my former background as a soldier ... but what impacted me the most, and had my blood pumping were the nitty-gritty of fights conducted via CQC (close quarters combat), with fists, pipes, rebars, 2#4's etc. The Bear section aside, I came not to enjoy having a firearm on me from the first introduction moment in bloodshot. 2). It might be a moot point as we speak to speak of Bloodshots pacing within the story, to me it felt like they rushed the formula... to display how crazy and indeed how screwed the city had gotten - hell the entire country might face problems after the final cutsceen rings in with the head of state (the president - of the united states - gotta phrase it that way, as a European)... in a fight for his life, suffering a heart attack. To me the escalation at the end was perfect, but up until then just felt like they wanted to push out the story, axe' some characters (luckily for us, in a far better way than Game of Thrones, to the writers of Condemned credit... and I respect that!) that no longer had a say in things at this point "Malcolm Vanhorn" being one of said characters. They did plenty great, such as giving us the Oro cult angle information with some lopsided pacing, but at least it wasn't all done during cutsceens. I don't really know what to say or think of Rozas' and Ethan's glowup visually... I've played through Origins five times throught my life (4 times through bloodshot)... and well, it just didn't feel like the two characters I was used to see... despite Ethan's making full sense after all the ends of the events of Criminal Origins. 3) Both games has their primes, their flaws and sadly too much free realestate in my head - leading to the desire of a third full installment... this is of course the sad part, when you want a conclusion or desire an ending. As for my favorite parts of bloodshot, I have to say both the Museum's portion, the turtorial pub (bar) and the doll factory... the tension in each was there for different reasons, and it really fit to say that if it weren't for the doll factory, then I wouldn't have had this aversion to mannequins in so many games of today's date! Hell made me paranoid while playing In Sound Mind, at one segment... LOVED that! I loved having to do detective work again, after making the experience in Criminal's origin - and sadly will have to compare it with unceremoniously.I wish that if we are to see any 3rd instalment (not very likely) but if we do... that things goes back to a bit more of a creepy and sinister tone... despite the expectations or pathes ahead that bloodshot put before us - why? Because I miss the dread... Give the man a gun in a zombie apocalypse and that turns horror into action-shooter, in my eyes... keep it grounded with CQC and limit firearms heavily, limit the voice powers massively (to the games credits that it was only useable near the end of the games chapters.), limit the amount of on screen Oro members or monsters to use them more sparingly, again something I'm glad they've kept to a minimum. All in all, I loved the collectables in both games, I loved parts of the atmosphere in Bloodshot, and I will say that it is a good sequal in a series... and I barely give many seqauls that at all... one way or another. Sorry for the essay, and sorry for anyone wanting to read through it - but this is my conclusion after many runs through the series as a whole.

[@ironeleven]

Loved most of the gameplay improvements, enjoyed the environments, but really didn't like where the story went.

[@JohnEternal]

I was the QA lead at SEGA on Condemned 2. Thank you for making this, and happy to hear you had fun.

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Thanks so much for your work!

[@rizzhub5388]

Hey John! I am a big fan from Germany. When this game released I had to order it from Austria because it was not allowed to be sold in Germany. It will always be one of my favorite horror games. The creativity that was poured into the levels was just amazing. I will never forget this gem and the fun i had playing it with my buddys.

[@brunovance8101]

Who came up with that awesome T-shirt design for Ethan? I ended up making my own custom one

[@evprince]

Dude, I ALSO MADE MY OWN CUSTOM ONE! We should compare them.@@brunovance8101

[@sethlivezey4455]

​@brunovance8101 Yo you gotta link for that? I'd totally buy that

[@flipdiesel9652]

Dude yes. I owned this game as a child. I’m 28 now but man I remember this game and The Suffering very vividly. Used to scare the living hell out of me, but I couldn’t stop going back to it. I loved freaking myself out when I was a kid lol More than I do now. I should get back into that feeling.

[@d1g1cxlt_]

the mall with the moving mannequins was the first and only time a video game has scared me. Legit threw the controller.

[@Funko777]

I'm also 28, hello fellow demo disc user. I didn't get to play the suffering outside of the sequels demo disc but I loved both the condemned games! Scared the shit out of me too but the combat was great and Im deeply disappointed a spiritual successor hasnt been made yet. Idk why I could finish those games but Doom 3 literally scared me too much to finish 😂 demon shit I suppose

[@xs1l3n7x]

fuck, scouting for sh!t to play on magazines, internet being new... we have seen a lot

[@TheMenz24]

Bro yeah, this game I played before criminal origins and it scared the actual hell out of me

[@venomclown1134]

Idk what was scarier about The Suffering; the game itself, or the fear of getting caught by my parents playing it as a kid 😂

[@AndrewTime9106]

I miss how valuable & useful game mags were. And word of mouth from friends! I know about Condemned because a friend played & showed it to me while hanging out in high school. Lasting memories because of both ways of seeing new games.

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Sitting in my room and flipping through Game Informers as a kid is a memory that's burned in my brain forever.

[@Funko777]

Now we just have to rely on whiny steam reviews that regularly review bomb games because they lost 1.5 frames for 2.3 seconds "literally broken"

[@judgedrekk2981]

Ultra game players man....and EGM were the best, young gamers now won't get how big magazines used to be or maybe they would but won't care...when that's all you had it was the best way to get info and reviews....

[@sausagemilk8676]

Just wanted to say thanks. Seems like every couple of years a YT will pay its respects to this game, give out a retrospective and I very much appreciate it. This game specifically C2 has a special place in my head. My mom and sister passed away not that long before this game came out, and this game, in a weird way, was therapeutic for me. Definitely has its short coming and some "interesting" design choices, but overall, was a great game for me. So, thank you. Just picked up on your channel not that long ago, but can definitely tell will be coming back for more content. P.S. bum rush was fucking dope.

[@violettheshadowfan]

ooh this is what you were asking for those magazines about on twitter! well researched son!

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Haha exactly

[@Funko777]

​@@YourFavoriteSon1I remember those Suffering ads. I wanted to play it so bad but outside of the Suffering 2 demo disc (god I feel old) I never did :/ I've been able to play them vicariously through modern retrospectives though. I did get to play both condemned games and absolutely loved them! I've wanted a series reboot since the 2nd one. Totally agree the story was weird af in the 2nd but the combat felt so fun, especially the brawler modes. Almost like they shouldve made a separate game and gave the first a proper psychological horror sequel.

[@JoshuaJacobs83]

I love that Musk spent what, billions, to name it X and we still call it Twitter lol. A big W for the masses

[@katsu1715]

it's wild, the very first line about remembering condemned fondly even though you never played it is exactly how i feel about condemned 1. my brother's friend had gotten the game on 360 when it first came out, and he played it for the first time and came back home, the stories he was telling me about playing the game almost made it sound mythical in terms of it's horror, like a story about the boogeyman

[@MrHammers]

Condemned 2 was a game that turned out way better than I expected given how many people liked to shit on it when comparing it to the first. I thought the detective sections were a step in the right direction while the supernatural moments were a step backwards. But overall I had a great time with it

[@stevenguitink5947]

I think the problem with Condemned Bloodshot is that its such a narrative/tonal whiplash from the first game that it retroactively makes the first game look like a work of art by comparison. The first game was slow, subtle and psychological. It's trying to be a serious crime thriller with some spooky background elements rooted in realism. The second game feels like a B-movie that's trying to cram every possible fantastical concept into its runtime. You're fighting lollypop ladies, rabid bears, armoured knights and giant mecha. It's a narrative mess but a fun one nonetheless. If Bloodshot had been a third game in the series, with a middle game inserting more allusions to the fantastical - Ala Saints Row - I could see Bloodshot being a lot more positively received than it has been. And that's not to dismiss its value to people. But I do think the attempt to veer off into wilder areas did damage the series going forward.

[@SIGNOR-G]

In the end its a decent game but a bad condemned game. THAT SAID the first game originally had to be supernatural one.

[@oizaklives4996]

I remember this game as the first experience where a game stopped me in my tracks because I was simply to afraid to keep going. I was 14 at the time and only got half way through. The sound design is so scary. The crazy people just screaming insane ramblings somewhere in the dark building you are in. was just too much for me as a teenager. Need to finish this game.

[@evprince]

What a pleasure, thanks for having me!

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Anytime!

[@TheMenz24]

Playing condemned 2 many years ago before I played the first one. I enjoyed the second one, absolutely terrified me when I was younger. But looking at it yeah it did feel like a schizophrenic alcoholic induced nightmare. The definitely took a leap

[@KatsuKing808]

I really enjoyed this game, especially the multi-player. The hide and go seek mode was so much fun and anxiety inducing

[@pokedexter3337]

Literally just finished this game at the beginning of the month, so excited to watch this!

[@HumanOptimization]

Right on! I would love to see a remaster of some sort for the Condemned series. one of my favs!

[@wernergoring9671]

That was an awesome dive into the game. Love the research and the presentation. You did well, mate. Gonna have to have a look at your other vids now, and hope they're just as satisfying. ❤

[@Honeypie675]

I love how you are collabing with Evan on this one. I checked out his channel based on your recommendation on another video and I've gotta say, his stuff is pretty nice. I like how his is similar in format to your content.

[@marcusplaystuff636]

You're killing it this month man

[@pies-of-pain2877]

I'm glad that I found these videos. I was always curious how this seemed to be a series that everyone kind of memory holed. Horror games always seemed like something devs tried in the era of improvements in graphical fidelity helping with immersion but always kind of underperforming commercially until the youtuber era kind of brought it to the forefront again. And a lot of those always talk about RE or SH or the usual games but comdemned never really seemed to come up and I could never figure out why

[@hismajestycorintheus]

Thank you for making this video, I absolutely adore this series and when you mentioned the idea of Nightdive Studios remastering it, I felt like you were speaking for all of us because I have mentioned to Nightdive that I’d kill for them to revive it. I used to be in contact with the head of Marketing for Monolith and I tried tirelessly to see if we could get the sequel on the Xbox backwards compatibility list like the original and apparently the thing that held them back was simply the deadline to send over resources to Microsoft. They also did not reach out to them during the last wave of backwards compatible titles which breaks my heart. Our only real chance is a remaster and I don’t think anyone other than Nightdive would do it. Here’s to hoping…

[@FinneousPJ1]

"Late 2000's" sounds like you're a time traveller from the 3000's

[@eppinizer]

Excited for another Retrospective! I played through condemned 1 on launch, but never finished it (I'm a cowered) and thus never bought the second one. Interested to see how they compare. Have a good week, Son.

[@RecentCobra]

Seeing the Gasmask part, makes me hope some day you do some videos on the Metro series

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Love those games, have been meaning to go back through. Never read the books either so that would be a treat.

[@Last__Star]

I’d love to hear you and Evan’s opinions on Breakdown! It has very similar gameplay and I actually played it first and found that condemned 2 was awesome for a lot of the same reasons.

[@steelcurtain187]

I really loved this series and wish it would come back, and at the very least, get some kind of remaster package with them both. Great job on the video

[@KickinRadTopHat]

Lot of fond memories with this one. Seems like a lot of games have a hard time making first person melee combat feel appropriately brutal and weighty but I always thought Bloodshot nailed it. Shame it’s such a rare thing to see done right.

[@lukebaker1998]

Well son , this is your dad here and I couldn't be prouder because you recognise that condemned 2 is a very good ( but with some flaws) game. Plus you recognise that in a lot of ways it improves mechanics and adds a interesting new thing or two. Love this game 8.7/10 for me!! Plus I'm proud that you didn't jump on the hyperbolic ( this game is awful or bad purely because the weirder creepier more sci fi plot wasn't to there liking, or that the more edgie look or feel of the game ruins it. In a word I think that's nonsense! This game isn't for everyone but neither was the first which was brilliant too!! So there's your 2 cents from your old man.

[@funtourhawk]

I just played through this game on Xenia and it was perfect...locked at 60 fps and rendered at 1440p it looks sick and plays smooth

[@Scylithen]

Another quality upload, well research and good retrospective Son. Mom keeps saying you need to branch out further and perhaps get some son's of your own, but I'll always be here to watch your work son. *Chef's Kiss*

[@betteryou7hanme]

My girlfriend bought this game for me when it came out. i never played the first one, and i absolute loved playing through this. ive checked the ms store many times hoping to finally see it. the crack house full of giggling, syringe wielding tweakers, running around in tighty whiteys was such an insane level. and of course the cabin ..

[@ameer9653]

Take a ps2 emulator and download the rom and then just connect a controller (ps4/5)

[@danteward-hunt6038]

4:34 i’m from the satsop area and it’s so fun to see it given some credit for all the works it’s influenced lol

[@MettFox]

Great video and summary of Condemned 2 Son. Would like to see third part...

[@MacInTheBox]

Hey honey, wake up. Our favorite son posted a new video.

[@broingonus]

huge respect for the oceanic shoutout

[@newnilloc326]

Ooooou I remember the magazines too! You made my night with this video son!

[@redcap1923]

Love your videos, there is a small pet peeve of mine from the game itself. Based on your end of game rank, Bronze, Silver or Gold the reward effect is different, getting better and better, while most are *just* effects the first mission is a roll of quarters, knuckle dusters and a punch dagger. I always found the random spike jetting out of ethan's left hand weird back then.

[@PlagueJ]

I got this game at a pawn shop for $10. I was 12. It was the first horror game I played in my own without my older brother helping me or taking over for me. The first time I was alone with the atmosphere and characters. I could not play more than an hour at a time. It scared me too much lol But i slowly made my way through it. Those were simpler times.

[@RealgarTheSchist]

The online multiplayer for this game was crazy.

[@FPoP1911]

Oh wow, son keeps on shining. Take care of yourself well and keep doing whatcha doing, in that order.

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

SONDAY

[@magicarpiutrwq3377]

28:03 I feel like the gas mask and other screen-lining effects were the size they were due to the monitor technology of the time, namely cathode ray tube tvs, which often lost detail on the edges.

[@kiratherenegade1561]

Bloodshot has the best levels out of the series. The Lake Lodge is perfection for the gameplay & a perfect step-up from the first game. The rest of the game is so-so, but a game about anxiously clearing corners & rummaging around for weaponry - finally putting you up against opponents that are just as clever - feels right. The Lake Lodge should've been the final lebel honestly. And mixed in a few more druggies to keep it connected.

[@user-hj3sb6lz4n]

44:59 i can relate they need more games like this my friend. You get a dumbs up

[@yannstermonster]

I’ve bought this game several times at GameStop for like $5-$10 each time. It’s definitely a fun game to replay.

[@MrTrained2Go]

I remember when I was younger My dad bought me an Xbox at a pawn shop and it came with this game.. I loved it 💙

[@HeatherHolt]

I remember playing this game so long ago. This game was actually creepy, hearing people running around while you’re grabbing pipes off the wall lol but once my cult stuff really got going I was like what is happening. I doubt care tho. I liked it.

[@dyinginfashion2558]

I absolutely adore condemned. The 1st and 2nd game I played them both as a pre-teen and the nostalgia for this is ridiculous

[@MightyMurloc]

I''m a big fan of Condemned 2, but I vividly remember the print ads too, the Mannequin with no face and one arm missing haunts me to this day.

[@bmanjones]

Thankyou, this game does not get enough love

[@showtimefu1234]

I remember playing the multiplayer and hunting people down with a sledge hammer so fun

[@devinrodriguez3530]

Condemned 1 had a sick like 6 page interview and took the cover of game informer

[@kbomb13]

It’s a shame you weren’t able to play Crime Scene mode. That is seriously the scariest fun I’ve ever had playing multiplayer.

[@ChaseMC215]

I remember playing the demo for the game at an age where I really shouldn't be playing the demo for the game. It didn't take until my teen years until I could at least get the PS3 version, before getting the game on Xbox 360 when I was 19 years old.

[@unbearifiedbear1885]

Good to see you, Son Love always Dad - London UK x

[@rogercolon619]

This game is fun in terms of its gameplay . Didnt really think too much on the story . This was my first game to the series , both condemned are fun in my opinion

[@jaybxrna]

This game has better lighting and shadows than most new games

[@pissqueendanniella4688]

Hey son, its me your favourite parent and today you're doing great work. Im proud of you 🖤🐈‍⬛⚧️

[@Kaspar_Houser]

The museum level of condemned 2 is in my top 5 favorite levels of all time across all games. On par with the best of Half Life, Metro and so on

[@NekoHibaCosplay]

I remember this game fondly, together with The suffering and Obscure were my holy trinity of horror PS3 games

[@Grimm713]

Condemned 2 was one of the first horror games I played when I was younger and one of the first actual horror games I own and I never played the original until my late teen years so I never really understood the story when I first played the second game and I only had the information from the second game. but now since I've played both games full I fully understand the story it's very hard for me to actually get scared in certain games but both give me unexplainable chill down my spine I understand why most people don't like the second game or have mixed feelings about it the only criticism that I have about it is the fact that has too many guns in levels. Especially when you finish the game it lets you play a special mode called FPS mode it gives you unlimited ammo for each weapon that you pick up and it gives you a random gun for each levels such as revolvers shotguns pistol submachine guns a repeating rifle and an assault rifle. And I do understand the criticism about trying to tell the entire story in one go which makes it absolutely confusing especially for those who haven't played the first game I also love the upgrade mechanic depending on your investigation and depending if you listen to all the radios and TVs and destroy all the Sonic devices gives you a full on upgrade for certain items. If I remember correctly for your fist if you do all the stuff for the first level you can get brass knuckles and if you do poorly and to not do the side quest for the first level you can get some coin wrap fish or something like that the upgrade increases your fist damage Among other upgrades that reduce your damage gives you an extra health bar and so on I would give the game a solid 7 out of 10 and only recommended to those who played the first game

[@edenprime1396]

Its time for a reboot/remake for this series

[@tylerbeadle-follis3338]

My dad bought this game on ps3 and when I would watch him play it, I’d get so scared because the cover was scary to me at the time.

[@Stylish_Actual]

Ive had the "your dads new favorite son" twitter handle for awhile i love that someone had a similar idea for a YT channel 😂

[@anthonysoto2923]

I so hope they let night dive studios remake both games. Fantastic games back in the day.

[@StevePlayingStuff]

Great video! The only thing I remember about playing this game is the bear xD

[@devinrodriguez3530]

I also remember getting to the last level and it glitched the floor from under you and it took away the visual walls

[@infinitotourismo]

*Walks away from phone, comes back, hears different voice.* "...you're not my sonnn"🤨

[@hieunguyenrileygekko]

i would love to see your the evil within retrospective, son

[@alltimeklazzikz]

Condemned I&II were both Crazy A$$ GameZ for these Times, Today i Consider them Classic Cult because they were the First who Put a Horror Ego-Shooter into a Crime-Noir Thriller Type Based Movie!! Forensic Lamp, Investigating Scenes, First Mobile Phone in Ego-Shooter Gaming History! Awesome.

[@dylangutierrez7482]

This game was so unique , even is right about chasing that feeling in a game , the closest thing we get is the dead island and dead by daylight games , nothing is really going to match or even come close to the condemned series

[@brunovance8101]

I have a custom made "AIM TO PLEASE/YOU AIM TOO, PLEASE" bullseye T-shirt that I wear in honor of this game

[@Nicholas339]

Another great video for SonDay! Will you be doing FEAR sometime?

[@YourFavoriteSon1]

Eventually, have very fond memories of those games. FEAR was one of the first games I played on PC.

[@akira_yoshikazu7547]

i love this game so much fun and pretty scary especially the rabid grizzly wish it could have a ps4/5 verison

[@BradleytothToth-bh7zi]

I believe the condemned duo I criminally underrated!!

[@yy-uh8nf]

I gotta ask how did you get footage of the ps3?

[@mr.moonthegoon4178]

Okay but have you ever had a nice buttered piece of toast with strawberry jam? It's delicious

[@94razors_40]

First game I ever got on an Xbox 360. Scared the crap out of me and my cousin

[@rometherevenant8749]

Hey son, just wanted to let you know how much I loved your video but how disappointed I am that this never got a 3rd game..

[@shrimplypimple3541]

Both games were fantastic.

[@johnnymac42069]

Small oversight was the taser was MUCH more overpowered and broken in the first condemned

[@nts3208]

If I remember right, the 360 version ran fine for me. There were some of the same framerate dips, though.

[@RK-eo8gl]

Condemned has a Dead Island feel to it.

[@OhReaIly]

one of the best horror games

[@vlct666]

I think this game hit different, when you played it back then, compared if you would play it now for the first time. This was some really scary shit in 2008.

[@SPG8989]

I played it on emulator and while it isn't as scary that damn bear scene still holds up. The atmosphere still holds up too. What doesn't hold up is the gameplay. It was pretty hard to get back into

[@kathleenbielecki6814]

I just redid my closet and found my old game informers that I kept for the covers and specific articles the oldest one was from 2009 and I think it was for ac2

[@Royalhanburglar]

Sometimes I forget why you’re my favorite son…. Then you post

[@shrewmastercomics]

Love bloodshot getting some attention.

[@Kami3Kaze]

The good ol game informer magazine

[@roonicous2256]

Condemned is my favorite horror game series besides silent hill it just has such a distinctive atmosphere that I love it's not the best game but man it's super fun and the game always had me hooked and on the edge of my seat.

[@Scylithen]

Another quality upload, well research and good retrospective Son. Mom keeps saying you need tl branch out further and perhaps get some son's of your own, but I'll always be here to watch your work son. *Chef's Kiss*

[@anthonyjohnson9088]

Truly an awesome game!!!

[@sjoerddondersteen1337]

nostalgia (for simpler times)

[@chrisnieto3620]

They need to remaster this game the multiplayer was so fun growing up🤣🤣🤣

[@whereDIDericGO]

Goddamn I love the Condemned series

[@blacknrd05]

Excellent job my son

[@LizzardKaze]

🤔 i always thought that the hooded guy at the beginning has two piercings on his lower lip, not that he has vampire teeth

[@MightyMurloc]

This game is still my benchmark for First Person Melee Combat

[@marshallscates12]

I played on both systems but I think the 360 ran way better I don’t remember if the 1rst one ran as good though

[@JobeStroud]

1, 2 ads in 5 minutes. That sucks. I liked your channel.

[@lowerclassbrats77]

I loved Condemned 2, but was sad I couldn't play the first game as I didn't have an Xbox.

[@supershadows4]

Would love to see the dot hack GU trilogy get explained