We continue our 31 days of horror games series with Condemned: Criminal Origins. Mannequins, a spooky orchard and melee combat...
In celebration of Halloween, we’re counting down the days with some of the greatest horror games ever made -- 31 of our favorites! Every day, we’ll take a look back at a horror game that gave us goosebumps, made our controllers tremble, and chased us out of our living rooms. Long live the horror game! And make sure to check out our full list of 31 Great Horror Games To Play In October!
Condemned: Criminal Origins felt like it was intended to be an action game, but turned out to have quite a few scares in it. You wouldn't think that an apple orchard would resonate as such a terrifying setting, but Monolith, the studio behind last month's Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, changed all of that with the portion of Condemned that took place in the scariest fucking abandoned apple orchard ever.
But that wasn't Criminal Origins' only scare tactic. Sure, it had the typical darkness and sound design usually associated with great horror games, but it also forced us to use brutal melee combat that didn't feel as though you were a super strong being (as you usually feel when using melee combat in any other game). And, because of the darkness and sound design, you really tune into the game and focus on the sound. You absorb the entire experience. The enemies weren't exactly easy, either, as the game contained highly intelligent A.I., with enemies that moved comparatively smooth.
Condemned was an impressive following to Monolith's F.E.A.R., which also terrified players. But Criminal Origins contained a different sort of scare tactic than Alma's story, and that's why Condemned: Criminal Origins is another must-play horror game.
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all news updates related to the world of geek. And Google+, if that's your thing!