The History of Condemned (& Mystery of Condemned 3)

[00:17] The representation of horror in gaming wore  many faces by the advent of the seventh   console generation. Developers equipped with a  knack for guiding players through terror-laden   adventures had covered everything from zombie  narratives and psychological horror to tales of  

[00:32] suspense and the supernatural. For its Xbox 360  launch title, Monolith Productions endeavored to   explore interactive horror from a different  angle, a more brutal, in-your-face point of   view teeming with themes about violence and  the nuances of human nature. It accomplished  

[00:48] as much with 2005 s Condemned: Criminal Origins,  then pushed the envelope further upon delivering   Condemned 2: Bloodshot in 2008. Condemned s claustrophobic setting and  

[01:00] discomforting atmosphere were complimented  by then-unparalleled hand-to-hand combat   mechanics. And the decision to centralize  an FBI agent following the trail of a serial   murderer turned what could ve been a  typical first-person experience into  

[01:13] a memorable psychological thriller. Thus,  the first Condemned has long enjoyed the   status of a revolutionary cult classic,  yet many would argue its sequel faded into   obscurity not long after hitting the market. Why the second outing failed to garner the  

[01:28] adoration afforded to its predecessor has puzzled  series faithful for years. But there were some   aspects of Condemned 2 that didn t exactly gel  with the path that some assumed the franchise   hopes of its potential return linger,  Condemned constitutes one horror classic  

[01:45] that may not get the opportunity to claw its  way through the genre s latest renaissance.   This is the history of Condemned.  

[02:48] Founded in Kirkland, Washington in 1994, Monolith  Productions got its feet wet with a host of   different interactive experiences. The studio s  debut project, Blood, sank players into one of   the goriest first-person action adventures of the  day. A 2D side-scroller named Claw followed not  

[03:05] too long thereafter, starring a puzzle-solving  pirate cat as the main protagonist.   But some of Monolith s most well-known  efforts didn t come to fruition until   the turn of the century, with the likes of  first-person stealth game The Operative:  

[03:18] No One Lives Forever cementing the development  house as a force to be reckoned with. The licensed   title T.R.O.N. 2.0 on the original Xbox further  boosted the team s reputation, but the developers  

[03:30] longed to create a different style of game,  something more than another action-heavy romp   that would allow them to leverage their talents  with first-person shooters and storytelling.   Coming off a series of action-based endeavors,  revisiting the company s horror roots seemed a  

[03:46] step in the right direction. Lead Game Designer  Frank Rooke dove into researching horror in today   s culture, hoping to find a hook for the studio to  latch onto. The designer scoured countless films,   books, and headlines in search of a subject that  exemplified the creepiest and darkest of all real  

[04:02] horror. In so doing, he and the team concluded the  twisted mind of a serial killer fit the bill.   Fleshing out the idea motivated the close analysis  of several different aspects of the genre,  

[04:14] each one implemented to present players with  unique challenges and opportunities. What   Monolith deemed in-your-face horror acted as  one type of thrill that would be employed for   the project. Such terror emphasized jump scares, a  classic clich the creators believed was effective  

[04:30] when least expected. Threading these scares in  so users couldn t anticipate them proved tricky;   thus, Monolith reasoned that actions  shouldn t always sit at the center of   attention in this regard. Some jump scares  relied on visual or audio cues as a result.  

[04:45] Suspense informed the horror-driven experience as  well, as the team found it useful for tweaking the   pacing and testing the player s apprehension  to conflict. Finally, psychological horror  

[04:57] played its part by directly influencing user  behaviors through hallucinations that blurred   the line between imagination and reality. Monolith  wanted its carefully orchestrated mind games to   also reflect the main character s deteriorating  mental state throughout the course of the story.  

[05:12] Rooke explained in an IGN interview that these  combined efforts supported a vision predicated   on an attempt to understand violence. Studio  CEO Samantha Ryan elaborated further in the   press release accompanying Condemned s  announcement, claiming the goal was to  

[05:26] marry a disturbing atmosphere with realistic  physics, devious AI, and a sophisticated combat   system. While the title arguably achieved these  ends in spades, the Condemned that creeped onto   store shelves in 2005 did not constitute the game  Monolith Productions built from the outset.  

[06:01] The Extras content included with Condemned:  Criminal Origins boasted behind-the-scenes   footage, concept art, and gameplay-related  details dating back to the project s incipient   production phase. One Extras segment revealed  that Condemned originally bore a different name,  

[06:17] The Dark. This version cast players in the role  of a disenfranchised FBI agent Agent Cross[a] who   scoured the underbelly of a nondescript city  for clues about a string of brutal murders   that appeared inexplicably linked to him. Leads  from an anonymous source would ve led the agent  

[06:34] s investigation to a deserted youth center, the  supposed location of the killer s next victim.   Footage from The Extras showcased a lengthy  look at The Dark s prototype gameplay[b], which   highlighted a few key differences between earlier  builds and what would later become Criminal  

[06:49] Origins. Most notably, the protagonist possessed  supernatural abilities that manifested in   telekinetic-like skills. At one point in the demo,  for example, the federal agent used his powers to  

[07:01] disarm an enemy of their shotgun[c] from several  feet away; Condemned merely displayed Ethan Thomas   s personal connection to the supernatural as  a psychic link to certain killers. Meanwhile,   the gender of the agent s forensic specialist  and the forensic tool s functional capabilities  

[07:16] counted among the smaller changes between the  two iterations[d]. Larger enemies appeared more   unhinged in The Dark, too, indicating the game s  impressive AI technology didn t come online until   after the concept evolved into Condemned. Monolith s efforts with enemy behavior were  

[07:32] nothing to scoff at, either. Producer David Hasle  noted in a 360 Gamer interview[e] that the company   prioritized supplementing combat encounters with  chaotic and unpredictable" foes. As a result,   the criminals Ethan faced rarely charged  on-sight; the enemy design worked such  

[07:48] that they were more likely to retreat or search  for weapons. AI behaviors additionally allowed   adversaries to calculate tactical advantages,  thereby permitting actions such as breaking   lights and seeking out weapons stronger  than whatever the protagonist wielded.  

[08:02] Once these encounters began in earnest, melee  fighting the core of the combat system came   into play. Developers acknowledged that most  games contemporaneous to Condemned s creation   lacked adequate melee mechanics, encouraging  an emphasis on making hand-to-hand feel as  

[08:18] satisfying as dispatching rogues with firearms.  That meant taking the time necessary to ensure   the impact of trading blows with enemies felt  visceral. Visual feedback proved equally integral,   so successfully landing strikes often culminated  in foes recoiling or spitting out blood.  

[08:34] Despite the combat system s intensity, it bore  a fairly barebones structure, without combos or   inputs that mandated complicated button sequences.  Monolith designed the mechanics around basic, raw,  

[08:46] and primal types of fights, the thinking  being that such a style was appropriate   for Condemned s setting the fictional city of  Metro whose denizens had suddenly been driven   towards madness. This line of thought further  explained the average vagrant s crude combat  

[09:00] skills and their penchant for utilizing whatever  weapons lay scattered around the environment.   Each detail serviced the game s atmospheric  tension and cinematic qualities," providing a   psychological thriller unlike anything else in  gaming. VP of Entertainment Marketing at Sega,  

[09:16] Scott A. Steinberg[f], claimed the  more unique facets of Condemned were   previously impossible to realize on  older hardware. Criminal Origins,   thus, owed its acclaimed intricacies  to the power of the Xbox 360.  

[09:39] Monolith built Condemned from the ground  up for Xbox 360, leveraging its horsepower   for the horror title s graphics, gameplay,  environments, and mature tone. But targeting  

[09:54] a release alongside Microsoft s seventh-generation  console made for an intense development cycle[g],   even with assistance from the platform holder  and Monolith s publishing partner, Sega.   Speaking with YouTube channel Dead Domain, Frank  Rooke revealed the crew only had 15 months to  

[10:11] complete its opus in time for 360 s November 2005  debut. In fact, an extreme time crunch weighed so   heavily on production that developers conducted  very little testing outside of Quality Assurance.  

[10:25] Rooke s claim echoed earlier statements Producer  David Hasle made in a pre-launch interview with   360 Gamer[h]. Hasle told the publication Monolith  didn t receive 360's final hardware build until   five weeks before rolling into certification,  a process that ensures software won t brick the  

[10:43] console or run afoul of certain regulations.  Consequently, long hours of crunch were   required to maintain its scheduled due date. The short deadline additionally forced several   ideas to the cutting room floor, chief among them  being a planned cooperative mode. Setting aside  

[10:59] resources for the multiplayer component would ve  significantly stifled progress on the campaign,   the very reason Criminal Origins  has long been held in high regard.   Sega published the unsettling horror experience  in November 2005 to reviews that deemed it a  

[11:14] harrowing journey worth taking for fans  and non-fans of the genre. The enemy AI,   stunning visuals, and unnerving sound design blew  away critics and players alike. Condemned s melee   mechanics garnered high marks, too, with some  counting The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape  

[11:30] from Butcher Bay as its only rival in terms of  first-person hand-to-hand combat. And an absence   of reprieve from tension amplified the immersion  to the degree that many forgave Condemned s flaws.   Yet, its shortcomings still hampered the  adventure because of subpar story presentation,  

[11:46] overly basic forensic investigations, dull level  design, and the lingering threat that a few   reviewers felt lacked a satisfactory payoff. Not unlike other studios, Monolith gave the  

[11:58] criticism much thought and mulled over how  best to augment the series for a subsequent   entry. The result came across as a sequel that,  in overcorrecting its predecessor s faults,   lost sight of the brand identity  it tried so hard to expand.  

[12:33] Criminal Origins, targeting a  two-year development cycle and   Fall 2007 release window. The process  began with a hard look at critiques,   which informed the core areas developers  wanted to tackle for Condemned 2: Bloodshot,  

[12:49] namely deeper combat mechanics and less  claustrophobic play spaces.   Work on the latter kicked off early in the  pre-production phase, with level theming   centered on figuring out the best new environments  for the sequel. According to Senior Level Designer  

[13:03] Jonathan Stein, designing maps that formed a  cohesive whole didn t exactly sit at the top of   Monolith s list of priorities. Staffers pitched  locations that appeared in the final product   if they grew popular enough internally.  Once the environments were settled on,  

[13:18] threading the story in and around them took  precedent next. Senior World Designer Casey   Burpee told Dead Domain the building blocks behind  this pieced-together structure were proposals for  

[13:30] scary environmental situations, such as the  Walker Doll Factory level. Attempts to fit in   interesting scenarios became the name of the game  whenever someone brought forth a chilling idea.  

[13:42] This approach worried those who thought Condemned  2 would feel erratic and incoherent in the hands   of players. On the other hand, the notion that  the sequel s perceived incoherence played into   its narrative s strangeness offered some  semblance of comfort, especially when  

[13:56] considering the questionable mental state  of returning protagonist Ethan Thomas.   In spite of its rather rudimentary qualities,  players by and large were fond of the fighting   mechanics in Criminal Origins. The crew at  Monolith knew they could do better, however,  

[14:10] and established grander ambitions when crafting  Condemned 2: Bloodshot, endeavoring to build   responsive and satisfying gameplay. Obsessive  iteration on Ethan s combat abilities culminated   in the addition of varied gunplay options, combo  chains, and hand-to-hand attacks that didn t force  

[14:26] the use of accessories like the first game. Condemned s reconstructed gunplay mechanics,   in particular, were what Producer Martin Caplan  described[j] as low cost implementation since   Bloodshot ran on the same engine that powered  Monolith s FPS horror series, FEAR. Still,  

[14:42] melee combat remained at the heart of Condemned,  necessitating regular testing that one staffer   facilitated by designing a combat pit wherein  developers could experiment with the mechanics.   Animation Lead Richard Lico recalled that the  combat multiplier must ve been derived from  

[14:57] these playtesting sessions. In addition to  laying the groundwork for the melee system,   the combat pit also informed the creation of  Condemned 2 s Fight Club, a survival mode where   players could test their skills against whichever  vagrants they encountered during the campaign.  

[15:11] As Senior Producer Constantine Hantzopoulos[k]  explained while speaking with GameReactor,   the combat system itself was based on  four separate pillars the first being   what Criminal Origins lacked, good old fashioned  fisticuffs. Weapons of opportunity like bricks  

[15:26] and pipes strewn throughout the environment made  up the second layer. Though players could pick up   similar weapons in the original, the ability to  throw them in Bloodshot added an exciting twist.   Attack and defense chains elevated the  moment-to-moment action, as well. Typically,  

[15:40] enemies in Condemned attacked Ethan one or two at  a time; the sequel saw upwards of five foes swarm   the character, requiring the use of vicious,  bone-breaking moves" in quick succession to   keep them at bay. Environmental finishing moves  comprised the fourth and final combat pillar,  

[15:55] inviting users to perform finishers of  their choosing on downed opponents.   Much like Criminal Origins, the brutality on  display in Condemned 2 wasn t for the faint of   heart. But even while pushing the boundaries in  this regard, Monolith Productions took care not  

[16:10] to veer into Mortal Kombat fatality territory.  The studio, thus, worked closely with the ESRB,   the ratings board s watchful eye keeping the  developers in check about any potential red   flags. Since violence held more purpose this  time around, the combat represented only one  

[16:25] part of the franchise that developers  felt a need to completely makeover.   Internally, developers were divided about  the next evolutionary step for Ethan Thomas,  

[16:38] as some believed the character failed to hit  the mark in Criminal Origins. Correcting this in   Condemned 2 meant darkening the game s tone and  giving the protagonist an added layer of depth,   specifically in the mold of flaws that manifested  as alcoholism and anger management issues. Still  

[16:55] reeling from the events of Condemned, a  descent into madness further hounded him   throughout the sequel, forcing Ethan  and the player to question reality.   The new direction opened the door for fantastical  elements, with government conspiracy theories  

[17:09] taking precedent over investigating deranged  serial killers. It all coalesced into an   experience that bore superficial commonalities to  the original, the darker tone and newly affixed   fantastical themes stretching the brand into  uncharted territory. But for the paradigm shift  

[17:25] to succeed, the lead character had to reflect  these changes hence Monolith s replacing Greg   Grunberg as Ethan s voice actor, though Senior  Producer David Hasle claimed the Heroes star did   express an interest in reprising the role. Hasle  explained in an IGN Q&A that a darker turn with  

[17:41] Ethan" stimulated the need for a voice that better  represented that edgy darkness. Developers and   fans would later resent this decision, however. Bloodshot landed on PS3 and Xbox 360 in March  

[18:01] 2008, reviewing just as well as[l] Criminal  Origins if not better in some cases. The   overhauled combat and improved forensics  with its accompanying rewards system were   the highlights of the experience for most. Even  the multiplayer component, which Monolith added  

[18:15] later in production to keep users invested  long-term, proved a winner amongst critics and   players. Impressions of the narrative and Ethan  s evolution between games were divided at best;   interestingly enough, the development  crew also seemed split on the matter.  

[18:30] Richard Lico shared with Dead Domain  his retrospective realization that the   fantastical-driven themes didn t mesh all too  well with the Condemned universe. The animator   further divulged that some of his colleagues  resisted the changes directed at Ethan,  

[18:43] thinking the protagonist had become too  different for the sophomore effort.   To the chagrin of many, a third chance to expand  upon the horror series never materialized. Most   staffers either joined FEAR 2 s production  or exited the studio after shipping Condemned  

[18:58] 2. By most accounts, there weren t any serious  attempts to begin work on a third Condemned. Yet,   Monolith co-founder and former CEO Jace Hall,  who reportedly conceptualized ideas for two   more entries during Bloodshot s development, once  expressed hopes of seeing the franchise revived.  

[19:13] Because he owned the Condemned IP, the industry  veteran penned a Facebook message in January 2015   about potentially licensing the property to an  interested and proven indie development team. The  

[19:25] arrangement would ve given fans a much-coveted  third installment, while providing a smaller   crew with the opportunity to apply their  vision to the reawakening of a beloved IP.   Whether or not Hall ever entered negotiations  on such a partnership remains unknown,  

[19:39] but nothing concrete came of the proposition  regardless. The future of Condemned continues   to dangle in the wind, hanging on by the  cult status of Criminal Origins because   Bloodshot never received a PC port and  remains unplayable on modern PlayStation  

[19:54] and Xbox hardware[m]. But that cult status has  given the brand a lot of mileage over the years,   guaranteeing the harrowing terrors of Criminal  Origins, in particular, won t soon fade memory.