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Bloodshot scares XBLM, ruins pants worldwide
Well, well, well ... look what the mangy old dog just drug in off the streets. It's a new 736MB Condemned 2: Bloodshot demo that's now available to most Live subscribers via the Xbox Live Marketplace, the same demo we were promised weeks ago. The same demo that broke our hearts numerous times and now, just because it's available today, thinks our heart will be instantly healed. Well, we have news for you Bloodshot. Our heart is still broken. You promised us the world and delivered weeks too late. We may find enough forgiveness in (what's left of our) heart to download you and your demo, probably later today. But don't be angry when a today download promise magically turns into a June download execution. It's called karma.
Bloodshot demo finally arrives tomorrow
Well good golly, that sure took a while. The Condemned 2 demo has been public knowledge for quite some time now, with the first mention appearing in February. We learned in March that the demo was "coming soon." Apparently coming soon meant "in a month," as the demo is finally gracing XBLM tomorrow morning at 2:00am (we're guessing Pacific time, though it's not specified). So, if you haven't sampled of Condemned 2's particular brand of zombo bashing creepiness, you'll finally get the chance to do it for free. It's just in time for the weekend too. We don't know about you, but that's really when we like to be scared to the point of soiling ourselves.[Thanks, Ben]
Zero Punctuation likes half of Condemned 2
So, anyone out there play Indigo Prophecy (known as Fahrenheit in Europe)? You remember how about halfway through everything got really stupid? Remember how all the intriguing elements gave way to a ridiculous plot? If not, you could always pick it up on Xbox Originals and find out. Anyway, if Yahtzee (of Zero Punctuation fame) is to be believed, Condemned 2: Bloodshot suffers from Indigo Prophecy syndrome. In other words, it's a great game ... right up until the halfway point. Find out exactly what went wrong after the break (as usual, this week's Zero Punctuation video is NSFW).
Call of Duty 4 for $35 and Condemned 2 for $39
Quick! Quick! Quick! If you're in the market for Call of Duty 4 (and don't mind not getting the GOTY edition) then head over to Amazon.com, because they're running a sweet Deal of the Day offering CoD4 for $34.99 with free shipping! We have no idea how long Amazon.com will keep these in stock but, even if they don't sell out, we can guarantee that the deal will expire tonight when the clock strikes midnight. Hurry kids and buy if you want a copy.Also, after paging through our Sunday ads, we discovered that this week Circuit City is offering Condemned 2: Bloodshot for a cool $39. Just thought you'd like to know.[Thanks, Ben]Read - Call of Duty 4 for $35Read - Condemned 2: Bloodshot for $39
Condemned 2 demo still not available, still coming
You know, the one thing that gets under our skin is when developers or publishers can't get their crap together when it comes to releasing any type of content to the Xbox Live Marketplace. To us, there is absolutely no excuse for miscommunication or confusion ... just get your crap together! And that's the exact case we're dealing with when we talk about the (supposed to already have been released) Condemned 2: Bloodshot demo.You see, since February we've known about a demo because Xbox.com told us one was already available, but upon discovering there was none, we were then informed that a demo was to be released soon. Then, last Friday, we received a press release telling us the Bloodshot demo was already available to European Xbox Live gamers, but alas ... none is available. Now, today, that exact same press release has been re-worded and re-released but minus the details about the demo being on Xbox Live already and replaced with a "coming soon" kind of tone. What the fudgesicle sticks SEGA? At this point we don't know what to believe, who to believe and whether or not the demo is going to be region specific or even rollout by the end of 2008. Get your crap together! We're officially adopting a new Condemned 2: Bloodshot XBLM demo mindset: we're only believing it's a reality when we see it on the Marketplace. Humph!
Europe experiences an abusive Condemned 2 demo [update]
Update: Live in Europe and still don't see a Bloodshot demo? Well, this is probably the reason.According to a SEGA issued press release, the once rumored to be available Condemned 2: Bloodshot demo is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace, but (sadly) for only European Live members. The release mentions that the demo will be available today (if not already) and will feature campaign gameplay from midway through the first level. There is no mention of a Bloodshot demo for North American fanboys, but we're thinking this is SEGA's apology gift to those in Europe for the game's continuous delays. But we wouldn't mind you sharing your demo love SEGA ... can we has Bloodshot demo too, please?
Bloodshot reviews are in: good and creepy
Lest you haven't heard, the sequel to the Xbox 360's scariest launch title launched this week. We are, of course, talking about Condemned 2: Bloodshot (although Perfect Dark was pretty scary in a completely different way). For those who have been on the fence about the title, worry no more, as the reviews are in and it looks like Bloodshot delivers just the survival horror fix we've been waiting for. Joystiq has compiled some of the reviews in a handy metareview, and all of them deem Bloodshot to be a bloody good time. In particular, the revamped combat and forensics systems seem to be a welcome addition. And don't forget the creepiness. Oh the creepiness. Head on over to Joystiq to see if another trip into Ethan Thomas' head is right for you.
Bloodshot sees another bloody European delay
Our speculative speculation ended up being correct, Condemned 2: Bloodshot will not be releasing to Europe as planned and has again been pushed back a few weeks. SEGA confirmed the release date slip with Eurogamer and is now scheduling Bloodshot's gruesome content to make a European debut in a few weeks on Thursday, April 4th. SEGA didn't divulge the reason for the delay, but one could probably chalk it up to development and them not getting the game to certification in time rather than shipment issues. But we know you can handle the delay European friends, it isn't like you haven't been anticipating Rock Band's release for the past four months.
Shipping this week: Ethan's back edition
While for many this week represents one game and one game only, we would be remiss if we didn't point out that Condemned 2: Bloodshot is heading to stores as well (at least we think it is). Condemned was one of the best games of the Xbox 360 launch lineup and, based on what we've seen, Bloodshot looks to build upon its predecessor's success. Also, football (the non-US kind) fans have something to be happy about in Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. Unfortunately, that's all 360 fans get this week, so we hope you like beating people to a bloody pulp for no good reason or, if that's not your thing, you can always pick up Condemned 2.
Buy Condemned 2: Bloodshot, get something free
The calm, cool Sunday air has once again brought an informative wind gust of savings, and this week the savings are focused towards Condemned 2: Bloodshot.This week, purchasers of Bloodshot have two retail options to choose from to get a copy of the game AND get something for free. If you head to Best Buy to make your Bloodshot purchase, you'll be rewarded with a free Best Buy $10 gift card which we have to say isn't too shab. The other purchasing option is Circuit City, where they are offering Condemned: Criminal Origins for free with the purchase of Bloodshot. Yes, we said free! And if you're low on Microsoft points you can grab a 1600 point card for $10 with the purchase of any Xbox 360 game $29.99 and up. That means, buy Bloodshot at Circuit City, get Criminal Origins and 1600 Microsoft points for $10. Lovely! But be warned Circuit City shoppers. When they offered CoD3 for free with the purchase of CoD4, they only honored the offer until their already depleated stock of CoD3 was gone and anyone else pretty much got screwed. Oh, and we guess we should say these offers are probably only good IF the game ships this week.Read - Condemned 2: Bloodshot at Best BuyRead - Condemned 2: Bloodshot at Circuit City
Bloodshot commercial scares us (in a good way)
It's really hard to come by interesting office stories. "So this one time, Bill-from-accounting and I were sitting in the break room, right?" See? It's already boring. But how about this one: "Hey, remember that time when all the filing cabinets started bleeding and we were attacked by demons with mouths full of metal?" Much more interesting. It would seem, then, that this Condemned 2: Bloodshot commercial was concocted for the sole purpose of proving that an office can be scary (and not in that dead end job, "I'll never make manager" kind of way). Indeed, the commercial is pretty frightening, but it begs the question: what other locations could use a spooky makeover? Our vote: the DMV.
Tuning and finalizing Condemned 2: Bloodshot's UI
If you're like us and love getting an inside look into how simple video game development decisions are made then you'll probably want to read Monolith's latest IGN blog entry, The Beta to Cert Push.In the post, Condemned 2: Bloodshot's senior producer Dave Hasle talks about and gives examples of the development process behind Bloodshot's user interface (UI) and how they had to scramble to get it right. Because as everyone knows, a concrete release date is thorn in a developer's creative foot. Hasle's UI writeup is a pretty solid read showing the evolution of Bloodshot's UI and in the end, we're happy with the grungy / dirty feel they settled on. Thumbs up to Hasle, thumbs up to UI and thumbs up to Bloodshot. Now let us play it already.
Condemned 2: Bloodshot GDC video blowout
If you've been waiting for a bunch of in-game videos of upcoming Condemned 2: Bloodshot then man oh man do we have a (bloody brutal) treat for you. The cool cats over at GameTrailers posted a googling number of super new Bloodshot videos each highlighting a specific portion of the game. So much content that we'd be willing to bet you could make your purchasing decision after viewing all the media contained in this post. No lie. We've embedded all the new in-game Bloodshot media after the break and lovingly highlighted the opening cinematic above. Speaking of which, Bloodshot's opening cinematic is quite enjoyable as we again learn that you can never go wrong with a roach cameo.
Ethan and his Condemned 2 crew profiled
For those who haven't had a chance to pickup and play Condemned: Criminal Origins or for those who just want a little refresher, IGN posted a rather comprehensive list of character profiles for SEGA's upcoming Condemned 2: Bloodshot.After reading through Bloodshot's various character profiles we just can't help but once again be excited by main character Ethan's troubled past and how it'll play out in Bloodshot. He's an alcoholic who is paranoid, sees things that aren't really there and is at his rock bottom. Best part is that you get to take on his troubled persona and use it as an excuse to slam heads between doors and snap necks. Hopefully special agent Rosa Angel will come along to make everything better and heal Ethan's heart. We hear she has that magic touch.
Bloodshot video sheds light on new combat
Sega has released a new developer walkthrough video for Condemned 2: Bloodshot, which highlights the game's combat and forensic systems. While we've heard quite a bit of this information before -- fist fighting, environmental kills -- this is the first time we've gotten to see most of it in motion. In particular, we get a strong look at the game's combo system, which rewards players for using connected strikes against opponent. There are special combos that require the player to follow on screen prompts, for instance (similar to a quick time event). The environmental finishing system is interesting too. Once a player grabs onto an enemy, all the finishing options in the environment are highlighted with special icons. This system allows players to quickly locate environmental finishers, like, say, a nearby railing.Also mentioned is the improved forensics system. As reported before, the forensics segments are optional. Skipping them may not be the best idea though, as they help players obtain upgrades. Check out the video after the break.
Video: Bloodshot's forensic funnery
We've seen a few trailers, some hobo thwacking and now we get a chance to preview Condemned 2: Bloodshot's forensic gameplay. Embedded above is said forensic footage that'll give you a really brief look at the optional forensic work you'll encounter in the game. Our first impression is that the game's forensic fun is more detailed and interactive that the original as you get to choose from various options and aren't "fed" information on which tool you must use or what you have to look for. Though, after a second look, it's obvious that Bloodshot's forensics are quite scripted and simple. Male or female? Blood splatter or blood smear? Yadda, yadda, yadda. But, like we said, the forensic work is optional, so you can progress through the game like normal if you choose to focus your energy on beating hobos instead. Hobo beating FTW!
Video: Condemned 2 goes "twhack!"
IGN scored two twenty second videos that show off Condemned 2: Bloodshot's fighting system and although they're brief, they give us our first sample of actual gameplay to date. And after watching both clips, we're (for whatever reason) left a bit underwhelmed. Maybe we expected less "clunky" animations, maybe we expected something different from Bloodshot or maybe we're just having a crappy Saturday, but something feels off. Take a look at both clips for yourself after the jump (seeing that IGN's embed code doesn't work for some reason) and tell us what you're impressions are of the hand to hand combat. Hopefully our issues with these clips can be attributed to our craptacular Saturday mood, because we want Bloodshot to be good. Oh how bad we want it to be good.
Video: Babies explode in latest Bloodshot trailer
A new Condemned 2: Bloodshot trailer just got posted over at Gamespot and after giving it a watch, we're quite impressed.The new trailer gives us a brief look at our down on his luck hero Ethan who is battling the bottle, reality and some twisted stuff that's going on. We also get to see one of the newest "weapons" we'll get to wield in Bloodshot and it's an exploding baby doll ... serious. Just give the two minute trailer a watch as we're sure you just got over your nightmares that the original Condemned gave you. Now, with Bloodshot, you'll have an all new hellish experience that'll be sure to make you stay up at night, with a bottle of scotch by your bedside.[Thanks, terrence]
Yikes! Condemned 2 looks scarier than ever
Watching this newly released video of Condemned 2: Bloodshot only serves to remind us of all the sleepless nights spent huddling alone in our beds like scared little girls after playing through the first game. Only Condemned 2 is upping the stakes quite a bit with scarier monsters, way more violent gameplay and oh yeah, Ethan has gone absolutely crazy, which will only make the line between reality and hallucinations even fuzzier. After watching the video, one thing is for sure, Ethan is ready to kick some ass! [Update: It appears some people are having a hard time viewing the video. Instead of inputting your birthdate like it says in the video, try this method: MM/DD/YYYY.]
Sega dates Q1 games for Europe
Eurogamer has revealed the European release dates for the first quarter releases from Sega. Most notable to us, of course, are the 360 games on the list. Probably the biggest title on the list is Condemned 2: Bloodshot, the sequel to one of the 360's better launch titles, which releases March 14 across the pond. The other titles on the list are as follows: The Club - February 8 Universe at War - March 7 Viking: Battle for Asgard - March 28 SEGA Superstars Tennis - March 28 Naturally, we can expect that these titles should hit North America at approximately the same time. Anyone out there looking forward to any of these titles?
