Monolith

The cluelessly misguided sequel to a fantastically frightening game

HIGH The new and improved forensics procedures.

LOW The laughably bad plot.

WTF Practically everything good about the first game is bungled here.

There is a school of thought that suggests that if a work of art is able to affect someone, whatever that effect may be, then that art is successful. So it's possible that the mere fact that Condemned: Criminal Origins made me feel like a significantly worse person for playing it is proof of its effectiveness.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

The outline of last year's hit first-person-shooter (FPS) F.E.A.R. (short for First Encounter Assault Recon) reads like a poignant satire on the immature state of big budget videogame development.

According to ESRB this game contains: Blood and Gore and Intense Violence.

Game Description: F.E.A.R. (First Encounter Assault Recon) is an intense combat experience with rich atmosphere and a deeply intense paranormal storyline presented entirely in first person. Be the hero in your own spine-tingling epic of action, tension, and terror… and discover the true meaning of fear. Hyper-stylized combat for breathtaking cinematic quality action Gripping supernatural storyline for spine-tingling intensity of play Multi-player action with multiple gameplay modes and all single player capabilities Advanced graphics and physics for visceral movie-like experience Enemies with special abilities and A.I. so intuitive it’s like battling living, breathing players.

Lately I've felt the Japanese RPG has stagnated, which is a difficult admission for this diehard fan of the genre. But I think Xenosaga stands out as one of the best PlayStation 2 (PS2) RPGs. Xenosaga made me truly care about its world, by being a good game that tells a great story well.