I have a habit of calling impressive graphics "beautiful." I'll say it out loud while playing games such as "Gears of War," "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune" and, last gen, the excellent "Doom 3." Whenever my wife is in the room as I say this she looks at the screen and invariably sees a dismembered corpse or a group of elite soldiers chewing into the landscape with assault weapons.

"I don't think you know what that word means," she has said.

So it was with "Condemned: Bloodshot." The graphics are beautiful. I sad as much and she looked at me again.

"You and I have a different idea of what's beautiful." (Well, obviously; or else my beautiful wife wouldn't have married a bum like me. But ...) "Condemned: Bloodshot" is certainly a beautiful game. And by that I mean it is the most brutal, raw and terrifying game I have played in some time. A waterfall in Maui is beautiful, sure. But so is a deserted operating room, covered in shiny black living ooze and topped by a ceiling studded with bags which spring open to reveal flesh-hungry monsters.

Yup. It's a beautiful game. It looks great and sounds great. The story is strong and the action is fierce. I found it to be on par with the original "Condemned: Criminal Origins," which is still one of my favorite games of this generation.

Some of the tricks may be out of the bag this time and veterans of the original game will experience familiar moments. However, I refuse to fault a game for bringing back a formula that works in such an amazing package. Turn off the lights and, for your own good, put on some decent headphones. You're going to want to hear what's coming at you before you see it because when you see it you won't believe it. (Keep an eye on that black ooze.)

Those of you who played the first game will remember its hero, Detective Ethan Thomas. In "Bloodshot" you will again walk in his shoes. A man of wits and strong character, he has been reduced to an angry drunk with a drug problem. He is definitely not the character we met a few years ago – he is haunted by the events that occurred in "Criminal Origins" and he could use a bath.

While it's clear he's fighting demons inside, it's the ones on the outside that drive the game forward. For all the atmosphere and compelling narrative, I have to admit to thoroughly enjoying the absolutely brilliant and brutal gameplay most of all. You have a lot of combos at your disposal this time around and more weapons to pick up in the environment. (There's nothing like beating a man to death with a toilet seat.) Some of the non-traditional weapons are truly inspired. I won't ruin it by describing them here, but I will tell you that you may never look at a child's doll the same way again.

The environment-specific kills are also a nice diversion. When an enemy is brought to his knees you are given the option of using your surroundings for a finishing move. The combat was often so intense that I didn't realize an enemy was grounded until it was too late and I had already knocked him down for fear of losing my life. (Again, like the original, any enemy can kill you where you stand at any time. There is no time to relax in this game.)

Some may miss the way crime scene investigations were implemented in the first game. Honestly, I thought they were a cool but overly-scripted feature in "Criminal Origins." I felt like I was being led along an investigation instead of leading one. In "Bloodshot," solving crimes relies more on the power of your observations. You look for exit wounds, signs of identification, cause of death and anything out of the ordinary. In this sense I prefer it to the original. (Sega could take this gameplay mechanic and use it in a future game about homicide detectives. You really feel like a genuine "murder police" as they say in "The Wire." It's fun and it could certainly make a solid basis for a real-world crime game in the future. Just a thought.)

The addition of the now-obligatory online component is certainly welcomed. But even if you never take the game online you'll have gotten your money's worth since the campaign is considerably longer this time around.

"Resident Evil" fans out there may be slow to come around to this survivor horror title, and that's too bad. "Resident Evil 4" may be the last swinging chain on the survival horror block, but the two "Condemned" titles put together make for a persuasive alternative/addition to the canon.

On a side note: The first rule of Fight Club

The single-player campaign in "Condemned: Bloodshot" is a blast and is much longer than the original game. However, if you just want to step in and slug it out try the excellent "Fight Club" feature. It's a surprisingly deep side-game that allows you to jump in and crack some heads on those nights when you're not up for the campaign challenge. The customization options and instant action of this feature is extremely satisfying.

The first rule of Fight Club? Fight.

"Condemned: Bloodshot"

For: PS3, XBOX 360

Score: 4 out of 5

Why: Next-gen terror and shockingly brutal melee combat does not get any better than this.

Rated: M for Mature - Seriously, this is a grisly game meant for adults and mature teenagers.

Published by : Sega

By Victor Paul Alvarez

valvarez@eastbaynewspapers.com