Oi! The plot--What the hell is this crap!? (slight spoilers)

[Pariah01]

I have not yet played the first game since I don't own a 360 and don't ever plan to. However, after reading up on the first game, I would never in a million years get the idea that it was leading up to a story with so many convoluted turns and elaborate elements.

Let me start off by saying that I love the gameplay in Bloodshot. I could have hours upon hours of fun with this melee system in the urban underground environments.

But for crying out loud! The story does not in any way complement the game. In fact, it makes a mockery out of the street-level feel it was aiming for in the first half and, I'm assuming, the first game.

When I got ahold of Bloodshot, I wanted to wait until I got to play the original game on PC because I didn't want to lose pace...But, well, I go impatient and I played it through. Now my mind is left boggled by this insane storyline. While it's well-paced and the structure is good, it got disappointingly elaborate and convoluted right in the middle to outright ludicrous at the very end.

I want to play the original game because I'm confused how things could have turned out this way. The feel I got from reading up on the first game, and seeing its visuals, was that the whole thing was a statement on how this city's underground developed its own culture and personality and an ancient rite used by some dudes manifested the traits of that said personality straight into the people who had to survive in it (I know that's a lot to extrapolate, but that's just the feel I got from the description and videos). And I also got the feeling that Ethan was the one who peered into the abyss and was changed integrally just by being submerged in the culture even if he wasn't effected by the rite. This is one of the reasons why I wanted to play it so badly.

But now, with condemned 2, they've gotten into aristocratic secret societies being responsible for the increased animosity between derelicts--as well as every single past act of human on human violence throughout history (Christ almighty). What's more, Ethan's gone from being some street-level average Joe who's just been thrust into this world, and permanently scarred by it, into some kind of descendant of a previous aristocratic family who was apart of this Freemason-esque organization--Like it's his freakin' destiny.

I mean, WHAT THE ****!?

I'm grabbing the PC version of Criminal Origins, but can anyone tell me if it was actually leading up to this insanity in the first game?

[CONDEMNED320]

I think the storyline was rather perfect and kept me wanting to play more. It was great. Not to mention the gameplay...kept me on the edge of my seat!

[deliman]

The story does not in any way complement the game. In fact, it makes a mockery out of the street-level feel it was aiming for in the first half and, I'm assuming, the first game.

you hit the nail on the head. the plot in the first one is a little goofy, but nowhere near as ridiculous as the plot in bloodshot. when i first played criminal origins, i thought the last level was waaaay out there, and it is, but it's nothing compared to the end of bloodshot, which was just totally over the top. the gameplay in the first game isn't much compared with bloodshot (you'll be annoyed by the gunplay and forensics), but it ends up being a better game overall because the story and mood are just that much better.

[Boogie]

I felt the same way, but after some contemplation, I noticed something:

Where were the metal-faced guys from the original? You know, the one waving batons and generally looking like Cenobites from Hellraiser? I just thought about it and, I believe I have come to the conclusion that we were supposed to discern from Bloodshot.

The first game dealt with these supernatural beasts, unexplained phenomena that seemed to be responsible for the crazy way the city has been running itself into the ground. You come face to face with a handful of them, and in the end murder what you believe to be the head honcho. I noticed after my second playthrough of Bloodshot that we do not once see any of these creatures. It is, in fact, an entirely new breed of enemy called the Oro Invictus.

During the end of the game, Ethan demands that Dorland tell him why the people were becoming unaware protectors of the Oro (that was the explanation given for turning the citizens into insane, mumbling psychopaths), but Dorland could not explain what they were acting as protectors against. Now, this leads me to believe that the Oro are actually fighting or are hiding from the creatures you come across in the first Condemned. This theory, I feel, is strengthend by the after-credits cinematic. If you do not want that to be spoiled, then do not read beyond this point.


Highlight to read.

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After the credits, We cut into a SKX first person view, and the creatures from the first game are standing around him. We cut to a shot of SKX who says "I'm ready", and a brief cut to the creatures and then back, showing SKX now has a jaw piece similar to that of the creature from the first game.


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It's strange, but I honestly think maybe the guys behind the storyline have this all figured out. I just found it very interesting that, after the supernatural creatures playing such a prominent role in the first Condemned, they were virtually unaccounted for in the second installment, save for a post-credits cut scene letting the player know that SKX isn't out of the game yet.

Thoughts?

[RedFeather1975]

I'm still in denial with the end of CS2.
I really find it hard to believe the cliched twist in the end.
But who knows. It pretty much said it clear as day.

:?

[diosoth]

I think my problem with the Condemned series story as a whole is that Monoloith WANTS to make more games in their Blood series, but like idiots, they sold the franchise rights off, so the best they can do is spiritual sequels. Condemned has Blood's atmosphere, but none of the dark humor. If anything, Condemned felt like it was trying too hard to pick up after Blood II: The Chosen in its setting.