Condemned: Criminal Origins allows players to experience a heightened level of psychological tension as they use their instincts, forensic tools, and melee combat to hunt serial killers and bring them to justice. Agent Thomas, an FBI investigator in the Serial Crimes Unit (SCU), pursues relentless serial killer through detailed urban environments filled with deadly sociopaths lurking on the periphery of humanity. Presented in a first-person view for maximum visceral effect, Condemned: Criminal Origins is best played with the surround-sound up and the lights off. Given the power of next-generation hardware, this atmospheric thriller features photo-realistic backdrops, life-like physics, and highly sophisticated artificial intelligence.
90/100 GameSpy
Like a good horror movie, there are plenty of jump-out-of-your-seat scares, but the game is just as effective when you're imagining what could happen.
87/100 IGN
An unforgettable experience. At no point in the game will you be calm or feel comfortable, and that's the best part about it.
85/100 Official Xbox Magazine
Quotation forthcoming. [Holiday 2005]
82/100 Team Xbox
It may have a very repetitive gameplay mechanic and even when you know something is lurking around the corner, yet it still manages to unnerve the player due to the game’s overwhelming atmosphere composed of great graphics, sound effects, and a demented storyline.
80/100 Gamer Feed
There's not much to do after the single player adventure's been completed, but rest assured that this is easily one of the console's better games and a landmark achievement in game design.
80/100 Yahoo! Games
A rather short, but thrilling ride. The plot is linear and there's virtually no replay value, but it's a hugely compelling ride thanks to the pure visceral nature of the experience.
80/100 GameSpot
This first-person action game hits you like a sledgehammer with its astounding, stunningly creepy presentation, but it sacrifices opportunities for more shocks and surprises by settling for repetition.
80/100 1UP
Ultimately, what really makes Condemned worthy of your sleepless nights is its relentless pursuit of total ambience, a design quality that's intrinsically tied to the power of the Xbox 360. Survival horror has simply never looked this good.
