Dark and mysterious (just like me)

Prepare for a nerve-wracking ride this week with psycho sequel “Condemned 2” and sci-fi horror in “Dark Sector”. The family audience welcome here could only include The Addams (The Munsters would be too shocked).

You may recall the original Condemned as one of the outstanding launch titles for Xbox 360 back in 2005. In the world of special agent Ethan Thomas only a year has passed since his last encounter with a serial killer, and we find him physically and psychologically ruined. His nightmares are so vivid that he often confuses them with reality. Being Ethan is never comfortable, but if you’ve the stomach for it you’ll be hugely entertained while being deeply disturbed. Instinctively you’ll want to grab for whatever is within reach to defend Ethan against assailants, and this is a new feature for Condemned 2 – you can even use a toilet seat as an improvised weapon!

For a spot of stress relief from the main story, Condemned 2 has a range of multiplayer modes for up to eight players across Xbox LIVE. Crime Scene is my current favourite because it focuses on the evidence in a game of hide and seek.

If you like your horror to be more fantastical and perhaps less psychological, the spectacular Dark Sector is for you. In Dark Sector you adopt the role of Hayden Tenno, a covert operative who’ll soon suffer a chilling but life changing fate. A man made virus, Technoyte, is being developed in an Eastern European industrial plant. During the investigation Tenno gets himself infected, gradually transforming into one of the monsters he has been commissioned to kill. I’m sure you’ll have as much fun as I did mastering Tenno’s evolving powers that include a ‘magical’ glaive (spinning blade) that grows from his arm. These powers are also a blast to experiment within the Xbox LIVE multiplayer modes. By now I reckon I’m so good I practically am Hayden Tenno! Challenge me at your peril.

Go, get scared.

Graeme Boyd, Xbox.com Community Manager, Gamertag: AceyBongos

Out This Week

Condemend 2

Dark Sector