Central Metro Station Walkthrough

In Condemned: Criminal Origins™, we last left off with Ethan Thomas finally catching up to the notorious Match Maker, though under less than ideal circumstances. Stripped of his gun, Ethan is battered by the killer and framed for the murder of two police officers. Get the first level guide here.

You're in the jungle, baby.

You begin the second level on the run. The sound of your father's old friend Malcolm Van Horn's voice rings in your ears. After a brief conversation, you are chased out of the building and left to fend for yourself. It's time to collect more evidence and fight some scum with some good old-fashioned steel.

En Route to the Train Station
Though you just ditched out the window of the apartment, you are still within earshot. The police barge into Malcolm's room looking for you. He stalls them with some conversation, buying you precious seconds to make a getaway.

Locate the shovel and pry open the gate that leads down into the maintenance building. When you near a trash can, Rosa contacts you. Photograph the picture in the garbage and listen to the analysis. Move to the next area and use your forensic tools to identify the fluid puddles near the dumpster. Grab a weapon and prepare to beat some bums. Pry open the door control with the crowbar and enter the building.

You have to put down several vagrants in the immediate area before you are clear to explore. Taze and beat them, and then snoop around—there's a firearm tucked away in one of the corners behind a gate. Leave the area and go upstairs.

Grab the bird after you dispatch this loser.

Follow the linear corridors—take time to explore each room for health packs and weapons (there are firearms scattered throughout the level). Just beware that whenever you find something of interest, chances are a creep corners you and attacks. You reach a kitchen area; deal with the thug hiding behind the counter.

Go downstairs. Off to the side is a room with a vomiting thug and a shotgun. Eliminate the bad guy, grab the piece, and continue down the hall. You square off with a gun-toting hobo—kill him. Go through the doorway and up the staircase.

Explore the area and grab the sledgehammer. Replenish your health if you need to, and then unlock the door leading back into the lounge. Waste the street urchins in your path and backtrack to the top of the staircase near the vending machines. Smash the lock on the door and proceed through the locker room and down the stairs.

In the next room you find a locked safe—inside is a firearm. You can use the crowbar outside or you can just ignore it. Exit the office, go up the stairs, and duck under the gate. Enter the train station.

Central Metro Station
Like the stench of an unshowered Phish fan, a nearby bird carcass spurs you to flee to the opposite side of the room. Whip out your forensics tool and locate the source of the aroma, but beware the small crowd of ingrates ambling in the shadows. Proceed through the winding corridors and inspect each alcove for items. Move anything you can to uncover hidden goodies. Lay the smack down on your opponents.

Follow the invisible trail of your prey using the laser light, but be prepared to stash your electronics when enemies get too close. You come across a fire axe that you'll need to bust through some doors. You can backtrack a bit and activate the Ripple TV for a quick achievement boost.

You come across an elevator, but it needs a power boost before you can take it up to the next area. Explore each room and whack every hobo you come across. You eventually find the power switch. Activate it and return to the elevator. Use your laser light to analyze the fingerprint on the button. Ride the elevator car to your next destination.

Hobos will attack anyone—even their "friends."

There's another dead bird nearby. Grab it and continue through the maze of rooms and old junk. Keep your guard up, as there are an abnormally large number of bums milling about and some of them are packing heat. Use your tazer and whatever weapon you have handy to take them down. Follow the trail of goo until you come to a room with a shelf blocking the door. Move the shelf and enter the next area.

Follow the trail and enter the killer's photo lab and sound room. Inspect the evidence and photograph anything Rosa asks you to find, and then return to the hallway. After you experience a hallucination and fight another derelict, continue onward. You find another bird along the way to the main lobby of the train station. Cross the hall and enter the previously locked door to complete the level.

Birds and Metal Fragments
Here are the locations of all six birds and all three metal fragments.

Birds

• After you open the sliding door near the dumpster, locate the room with the white door and enter it.
• Your nose senses the second dead bird in the train station. Use the forensic detector to find it near the back of the room off to the left.
• Once you exit the main lobby, the next bird is behind some steel carts at the end of the hall.
• Ride the elevator upstairs. You discover the next bird in the throes of death.
• Inspect the men's bathroom. The fifth bird is in the toilet.
• Following your scrap near the photo lab, you find the final bird resting on the balcony overlooking the lobby.

Metal Pieces

• The first metal fragment is near the sledgehammer in the archives area. Move the cabinet.
• You find the second metal piece in the area underneath the elevator. Jump down and search the catwalk under the power room. Look for the telltale eyes on the wall.
• Just before you find the photo lab, you find the last metal piece near the moveable cabinet. Search the walls before moving ahead.

It seems that the closer you get to the Match Maker, the more he's just out of reach. Stay hot on his trail and scour each level for more clues. Good luck, Agent Thomas.

Article by Franklin Beans