Condemned 2: Bloodshot

Meanwhile it's all technically and artistically excellent, from the stunning, chaotically designed and animated character models to the festering hellishness of the environments. The original did well in this regard too (and was arguably the 360's most technically accomplished launch title), but more than two years down the line Monolith has ramped up the engine so it's among the best of this generation.

Best played at night with the lights off, you feel almost tainted by the disgusting, gloomy environments. Knee-deep in unidentifiable matter, you find yourself peering through the gloom of abandoned houses, crumbling bowling alleys, once-grand theatres and the obligatory disused warehouses and dimly lit alleyways, before eventually finding the madman's lair. The quality of the game's environments is variable, and some can feel so dark that you're practically blind even with your torch - but any time the game feels like it's dipping in quality, something impressive and unique will turn up to restore your interest.

Also overhauled are the puzzling and investigation bits. Previously the game lead you by the hand, telling you which piece of equipment to use, where to use it and when. Bloodshot, while hardly very taxing, at least encourages players to pay attention to plot elements and forces you to be more observant. You can now get one of four items of equipment out at any time, and choose whether to gather evidence or not. As promised, investigating is optional; you can work out where the blood trail came from, who the victim was, when they died, and so on, or just not. If you do though, there are equipment upgrades and those ever-tempting Achievement points dangling as a carrot. The initial puzzles are pretty lightweight and obvious to the point of stupidity, but some aren't all that straightforward to earn a 'Perfect' mark for, and ensuring you scoop top marks should prove interesting and may encourage replay value. It's a shame there aren't more puzzles elsewhere - just blowing things up or turning valves doesn't really compare - but we're not going to murder anyone about it.

We've been largely positive so far, but Condemned 2 does lose its way occasionally. The Doll Factory level, while good in terms of its creepy concept, look, feel and atmosphere, is a real slog, with counter-intuitive puzzles. One or two other sections also threaten to derail your fun, but luckily the game has a knack of following up its rare mistakes with something so intense that you quickly forget what you were frustrated about.

But quite what the point was of shoehorning in multiplayer, I'm not entirely sure. Bum Rush, Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch just descend into farce from the word go, with everyone raining blows on each other comedically. Something which is fun and measured in single-player just feels clunky and wrong in a multiplayer arena. The one mode of minor interest online is Crime Scene, where the 'Influenced' (i.e. tramps) play against the agents in a measured game of hiding and seeking evidence. The combat is still a bit crap online, but at least there's more to it than whacking each other with pipes and bats. Another bit worth a quick mention is the Bloodshot Fight Club mode - notable not just because of its quickfire, offline series of challenges, but for including an online leaderboard to compete on once you've finished the game: seeing how many bums you can kill in five minutes, or how long you can keep yourself and a bunch of guards alive while crazed loonies lunge at you. It's all welcome if inessential.