History VideoGame / CondemnedCriminalOrigins

* DropTheHammer: The mighty (yet slow) sledgehammer is not just useful for breaking in skulls, but breaking through locked doors.

* {{Hammerspace}}: Averted for the most part. In cutscenes Ethan is always seen carrying a large bag storing all of his forensic tools, and he can only carry one weapon at a time. Doesn't explain why he can't carry med-kits with him, though, or where that weapon goes while he's doing something like slip through a tight space or climb a ladder.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Averted. You would think a trained police officer would be a stronger asskicker than a jacked up homeless person, but they're on even level. Ethan does have much better stamina, but see MadeOfIron as to why.
** Played straight with the Dark Watchers; their leader takes a hellacious amount of punishment even when compared to the other Watchers.

* DifficultySpike: The last combat section before the FinalBoss requires the player take down a small army of melee combatants in a cramped barn that offers no refuge and only a few health packs. Oh, and the player has to beat them without having access to the overpowered Taser he's probably been relying on for most of the game.

* FragileSpeedster: The pale, skinny enemies you encounter in the subway tunnels move very quickly, but die in one hit from any weapon (including the tazer which can otherwise not actually kill someone by itself). They do get tougher in the latter part of the level, but not by much.

The game takes place in a fictional U.S. city. named "Metro City". Ethan Thomas, rising star in the FBI's Serial Crimes Unit gifted with incredible forensic instincts, is framed for murder when investigating a crime scene. The next morning, an enigmatic man claiming to be a friend of the family comes and warns Ethan to flee, before the police arrive. This prompts Ethan, at this man's urging, to begin searching for the serial killer that set him up. As the game progresses, a trail of [[ChekhovsGun dead birds]] and murderous hobos begin hinting that something is wrong in the city, more wrong than he might have ever hoped.

* {{Hammerspace}}: Averted for the most part. In the first game Ethan is always seen carrying a large bag storing all of the forensic tools, and he can only carry one weapon at a time. Doesn't explain why he can't carry med-kits with him, though, or where that weapon goes while he's doing something like slip through a tight space or climb a ladder.

* WrongfulAccusationInsurance: In the course of proving his innocence in the murder of two police officers, Ethan flees from the police (twice), breaks into multiple closed or condemned buildings, and bludgeons a small army of hobos, drug addicts, and assorted other lunatics to death. Then again, it's entirely possible Malcolm Van Horn or the AncientConspiracy pulled strings to get him off the hook.

* AnAxeToGrind: Not only are axes one of the best melee weapons, but they are required to break through certain doors.

* GoodBadBugs: Rosa's character model is just a modified version of Ethan's. As a result on next generation systems you can see more of her/Ethan's model. Notably she had Ethan's stubble/beard.

* GiantMook: The large men in firefighter coats and the giant burn victims wielding flaming 2x4s.

* NotBrainwashed: The non-crawler enemies Ethan faces in the Library during chapter 7 are simple criminals or DisasterScavengers and not effected by the whatever has been effecting everyone else, or at least ones that haven't progressed as far as everyone else. To wit they are far more organized and display close quarter combat tactics such as kiting Ethan through multiple ambushes and attacking in groups rather that one or two at a time. They also don't fight each other unless one accidentally hits another. Their leader is also still cognizant enough to give orders and responds to the situation, with frustration but it's head and shoulders above the random swearing from everyone else.

* NotBrainwashed: The non-crawler enemies Ethan faces in the Library during chapter 7 are simple criminals and not effected by the whatever has been effecting everyone else, or at least ones that haven't progressed as far as everyone else. To wit they are far more organized and display close quarter combat tactics such as kiting Ethan through multiple ambushes and attacking in groups rather that one or two at a time. They also don't fight each other unless one accidentally hits another. Their leader is also still cognizant enough to give orders and responds to the situation, with frustration but it's head and shoulders above the random swearing from everyone else.

* EnemyCivilWar: {{Mooks}} fight each other so often that it's practically a gameplay strategy to stand back and wait a fight out.

* ColdBloodedTorture: The Torturer/Carl Anderson's M.O.: abduct and torture people horribly, then release and stalk them until they commit suicide.

* CrazyHomelessPeople: Whatever is causing birds to die also makes the homeless in Metro City act like homicidal maniacs. [[spoiler: The sequel reveals this to be sonic disturbances of man-made origin.]]

* {{Hammerspace}}: Averted for the most part. In the first game Ethan is always seen carrying a large bag storing all of the forensic tools. Doesn't explain why he can't carry med-kits with him though.
* HatePlague: Implied to be the reason why everyone is trying to kill you. Eventually revealed to be the result of [[spoiler: sonic disturbances created by an ancient cult]].

* MeaningfulName: ''Criminal Origins'', the subtitle of the game, is explained in the sequel as meaning that the [[AncientConspiracy Oro]] are [[spoiler: indirectly behind most, if not all, of humanity's atrocities]].

* MortonsFork: Combined with LastSecondEndingChoice, [[spoiler:the game ends with SKX taking a bullet to the face in the trunk of Malcolm Vanhorn's car, either from Ethan's gun or from his own. The rest of the ending progresses the same way no matter which choice you made; the only other change is whether you collected all the birds and metal pieces or not. For what it matters, dialogue in ''Bloodshot'' implies that Ethan shot Vanhorn.]]

** But there ''are'' a bunch of crazies impersonating mannequins in that level as well. They have a different, more "relaxed" pose from the real mannequins, but without careful examination (or having never played the level before) you'd never be able to tell until they started clubbing you in the back of the head. Or you turned around to find that the mannequin on the pedestal behind you has walked off, or you see one looking at you.... A paranoid player may have attacked every single mannequin as a precautionary measure from the start of the department store level.