Title: Dead Space 2
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Visceral Games
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
Genre: Third Person Shooter, Survival Horror/Action Adventure
Release Date: January 25, 2011
Price: $59.99
Rating: M
There are so many games on the market now that publishers allow or out right encourage developers to do more and more sequels to. However there are a rare few that the end user would agree needs to go further. Dead Space is one of those series that people have been waiting to see more of, and finally that chance has come.
Unlike the first game, Dead Space 2 is as much about the story as it is about the action. I will keep the synopsis as vague as possible since the events that occur during the story, while not mind blowing, are fun to find and watch on your own. In the cannon of the Dead Space universe, Dead Space 2 picks up immediately after the events of Dead Space Ignition. You take on the role of Isaac Clarke, who once again is thrust unknowingly (or knowingly I guess) into horrible events. Things have gone from bad to worse for Isaac, who now finds himself waking up from a drug induced coma years after the events of Dead Space one. Wouldn’t you know it, shit gets real… real fast. All that is told to Isaac is that he is in grave danger, and he needs to get off the station as fast as possible. However as the story unravels, players are introduced to a somewhat larger cast of characters and plot twists.
The overall structure of Dead Space 2 is nothing that the player isn’t already familiar with, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. All of the elements that made the first game fun and engaging make a return visit in the second installment. The more subtle differences come with the way Isaac moves through zero G environments. He no longer is locked into jumping from one flat metal surface to another. With the addition of little “thrusters” on his suits, he can freely fly around. This comes in handy during several action sequences. Also dealing with the suit, you can now select what you would like to get directions to with your rig’s gps tool. Now you can find your way to the nearest objective, save point, as well as stores and work benches. Though this time around the game is much more linear and I never felt the need to try and hunt down the closest point of interest.
Probably the biggest thing that will stand out to the average player of the series is the setting. Dead Space 2 takes place on a large city built into one of Saturn’s moons called “Titan Station” affectionately called “The Sprawl” by the current (former) residents. In Dead Space, you were aboard the USG Ishimura a space ship full of metal and dark corridors. The Sprawl, like any city, is full of varied and vastly different areas. You will roam around apartment complexes, a giantUnitology church, even a day care. Each area, while still twisted and creepy in it’s own way, still feels totally different from the one before it. It’s a nice way to change up the visual pace of the game and allow the player to see something other than cold steel and electrical conduits.
Both weapons and enemies seemed to have gotten a pretty decent upgrade for the sequel. Not only are there three new weapons (The Seeker Rifle, The Detonator, and the Javelin gun) to thin out the Necromorph hordes, but some old favorites receive some upgrades as well. Certain weapons now have been given special upgrade ability. This is reached by almost completely upgrading the weapon of choice to the max. For instance the Plasma Cutter has the ability to set enemies on fire, and the Javelin Gun adds an explosive charge to its projectiles. It’s a nice touch to an already gratifying weapon system. There are several new enemy types for you to strategically dismember along you dark and disgusting journey. Each have their own new way of trying to both kill you and at the same time creep you out. Most notable are “The Pack”, which are very young children now necromorphed, and “The Crawlers” which are nothing more than exploding babies. Yeah, it’s still that kind of game.
One of the best features about Dead Space 2 is that it adds something that the original never really had; replayability. In the original, you basically had until the end of your play through to try and max out your weapons. In the second, the developers added the ability to play through the game multiple times on ever increasing difficulty settings WITH your constantly upgrading gear and weapons. This makes it all the more enticing to not only check out the higher level play but also to max out everything you carry into battle with you.
Dead Space 2 feels like a more complete package than the first game did. The story, while predictable at times, feels like it was more fleshed out and is handled better this time around. It’s also nice to see Isaac actually interact and have conversations with characters instead of just taking orders unquestionably. While the first game didn’t really break new ground as far as genres go, the second one improved on the formula enough that seeing it through to a third installment doesn’t seem like that bad of a prospect either.
Comments