Dead Space 2 Review

Dead Space 2. One of the best horror games out there since Dead Space. There have been many horror games out there, including Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and others, but none quite like Dead Space. The original took you to a place that you didn’t really experience much before in horror. Space.

In Dead Space 2, you continue the story of Issac Clarke and his battle with the Necromorphs. But instead of trying to escape the USG Ishimura, you now have to face the wrath of deadly alien threats on the Sprawl, a huge space colony occupied by many other humans, such as yourself. The only problem is, the Necromophs have followed you there. You know that when the Necromorphs crash the party, the fun goes down the tubes really fast.

Now, it’s a fight for survival as Issac tries to make it through the massive colony in one piece. And with the growing insanity that is plaguing With the help of others, will he make it through to see another day?

GRAPHICS/VISUALS

On a visual level, Dead Space 2 is creepy. It’s dark. It’s freaky. It’s even amazing. The graphics are just as good as the original game, if not better. The many ways to dismember the enemies is still very cool looking, and very gory. It’s great when I can take my weapon and watch the head of the nasty little Necromorph roll across the floor after pulling the trigger. It’s a thing of beauty. Just as in the first title, I loved the lighting effects of the ship. Both the interior and exterior light sources that appear throughout the Sprawl really add an awesome atmosphere to the game. There would be way too many times I wouldn’t be able to see where the enemy was until they moved into the light after hiding in the shadows. Seeing some of the new enemies was also pretty creepy.

After playing through Dead Space 2, I get nightmares of the little Necromorph children and babies. Both of these new enemies were done really done well. The way they look are just so creepy they’re cool. Being able to look outside the Sprawl was awe inspiring for me. I loved the way deep space looked from both a window and from the outside in zero gravity. If I was to choose, I would take the zero G sections that centered around being outside the ship. Visually, being able to look at the entirety of the station was just the coolest damn thing. The details of the ship and the physical scale of the ship was pretty freakin’ sweet.

SOUND

One of the most important parts of any media, like movies and video games, is the musical score and ambient soundtrack. Dead Space 2 certainly makes excellent use out of the audile section of this horrorfest. Just when the visuals of the game might get to you as your exploring the expanses of the Sprawl, the music is that part of the game that tops it like a cherry to a sundae. The creepy music as you’re walking down the hall in the dark with nothing but your Plasma Cutter can really creep you out, making you wonder when that next creature will pop out and try eating your skin like a potato peel. And just as you think there will be nothing happening, something jumps out at you are runs across a window on the outside of the ship, and the music will suddenly change into a quick and fast tension filled violin number, making your jump. The combination of the music and sound really go well together with the visuals, making the game totally well constructed and enjoyable to play.

GAMEPLAY

As gameplay is concerned, the game feels pretty good to play. Not much has changed since the original Dead Space. So if you are one of the people who has played Dead Space, you pretty much have the jist of the gameplay. But for those who hasn’t, the controls feel really good when you get that controller in your hand. The movement of your character feels really tight. Fighting the enemies feel satisfying as you blast them away with your weapons, from the basic Plasma Cutter to the Contact Beam. Each weapon has two different uses and each one has a benefit to handling different types of enemies. One of my favorite weapons is the Line Gun. Boy, when I find that a Stalker is coming up on me fast, my favorite thing is to fire this bad boy right at their legs and watch them fall square on the face as the bottom half of their legs detach from their thighs. The most wonderful feeling in the world is watching them sprawled out on the floor and then coming up to them with a final round from your weapon to the head.

Just for those who are wondering, Dead Space 2 is more linear than the original Dead Space. Take this as you will, some people will like it, others won’t. I didn’t mind at all because the game as a whole was so engaging that I didn’t really notice it. Some may find the linear aspect of Dead Space 2 a little disheartening because they will feel that there is a total lack of freedom in the game. This can lead to the thought that the player is simply being lead down a single rabbit hole and not be given a chance to really explore. Other’s won’t care as much. Those who won’t care are those who will be glad that there is no more backtracking involved to get from here to there and back again. This can make the game faster and more suspenseful.

Another aspect of the game, which I will honestly say I haven’t given much thought to was the multiplayer portion of Dead Space 2. In this mode, up to eight players are divided up into two teams of four players each. Four players will play the part of humans, and the other team of four will play the part of the Necromorphs. In any of the five modes and maps, the humans will be given an objective to complete, and the Necromorphs will try there damnest to stop the humans from completing said objective.

IN THE END

In the end, Dead Space 2 is a solid game, and a solid sequel. I’ll admit, I had a few points in the game story where I was frustrated because I always being outnumbered in a fight of me against about 10 or so enemies, and barely any ammo left in my collection. I almost felt as though I should start over, but after several tries, I would finally make it through that part of the game. Even in cases like that, I think that the overall experience of Dead Space 2 was very cool, and I am satisfied with the game.

If you got the Limited Edition version of the game, (I got it on the PS3), the game came with Dead Space Extraction, a prequel of the original Dead Space game. The game is more of a on-rails shooter that seems more of a quick draw shooter game than a normal first person shooter. That’s not a bad thing, because it is different from either of the other two main Dead Space games, so in a sense it can be refreshing. Despite that though, it almost doesn’t seem as great as the main games in the series, but it’s still enjoyable sense it came with the game for free.

I felt this game was great, and a great purchase.

FINAL SCORE – 8.9/10

PSN ID: Daquine

60 Gamertag: Daquine

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