Dead Space 2

The Good:

Intro/In-game Tutorial

Dead Space 2 begins with Isaac Clarke in a straight jacket without any weapons. The initial 20 minutes of the game introduces players to game mechanics like kinesis, stasis, using weapons, the direction system and smashing crates and necromorph bodies for loot. These in game tutorial sessions are sprinkled within level progression causing them to feel like a part of the game as opposed to a structured tutorial. The way that Dead Space 2 teaches game play elements is great and reinforces the design team’s attempts at making the game immersive like their choice to remove the HUD entirely.

Atmosphere and Environment

Much like its predecessor, Dead Space 2 is a very creepy game. While the first game took place aboard a desolate spaceship, Dead Space 2’s setting is The Sprawl, a space station near Jupiter. The major difference between the two games is that the environment of Dead Space 2 is much more urbanized and feels lived in. Isaac will reach areas that will feel as if they were inhabited up until five minutes before he arrived and there are a few instances throughout the game where you will reach a certain area in the middle of chaos. Dead Space 2 utilizes lighting to effectively craft intense situations creating a sense of paranoia in the player. Playing through Dead Space 2 you will feel that at any moment you could be overwhelmed by enemies. The sounds of necromorphs wailing far off in the distance or their scurrying sounds in the ceiling and walls will keep players on their toes until the end of the game.

Human Characters

There is a much larger cast of human characters in Dead Space 2 compared to the original, which is a welcome addition since the original Dead Space conveyed a feeling of lone desperation. I actually felt relief whenever I encountered another human in Dead Space 2. Being the lone human aboard a space station full of evil monster is not a welcome feeling.

Voice Acting

While there are relatively few characters in the game, the voice work for these characters is done quite well. The quality of the voice acting lends itself to the believability of the game’s characters as well as their reactions to different situations. Gunner Wright in particular does a terrific job at conveying the emotional and mental distress that Isaac Clarke finds himself in throughout the game.

Weapons and Suits

Throughout Dead Space 2 there are a number of weapons and suits that can be purchased, upgraded and used to make Isaac a more effective necromorph killing machine. Several of these weapons will be familiar from those who played the original Dead Space but there are new additions, like the detonator gun which can change up the flow of combat quite a bit. Each gun has an alternative fire that gives players several different options while confronting necromorphs. Most of the weapons and armour suits will only be available by finding schematics that are hidden throughout the entire game.

Achievements

The achievements that can be obtained in Dead Space 2 encourage experimental with different weapons and killing necromorphs in particular ways. These achievements essentially facilitate the use of every weapon and present simple challenges against particular enemies. I’m glad that Dead Space 2 doesn’t feature any multiplayer achievements or any staggering difficult “Kill x enemies with x weapon” achievements. There is one very difficulty achievement for beating the game on hardcore mode which I applaud the developers putting in. Anyone who beats the game on that difficulty deserves recognition.

Audio

There isn’t a single problem with Dead Space 2’s audio. The weapons sound just as I would imagine, the grotesque and hideous noises the necromorphs make are terrifying, even the necromorph children and baby sounds are endlessly disturbing. The sounds of the sprawl itself creates a believable space station; Isaac’s boots hitting the ground as he runs, metallic creaks, the air being sucked out of a room when a window breaks, automated voices over a speaker in the shopping centre, these sounds make the sprawl feel like a real place.

Graphics

In a word the graphics are fantastic. At no point did the graphics take me out of the game experience, if anything they worked to draw me in. The game looks great, the lighting works well and the character models are well put together.

Pacing Versus Gameplay

Throughout Dead Space 2 I felt that there was a constant struggle between the urgency of the story’s pacing and the way that I wanted to play the game. That may sound like a negative comment but it is actually a positive. In Dead Space 2 there is always some place you need to be, an NPC telling Isaac he needs to hurry and reach a location or a friend in peril. I wanted to play through these areas as quickly as possible but at the same time I found myself slowly scouring each area for upgrades or constantly turning around to shine my flashlight at different sounds in the environment. While the pacing feels urgent the game play almost demands tactics that are slow and methodical (at least during the first playthrough). The tension this formula creates provides for some powerful moments throughout Dead Space 2.

Hardcore Mode

Hardcore mode is something that is rarely seen in games these days. I tend to enjoy challenging games more than most people, one of my favourite being the Ninja Gadien series. While Dead Space 2 is an intense game to play through at no point would I classify it as hard. Hardcore mode changes that notion with a difficulty that is almost unparalleled in the level of challenge it presents. Make it through the game with a scarce ammunition and health while dealing with increased enemy damage. Sounds like a typical hard more right? Oh and you can only make three saves across the entire playthrough. That is crazy and I love that such a difficult challenge was added to this game.

New Game +

The new game plus feature allows players who have already completed the game to start a new playthrough with all of the upgraded weapons and armour that they accumulated in their previous playthrough. This gives gamers a much easier time on harder difficulties and the feeling of being a badass from the start of the game.

Progression of Isaac Clarke’s Dementia

From the start of Dead Space 2 Isaac Clarke is suffering from some kind of dementia from the alien marker. This dementia results in Isaac seeing and hearing hallucinations that may be entirely in his mind or may be the marker itself trying to influence him. Watching him struggle silently while remaining composed on the outside is an interesting glimpse inside the head of a protagonist. Contrasting Isaac’s mental health issues is another character that is suffering from the same dementia and not handling it nearly as well.

New Enemy Types

In additional to the cast of horrifyingly grotesque necromorphs from the first, there are a few new enemy types that will equally make your skin crawl. I don’t want to spoil exactly what these creatures are but rest assured that they are indeed creepy and will require a unique strategy as with all the other enemies. At first you will only encounter one enemy type at a time but as the game progresses it starts throwing mixed groups of enemies at you which can present a significant challenge.

No Load Screens

Aside from loading up a game save or saving a game, there are no load screens in Dead Space 2. Instead there are elevator rides, similar but not as long, as those found in Mass Effect. Most elevator rides feature an NPC talking to Isaac, flickering lights or a dementia hallucination so that they never seem long or boring.

The Not So Good:

Overall Story

Aside from Isaac’s personal struggles with his mind I didn’t find the actual story that takes place on the Sprawl exciting. The story is a very similar concept to the original Dead Space in that you trapped on a space station, shit has hit the fan and Isaac must deal with the problem and escape while overcoming several obstacles. Reading some of the text logs and listening to the audio logs do expand the story a little, however nothing is significantly added to the plot. There are a few minor plot threads that are left open by the end of the game that make me curious as to the events of Dead Space 3. Make sure to wait until the end of the credits.

Multiplayer

The multiplayer component of Dead Space 2 unfortunately does feel like a rushed add on to be a bullet point on the back of the box. Multiplayer is necromorphs verses humans in objective based gameplay. I did enjoy playing as the necromorphs but not enough to draw me away from other multiplayer games. The party system, allowing friends to travel to game lobbies together is appreciated, but there is no way for a party or individual to search for available games by game mode. Players can only search based upon map preference. There is a level up system allowing perks for both necromorphs and humans. New weapons and skins can additionally be unlocked for the human class. The biggest problem with the multiplayer is that most of the game modes are objective based, yet all of the individual points are based solely upon kills not upon objective completion.

Dead Space 2 is a fantastic horror shooter that anyone reading this should definitely check out. While the story is nothing new or fantastic, playing through the game is a wild and scary ride that makes this reviewer overlooks the flaws of the story outlined above. The multiplayer is easily forgettable but it did not detract from the single player experience whatsoever. The multiplayer is there if you want to get some extra mileage out of the game, but single player’s new game plus and hardcore modes will probably eat up more of your time.

Dead Space 2 is a great single player experience and I recommend that you play this game.