Isaac Clarke, the unfortunate engineer of Dead Space, makes his return,
along with a horde of necromorphs, a new marker, and the all-powerful
plasma cutter in Dead Space 2. Visceral Games's first installment in the
franchise was an instant blockbuster and kept the already minuscule
survival horror genre alive. Does its sequel stand up to Dead Space's
standards or surpass them entirely?
Story
Dead Space 2 takes place on The Sprawl, a space station city located
on the remnants of Saturn's moon Titan, three years after the events
onboard the USG Ishimura. Isaac Clarke is woken up in a psyche ward by a
man named Franco who tries to free him from being trapped in a
straightjacket and tied down to an observation table. But before he can
release Isaac completely, he is attacked by a necromorph and quickly
begins to transform. Isaac struggles to get past the frenzied crew
member who thrashes wildly, eventually reducing into a necromorph. His
transformation is viewed in its entirety by the player and is a stunning
feat of art and programming. His skin stretches and tears, his body
bends and contorts, necromorphic limbs explode from within him until
Isaac kicks the creature off and manages to run free.
Isaac, is now alone, bound in a straitjacket, and is completely
vulnerable and exposed. Starting the game off with Isaac so obviously
weak introduces the player first to a man, and then the inevitable
walking suit with guns, as the first game did. -- (Smart move on
Visceral’s side seeing as how they practically beg you to feel for Isaac
as a scared pitiful human being by game’s end.) -- Thus begins a
tutorial of sorts as the player is introduced to the “walk” and then
“sprint” buttons as Isaac runs a gauntlet of necromorphs invading the
psyche ward. Soon he finds his way to an operating table with a man
still strapped down for surgery; a surgical plasma cutter is aimed
carefully at his chest by a robotic arm. Just then, a necromorph bolts
into the room and before you can detach the gun and kill the
abomination, the man is already dead. Eventually you find your way to a
shop where you can equip yourself in an engineering suit. This level
slowly, creatively and intensely teaches the player how the game
operates by introducing one new game mechanic at a time; first running
and evading enemies, then shooting, and then finally using shops and the
importance of suits.
A new marker has been constructed on The Sprawl and has brought with it a necromorph outbreak. Isaac finds himself on a déjà vu-inducing mission to destroy it and makes uneasy bonds with fellow shipmates. One ally, Nolan Stross, a psychologically disturbed engineer, claims to know how to destroy the new marker. Another is Ellie Langford, a young British pilot that unwillingly accepts the help of Isaac, but not the crazed Stross.
A few levels into the game you come across a unitologist church.
Unitologists are a cult of marker worshipers. The level really does a
good job of showing the ignorance of the church and how corrupt it is.
The original game might have gotten some bad press for its apparent
anti-religious views but Dead Space 2 seems to have a particular
religion with an 'ology' suffix in mind. Unitology is a level-based
religion in which the more money you give to the church the higher rank
you receive. There is also a creepy indoctrination room in the church
that sells the idea of a false and money driven cult.
Visceral Games has given Isaac the ability to talk since the first
Dead Space and also a new dementia, brought on by the events on board
the Ishimura, that manifests itself as his once living girlfriend. This
works well and helps the player connect with Isaac and also helps him
feel like a real human who was tormented by death and managed to
survive.
Video logs and audio logs are one of the main story components and
get the story across to the player when a cutscene or in game sequence
doesn't. It's very effective and makes you feel alone without ever being
truly alone. Due to Isaac’s amnesia, each audio/video log is jam packed
with exposition. Luckily it’s not too obvious. The writing is clever
enough to seem as if we understand the world as well as the characters,
so having information thrown at us is welcomed.
After the first installment in a horror story the enemy tends to lack
that which made it so scary in the first place. What makes a good
horror enemy is the ‘unknown.’ By that I mean not knowing everything,
and preferably not knowing anything at all is what makes enemies scary
to us. Usually by the end of the first story the antagonists have given
up what made them mysterious. Umbrella Corp. isn’t so scary once you
have played through six games of it being the bad guy and you have
learned all there is to know about them. Before playing through Dead
Space 2 I was worried that this would be the case. I knew where
necromorphs come from, I knew about the marker, and I knew about the
people who would want to use it as a weapon; so what else could I
discover that would still fill me with curious dread? Well, the setting
changed and there is a new marker, Isaac is somehow linked with it’s
creation, and amnesia certainly doesn’t help. The mystery of Dead Space 2
isn’t in finding out about the antagonists, but more about how Isaac,
the protagonist, is connected with the devastation around you.
One disappointment was remembering how well I got to know the
Ishimura. Being on a ship and exploring it in its entirety really gave
the player time to understand their location and get to know the place.
The Sprawl doesn't have that aspect. I never really knew where I was on
The Sprawl other than in a school or a factory. The Ishimura felt like a
mansion in an old horror game, you really get to know her by games end.
Story 8/10
Story 8/10
Gameplay
Dead Space 2 plays very similar to its predecessor with no large
changes. The game is still a third-person over the shoulder shooter. You
still have four weapon slots, laser guided aiming, and plenty of unique
ways to dismember your enemies.
Strategic dismemberment is still the way to go, but you can more easily kill an enemy with multiple shots to the body in Dead Space 2 than the original. The idea behind strategic dismemberment is to shoot the limbs off of your reincarnated foes until they become immobilized and die. Unlike most zombies, a shot to the head won’t result in instant death; instead it will cause the necromorph to charge at the player thrashing its appendages in rage. Different necromorphs also require some strategy beyond cutting off arms and legs. One, interestingly enough called and exploder, has an oversized glowing limb that when shot will cause it to blow up resulting in splash damage to surrounding necromorphs. Another is called a pregnant, (they got creative with the names), and if its stomach is ruptured will let loose a wave of small crab-like necromorphs that can cause a great deal of damage if not destroyed in time.
There is a new type of necromorph called stalkers that are incredibly
scary and cunning. They attack in packs and are reminiscent of
velociraptors from Jurassic Park; you even get an achievement
called "Clever Girls" for killing a few. They are found in maze-like
areas and will peak around corners or over obstacles at Isaac to get a
better look before charging and attacking. Shooting around the room and
trying to get into a flanking position before screaming and leaping out
at Isaac is their main plan of attack; it is predictable and yet
unnerving. Their programmed attacks are extremely effective at conveying
intelligence. You really get the sense that you are being watched and
that something is biding it's time before striking.
Zero-G was a fun but under-used component of the original Dead Space.
Dead Space 2 uses the wide open expanses of The Sprawl to good use in
creating varied zero-G environments. Instead of leaping from wall to
wall relying on magnetic boots like in the original, Dead Space 2 uses
boosters on Isaac's suit to get him around the space station. The zero-G
areas come in two forms, one being free floating wide open rooms where
there is no apparent up or down which results in vertigo inducing
puzzles, or in free-fall like minigames. Other games have done this
before where the player is in free fall and has to avoid falling debris.
In Dead Space 2 this is mixed up a little when you have areas like a
speeding train that has a missing car. Isaac must leap out of one car
and speed through the gap to reach the other car in front.
Guns are undeniably the most important part of gameplay in Dead Space
2. Each weapon has a unique and devastating attack, and also has an
upgrade tree that allows for more firepower, ammo, etc. The plasma
cutter is again the default weapon and is one of the most handy video
game weapons of all time. I found myself using it for about 90% of the
game and only ever switched weapons when faced with multiple small
enemies attacking at once, which call for a rapid shot weapons or one
with splash damage.
Dead Space 2 has ‘weight’. By that I mean every action is felt by Isaac and the player. When Isaac walks he realistically stomps with the weight of a space suit, every weapon has a loud crack-boom firing sequence that sends Isaac back a little with recoil, and even down to the upgrade bench opening, it slams down under its own weight. Most video games don't seem to care about weight, and the player subconsciously picks up on this, resulting in the player feeling disconnected to the game. For example, Half life 2 doesn't carry weight. The player floats through the world like they’re in a steady-cam, relying on the sound of footsteps to convey that they are indeed walking.
The gameplay in Dead Space 2 feels like the first Resident Evil all over again, but set on the planet LV-426 from Aliens.
It’s welcoming to play a horror game that is so well done but at the
same time it feels like we have been trained for this gameplay for
years.
Gameplay 9/10
Gameplay 9/10
Presentation
The Sprawl is a beautifully horrifying place to be. With Saturn
always right outside of any window and the metal architecture reflecting
the best lighting in a game so far, Dead Space 2 is breathtaking. Not
being restricted to a single mining ship the art style and architecture
are free to go wild. The church levels have a gothic dark malevolent
feel and the preschool is so happy and cheerful but at the same time so
empty.
The graphics have been greatly increased since Dead Space and you can really tell during all the close ups on the characters faces. Blood is a huge part of the game as well and it's used just about everywhere, really slamming it into your face that you’re in a hell-hole.
Startling scares are what Dead Space does best. It's no Amnesia
with its scary atmosphere and few scares. Quite the opposite;
everything seems to jump out at you even clock alarms and elementary
school play set pieces.
Visceral Games knows how to make you feel uncomfortable. There is
now better example of this in Dead Space 2 than the audio. The Sprawl is
a city, a city under attack by the living dead. That doesn’t just mean
screams and moans. The ambience of Dead Space 2 is something to behold.
The best way to explain this is to describe an early level I played.
About an hour into the game Isaac wanders through an apartment complex.
The fire in the lobby is raging, malfunctioning machinery sparking and
the remaining stranded occupants held up in their rooms. As you pass by
rooms you can hear the muffled sounds coming from within. One room may
have a terrified mother calming down her children and the next might
have the sound of a woman being attacked by her resurrected lover. Over
the loudspeaker, talking to nobody is the A.I. directing people out of
the burning building. Level after level Isaac is surrounded by endlessly
detailed soundscapes. It’s a shame that you will be running for your
life though most of them.
The music is, well, jumpy, and follows a classic horror feel with the
slight vibration of violins to create tension and then the blare of the
brass section when something jumps out at you. It’s effective, and old
as dirt.
Dead Space 2’s replayability is made to be rewarding. There is incentive
to play back through, especially since you can carry your armor and
guns with you to your next playthrough. Playing the campaign again is a
test of willpower at higher difficulties. Also new suits and a hilarious
new gun, the hand cannon, make the game far more enjoyable the second
or third time played.
Presentation 9/10
Presentation 9/10
Overall
Dead Space 2 is the best shooter horror yet in this generation of games
and continues to be a fantastically scary franchise. It’s worth buying
but if you’re not going to replay it I suggest renting. I'm not sure
what Visceral Games has planned, but I'm ready for whatever is in store
for Isaac Clarke next.
Dead Space 2 8.3/10
Dead Space 2 8.3/10
Game Info
Platform: PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360
ESRB: M
PEGI: 18
ESRB: M
PEGI: 18
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Visceral Games
Release Date: January 25, 2011
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