This game will be one tough act to follow.
The first chapter of games usually introduce the basic functions to the player: how to open inventory, use an item, talk to people, and a lot of “Professor X wants to see you in his office.†In the case of Dead Space 2, your first instruction goes along the lines of:
“RUN.”
I haven’t played a game that made me dive in headfirst into the thick of survival horror quite as effectively as Dead Space 2 did.
There’s no easing you in, no hand to hold you or a voiceover that calmly tells you what to do. Oh no, sir, right in the beginning of the game Isaac is in a strait jacket, surrounded by necromorphs and running for his life. His RIG is not just red, it’s blinking next to nothing.
As a player, countless experiences from other games has made me expect some kind of divine intervention to just suddenly cut me loose from my bondage. It did come but not in the way that I expected it. I won’t spoil it for you.
What I like about Dead Space 2 is that it’s not embarrassed to freak you out with ways that are sometimes bordering on cliché: the sudden bump in the upper floor, the shadows at the end of the hallway, the gurgling sound in the vents.
This in-your-face horror, this unapologetic stab of horror tricks, dark corridors, blood on the walls, candles and tinkling nursery music, reminds us of what actually works in survival horror games and why game developers should never forget that.
Gameplay
I would have to go out on a limb here and say 3rd person shooters, particularly Dead Space 2, is played best on the PS3.
Dead Space 2 has several notable space exploration levels where it’s just so much easier to look up and down and around with a controller. With the times that Isaac had to float around in zero-g and push canisters and realign solar panels in space, the controller just makes everything so much easier.
However, I still had my idiot moments. Yep, I used stasis on a grip symbol, more times than I’m comfortable to admit. And yes, I ALT-fire when I thought I was holding a Plasma Cutter only to find out that I just wasted a Line Gun mine. Oh, and ammo is scarce in this game.
The controls take some getting used to but when you do get used to it you become quicker and more efficient. After playing it on the PS3, I tried playing it on the PC and I just felt a bit too detached from the whole experience.
You have to do a lot of sharp turns and a lot of quick movements as Necromorphs have this sweet habit of creeping up behind you. And for me, a controller handles those situations particularly better than a mouse and keyboard. That’s just me though.
In addition, playing this on a huge HDTV with its awesome sound effects just melted my face off.
Weapons
One of the notable features of Dead Space 2 is the wide variety of new weapons. On my first playthrough there just wasn’t enough credits lying around to experiment on all the weapons. So I stuck with my favorites: Line Gun and Plasma Cutter. It was immensely satisfying to pull out the Ripper when I get swarmed by a mob of necros though. Almost too satisfying.
It’s interesting how there is no standard way of dealing with necromorphs. Though stasis and the plasma cutter still work like a charm, the combination of stasis, kinesis + impalement and the whole plethora of weapons give you a lot of variety to tink around with.
Isaac doesn’t feel like a helpless, scared and confused protagonist. There were memorable moments wherein I actually breathed out a sigh of relief and told Isaac: “Well, thank god you’re an Engineer huh, Isaac?â€
This is pertaining to moments when systems had to be rerouted, machines had to be fixed and computers had to be shut down.
I felt smart. I felt badass. Especially when Isaac goes: Ellie, the path is blocked. Hold tight, I’ll make it work. Just like that. Fuck yeah. YOU KNOW IT.
Story
It wasn’t difficult empathizing with Isaac and his guilt surrounding Nicole’s death. They did a pretty good job inserting her scene in just the right moments. I found myself liking Isaac. He had this gigantic inner demon but he manages to put on a brave face in front of the other characters.
Speaking of other characters, I absolutely loved Ellie. I usually don’t like how female characters are presented in a survival horror game (even the ones that kick ass) but Ellie was fleshed out very nicely. She’s quite the looker too.
However, the story posed a couple of problems for me. While Isaac’s struggle with Nicole’s memories are clear and haunting, it practically sidetracked me from the main objective. All I knew is that the Marker had to be destroyed but the gravity of the situation failed to reel me in. For me everything was just “things I have to do because the waypoint says soâ€
It would have been better if I actually felt the threat of the Marker or at least seen things in a much grander scale. Truth be told, I was more scared of Nicole than I am of what the Marker could do.
Last Thoughts
Dead Space 2 is an awesome game. I’m even going as far as saying it’s the best survival horror game in years. The variety of monsters you have to contend with plus the variety of weapons you can use to take them all down gives you all the action your trigger finger could ever hope for. Put this in an insanely creepy setting and you’ve got yourself a winner.
Everything just comes together in the game: the graphics, the sound, the gameplay, the characters. As awesome as Dead Space 2 turned out to be, I would hate to be the one who would think of how to follow it up. So I suggest you go over to Datablitz right now (yes RIGHT NOW) and buy the game. Support the industry and help developers make more survival horror games of this brilliant standard. Because Dead Space 2 is an insanely tough act to follow.
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