You're Gonna Love It
Introduction
The original Dead Space was released back in 2008, and it set a new standard for the survival / horror genre. The original had so many things right, but it wasn't without its flaws. Now, it's 2011 and Dead Space 2 has been released. I'm happy to say that the bar and standard for the genre has been raised once again.
Story
The story in Dead Space 2 picks up right after Dead Space: Ignition (The free pre order bonus), or three years after the events of the original game. Without giving too much away, i think it's safe for me to say something has once again gone terribly wrong, and Necromorph's aren't the only challenge that Issac will have to overcome. If you haven't played the original, there is a short video on Dead Space 2 showing "Previously on Dead Space". If you don't feel like playing the original then you should definitely look up the story and see what it's about. There are twists and turns especially at the end, and there is somewhat of a reference at the very end that you may not understand unless you have played the original dead space.
Gameplay
This is really where Dead Space 2 shines. Visceral games has nailed the formula for creating a successful survival horror game. For some reason it just feels right to slowly go through the game keeping your gun aimed the whole time. You really never know what is going to pop out and attack you. Sometimes it's not even Necromorph's that will scare you; It may be the simplicity of the lights going out and walking through the pitch black with nothing more than a the flashlight on the end of your weapon, that will send chills down your spine. What really got me is when a Necromorph silently walks until you can see him right behind you, and you just see it there, and freak out. Aside from the scary moments, like in the original, you will be able to upgrade your RIG (armor) and all of your weapons with "power nodes" (found throughout the game). This is extremely beneficial especially if you are considering NEW Game+.
Replay Value
I bought this game on Tuesday, January 25th and beat it on Thursday, January 27th, on normal difficulty. It probably took around 9 hours when i factor in the number of times i died. After you beat the game you unlock the ability for New Game+ (Carry over all upgrades and stuff to a new game and you can even change the difficulty). I can already see myself playing through again on normal to get more upgrades, and then move on to zealot difficulty (the second to highest difficulty). For those who really think they are badass and good, there is Hardcore mode. Not only is this the hardest difficulty, where you will be extremely limited on ammo and die very fast, there are no checkpoints and you are only allowed to save three times. That means if you die, you go back to your last save. I think i'd just get extremely frustrated playing this, but i may give it a go eventually. Oh, and if you were planning on doing a new game+ on hardcore difficulty, think again, you gotta start fresh when you play hardcore. On top of just replaying 9+ hour campaign (depending on difficulty), there is multiplayer (that requires an online pass that you get when you buy it new). For the most part, it really just seems something they threw in there that won't keep you coming back. I'm not going to complain as this is just a little something extra that i am able to do with 60 bucks, because the campaign was so great.
Graphics / Sound
Dead Space 2 is a beautiful game. The original seemed to me to be filled neutral colors, but this one has a large range. I really enjoyed going through the school where there was a variety of "rainbowish" colors. It was refreshing to see this in what is classified as a horror game. The shadows are greatly improved from the blocky shadows of the original. The game has a great atmosphere, and put together with the terrific sound effects, it really feels creepy as hell. Speaking of sound, to me the first time i heard the sound of a baby crying, it was very scary. There's just something about a baby crying that is scary to me. You can plan on hearing random noises (and shadows) that will make you slowly turning around corners to find nothing there as well. Also, i'm not sure if the game is just pushing the limits of the 360 or what, but it's on 2 discs. It was rather strange because after 3 and 1/2 hours i was asked to insert disc 2. I would consider Dead Space 2 one of the better looking games out on the market today.
Improvements From The Original
What are some of the things that make Dead Space 2 so much better than the first? First off, there is much less back tracking. The original was filled with the repetitive "Go do this in this area, go back to the tram, go to next area, do more stuff, back to tram, etc." This game is much more linear (although you can explore a little and try to find ammo and secret rooms to access) and in a good way. A slight graphic improvement on the objective tracker is that it curves around corners, instead of having an edge, while this seems like a small improvement (and it is), it really fits the games atmosphere and style better. New enemies have been introduced, the one i remember the most would be the stalker. You will probably remember this one to, because they are annoying little things. The gameplay hasn't been changed too much, as the formula in the original worked really well.
Overall
Currently, as a gamer, i'm really loving atmospheric and story driven games. One of the first games that made me enjoy this was the original Bioshock. The original Bioshock was one of my favorite games of all time, for the story, gameplay, and graphics as well. In my opinion, i just haven't seen many games on the level of Bioshock in quite some time (well there has been mass effect 2,halo,etc.. but to me the story is good but just different from a game like Bioshock). Okay, so i'm sure you get the point that i really really like Bioshock.. But what does this have to do with Dead Space 2? I found myself enjoying Dead Space 2 almost as much as i did with Bioshock. This puts Dead Space 2 up on my "Favorite games of this generation" list. While i did play and beat Dead Space 1, i never would have considered it as one of my favorite games all time, so it is surprising how much i truly enjoyed the sequel. Dead Space 2 is a fantastic game, and if you enjoy third person shooters, survival horror games, or even games with a great atmosphere and story, then i think it is a no brainer for you to pick up Dead Space 2.
