A "Cut" Above the Rest
If there is one game that illustrates the influence Resident Evil 4 and Doom 3 had on sci-fi canon, it is Dead Space. The game’s play style was shamelessly ripped from the former, while the aesthetic and jump scares were strictly from the latter. Not to mention it took dozens of standard horror movie tropes and sprinkled them throughout. And it would be easy for Dead Space 2 to be a lazy follow up that simply builds on the past and nothing more. But thankfully, EA’s Visceral Games has taken the initiative to find new inspiration to inject into the franchise, as well as building on (and occasionally trimming off) previous influences. The end result is a much more streamlined experience, but it only helps to enhance the almost perfect third person action and creepy ambiance.
Dead Space 2 quickly establishes a fast, anti-backtracking pace that persists almost until the very end of the game. There is only one instance of retreading (if it really can be called that), chapters flow into one another at a breakneck speed, and the game just generally keeps you moving from one area to the next. The contrived train rides that broke up the first game are gone, and their omission alone makes Dead Space 2 feel much more like a rollercoaster than a haunted house. In this respect, it feels like the developers took some leaves out of Bioshock and Half Life 2’s books, although the game is much more linear than either of those games.
I know I mention plenty of influences, but no other game communicates them as well as Dead Space 2 does. Most of the homage is subtle; there are audio logs that aren’t as prevalent as Bioshock’s, and a main character that has a slight resemblance to Alyx from HL2. Due to these new influences, it’s hard sometimes to even think of the game as a sequel. The jump scares that plagued the last title are almost nonexistent, and the aforementioned pace sucked me in faster in the first ten minutes than the last game ever did.
Though when it comes to story, Dead Space 2 is much more of a natural extension. Isaac wakes up to find that he has spent the last few years in a mental hospital. It just so happens that this mental hospital resides on Titan Station, a planet-cracking colony situated above Saturn’s largest moon. This station also houses one of the largest congregations of Unitologists in the galaxy. Isaac has been in a drug induced stupor, but when he is awaken, the shit hits the fan; necromorphs start tearing everything to hell, forcing Isaac to follow an unknown woman’s instructions to safety. And if that isn’t enough, Isaac is having dementia episodes that I don’t want to spoil. Trust me, they’re awesome.
One notable addition to the story is that Isaac has dialogue. It isn’t much, but what is there is concise and gets the point across well. It made me feel closer to Isaac and several allies he meets along the way. Instead of a lifeless shell, he is now a real human in this horrible situation, and I felt for him. Other characters are voiced by incredibly talented actors and actresses, and they are all much more relatable than the two uncharismatic fools from the first game.
Game play wise, Dead Space 2 is pretty much identical to its predecessor. You’ll be shooting limbs off of every necromorph you set eyes on with most of the same arsenal you used in the first game. The Plasma Cutter, Line gun, and Pulse rifle all return largely unchanged. Some new weapons include the Javelin gun—a spear gun with an electrical pulse secondary fire—and the flamethrower, but they aren’t the real stars. Instead, the once seldom used Stasis and Kinesis become your best friends. Kinesis can now be used to shoot necromorphs’ blades back at them, and Stasis is almost necessary to slow down otherwise unmanageable fights. The necessity for both is communicated brilliantly through environmental cues, and really lets you know that they are useful tools.
Again, not much has changed from game to game, but make no mistake, Dead Space 2 is about as perfect as third person shooting gets. Blasting an enemy’s arm off with a plasma shot and then pinning them to the wall with that same arm is incredibly satisfying. The game forces you to evaluate your environment, ammo reserves, and enemy types quickly and then act in an efficient, brutal fashion. If you don’t, then punishment comes swiftly as necromorphs are fast, smart, and deadly. Even if using Kinesis to launch a conveniently placed spike through the air is contrived, it makes for some great moments.
Graphically, Dead Space 2 is very consistent, with good quality textures and a solid frame rate throughout. But more importantly, the lighting and setting make for a horribly disturbing experience. Unlike the first game, which was much more isolated, Dead Space 2 is all about showing you the horrors that can be inflicted upon people through the influence of Unitologist Markers. Since Isaac awakens during the actual events of a Marker Convergence event, there are plenty of moments where he is confronted face to face with horrible transformations and deaths. Since people also lived on Titan Station, there are plenty of little details and glimpses into everyday space station life. Dead Space 2 is one of the few games that uses environmental story telling to supplement the already intriguing story. Small papier-mâché Markers adorn desks and dressers, children’s toys litter apartment floors, and even some clues as to how some citizens died all add a great sense of realism to the game. You get the rather sad feeling that people actually called that station home.
The audio is also noteworthy because of its depth and detail as well. There are sometimes dozens of voices, sound effects, and whispers (products of Isaac’s insanity) playing in the audio mix. I don’t play on a surround sound system, but even without it, there is a deep layer of creepy, somber, and just plain tense audio to compliment the visuals.
The 7-9 hour campaign isn’t without its low points though; a difficulty spike in the last hour is almost unbearable. I died at least ten times, effectively killing all momentum that was built up from the excellent 6 hours preceding it. I think the developers wanted players to feel Isaac’s struggle until the climax, but it just comes off as cruel. Even during my new game +, I couldn’t make it through the ending without dying half a dozen times. The game pits you against an insurmountable enemy, and never really communicates that you’re supposed to sprint to the end. I think many players will get frustrated and possibly stop playing, which is a shame because this game deserves to be played through to completion to see how Isaac’s story plays out.
Once you’re done with the single player, there is an online multiplayer mode, but it is just as forgettable as other recent attempts to bolster single player only games. It pits humans against necromorphs, with the human side trying to complete objectives, and the necromorphs trying to kill them. And of course it has a Call Of Duty experience system (just like everyone else). It is fun for an afternoon, but I can’t see a community forming around it. You’d be much better off starting a new game + than getting into multiplayer for any significant amount of time.
Dead Space 2 is the kind of game that inspires you to play though it twice, just so you can absorb all the details and story nuances—and so you can kill some more necromorphs! Despite the god-awful difficulty spike and uninspiring multiplayer, this is a stellar sequel. I didn’t think very highly of the first game, but if you haven’t played it, pick it up just so you can play Dead Space 2. It earned its place among the finest experiences in gaming.
