Dead Space 2 Impressions "SPOILER"
By RelentlessKnight 2 Comments
The first Dead Space is should be considered my top games of 2008, I love how they created a new IP game that puts strategic dismemberment and horror together making it a blast to play. The only gripe is that I didn't finish that game due to the Zero-G flying sequences that always made me nauseous and also the fact that my account got lost after my 360 RRoD and had to replace another one and create another account. But before I played Dead Space 2, I installed the first game and tried to get to the chapter that I previously am.
Yesterday, I got Dead Space 2 (not collector's edition sadly) and immediately played it. I didn't mind that Issac Clarke is talking, it does create a immerse atmosphere. The first level is to escape the mental institution from nercomorphs that suddenly appeared, killing everyone - it does feel like Mass Effect 2 at the starting when you feel a sense of panic and danger trying to ran your ass out of there. That moment kinda jumped me because I wasn't that really prepared for it rather than thought it was you getting off of the straight jacket earlier and getting your trusty plasma cutter. But the moment you receive your plasma cutter, it felt awesome.
Anyways, to not detail my adventures through the church of unitology to outside space.. I'm currently at Disc 2 in Chapter 9 and I must say, Visceral Games doesn't mind throwing moments of intensity and danger as well as reward you at the end. Especially in those Zero-G parts either the torturer monster part, dodging debris, flying through space trying to relay the satellites to avoiding obsoletes and utilizing your telekinesis on the environment. It always felt epic when you not die every single time when that moment occurs.. I loved it. Also the fact that there's explosive mutated babies that are even scarier than Condemned 2's babies and that daycare part also is terrifying.
Two things I hate in this game, first off - sometimes it could be a chore to complete puzzles, trying hard to find a damn object and activating something and ammo and health are pretty much scarce in this game, which unlike the first one, you get loads and loads of items but I swear I just have to always try to find something to throw at but it sometimes doesn't work.
I still love this game though and hope that I finish it anytime soon.
UPDATE ==== SPOILERS =======
Finally finished the game after 8 hours.. I think. Had a hard time running my ass to my final objective, with necromorphs raping my ass off especially that invincible necromorph that took me awhile to figure out and wasted half of my ammo and stasis. The final three chapters, 13 to 15 had me running my ass avoiding much of the necromorphs and wasting all of my health packs and stasis trying to wait for the fucking doors to open. But when I reached Tiedmann, after taping the A button repeatedly, Nicole shows her true form as well as the Marker - the final boss battle was kinda hard for me at the start, I didn't have any ammo and health left and had to run in circles while shadow kids jump on me repeatedly, trying to grab ammo and health packs. Also avoiding Nicole as it's a one hit k'o if she touches you and it's quite a interesting death scene where Isaac pulls the crossbow at his face. Anyways, it took me four attempts to destroy the Marker with my fully upgraded plasma cutter.
After the Marker was destroyed, Isaac warps back to where he killed Tiedmann and the cast's credits roll but was interrupted by Ellie with an eyepatch who comes back on the gunship to rescue him and with a short flying moment, I was finally finished the game. The last boss was kinda dumb, you fight Nicole and shadow packs and after you hit her, you can shoot rapidly at the Marker..... rise and repeat. The first Dead Space has you fight against The Hive Mind and it's kinda epic but this scenario is to expose the boss' weak spot after shooting something repeatedly. But for the rest of the game, it's kind of a Halo Reach moment, where sometimes I get so frustrated at the difficulty even though I chose Normal. Chapter 11 however, when Isaac goes into Step 4 drilling his left eye was at first annoying to me because I had to slow inject something and after was forced to hack the terminal while the invincible necromorph tried to kill me.
The most irritating enemies are The Stalkers, if you don't keep your eye out for them as they leap from place to place or out of TK/stasis you will probably get killed a dozen of times.. There's a moment that I finally figured out how to kill them in a room where there are a number of Cysts and I used that advantage as a minefield for Stalkers to run onto those things but going against a corner with a explosive/stasis barrel and enough stasis after that is another great technique on flushing them out. The other necromorphs aren't much of a pain to me, the puker and those tentacles things sometimes are annoying in moments like in the bulldozer part but I had no problem when my Plasma Cutter was fully upgraded... Yes I only used the Plasma Cutter in this game and didn't purchase any weapons at all, thinking that there's an achievement like in the first Dead Space. The other disappointing factor is that between Chapters 10 to 13, I finally get enough ammo, stasis and health packs for looting whereas the earlier chapters I encounter less of them and it's infuriating that I constantly run out of ammo over and over again as well as credits that I wasted on these supplies. But my favourite chapter is Chapter 5 which also shown in the Demo is constantly going and going and creating this epic moment of panic.
All in all, I give it a 4.5 out of 5 and this is worthy of my top ten games of 2011 thus far like last year with Mass Effect 2. And I love Ellie with a eye-patch, she's a better character than that bitch from the first game and the only friend that Isaac has that hasn't betrayed him. Stross on the other hand got what he asked for....
