Bigger, Better and Angstier!
Does Dead Space 2 live up to the technical and artistic achievements of the original? Hell yeah it does! If you wanted more Dead Space then you won't be disappointed in this new chapter in the story of engineer Isaac Clarke and his ongoing battle with those no good necromorphs and their ample limbs waiting to be dismembered. Dead Space 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel, but the scope is expanded and they add some small and meaningful improvements that make the sequel an even more exhilarating ride.
The game starts off almost right at the end of the downloadable mini-game collection Dead Space Ignition. If you played it you have a bit more context, but if you didn't then you really don't have to sweat it. Isaac wakes up in a straitjacket with no clue what's going on except that he's on Titan Station (aka The Sprawl) orbiting Saturn and there're necromorphs causing mayhem. While the original game was broken into chapters bookended by Isaac taking the tram on the Ishimura, Dead Space 2 offers a seamless story with no loading screens save for when you die and go back to checkpoints.
The first game was more of a man vs monster horror movie story, but Dead Space 2 attempts something more ambitious by making the story about Isaac battling his intern al demons and angst about his girlfriend who (highlight for Dead Space 1 spoilers) [ he discovered was dead in the original game ]. It's an interesting way to develop the story, but the way Isaac's internal journey is told isn't terribly subtle and at times some of the decisions he makes during the game feel hard to believe. I commend Visceral Games for trying something new, but the execution falls kind of short. Also I was disappointed at the lack of epic boss battles.
The other issue I had was with the characterization of Isaac who has graduated from his role of silent protagonist. The problem is that when you have a silent protagonist, their personality is largely open for interpretation. Based on his doughy Russian-looking blue collar worker character design from the first game, I imagined him as even more of an "every man" than most video game protagonists. But the Isaac Clarke in Dead Space 2 is much more of an American character who feels like the jerky "screw everyone" cocky character you usually don't like in horror movies. Isaac also drops quite a few f-bombs which feel forced and just the wrong kind of angry.
During the game and especially by the end, it feels like his dialogue was written by multiple writers because there are times his dialogue almost approaches Nathan Drake level of wise-cracking. The character feels inconsistent and at worst took me out of the story. Isaac also likes to swear a lot during particularly intense bouts of body stomping. While this is an understandable behavior, it felt jarring when it happened.
But that's probably not what you care about most, so how does it play? The first Dead Space had really great control, and Dead Space 2 puts in some small tweaks that make it a faster and more action oriented experience. Isaac had a very heavy suit in the first game, but here he's much more mobile so he walks and runs faster than in the first game. The map has been removed, but the added feature is you can use your right thumbstick-click to set your waypoint to either save stations, stores, upgrade benches and of course, your primary objective. As I mentioned before, you can keep mashing that stomp button to take out any crawling necromorphs causing you trouble. Refilling stasis has been mapped to a button, and also it'll regenerate slowly over time.
The other big change everyone is talking about are the new Zero-G controls which let Isaac move very freely via the jets on his suit and boots. This new mechanic leads to some of the most interesting sequences in the game which I won't spoil here. Some weapons have also received tweaks to their alt-firing modes like the pulse rifle's new grenade replacing the debatably useful 360° attack from the first game. There's also a javelin gun which can skewer enemies to the wall and an alt-fire which will cause the javelin to emit electricity. Suits in addition to more inventory slots and armor now have additional perks tied to them like discounts from the stores, faster stasis recharge and faster hacking (via the Dead Space Ignition unlockable hacker suit).
The name of the game in Dead Space 2 is variety. Once again the game is expertly paced with all sorts of new types of situations Isaac has to fight his way out of. Rest assured the game well balances the balls-to-the-walls action scenes and oh-god-when-are-they-coming suspense sequences. So many jump scare tricks got used in the first game that it must've been a daunting task to find new ways of surprising the player. The time tested strategy while playing is to trust nothing and always look behind you. Some moments even play with the expectations based on tricks they used in the first game. I managed to make it through the game with only a few genuine jump in my seat, but I suspect on difficulties higher than "Normal" all those scare moments are exponentially more effective. Some new enemy types also mix up your strategy for clearing a room of monsters.
Dead Space was a great looking game, but the visual presentation has really been amped up. You'll feel obligated to stop and take a look whenever you're presented with a large window. Character models are much more detailed, there are new special effects for weapons and powers and the variety of environments you'll travel through is constantly changing. The animators really took it up a notch with their death animations, some of which take advantage of the fact that Isaac is no longer a faceless hero. There're really some sick minds out there and it's DEFINITELY not for the faint of heart. Another thing you'll notice right away is that the game is literally a lot darker than the first. Certainly there were times when the lights went out in the first game, but you'll spend a great deal more time in this game in near complete darkness.
Sound once again is king in this franchise. New necromorphs have their unique growls and noises to fill your with dread and even some old necromorphs have had some tweaks to their sound. I wish I had surround sound to truly experience the audio in this game, but even on a stereo TV the sound of metal pipes being mysteriously shifted is enough to set the mood. If you're paying close attention you can predict some scare moments like when almost all audio seems to drop out you know something big is coming. The sound design of the guns firing and also all the metal clicks and switches are amazingly satisfying and fun to listen to during every shot and cartridge reload. Dead Space is total sound geek porn.
The other addition is a multiplayer mode similar to Left 4 Dead where you play either necromorphs or soldiers with an objective. The respawn time of necromorphs depends on which type you choose so smaller types will spawn quicker, but be more fragile whereas the large beefier ones will take longer to reappear. There are five maps and not much variety in the gameplay, but it is vey empowering to finally play as a necromorph. At the same time it feels kind of relaxing to know that a human is playing a necromorph so they're not as likely to notice you sneaking up on them. I only played it a little bit, but there is a level up system to unlock new abilities and weapons if you stick with it.
Despite my misgivings about the character and story, Dead Space 2 really is a great ride. The control and action is tighter than ever, the graphics are technically and artistically more impressive and the sheer variety put into the game guarantees you won't find yourself having a dull moment. f you still haven't played any of these games then I'd recommend starting at the beginning because the first game is still very much worth playing. If you enjoyed the first Dead Space then this is a a must buy game. Go and play it!
