Review catch up: Dead Space 2

Dead Space 2

Here we have a survival horror: a genre of game that seems rare nowadays (good ones seem rarer). This is a sequel to the much lauded Dead Space: a game which was one of the games EA made after wanting to branch to other, new games other than yearly sports updates. Unlike its development kin Mirrors Edge this gains a sequel (so far anyway). The question is how this would hold up compared to the original and whether it can retain the claustrophobic atmosphere of the original as well. This seems to be done if the pre- release teaser of ‘Your Mom hates Dead Space 2’ campaign is anything to go by; you know that will probably succeed.

One thing to note form the beginning is the ship, which provided our travels in the original, the Ishimura, has been replaced by floating city The Sprawl. We begin the game with an unmasked Isaac Clarke in the asylum area of this city, straightjacket in tow as the Necromorphs begin to take over the ship. This throws you straight into the story and the scares, as for about 15 minutes or so your only defence is the sprint button.

Slowly though you find yourself getting that bit more offensive as you reclaim your kinesis ability, to launch some of your surroundings (or even Necromorph limbs) at your foes, enemy slowing stasis, and eventually the trusty Plasma Cutter: aka your best friend for the game.

The change of location allows more variety to the game, from the insane asylum you start in to the empty mall or the eerie emptiness of a school. The corridor and ventilation system still has its odd appearance from the first game but the change is great and shows a much more entertaining variety to your surroundings. The oild ventilation hatches now being used to branch chapters together; something which I did not know at the start, meaning as I went to save my game to my surprise I was in Chapter 4, not 3 as I believed. The ways these locations are set out are akin to that of Bioshocks’ Rapture, with the bodies of innocents strung out along the streets of the ship, and Dead Space is not one to shy away from the gruesome nature of this attack, featuring dead children in one of its malls being a reasonably disturbing one. These are just some of them, the screeches of the Necromorph pack as they are nearby, and seeing a group of flailing sword like arms like someone being put on too much coffee. It all adds to the atmosphere which is superbly crafted throughout the game.


Never practise French kissing with a Necromorph

The Necromorphs themselves have the same ranks as the last time, from the slicers of old and the crawlers shooting from afar, to the Dead Space version of a Ticker from Gears of War, charging to a close range before exploding, sending Isaac to the floor. There are some of the more annoying enemies returning as well. The wall hangers, known by sticking to walls with help of tentacles, dropping smaller Necromorphs to make things more annoying as it screeches in pain (these are thankfully, given far less time in this game). One of the best introductions is the every creepy Stalkers, moving around in the shadows as you search frantically to find them, to just have a head peering round the corner of a crate (or even on top of them) before the quick attack which unless you are prepared can leave you with something a little more than a flesh wound. Another introduction which I found good was that of the childlike Necromorphs, relatively easy to kill, but they attack in packs, making them deadly in some areas, and another thing which adds to the 'what the f***?' factor that can accompany parts of this attack, such as the excellent attack in a seemingly empty school hall which turns into a field of slaughter.

The Necromorphs are served far better than the human characters, with few being too memorable, apart from a man named Stross, someone deemed 'insane' who Isaac has little option but to trust. He gives some tips along the way to help you dissect the Necromorphs you encounter. The rest of the humans though are all but forgettable in my eyes. Isaac, from a voice acting perspective is ok, although there have been better voiced heroes but he still remains a great character, with the change in suits doing more than just upgrading how much you can carry, such as giving you a larger marker for a hacking minigame, more air for the vacuum sections etc. It's still good to have him back.



The weapons that we get access to are quite entertaining, namely the javelin gun, which sees you fire a bolt through your Necromorph foes and see them fly across the room, most of the time attaching themselves to a wall. This is one weapons which comes in nicely alongside previous items for slaughter such as the Plasma Cutter and Pulse Rifle from Dead Space.

Who's a pretty boy then?

The scare factor in this game overall is good, with the chlaustrophobic ship being one of the biggest draws, and the team behind it seem to try and make you jump more often than before, with banging being heard in an empty room, hearing something fall etc. This time there is no safe place. When I first got this, when I entered the Dead Space safe area of the elevator I decided to reach over and take a sip of my drink, and with a mouthful of drink I have a Necromorph crash through the roof of what I believed to be my 'safe area' and got a little but wet (gets ready for the inevitable jokes).

The Campaign takes around 10 hours to complete, and then you can attempt it on a higher difficulty. Other than the story mode you get a new multiplayer aspect, which sadly is not as good as it may have been: similar in design to some of Left 4 Dead but not nearly half as good: one where a lack of communication and teamwork leads to a whooping from the other team. I personally found little inscentive to continue playing it too long, and for me was a case of another game where Multiplayer was an unnecessary add on to a great single player game.

For those with an eye on achievements they are not too difficult in this game, all being Single Player related will mean a joy to many who complain about online achievements (better because the online in this is rather average) however some such as the upgrading of all items could take a while (around 250 power nodes needed to accomplish this).

Overall this is a game which has a superb Single Player experience to sink your teeth into, but sadly the Multiplayer is letting the side down.

9/10

What do the experts think?
What is the best price?