Amazing Game that's worth every dollar
Pros: Scary, bloody, all around fun. Nothing better than shooting limbs off necromorphs. Game is seamless and smooth. Creative ways to avoid HUD helps add deep immersion. Game play controls are wonderful, and allow to fully focus on the game without worry. Zero-gravity sections are a blast to fly around with all directions and still have great control over the character.
Cons: Not much different from the first Dead Space. After a while, the scares become rather cheap (loud noises to make you flinch). Linear narrow hallways do get old after a while and cause predictability of where the next necromorph will probably attack. Multiplayer, although good idea, isn't anything amazing
I never played the first Dead Space and it took me a year to try Dead Space 2. I saw it in the store and grabbed it, just for something to do. I can't believe I waited so long to play this game. I loved every second of it. I'm a huge fan of survival horror games, and if you're like me, Resident Evil has been disappointing lately. It became too much action and not enough terror. I put off playing Dead Space for this reason as well, because I thought it would be all action. I was wrong, this game is as close to what a perfect action/horror should be.
If you're like me, and didn't play the original Dead Space, don't worry. It is completely possible to immediately play Dead Space 2 without playing its predecessor. There is even a short video that plays to recap the events of the first Dead Space. Basically, in the first game you play as Isaac, an engineer that was sent aboard a mining space ship to see why contact was lost with it. Not hard to guess, crazy alien creatures took over and a simple repair job turned into a fight for survival. The quick movie really sets the mood and I found myself even more excited to start the campaign.
The story is great, it is important in a horror game that the story at least makes some sense so it isn't laughable. This futuristic sci-fi horror fits its setting perfectly. Marooned on what appears to be a space colony it is a very believable sci-fi setting. The world is created in a way that it seems like an actual possible future. If it wasn't for some gadgets, this game could easily be in present day. It is only this slight tweak of realism that keeps the game from becoming over the top and foolish.
Isaac is the main character once again and is mentally unstable, that's no surprise after seeing what he had to go through. The game starts off as all games should, by exploding instantly and making your adrenalin shoot throughout your body as you stare wide-eyed at the screen. Within minutes of the game you are running through a hallway as all hell breaks loose, did I mention you are in a straight-jacket as this happen? Yeah, try fighting in that. After that quick excitement to really wake you up, it slows down as the actual game starts.
This is called pacing and it is one of the most important aspects of all games. Some games have none and it really takes away from it. For example, Call of Duty, which throws hundreds of enemies at you over and over, it only works for them because people are use to it at this point and expect it. Dead Space 2 has almost perfect pacing. As you go throughout the game, it slowly gets harder, more weapons become available, and new problems arise. Not only is it paced well, it will keep things new by throwing a simple twist into the normal game play. Whether that is flying in zero-gravity or completing a simple puzzle, it keeps things from being completely repetitive. Then again, the 'repetitive' factor is shooting limbs off necromorphs (which I shall be referring to as crazy aliens) so it isn't actually bad.
The story is good, tries a little too hard in some parts where they try to establish a conflict between government soldiers and a religious faction. But when it comes to being alone in a space colony filled with crazy aliens, it's great. There are some twists, especially since Isaac has gone crazy, and hallucinations continue to plague him. The story will definitely keep you invested to see what will happen next as you feel for Isaac trying to survive.
The most incredible part of Dead Space 2 is how smooth everything is. The game play switching to a cut scene is completely seamless. One time, something jumped out at me and I repeatedly mashed the melee button until I realized it transitioned into a cut scene. Most of the time, you still have control of Isaac during a 'cut-scene'. Many times, just a hologram of a person will appear on your wrist and you watch them as you play the game. It's smooth and it's wonderful.
It isn't just about the smooth cut scene transition. There is no HUD indicator. The corners aren't filled with player information like health, ammo, or a mini-map. It is all incorporated into the game. The health bar is on the suit Isaac wears, the ammo number appears on the gun that's currently in use, and the mini-map simply doesn't exist, but pressing a button will show you the direction to go in. This is great, it breaks the third wall and really helps you get drawn into the game and stay invested. It makes it seem more real or as if you're watching a movie. In fact, I want all games to be like this from now on, because I hate when screens are cluttered with crap. They get in the way and it takes away from the game, but not in Dead Space, I really have to give it to the designers this time.
This smoothness transitions over to the game play as well. The character moves well, unlike most horror games which always have a certain amount of hesitation in the character movements. They play it off as part of the game to make it more intense, but I don't always buy that. Well in Dead Space 2 the controls are great, and that lag feeling isn't there. Everything is smooth even the zero-gravity parts. I was amazed at how well these sections worked. With two joy-sticks I was able to maneuver perfectly. Then, if I ever had to draw my weapon and fight in space, I didn't just freeze because my gun was drawn. I could still move in space while aiming down the sights. It was amazing how fluent the whole system was and I don't think enough credit is given to how well it works.
Most importantly, the game play of fighting off these necromorphs is equally as wonderful. After all, the reason this game is so fun and thrilling has to do with being able to blast away at these crazy aliens. As I stated before, the Resident Evil series has been going down as they get away from survival/horror and get into more action genre and it sucks. I think what the people behind Resident Evil are trying to do is exactly what Dead Space has accomplished. I played on a normal difficulty and I often times had just enough ammo to get by. I couldn't waste it, in fact, often times after barely surviving an onslaught of enemies, I would have less than five bullets less. But it is important that I did have enough or close to enough. I wasn't left stranded with nothing and I didn't have a ridiculous amount where I could shoot with no worries. I had to pick my shots and make them count.
The way to succeed in this game is with well aimed shots. Often times, going for the head is not the way to go. Shoot their limbs off and they will die faster. And let me tell you, it is a blast! I feel I've become slightly sadistic at how much I enjoyed shooting the legs off a necromorph charging me to then finishing him off on the ground. It has a rewarding feeling like nothing else, and it's bloody. I'm not for over the top gory games, but it work well in Dead Space 2. Don't get me started on the death scenes, they gave me nightmares and I wonder whose sick and twisted mind came up with the ways Isaac cold die, because there are many. I would always let myself die against a new creature to see how he'd kill me. Would he rip me in half? Would he just eat me? One even ends with my body being dragged away to have who knows what done with it! It's sick and scary and amazing.
This is part of the reason for why the game is terrifying. The creatures are horrifying to look at and it's much worse when you know they're trying to kill you. What are scarier then seeing babies that mutated into bugs crawling at you, how about shrieking kids running at you, or maybe a creepily tall and skinny man looking creature walking at you only to burst into a plethora of bugs? It's scary and almost every time I came across a new necromorph I would flinch in fear of what he would do. Don't get me started on the necromorph who never dies…that's right, imagine a monster that regenerates, no matter what, chasing after you and all you can do is run. Zombies are scary, but not in this way. These creatures look like they were a bad science experiment as they shriek, cry, and scream sending shivers down your spine.
It isn't just the necromorph that are the cause behind the horror aspect of the game. Like any good survival game, the setting is important. Something about there being dead silence so you hear every foot step really makes you nervous. Then throw in low light, a random far away noise, maybe a close by shriek, blood splatters all over, and most importantly, the quick flash of something dart around a corner so quick, you weren't actually sure if it was anything. This game will mess with your mind. Granted, by the end of the game, you are use to this, somewhat. You won't be as spooked by silence or low light, but every now and then, a necromorph will jump out and still make you flinch. So in the beginning of the game it is scary, towards the end, after you grow use to it, the game becomes more cheap scares than anything else. By cheap scares, I mean, it will be quiet and then a sudden loud noise. Still, if you think that isn't enough, play the game alone late at night and it will be, trust me, I made that mistake.
Like most games, it is possible to upgrade your armor and weapons. You collect nodes, they aren't rare but they aren't common so I guess they could be considered…uncommon? It is better to focus on only a few things, which is what most people would normally do. I focused only on my armored suit and my plasma cutter. After I filled those out I moved onto a different weapon. You can buy nodes, so no worries in wasting any.
In fact, you can buy everything in this game. There is a shop and eventually everything becomes available there, once you unlock it by finding the schematic somewhere in the game. Besides buying a new suit or weapon, I only ever bought ammo or nodes. You find the money to buy items in random boxes throughout the game or in the dead bodies of necromorph. Never sure why necromorphs have money or ammo but any excuse to curb stomp an alien until its limbs fall off and I'll take it. And don't worry about wasting money, if you have it, spend it. I bought a ridiculous amount of ammo because I like to be prepared, and many times I still ran out so really, don't hesitate to buy ammo.
The weapons are interesting and are fun to mess around with. There is a flamethrower, a buzzsaw, a spear shooter, and more. My suggestion to all players out there, just use the plasma cutter. It is without a doubt the best gun in the game. The other weapons are fun but that's it. When you are really fighting for your life, you'll draw your plasma cutter every time. In fact, you can hold four weapons at once and I only ever had three, I sold the others, and barely used the third. The plasma cutter is all that you need, which I didn't mind, but I find it strange the first gun you get is the best one. Normally, the last gun you are able to get is the best one, but what do I know?
There is a multiplayer this time around as they try to kick up that replay value. It's nothing special, but I will suggest playing it with friends because it will be better. There are two teams, a human team and a necromorph team. Both are all actual players which is great. I thought it would be like Left For Dead in this regard. The humans would have a mission to complete and the necromorph would stop them. Although that's true, it isn't exactly as grand as it sounds. The missions for the humans are normally something that involves standing in front of a screen and pressing a button…it gets old. The levels are small and there isn't much strategy or team work involved. It's more like, everyone just charged in and attacks anything. It was kind of disappointing, especially because when I heard I could be a necromorph and chase down other players who were humans, I was beyond excited. Well, it wasn't that much fun. It was entertaining for a bit but I grew bored quickly. I told myself it would be better being the human team, it wasn't. It was equally as tiresome. You can level up and maybe once you are a higher level it is a lot more fun, but I never got up there so I wouldn't know. Even if it was, getting up there wouldn't be fun so why would I do it?
There isn't just multiplayer for replay value. There is also new game plus feature. This means, once you beat the game, you can start a new game and keep all your old gear from the last game. This is a simple feature most games have, or if they don't, should have. It almost guarantees at least another play through. Then on top of that, if you beat the game once you unlock Hardcore mode. This mode was too gnarly for me to try but those expert gamers out there will love it. Not only is everything more difficult, like less ammo, less money, and tougher enemies. But you can only save THREE times throughout the entire game. That is insane and will challenge and frustrate the most extreme gamers. Thinking of it this way, you can get at least three solid plays through the campaign making the replay value just a little higher.
There was only ever one other major complaint I had when it came to this almost perfect horror game. At times, the rooms are clear different sections of the game. Now what I mean by that is this: some creatures won't leave the room they are in. Once I stepped into a large room and it was filled with creatures. I stepped out of the room into a narrow hallway hoping they'd follow me so I could make them go single file for an advantage. They didn't. They stayed in that room. It meant I had to fight them in that big room which would give them the tactical advantage. I understand why the game works like this but at the same time, it is slightly disappointing it was restricted like that. That's about the only complaint from me. I read it didn't improve or change much from Dead Space 1, but I never played it so I can't say that for myself. I can see that being true though, since if Dead Space 1 was like this and I know it was successful, it would be hard to change a great system.
Dead Space 2 is amazing, honestly, one of the best horror games I've ever played. It has many scary moments and I was always on edge while playing it. At the same time, it isn't without action. Shooting the limbs of terrifying necromorphs might be the most rewarding gaming experience I've ever had. With a perfect mixture between survival, horror, and action, this game has it all. The game play is so smooth all other games should mirror this one. Even the zero-gravity sections have amazing controls that aren't hard to use to keep things flowing. The futuristic setting works wonders and every time you have a chance to look out a window into space, it is breathtaking. The little details are just as amazing, a flood-light placed perfectly to shine just the right amount of light down a blood-splattered hallway that you now have to walk down only adds to the freight this game dishes out. I can say without any hesitation to buy this game immediately, you won't be disappointed.
Check out my blog for more reviews.
http://nconnorsreviews.blogspot.com/p/dead-space-2.html