Great Game, Great Sequel, Where is the DLC? (Mild Spoilers)
If you liked Dead Space, you are going to like DS2. If you were expecting big changes in the second installment, you will likely be disappointed.
Story
You, as the intrepid (if reluctant) hero, Isaac Clarke, are back at hunting necromorphs after you barely made it off the Ishimura with your limbs intact.
DS2 kicks off with Isaac undergoing a psychiatric interview on the Sprawl, EarthGov's urban population on Saturn's Titan moon. This initial interview gives us enough information to know to two things: One, things haven't changed much since our recent escape off the Ishimura; and two, all hell is about to break loose. The interview suffices to bring us up to speed on where we are at and that the same culture of greed, corruption, and power are still in play on Titan. If this brief sequence isn't enough of a background, the game menu provides a more thorough story transition from the Ishimura to our current state of incarceration.
Like DS1, DS2 pits Isaac against everything the necromorphs can throw at us in a journey where improvisation and modification are essential to survival. The storyline does a fantastic job at making gameplay tense if not downright panicked. With supplies and tools very hard to come by and enemies all too plentiful.
If the DS2 story lacked anything it would be too great of a reliance on Isaac's old girlfriend - who despite Isaac's apparent motivation, didn't inspire me to want to re-investigate this relationship. Rather, my distrust of her inspired me to want to impale her limbs with a few javelins and call her done.
Game Play:
I found DS2 hard, even when playing on the second easiest setting. Game play is brisk and the challenges rewarding enough to prompt replays (as of this writing I'm taking a whack at nightmare mode, run through #3). There is no HUD to speak of, all of the necessary information provided through your perspective on Isaac's Rig and exposed weapons which I found in the first game as well as DS2, both innovative and immersive. Control mapping needs some tweaking on the PC version, as some controls are bit non-intuitive - particularly using the space bar for alternate fire mode. Action is hectic and supplies scant, making DS2 both a shooter and a survival adventure. Knowing when to run and when to stand and fight is crucial to conserving resources for where they will be most needed.
It is in this area of supplies and upgrades that I think DS2 may have erred to much to the side of keeping things sparse. At no time was there a feeling of dominance over the necromorphs. DS2 is a survival run to end game. Any feeling of dominance during this run is rewarded immediately by a nice serving of humble pie.
The zero gravity stuff and flying around was awesome. I only wish zero gravity was an option more often and the areas where zero gravity is employed greater in scale and complexity.
One other slightly negative comment would be on the incorporation and effectiveness of new weapons. I found after some experimentation that the plasma cutter and line gun were still excellent tools for slicing and dicing necromorphs. I found the flame thrower almost useless - there being very little advantage over a necromorph coming at you full bore and coming at you full bore on fire. Neither did I find the detonator very useful. As a mining tool, the original idea of placing laser-activated bombs in the path of an oncoming hoard sounded good on paper, but when tripping one equates to setting a half a dozen carefully placed bombs to little effect, it was hard to keep this weapon supplied. Using the detonator in primary fire mode was often a lesson in who gets blown up worse, Isaac or necro.
Graphics:
DS2 is just as beautiful as DS1. Graphics quality is almost photo realistic using the Havok engine. This is one great looking game.
What Wasn't So Great:
I am not one that gets cooperative gameplay. I prefer single player games, so take these comments with that bias in mind:
This game is too short. At about 20 hours game play, hunting every nook and cranny, it's just not enough of a good thing. I really don't want to play capture the flag or team up with a buddy. The appeal of DS2, like DS1, is the lone survivor. I'm sure I'm alone in this opinion, but I could be made to feel a lot better about it with some DLC. So where is the DLC? Let's go Visceral, let's get cracking!