It's Necromorphing Time!
The story starts three years after Isaac boarded the ill-fated Ishimura and he's survived that incident only to wake up on a space station orbiting Saturn known as The Sprawl. Unsure of what has happened since then and with another outbreak of the hideous monsters Isaac sets of across The Sprawl in search of answers all the while being tormented by visions of his girlfriend Nicole who died on board the Ishimura. The story of Dead Space 2 lacks the intrigue and solidity of its predecessor. There's not the same sense of the unknown that was present in the first. Not knowing what happened to the crew and what these grotesque enemies were and if they could be stopped all contributed to the fear and adrenaline that made the game work so well. Since these revelations are now known to the player developer Visceral Games have had to rely more heavily on the emotional aspects of Isaac in order to progress the story. For this reason then Isaac is given a voice and a face something we saw neither of in the first game. Isaac however is not about to turn into a wise cracking, adrenaline fuelled action junkie. Both his face and voice are pretty generic so as not to undermine the overwhelming sense of fear the game tries to create, after all the stars of Dead Space are always going to be the necromorphs.
As well as all the old familiar favourites these disgusting creatures come in a few new flavours this time around including demon childlike necromorphs known as crawlers, pukers who use projectile vomit meaning distance won't keep you safe to the scariest and most formidable opponents to grace the Dead Space world so far, the leapers. These raptor-like enemies hunt in packs and will hide behind cover waiting for their moment to strike and do so with lighting speed and deadly precision. The sense of fear as you wait for them to strike is above and beyond anything the series has thrown at you so far, fortunately though Isaac also has a number of highly effective new tools in which to cut through these hideous hordes.
In the first instalment huge emphasis was placed on the plasma cutter and its ability to sever limbs making opponents easier to defeat and conserving ammo in the process. Many players used this trusty tool for their entire Dead Space experience so this time Visceral has forced players out of their comfort zone and made choosing the right weapon for the right situation the key to survival. Again each weapon has an alternative fire button making a wide variety of options available to the player catering for their playing style and also adding diversity to proceedings. The rivet gun now comes with a grenade option while the new detonator gun allows you to plant mines with lasers that do extreme damage to enemies, these can also be picked up if not used meaning you can plant some for those just in case times and get a feeling of satisfaction when you see the flying remains of an enemy who may otherwise have snuck up and scared the life out of you. Another new addition to combat is the ability to pick up sharp items scattered throughout the station and using kinesis launch them at enemies impaling them with an accurate shot. This helps when ammo is low but in close quarters situations often proves too time consuming to be very effective. Isaac's stasis supply now regenerates allowing for more use of this enemy slowing ability which you'll make good use of as the game starts throwing enemies at you at a relentless pace a few chapters in. It all culminates in a well-balanced and fun game that builds on the formula that worked so well in the first game while adding extra elements to keep things feeling new and exciting.
But as always what Dead Space excels in beyond most other games in its genre is its ability to induce fear in the hearts of even the most hardened of gamers. Fantastic lighting and sound design create an intense and unnerving atmosphere and the spectacularly designed user interface and in game cutscenes means the player is never pulled out of the horror or granted even a brief sense of security. Genuinely frightening games are rare these days so it's an admirable achievement for Visceral to have not only created this immersive and terrifying world but to have built on the concept of the original and produce something that is even more frightening and action packed than the first.
Dead Space fans will definitely not be disappointed with this latest instalment. While the story is a little lacking the game more than makes up for it with an abundance of new gameplay ideas form new weapons and enemies to improved stasis and zero g as well as a wealth of exciting set pieces all wrapped up in an extremely well-paced and atmospheric game that'll keep you playing, and frequently jumping through its lengthy and thrilling campaign.