What is with this new complaint about sameness?

It IS called Dead Space 2. It is SUPPOSED to be like Dead Space 1.

I just don't get it. Assassin's Creed:Brotherhood got an 8.5 for being like AC2, but was AC2 not a freaking awesome game?

Like others have said if it was completely different from the first one you would complain about that.

Not to mention gleaning impressions from a demo about the entire game really isn't practical. The demo just provides enough time to see if you would have fun or not. They aren't going to introduce ANY important new gameplay elements in a demo.

This is like people complaing about GTA IV being too realistic and not having enough weapons or car modifications when they forget that GTA IV was the first GTA game to have a cover system and multiplayer. Both of which DRASTICALLY changed gameply in that series. Going back and playing previos GTA games without cover is extremely weird now.

New additions to Dead Space 2 that I remembering hearing about besides new weapons and stupid stuff like that. (After all Isaac is an everyman engineer, he isn't supposed to have access to crazy weapons just practical things that can be used as weapons):

Isaac has a voice (minor thing, but really changes the dynamic of interaction and storytelling)

Game takes place on a planet instead of mainly on a ship (this means bigger, more open areas and potentially vastly different scenery from one chapter to another as well as larger boss fights)

Complete Zero G control (I don't know if you have ever seen NASA space suits, but those guys move slow as hell too b/c its OUTER F U C K I N G SPACE!)

Several new Necromorphs

Multiplayer

Those are just a few things I remember hearing and I don't even follow that stuff closely. Just Multiplayer and a new setting are enough for most sequels.

I am MUCH more afraid of this game being too different from Dead Space 1 because of how open the environments could be on a planet setting instead of the dark, lonely corridors of the ship. The first game was good and scary because it was isolating and the environments made you feel trapped. On a planet it isn't necessarily that dire so they had to play up the psychological aspect of Isaac going mad.

If it is more of the same I for one will be happy.

Dead Space 2

Batman: Arkham City

L.A. Noire

Uncharted 3

Those are all first day buys and I will drop whatever else I am playing to play those. But games like LBP2, Portal 2, Crysis 2, Gears 3, Brink, Bulletstorm, etc. I will also play when I have the chance.

I hope Homefront is good. It looks like one of those hit or miss games.....like it will either be awesome or completely suck and nothing in between.

There are a ton of good games coming out next year. Really there haven't been so many potentially great games coming out in one year in my memory.

Actually 2010 was a GREAT year as well. I am still catching up on several games I haven't gotten to yet. I just started Bayonetta and I still need to play RDR Undead Nightmare, Darksiders, and Vanquish. Those were all games I wanted to play, but they didn't seem like must plays to me, but in hindsight I think Bayonetta should've been because it is definitely one of the most fun games I've played.

Dead Space 2 no doubt about it....2011 has a TON of great looking games coming out but I am most exciting about Dead Space 2..well besides Uncharted 3.

There are too many other good games to mention, but I do hope Rage and Homefront are good. I am almost certain Rage will be if its not too much like Borderlans, but Homefront looks hit or miss.

AFAIK if you've got 0 achievements you can erase it off your gamerhistory. Question is why do people here think that going after gamerscore is idiotic or something like that? Some people like earning GS, but it's absurd if you'll overdo it. I'm not that concerned to about that GS thing, I just like to get certain achievements if they pose a challenge. That way I can prove that I have really done it.heatsinkhole

Incorrect. If you put a game in your Xbox 360 and start it up while signed into your gamertag it is there forever. You can't delte it. Trust me I would if I could. You can't do it on PS3 either. I have like 5 games with 0 gamerpoints b/c I tried them out and they were terrible. Plus there are a few football games on there that I have like 50-100 on. It's no big deal really b/c I really don't care about gamerpoints at all, but I am a little OCD about completing things so it does bother me on some level that I can't even test out a game without it permanently remaining on my console. Sure you could use a throw away offline tag, but every game I play has good reviews and I assume I will like. 9 times out of 10 I will like it and even when I don't it is usually decent enough to at least finish, but sometimes games just aren't my taste or are down right terrible. Borderlands was one of those games....Tons of people loved it, but I can't play a game with absolutely no storyline. Collecting things is fun, but without something driving me to collect these things I lose interest quick. Another game was Hitman: Blood Money. I like the Hitman series and this game got good reviews, but it was just slow and boring to me.

I'm not arguing that Red Dead isn't a GOTY contender, but how was it so unique? It's GTA in the wild west.

Operative words Wild West. It is a western game. Their have been VERY few western/frontier games and NONE of them have been good except RDR. Sure it is a lot like GTA, but I consider that a good thing. Also the online modes are the most unique I've played lately besides AC:Brotherhood. The posse aspect and being able to play poker and liar's dice as part of multiplayer free roam is a new idea. My guess is most people never played RDR's multiplayer and that is a shame b/c it is really fun.

I think its RDR and I don't think anything else comes close.

Lots of people will say Mass Effect 2 and it was a very good game, but RDR was so unique and engrossing it is hard to argue with it. Plus the Undead Nightmare DLC is like a whole new game. IDK to me it was clear as soon as I started playing RDR.

I think mentioning Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is important. It would be VERY hard for me to give my GOTY to a FPS, but BFBC2 is worthy of it. If it wasn't released in a year with so many good games I think it would be up there. Despite being an Xbox Live game Super Meat Boy should also get a mention. I sunk more hours into that game than any other.

Everyone is predicting Mass Effect 3 will win next year and it very well could, but for next year I would bet on Dead Space 2 or maybe even L.A. Noire. Dead Space was my GOTY when it came out.

I'm 25 so I usually get gift cards, clothes, and toiletries for my birthday and Christmas (This is what happens when you get older).

I did ask my mom for a Xbox 360 S 4GB this year though. I have several 360's, but they all have something wrong with them (I used to fix/mod 360's; basically paid my way through college doing it). I just want one working console that most likely won't break. I can fix anything that breaks, but I honestly don't want to mess with it anymore. The little free time I have I'd like to spend actually playing games instead of repairing consoles.

I bought a ton of games and movies for friends though on Black Friday and Newegg has a TON of good games for $15-$30. If there are some classics you need to catch up on I would check that out. They had Bayonetta, Demon's Souls, MGS4, Street Figher IV, Bioshock, Dead Space, Mass Effect 1 and 2, The Orange Box, Gears of War 1 and 2, Fallout 3, etc. for under $20. IMO those are all must plays. Great time to get your friends or yourself a late Christmas gift.

Honestly I don't need much else. I have a PS3 and Xbox 360. I have a 42" Plasma and I don't want anything bigger and my PC does everything I want it to.

One thing I would ask for is a maid for the year. I'm OCD about keeping stuff clean, but I'm too busy and lazy to do it myself and my g/f won't do it for me so yeah a maid for the year would be excellent.

This year has been a great year for gaming, but Microsoft had the better year for exclusives I think. 2011 has a TON of great PS3 exclusives coming out so it looks like PS3 will dominate next year. Lucky I have both consoles.

Top 5 Favorite Games

1. Red Dead Redemption

2. Heavy Rain

3. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

4. Battlefield: Bad Company 2

5. Super Meat Boy

Those aren't necessarily the top 5 BEST games of the year, but those are the ones I have had the most fun with. I was REALLY busy this year though so I haven't played Bayonetta, Vanquish, Halo Reach, Mafia 2 or God of War 3 yet. I just started Vanquish and it will probably be in my top 5 funnest games after I'm done with it.

I am way behind I still need to play Darksiders and finish MGS4. I have only had my PS3 for about a year so I have been working my way through all it's good exclusives, but I still need to get to Resistance 2 and Killzone 2 before the sequels come out too. Luckily, I will have more time on my hands this coming year, but there are so many good games slated for 2011 I am afraid I will only get more behind, but I guess that is what you call a good problem.

Super Meat Boy is the hardest game I've played in a long time. I remember Dead Space being pretty Difficult on the hardest difficulty as well because I didn't use NG+.

Demon's Souls for the PS3 is a really tough and really good game. There are parts in the earlier levels that are close to impossible to beat your first time through.....you have to die a few times to learn the enemies tricks. Plus if you don't use the unique online play for that game for some of the boss fights they will make you break controllers and quit the game. I knew how to level my guy so the second half of the game was easier, but if you don't follow a leveling guide or have an idea of what you are doing then the whole game is going to be really tough.

Oddly, Demon's Souls and Dead Space are the two games I have sunk the most hours into recently besides RDR. Meat Boy is the only Xbox Live game I have spent enough time to 100%. Actually its the only game I've ever got 100% on. If you can get 100% on Super Meat Boy then you have really done something. I would venture to say about 75% of gamers can't handle Super Meat Boy's difficulty enough to beat the Dark World....maybe more.

I HATE gamerpoints and trophies.

If you just try a game out and it turns out to suck you have it on your console forever and you have 0 out of 1000 gamerpoints.

Games that you play that you end up liking and beating you rarely get over 500-600 gamerpoints unless you sink a ton of hours into it.

I play all games on the hardest difficulty and when I beat them I usually have between 400-600 points. I think the highest I have is Modern Warfare and RDR which are both at around 800.

The point is......who gives a frak about gamerscore?

If you want to up yours then just play the games you want to play on the hardest difficulty and beat them. If you do that every game you beat will give you at least 400 gamerpoints. Doing all these stupid, mundane tasks to get 5 gamerpoints is idiotic. I have NEVER gotten a gamerpoint going out of my way to do something. EVERYONE I have gotten came in the course of just enjoying the game. Now I am a hardcore gamer and that is what I play all my games on the hardest difficulty because most games now-a-days are pretty easy anyways. But I only have like 17K on the 360 and I have no idea what I have on the PS3. It doesn't matter man just enjoy the games you play.