VIDEO GAME REVIEW: Dead Space 2

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

Published by: EA Games
Developed by: Visceral Games
Release Date: January 25, 2010
Available on: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC

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INTRO: It’s back, baby. If you remember way back when (a couple of years ago), I had the opportunity to be a part of the original Dead Space’s community day where I got to tour EA’s facilities and learn all about the game before falling in love with it. I was thrilled by Dead Space and thought it really defined what survival horror was all about.

Now, the sequel is upon us and has some big shoes to fill. Can it possibly live up to the precedent set by the first game? Well, read on to find out.

Here’s the official breakdown:  Engineer Isaac Clarke returns for another blood-curdling adventure in the sequel to the critically acclaimed Dead Space. After waking from a coma on a massive space city known as “The Sprawl,” the lone survivor of a horrific alien infestation finds himself confronting the catastrophic new nightmare. Battling dementia, hunted by the government, and haunted by visions of his dead girlfriend, Isaac will do whatever it takes to save himself and dominate the gruesome onslaught. With an arsenal of tools to dismember Necromorphs and new determination, an engineer will bring the terror to space.

As they say in the commercials, your Mom is going to hate this game. You, on the other hand, are going to love it.

GAMEPLAY:

After playing through this game, I’ve come to realize that there’s a lot about the last game review that I could slot in here that would still apply. You’ve still got to go out there and dismember your enemies and use telekinesis and stasis to stop them, and the weapons are largely the same. This isn’t to say that this is a bad thing. In fact, it’s a good thing. In my opinion, a lot about Dead Space 2 is the same as the first game and this is really a case of ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. Isaac is a faster character who’s much lighter on his feet. Being able to run really helps and it becomes really important throughout the game. This is a fast paced and frenetic game that requires you to be on your toes.

And this isn’t an easy game- there are a lot of enemies that are around to mess with you. You get fat monsters filled with angry little lizard beasts, gross manta-ray things that turn corpses into necromorphs, dudes with grenade-like explosives on their arms, monsters that spew goo to slow you down, baby-like things that explode when they touch you and even more. The necromorphs are disgusting, quick, and relentless. You have to dispatch them with your arsenal of stuff. If they’re fast or numerous you have to freeze them first with stasis, then destroy them with a weapon. What you’re using for weapons, that’s up to you. You can use the new javelin thrower, or perhaps trip them up with a proximity mine. You can use the old favorites like the line gun, plasma cutter or my personal favorite, the ripper (saw blade shooter). Also a blast is the ability to use kinesis to pick up a claw from an enemy and impale them with it. Fun!

You need to plan things well in Dead Space 2, because if you don’t you’ll die (Especially because some of the checkpoint placement leaves something to be desired at times). Conserve ammo, plan your weapon choice carefully and upgrade your weapons wisely. I like that this is sort of a crap shoot but it’s really important to use a bit of strategy. Near the half-way point of the game, I was cursing my decision to keep certain weapons without a doubt and often second guessed my decisions. Luckily, in the upgrade bench where you use nodes to power up your weapons or suit, you can ‘re-spec’ your nodes and put them in another weapon for a small fee.

Other things have been updated but remain familiar as well. You still have the rig system for health and inventory which keeps things immersive to go without a HUD. Presentation is still top notch. You can also still enjoy the anti-gravity parts, but they’ve been revamped. You don’t have to do weird gravity jumps now, instead you float around freely. There are moments in the game where you open doors with canisters, and they seem to serve like really minor puzzle elements, but aren’t overly memorable. The Zero-G thing still isn’t awesome, but it gives you way more control than before.

Other tweaks, changes and improvements include rooms that have breakable glass that will send you hurtling into space if you don’t shut the airlock in time, way less confusing backtracking, a mandatory stomping of corpses (which is kind of stupid, that you HAVE to do it to get what they’ve got stashed). There still aren’t many bosses in Dead Space 2, but more mid-level battles with a big enemy that can be dispatched in a few tries. Shoot the yellow flesh! There are a good few little playable vignette sequences that stop the game from getting stale, like flying through space and trying to avoid asteroids and aiming satellites to redirect light towards different targets. There isn’t a ton of variety but there’s enough to keep things interesting.

In terms of gripes, I don’t have many. First of all, the 360 version of this game bizarrely comes on two discs, what is this, 1996? The game isn’t much longer than the last one. Oh well, small gripe I suppose. I really wish that there was a quick 180 turn option because that would do me a lot of favors. Enemies tend to cheaply spawn behind you more often than I’d like and have a bit of an unfair pattern at times. Again, hardcore gamers might not agree but I felt that some of the gameplay mechanics were a bit cheap. A lot of people have been talking about the cool story in this game but honestly, I was never really into it. I felt it was a lot of ‘you go here, you do this’ and ‘surprise, I’m actually evil’. There’s still a lot of scary moments and plenty of atmosphere, but the story itself wasn’t what sucked me in. I still had a blast playing, but I didn’t care what happened to Isaac. WIth that said, it’s GREAT that you can see Isaac’s face and hear his ice in this game. You identify more with the character and you can see that he’s losing his mind slowly while trying to project the opposite to those he encounters.

It should be noted that this game also features multiplayer for the first time. It’s alright, but it feels unnecessary i the long run. This game is very much about the single player experience. Although the chance to play necromorphs vs humans is entertaining from time to time with upgradable weapons and the ability to play as a necromorph, it just feels like a last minute addition that doesn’t add a ton to the game. It has some fun moments, but isn’t what should make you want to buy the game.

Let’s just say this- if you can play Dead Space 2 with the lights off and the sound up without getting scared, you’re a tougher person than me.

Also, as a side note, the PS3 version includes an HD version of Dead Space Extraction, which was a really fun on-rails shooter for the Wii. It will definitely add to the replay value. I haven’t played the PS3 edition, but I have played and enjoyed the Wii one. On top of that, it’s basically a free bonus as the 360 and PS3 editions both cost the same!

Gameplay: 8.5/10

GRAPHICS:

This one still looks fantastic. It actually improves on the last game and is really full of eye candy.  Environments are far more varied and interesting with more light and more color from time to time. The textures are sharp, rich and detailed. Backgrounds are deeply textured and the enemies are just vile and disgusting in high resolution. Little touches are everywhere here- you can actually see dust floating through beams of light. In different vacuums you’ll notice subtle color changes- not to mention the amazing lighting this game sports. The shadows have been improved and this game is absolutely dark, spooky, atmospheric and beautiful all at once.

Graphics: 9/10

AUDIO:

This is a game where sound is key. It is a must to play this game with a surround sound system and you’re cheating yourself if you don’t, because you won’t hear where the terrifying enemies are coming from. The sound design is awesome, the music is terrifying and the voice acting is top notch (thankfully, the once quiet Isaac doesn’t sound like Duke Nukem). 

Audio: 10/10

FINAL VERDICT:

Dead Space 2 is absolutely a quality package. I’ll make it simple- if you like the first game, you’ll really like this one too. It doesn’t redefine the series, but it tunes up and tightens areas that needed it. It doesn’t feel as fresh, but it is absolutely worth your time and money without a doubt. If you were wondering if this game was going to be worth it, it absolutely is.

Final Score: 9/10

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