Over the weekend I finally beat Dead Space 2 for Xbox360. It was a thrilling journey that kept me on my toes till the last 2 hours of the game. The entire journey was worth it though. Dead Space 2 had a good story and kept a lot of the original formulas that made Dead Space an awesome game. Visceral Games did a great job and definitely redeemed them selves from the disaster that was Dante's Inferno.
Dead Space 2 takes place three years after the events of Dead Space and once again you take on the role of former CEC engineer Isaac Clarke. If you haven't played Dead Space or need a refresher with the story from the first. Dead Space 2 provides a quick reminder about how things started from the first game. The one major change in the sequel is the fact that now Isaac Clarke has a voice and personality in Dead Space 2. This is one thing I really liked, because I don't know how much longer they could have continued the franchise with a non-speaking protagonist. The story is focused heavily on Isaac, as in this adventure it is more personal then anything else. You get to see how the first events really screwed him up, and now those events are literately killing him. Visceral Games does a good job showing Isaac's struggle in Dead Space 2.
Dead Space 2 starts off with Isaac waking up on the Sprawl which is a densely populated metropolis on Titan, one of the moon's of Saturn. It is currently three years after the hell that happened on the USG Ishimura where Isaac survived the first game. But he can't remember a damn thing that has happened during those three years. If you think about it, the last thing he does remember is surviving the Ishimura then waking up on the nightmare that has started on Sprawl. This guy never gets a break, I can see why he is going crazy. So right from the time Isaac wakes up the action begins and doesn't let up till the end. The one issue I had with the story is they never tell you why they rebuilt the marker and what happened during those three years Isaac lost. Very little is said about that it through out the game. Why are they repeating history? The marker is the reason for the hell that broke loose on the USG Ishimura, why rebuild it? This is the one thing they never answer in Dead Space 2. I guess they are leaving those questions for later sequels. So, you find out yet another marker has been made and yet again it is creating the Necromorphs that is causing havoc across Titan. Isaac then is tasked to destroy the marker and this is your mission till the very end. A lot more does go on with the story but I rather not spoil it for those who haven't played it yet.
Dead Space 2 plays a lot like Dead Space. There really is not much of a difference in game play except they give you more weapons and different suits along with thrusters in Zero-G. Dead Space 2 was built to be more action based then the original. Visceral Games took out a lot of the puzzle solving in Dead Space 2 and replaced them with quicker to solve puzzles to keep the action moving. This is what EA meant when they were going to make the sequel more action based. Luckily, this really doesn't hurt the game all that much and keeps a lot of the scare factor in the game play, but they do use a lot of the same events that scared me in the first game. Dead Space 2 is scary, but not as much as the first one.
When it comes to graphics, Visceral Games improved them in the sequel. Everything looks a lot more life like and the detail of gore and blood is done very well. The environments have been improved as well. Dead Space 2 does have a lot more open space areas then the first and the game spreads out on 2 discs. So I am very pleased with how the game looks in the sequel. Thank you Visceral Games for not just making a sequel where there are no improvements in the graphical department.
Dead Space 2 does have one thing that I thought was annoying, Multiplayer. Why does EA think that Multiplayer is going to sell more is beyond me. People bought the first game for the Singleplayer not Multiplayer. So I think this was a waste of time to tack on Multiplayer when that time could have gone into the Singleplayer. I will just never understand why publishers force developers to slap on Multiplayer. I doubt anyone is still playing Multiplayer in Dead Space 2. I never cared about the Multiplayer that I didn't even put in the key for the online pass that EA forces you to do if you want to play Dead Space 2 online. If you get this game used, don't even bother buying an online pass. This game shines in the Singleplayer and that is all that needs to be played here. Ohh and there is no Co-Op either, another reason not to play Dead Space 2 online.
Dead Space 2 was a hell of a way to start off 2011. I was very pleased and happy to play through this game. Visceral Games did a great job with bringing a sequel to a surprise hit in 2008. I can't wait to continue Isaac's journey in the coming sequels. I just hope they don't waste time on Multiplayer, unless it is Co-Op which would really be the next step for this franchise.
All around I give Dead Space 2 a
4.5 out of 5 because there are some issues with the story that could have been addressed if they didn't have to waste time on a tacked on Multiplayer.
0 = Total Garbage (Don't waste your time)
1 = Crap (Maybe rent, maybe not)
2 = Ok (Rental only)
3 = Good (Buy it, rent if low on cash)
4 = Great (Buy this game)
5 = Amazing (Don't even think about it, just get it)
Buy Dead Space 2 For Xbox360Buy Dead Space 2 For PCBuy Dead Space 2 For PS3
It seems Kairosoft, the Japanese company behind the Game Dev Story that I did a review about last month, released another game on the US iTunes store over the weekend. This time the game is about managing your own Japanese Hot Spring Inn. I became and instant fan with Game Dev Story so I have no doubt this game will be just as addicting.
