Dead Space 2

Genre: Third-Person Shooter
Platform(s): PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Allegiance: Visceral Games
Vintage: 2011
Rating: M
Intelligence Agency Report by: Shadow
Your mom will hate this, and so will Isaac. That’s right, round two with the Necromorphs as you battle for survival in Titan Station. You’re suffering from dementia, people claim to want to help you, a psycho stalks you, and the dead are trying to kill you again. Engineer your way out of a new horror… fight for surivial….again.

Weapons Expert Report by: Shadow 
Story/Premise
Gameplay
Impact
Visual
Audio
8.00
9.00
8.00
9.00
8.00
Overall 9.00
(not an average)
Version Reviewed: PS3 

BOOM BABY! THIS is what the Dead Space games were meant to be! Isaac is back and ready to shoot stuff in the sequel to the horror game that didn’t live up to its genre. This time, they fixed a lot of issues, improved the graphics, increased the audio, beefed up character interaction, and actually made the effort to scare the crap out of the player. To say that this sequel blows out its predecessor would be the gaming understatement of the year. A new multiplayer element has been added as well. 

As if the USG Ishimura wasn’t bad enough, now you have an entire space colony trying to kill you, human and necromorph alike. The plot gets a bit more interesting as somehow, you’re behind this mess. How is that possible? You destroyed the marker, but apparently, everyone else knows something that you don’t. The only answers to your questions come from the mysterious Daina and the psychotic Nolan Stross. The plot in this game gets deeper and twisted in both emotional and sickening ways. The plot of the game also ties into the other portions of the Dead Space universe, making use of the original game and two of the movies that have been released thus far. The plot actually becomes more of Isaac’s internal struggles and inability to accept the trust of others and the pain of loss of his girlfriend Nicole. It actually becomes a story of a no- longer silent character who is trying to live in more than one sense. 

The characters in this game are considerably more developed and you can actually learn a bit more about who they are and see more than just bickering between them while they all work together to survive. New characters are introduced in the game, such as Stross, Titan Station Director Tiedeman, Daina, and Ellie. There is considerably more interaction between characters in this game that leads to them showing personalities and desires. And of course, as mentioned earlier, Isaac now talks. Isaac speaking in this game allows further interaction and a showing of who you’re actually portraying and just how much he hurts on the inside from his loses. 

Audio and visual, massive upgrades! That’s all there is to say there, it’s more like the good stuff that you get in your standard Xbox 360 game now. Yet, audio now takes part of the gameplay in a more advanced role. That’s because the audio actually helps to serve to give you more of a frightful experience at some places in the game that have you spinning around and actually firing off rounds on some occasions. Gameplay in terms of combat is more of the same: strategic dismemberment. And if you’ve played Dead Space, you already know the most important rule: ignore the head and the center of mass. You want to piss off the necromorphs: shoot them in the head. Also, new types of enemies, including the ones that just won’t freakin’ die, show up in the game and present you with a few new challenges and amusements. Weapons upgrades, such as the Seeker Rifle and Javelin Gun give you new Barret .50 Cal weapons or shocking results. 

There are definitely new additions to this game. While at times it can remain predictable, the game is bolstered by a more solid plot, newer and more developed characters, more customization and choices, and a more present fear element. Is this one worth buying…hell yes.