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This thread has been linked to the game 'Dead Space 2'.
Isaac Clarke sets off on phase 2 of his quest to separate limbs from Necromorphs and this time he comes armed with a face and a voice!
I followed the progress of Dead Space with anticipation, eagerly waiting to get my hands on the game. And then I played the demo and lost all interest. Thankfully a friend convinced me to ignore my experience with the demo and give the game a try. A £7 price tag also helped, I won’t lie. I very much enjoyed Dead Space but I never felt there was any need for a sequel but I was willing to give it a try.
Throughout Dead Space we never saw Isaac’s face, it was always hidden in his distinctive suit or the camera placed behind his head. And other than some grunts, he kept his words to himself. This all changes for the sequel and no doubt it will upset some but it neither adds to takes away from the game.
The events of Dead Space have taken their toll on poor Isaac and this time round he is not only battling the Necromorphs, he is also battling with his sanity. His sanity, however, is less likely to disembowel him.
The game kicks off in a psychiatric hospital and the Necromorphs come to check how Isaac’s treatment is going. The hospital is a blood bath in no time and you find yourself helplessly fleeing for your life unable to fight back. It’s certainly a very good start to the game.
Dead Space created a very atmospheric and tense environment and the sequel applies the ‘if it isn’t broke’ logic, sticking to the formula that worked so well in the 1st game. Isaac will be
passing along many dark and dingy corridors, walking past blood splattered walls, damaged doors and devastated rooms. The selection of mutilated dead bodies and blood written messages on the walls leaves the player in no doubt as to the danger they face. Seldom will you be in a location that makes you feel safe.
The game plays with your mind, unsettling you at various points with lights falling from the ceiling, a sudden blast of steam coming from a fractured pipe, a clatter up ahead or a barrel rolling out from a corner.
The Necromorphs are as grotesque and brutal as before. Killing them still involves removing their limbs, a well placed head shot will do you little good in this game. Isaac has the same weapons as before which all seem to have been designed with limb removing in mind. Handy that.
Isaac still has the Stasis ability when he can slow down the movement of the item targeted, be it an enemy of a malfunctioning door. Stasis plays a more vital role this time round as the enemy numbers have increased and are more prone to attacking in numbers. Telekinesis makes a return enabling Isaac to move heavy objects or to pick up items to propel at the enemy in times of ammo conservation.
Just like in the original, Isaac will be able to pick up credits (money) and ammo from dead bodies, although sometimes a satisfying stomp is required. Inventory slots are a premium and you’ll need to carefully manage your space, you don’t want to find yourself short of usable ammo because you’ve been picking up too much ammo for a weapon you don’t possess. The credits can be spent at the ‘shop’ locations where you can also sell any unwanted good to boost your spending power. Health, ammo, weapons and improve suits are all available. Workbenches scattered throughout the game are used to upgrade your weapons and suits as before. Special nodes are used for this although these also open certain doors but you have no idea what goodies are on the other side. It could be worth the gamble or not.
The gravity free moments are expanded from the first game and like before, they play well but can get quite disorientating at times but you can quickly correct this and have your feet pointing to the floor with a press of a button. You then just have to remember what door you came through.
Dead Space 2 plays just like its predecessor and this gradually becomes to its detriment. There seems to be very few new ideas introduced and the familiarity kills the tension, you are able to predict the Necromorph activity too easily if you have played the first game. At times it feels like the developer was aware of this and has chosen to throw more enemies at the player. There are several enemies which can dash at you which causes a bit of panic as you try to aim for arms and legs. It causes a bit of tension but not like the unease of the 1st game. At times you can find yourself with multiple enemies practically on top of you which then breaks the limb removing mechanic somewhat as it can be next to impossible to aim for a limb. Some features are used to often. The barrel rolling out from a corner up ahead is good but not when you see it a handful of times. And it won’t be long before you are always checking behind you and finding a Necromorph which seems to have appeared from nowhere.
The game feels almost like it is verging on becoming an action game rather than the tension filled survival horror. You’ll find many spider like creatures and infant like Necromorphs which come at you in great numbers, these can become highly frustrating and simply feel like they were designed to separate you from your healthy ammo supply. The game knows it isn’t creating the tension from the atmosphere so it is going to create the tension by rapidly reducing your ammo and health.
But when a new idea is introduced then it does work well. At one point Isaac finds himself dangling upside down with some Necromorphs coming to see if he is ok. That works well however there are other times when a similar mechanic could have been used. Isaac will be climbing through many air vents and crawl spaces but not once does he get attacked whilst in this compromised position.
It’s not all bad news though, a new type of Necromorph does require a special mention. The scenes with these nasties are in open areas broken up with the likes of large cargo crates. These enemies display a level of intelligence and up ahead you’ll see a head popping out watching your movements. You’ll see another head to the side. You begin to wonder how many there are. They also dart about quickly ensuring you lose track of at least one of them. It is reminiscent of the scene with the raptors in Jurassic Park where they flank the keeper and he declares “clever girl”. These moments are when Dead Space 2 is at its best.
The familiarity lessens the experience though which is a great shame, there is just too much which you have seen before and in a survival horror game the player needs to be kept on their toes. The déjà vu reaches its peak when you revisit the USG Ishimura and find yourself in a room which will trigger a memory of an ambush from the first game. And it’s no surprise when you are fighting your way out of the room again.
I didn’t think Dead Space needed a sequel and Dead Space 2 hasn’t changed my mind. On its own it would be a good game and it is certainly very impressive to look at but when compared to the original it suffers and purely from the ‘seen it all before’ feeling.
7
I followed the progress of Dead Space with anticipation, eagerly waiting to get my hands on the game. And then I played the demo and lost all interest. Thankfully a friend convinced me to ignore my experience with the demo and give the game a try. A £7 price tag also helped, I won’t lie. I very much enjoyed Dead Space but I never felt there was any need for a sequel but I was willing to give it a try.
Throughout Dead Space we never saw Isaac’s face, it was always hidden in his distinctive suit or the camera placed behind his head. And other than some grunts, he kept his words to himself. This all changes for the sequel and no doubt it will upset some but it neither adds to takes away from the game.
The events of Dead Space have taken their toll on poor Isaac and this time round he is not only battling the Necromorphs, he is also battling with his sanity. His sanity, however, is less likely to disembowel him.
The game kicks off in a psychiatric hospital and the Necromorphs come to check how Isaac’s treatment is going. The hospital is a blood bath in no time and you find yourself helplessly fleeing for your life unable to fight back. It’s certainly a very good start to the game.
Dead Space created a very atmospheric and tense environment and the sequel applies the ‘if it isn’t broke’ logic, sticking to the formula that worked so well in the 1st game. Isaac will be
passing along many dark and dingy corridors, walking past blood splattered walls, damaged doors and devastated rooms. The selection of mutilated dead bodies and blood written messages on the walls leaves the player in no doubt as to the danger they face. Seldom will you be in a location that makes you feel safe.
The game plays with your mind, unsettling you at various points with lights falling from the ceiling, a sudden blast of steam coming from a fractured pipe, a clatter up ahead or a barrel rolling out from a corner.
The Necromorphs are as grotesque and brutal as before. Killing them still involves removing their limbs, a well placed head shot will do you little good in this game. Isaac has the same weapons as before which all seem to have been designed with limb removing in mind. Handy that.
Isaac still has the Stasis ability when he can slow down the movement of the item targeted, be it an enemy of a malfunctioning door. Stasis plays a more vital role this time round as the enemy numbers have increased and are more prone to attacking in numbers. Telekinesis makes a return enabling Isaac to move heavy objects or to pick up items to propel at the enemy in times of ammo conservation.
Just like in the original, Isaac will be able to pick up credits (money) and ammo from dead bodies, although sometimes a satisfying stomp is required. Inventory slots are a premium and you’ll need to carefully manage your space, you don’t want to find yourself short of usable ammo because you’ve been picking up too much ammo for a weapon you don’t possess. The credits can be spent at the ‘shop’ locations where you can also sell any unwanted good to boost your spending power. Health, ammo, weapons and improve suits are all available. Workbenches scattered throughout the game are used to upgrade your weapons and suits as before. Special nodes are used for this although these also open certain doors but you have no idea what goodies are on the other side. It could be worth the gamble or not.
The gravity free moments are expanded from the first game and like before, they play well but can get quite disorientating at times but you can quickly correct this and have your feet pointing to the floor with a press of a button. You then just have to remember what door you came through.
Dead Space 2 plays just like its predecessor and this gradually becomes to its detriment. There seems to be very few new ideas introduced and the familiarity kills the tension, you are able to predict the Necromorph activity too easily if you have played the first game. At times it feels like the developer was aware of this and has chosen to throw more enemies at the player. There are several enemies which can dash at you which causes a bit of panic as you try to aim for arms and legs. It causes a bit of tension but not like the unease of the 1st game. At times you can find yourself with multiple enemies practically on top of you which then breaks the limb removing mechanic somewhat as it can be next to impossible to aim for a limb. Some features are used to often. The barrel rolling out from a corner up ahead is good but not when you see it a handful of times. And it won’t be long before you are always checking behind you and finding a Necromorph which seems to have appeared from nowhere.
The game feels almost like it is verging on becoming an action game rather than the tension filled survival horror. You’ll find many spider like creatures and infant like Necromorphs which come at you in great numbers, these can become highly frustrating and simply feel like they were designed to separate you from your healthy ammo supply. The game knows it isn’t creating the tension from the atmosphere so it is going to create the tension by rapidly reducing your ammo and health.
But when a new idea is introduced then it does work well. At one point Isaac finds himself dangling upside down with some Necromorphs coming to see if he is ok. That works well however there are other times when a similar mechanic could have been used. Isaac will be climbing through many air vents and crawl spaces but not once does he get attacked whilst in this compromised position.
It’s not all bad news though, a new type of Necromorph does require a special mention. The scenes with these nasties are in open areas broken up with the likes of large cargo crates. These enemies display a level of intelligence and up ahead you’ll see a head popping out watching your movements. You’ll see another head to the side. You begin to wonder how many there are. They also dart about quickly ensuring you lose track of at least one of them. It is reminiscent of the scene with the raptors in Jurassic Park where they flank the keeper and he declares “clever girl”. These moments are when Dead Space 2 is at its best.
The familiarity lessens the experience though which is a great shame, there is just too much which you have seen before and in a survival horror game the player needs to be kept on their toes. The déjà vu reaches its peak when you revisit the USG Ishimura and find yourself in a room which will trigger a memory of an ambush from the first game. And it’s no surprise when you are fighting your way out of the room again.
I didn’t think Dead Space needed a sequel and Dead Space 2 hasn’t changed my mind. On its own it would be a good game and it is certainly very impressive to look at but when compared to the original it suffers and purely from the ‘seen it all before’ feeling.
7
Thanks Pete. I rented the game so I never got to try the online mode but it has never struck me as a game that needed a multiplayer aspect.
Good review Dav, I agree pretty much with all of that. I enjoyed playing through the single player campaign but I did think it felt a bit like Dead Space Version 1.5. As you say it didn't really add anything you hadn't seen in the original game. Thought the online multiplayer was abysmal though which I thought was strange seeing as it was protected by EA's controversial online pass system. What exactly are EA trying to protect? I had the game just a few weeks after it's release and there was no one was playing it then. It played like a poor mans Left 4 Dead, massively inferior in every possible way. Still, at it's now budget price it's worth picking up if you enjoyed the original IMO.
Isaac Clarke sets off on phase 2 of his quest to separate limbs from Necromorphs and this time he comes armed with a face and a voice!
I followed the progress of Dead Space with anticipation, eagerly waiting to get my hands on the game. And then I played the demo and lost all interest. Thankfully a friend convinced me to ignore my experience with the demo and give the game a try. A £7 price tag also helped, I won’t lie. I very much enjoyed Dead Space but I never felt there was any need for a sequel but I was willing to give it a try.
Throughout Dead Space we never saw Isaac’s face, it was always hidden in his distinctive suit or the camera placed behind his head. And other than some grunts, he kept his words to himself. This all changes for the sequel and no doubt it will upset some but it neither adds to takes away from the game.
The events of Dead Space have taken their toll on poor Isaac and this time round he is not only battling the Necromorphs, he is also battling with his sanity. His sanity, however, is less likely to disembowel him.
The game kicks off in a psychiatric hospital and the Necromorphs come to check how Isaac’s treatment is going. The hospital is a blood bath in no time and you find yourself helplessly fleeing for your life unable to fight back. It’s certainly a very good start to the game.
Dead Space created a very atmospheric and tense environment and the sequel applies the ‘if it isn’t broke’ logic, sticking to the formula that worked so well in the 1st game. Isaac will be
passing along many dark and dingy corridors, walking past blood splattered walls, damaged doors and devastated rooms. The selection of mutilated dead bodies and blood written messages on the walls leaves the player in no doubt as to the danger they face. Seldom will you be in a location that makes you feel safe.
The game plays with your mind, unsettling you at various points with lights falling from the ceiling, a sudden blast of steam coming from a fractured pipe, a clatter up ahead or a barrel rolling out from a corner.
The Necromorphs are as grotesque and brutal as before. Killing them still involves removing their limbs, a well placed head shot will do you little good in this game. Isaac has the same weapons as before which all seem to have been designed with limb removing in mind. Handy that.
Isaac still has the Stasis ability when he can slow down the movement of the item targeted, be it an enemy of a malfunctioning door. Stasis plays a more vital role this time round as the enemy numbers have increased and are more prone to attacking in numbers. Telekinesis makes a return enabling Isaac to move heavy objects or to pick up items to propel at the enemy in times of ammo conservation.
Just like in the original, Isaac will be able to pick up credits (money) and ammo from dead bodies, although sometimes a satisfying stomp is required. Inventory slots are a premium and you’ll need to carefully manage your space, you don’t want to find yourself short of usable ammo because you’ve been picking up too much ammo for a weapon you don’t possess. The credits can be spent at the ‘shop’ locations where you can also sell any unwanted good to boost your spending power. Health, ammo, weapons and improve suits are all available. Workbenches scattered throughout the game are used to upgrade your weapons and suits as before. Special nodes are used for this although these also open certain doors but you have no idea what goodies are on the other side. It could be worth the gamble or not.
The gravity free moments are expanded from the first game and like before, they play well but can get quite disorientating at times but you can quickly correct this and have your feet pointing to the floor with a press of a button. You then just have to remember what door you came through.
Dead Space 2 plays just like its predecessor and this gradually becomes to its detriment. There seems to be very few new ideas introduced and the familiarity kills the tension, you are able to predict the Necromorph activity too easily if you have played the first game. At times it feels like the developer was aware of this and has chosen to throw more enemies at the player. There are several enemies which can dash at you which causes a bit of panic as you try to aim for arms and legs. It causes a bit of tension but not like the unease of the 1st game. At times you can find yourself with multiple enemies practically on top of you which then breaks the limb removing mechanic somewhat as it can be next to impossible to aim for a limb. Some features are used to often. The barrel rolling out from a corner up ahead is good but not when you see it a handful of times. And it won’t be long before you are always checking behind you and finding a Necromorph which seems to have appeared from nowhere.
The game feels almost like it is verging on becoming an action game rather than the tension filled survival horror. You’ll find many spider like creatures and infant like Necromorphs which come at you in great numbers, these can become highly frustrating and simply feel like they were designed to separate you from your healthy ammo supply. The game knows it isn’t creating the tension from the atmosphere so it is going to create the tension by rapidly reducing your ammo and health.
But when a new idea is introduced then it does work well. At one point Isaac finds himself dangling upside down with some Necromorphs coming to see if he is ok. That works well however there are other times when a similar mechanic could have been used. Isaac will be climbing through many air vents and crawl spaces but not once does he get attacked whilst in this compromised position.
It’s not all bad news though, a new type of Necromorph does require a special mention. The scenes with these nasties are in open areas broken up with the likes of large cargo crates. These enemies display a level of intelligence and up ahead you’ll see a head popping out watching your movements. You’ll see another head to the side. You begin to wonder how many there are. They also dart about quickly ensuring you lose track of at least one of them. It is reminiscent of the scene with the raptors in Jurassic Park where they flank the keeper and he declares “clever girl”. These moments are when Dead Space 2 is at its best.
The familiarity lessens the experience though which is a great shame, there is just too much which you have seen before and in a survival horror game the player needs to be kept on their toes. The déjà vu reaches its peak when you revisit the USG Ishimura and find yourself in a room which will trigger a memory of an ambush from the first game. And it’s no surprise when you are fighting your way out of the room again.
I didn’t think Dead Space needed a sequel and Dead Space 2 hasn’t changed my mind. On its own it would be a good game and it is certainly very impressive to look at but when compared to the original it suffers and purely from the ‘seen it all before’ feeling.
7
I followed the progress of Dead Space with anticipation, eagerly waiting to get my hands on the game. And then I played the demo and lost all interest. Thankfully a friend convinced me to ignore my experience with the demo and give the game a try. A £7 price tag also helped, I won’t lie. I very much enjoyed Dead Space but I never felt there was any need for a sequel but I was willing to give it a try.
Throughout Dead Space we never saw Isaac’s face, it was always hidden in his distinctive suit or the camera placed behind his head. And other than some grunts, he kept his words to himself. This all changes for the sequel and no doubt it will upset some but it neither adds to takes away from the game.
The events of Dead Space have taken their toll on poor Isaac and this time round he is not only battling the Necromorphs, he is also battling with his sanity. His sanity, however, is less likely to disembowel him.
The game kicks off in a psychiatric hospital and the Necromorphs come to check how Isaac’s treatment is going. The hospital is a blood bath in no time and you find yourself helplessly fleeing for your life unable to fight back. It’s certainly a very good start to the game.
Dead Space created a very atmospheric and tense environment and the sequel applies the ‘if it isn’t broke’ logic, sticking to the formula that worked so well in the 1st game. Isaac will be
passing along many dark and dingy corridors, walking past blood splattered walls, damaged doors and devastated rooms. The selection of mutilated dead bodies and blood written messages on the walls leaves the player in no doubt as to the danger they face. Seldom will you be in a location that makes you feel safe.
The game plays with your mind, unsettling you at various points with lights falling from the ceiling, a sudden blast of steam coming from a fractured pipe, a clatter up ahead or a barrel rolling out from a corner.
The Necromorphs are as grotesque and brutal as before. Killing them still involves removing their limbs, a well placed head shot will do you little good in this game. Isaac has the same weapons as before which all seem to have been designed with limb removing in mind. Handy that.
Isaac still has the Stasis ability when he can slow down the movement of the item targeted, be it an enemy of a malfunctioning door. Stasis plays a more vital role this time round as the enemy numbers have increased and are more prone to attacking in numbers. Telekinesis makes a return enabling Isaac to move heavy objects or to pick up items to propel at the enemy in times of ammo conservation.
Just like in the original, Isaac will be able to pick up credits (money) and ammo from dead bodies, although sometimes a satisfying stomp is required. Inventory slots are a premium and you’ll need to carefully manage your space, you don’t want to find yourself short of usable ammo because you’ve been picking up too much ammo for a weapon you don’t possess. The credits can be spent at the ‘shop’ locations where you can also sell any unwanted good to boost your spending power. Health, ammo, weapons and improve suits are all available. Workbenches scattered throughout the game are used to upgrade your weapons and suits as before. Special nodes are used for this although these also open certain doors but you have no idea what goodies are on the other side. It could be worth the gamble or not.
The gravity free moments are expanded from the first game and like before, they play well but can get quite disorientating at times but you can quickly correct this and have your feet pointing to the floor with a press of a button. You then just have to remember what door you came through.
Dead Space 2 plays just like its predecessor and this gradually becomes to its detriment. There seems to be very few new ideas introduced and the familiarity kills the tension, you are able to predict the Necromorph activity too easily if you have played the first game. At times it feels like the developer was aware of this and has chosen to throw more enemies at the player. There are several enemies which can dash at you which causes a bit of panic as you try to aim for arms and legs. It causes a bit of tension but not like the unease of the 1st game. At times you can find yourself with multiple enemies practically on top of you which then breaks the limb removing mechanic somewhat as it can be next to impossible to aim for a limb. Some features are used to often. The barrel rolling out from a corner up ahead is good but not when you see it a handful of times. And it won’t be long before you are always checking behind you and finding a Necromorph which seems to have appeared from nowhere.
The game feels almost like it is verging on becoming an action game rather than the tension filled survival horror. You’ll find many spider like creatures and infant like Necromorphs which come at you in great numbers, these can become highly frustrating and simply feel like they were designed to separate you from your healthy ammo supply. The game knows it isn’t creating the tension from the atmosphere so it is going to create the tension by rapidly reducing your ammo and health.
But when a new idea is introduced then it does work well. At one point Isaac finds himself dangling upside down with some Necromorphs coming to see if he is ok. That works well however there are other times when a similar mechanic could have been used. Isaac will be climbing through many air vents and crawl spaces but not once does he get attacked whilst in this compromised position.
It’s not all bad news though, a new type of Necromorph does require a special mention. The scenes with these nasties are in open areas broken up with the likes of large cargo crates. These enemies display a level of intelligence and up ahead you’ll see a head popping out watching your movements. You’ll see another head to the side. You begin to wonder how many there are. They also dart about quickly ensuring you lose track of at least one of them. It is reminiscent of the scene with the raptors in Jurassic Park where they flank the keeper and he declares “clever girl”. These moments are when Dead Space 2 is at its best.
The familiarity lessens the experience though which is a great shame, there is just too much which you have seen before and in a survival horror game the player needs to be kept on their toes. The déjà vu reaches its peak when you revisit the USG Ishimura and find yourself in a room which will trigger a memory of an ambush from the first game. And it’s no surprise when you are fighting your way out of the room again.
I didn’t think Dead Space needed a sequel and Dead Space 2 hasn’t changed my mind. On its own it would be a good game and it is certainly very impressive to look at but when compared to the original it suffers and purely from the ‘seen it all before’ feeling.
7