The "Retro Game Reviews" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
This thread has been linked to the game 'Dead Space 2'.
Dead Space 2 is a third person survival horror developed by Visceral Games and published by EA. I decided to get the game when it was on a steam sale to see why it is critically acclaimed and to get acquainted with the series. Once I ran the game, I was asked to create an EA account, which pushed me into installing Origin on my PC. Now I know why EA are promoting their “Indie” bundle on Steam.
The story in Dead Space 2 takes place three years after its predecessor and the protagonist Isaac Clarke finds himself on the Sprawl; a civilian space station built on the remains of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, which was broken in a planet cracking operation. Isaac has no memory of the past three years and gets released from the hospital section by Franco. An event happens, leaving Isaac to fend for himself against the Necromorphs who have infested the station.
The survival horror aspect of Dead Space 2 is done by using “strategic dismemberment” to aim and pick off the limbs of enemies with accuracy so that ammunition isn’t wasted. Isaac has two abilities that are also key to his survival; Stasis and Kinesis.
Stasis is a projectile that Isaac can fire to slow down enemies and can hit multiple targets if they are close enough together. This is in limited supply, as you only have two shots in the beginning and it slowly regenerates over time. This ability is needed because some of the types of necromorphs can move at a very quick pace and Isaac dies quickly when one gets close.
Kinesis is an ability that allows Isaac to pull objects from range to put into your inventory or throw at enemies. This ability can be used infinitely and it is needed to survive by pulling a necromorph’s limb off that has a blade on it and throwing it back at them. This will impale a necromorph, usually killing it outright, saving you ammunition and giving you more time to fend off others if you are being attacked by a group of them.
Dead Space manages to pull jump scares by having Necromorphs play dead on the ground and attack you when you get close. This made me paranoid and I used the Kinesis ability on every corpse, which doesn’t work if they do play dead, so I wouldn’t be surprised.
Isaac’s abilities are also used for manipulating the environment to create some interesting, if simplistic puzzles to provide relief from surviving Necromorph assaults. On top of this, there are sections where Isaac has to navigate through areas with his jet pack. These sections were fine, but I didn’t like having to refill my oxygen tank repeatedly when doing some of them.
I played through the game with a keyboard and mouse and while it works, I felt that a controller would have been better. I can imagine that you would hold “x” to sprint on the PS3 and use the right stick to control the camera. Having to think about when to hold and release both the right mouse button and the shift key feels like trying to rub your belly clockwise and your head counterclockwise; hard to focus on simultaneously. However, I would assume that the mouse would be easier to aim with accurately under pressure.
Scattered throughout the levels are Power Nodes, which you can used at benches to upgrade your Weapons damage/clip size/reload speed/rate of fire/secondary fire; your Rig to increase your health/kinesis damage/air supply and your Stasis to have more charges/increase duration/reduce regeneration wait.
As you are likely to only have a few nodes, It is best to upgrade a single weapon and stick to it for the rest of the game, as spreading the nodes out will mean that you will have less effective weapons overall. Each time you die, the loading screen nearly always tells you to keep one spare node to access locked rooms. These rooms are usually full of randomly generated items, which will make things much easier for you.
Isaac has access to a store at certain locations in the game which allows you to purchase ammunition, new weapons, health packs and suits. When you buy a suit, you gain more inventory space and usually a bonus such as store discounts, weapon damage bonuses and stasis buffs. Each time you buy a suit, the bonuses carry over to the next one so you don’t have to worry about comparing gear.
You can tell when playing through the game that Dead Space 2 has high production values with the mix of gameplay and cutscenes, and the ability to pick nearly every object up. I smiled when I threw a stiletto shoe at a Necromorph. The voice acting is of a high quality, although when they speak through voice chat and when Isaac’s dead girlfriend speaks, the distortion is too high that I couldn’t understand what they were saying. It took me too long to think to turn on subtitles.
Some of the types of Necromorphs are introduced slowly over the course of the game so that there is something to surprise you. At first I enjoyed the introduction of the Stalkers, which would poke their heads around the corner and try to flank you, but then when I found a better position they all decided to run straight into my line of fire, so they aren’t very bright an AI. I was also surprised by the Ubermorph, which chased me through the final few chapters, which cannot die and regrows their limbs when cut off.
Having to be accurate with your ammo and using your abilities for survival makes the survival gameplay fun and having some interesting environmental puzzles and jetpack sequences prevent it from becoming stale. However, I felt that the game was pretty light on the story until the final few hours of the game and although the ending has a conclusion, it pretty much states “On to a new space station for Dead Space 3”. Not surprising considering the game has been confirmed, but it makes you feel like little has been accomplished.
As for the “Your mom will hate it” advert that they used, my mom walked in on arguably the most disturbing moment in the game and she hated it. It was the scene just before the introduction to the Ubermorph; if you’ve played it, you’ll know which one… *shudder*
As of writing, I couldn’t play a game on Multiplayer as no-one was online, but I suppose I am a bit late to the party. Multiplayer has a select few scenarios where you can play as a Human or Necromorph. I can’t say anything about it other than I haven’t heard much positive about it.
With campaign duration of 8-10 hours I would have been hesitant to recommend at full price, but ultimately it is a solid single game that I can recommend to survival horror enthusiasts at its current price.
7.8/10
The story in Dead Space 2 takes place three years after its predecessor and the protagonist Isaac Clarke finds himself on the Sprawl; a civilian space station built on the remains of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, which was broken in a planet cracking operation. Isaac has no memory of the past three years and gets released from the hospital section by Franco. An event happens, leaving Isaac to fend for himself against the Necromorphs who have infested the station.
The survival horror aspect of Dead Space 2 is done by using “strategic dismemberment” to aim and pick off the limbs of enemies with accuracy so that ammunition isn’t wasted. Isaac has two abilities that are also key to his survival; Stasis and Kinesis.
Stasis is a projectile that Isaac can fire to slow down enemies and can hit multiple targets if they are close enough together. This is in limited supply, as you only have two shots in the beginning and it slowly regenerates over time. This ability is needed because some of the types of necromorphs can move at a very quick pace and Isaac dies quickly when one gets close.
Kinesis is an ability that allows Isaac to pull objects from range to put into your inventory or throw at enemies. This ability can be used infinitely and it is needed to survive by pulling a necromorph’s limb off that has a blade on it and throwing it back at them. This will impale a necromorph, usually killing it outright, saving you ammunition and giving you more time to fend off others if you are being attacked by a group of them.
Dead Space manages to pull jump scares by having Necromorphs play dead on the ground and attack you when you get close. This made me paranoid and I used the Kinesis ability on every corpse, which doesn’t work if they do play dead, so I wouldn’t be surprised.
Isaac’s abilities are also used for manipulating the environment to create some interesting, if simplistic puzzles to provide relief from surviving Necromorph assaults. On top of this, there are sections where Isaac has to navigate through areas with his jet pack. These sections were fine, but I didn’t like having to refill my oxygen tank repeatedly when doing some of them.
I played through the game with a keyboard and mouse and while it works, I felt that a controller would have been better. I can imagine that you would hold “x” to sprint on the PS3 and use the right stick to control the camera. Having to think about when to hold and release both the right mouse button and the shift key feels like trying to rub your belly clockwise and your head counterclockwise; hard to focus on simultaneously. However, I would assume that the mouse would be easier to aim with accurately under pressure.
Scattered throughout the levels are Power Nodes, which you can used at benches to upgrade your Weapons damage/clip size/reload speed/rate of fire/secondary fire; your Rig to increase your health/kinesis damage/air supply and your Stasis to have more charges/increase duration/reduce regeneration wait.
As you are likely to only have a few nodes, It is best to upgrade a single weapon and stick to it for the rest of the game, as spreading the nodes out will mean that you will have less effective weapons overall. Each time you die, the loading screen nearly always tells you to keep one spare node to access locked rooms. These rooms are usually full of randomly generated items, which will make things much easier for you.
Isaac has access to a store at certain locations in the game which allows you to purchase ammunition, new weapons, health packs and suits. When you buy a suit, you gain more inventory space and usually a bonus such as store discounts, weapon damage bonuses and stasis buffs. Each time you buy a suit, the bonuses carry over to the next one so you don’t have to worry about comparing gear.
You can tell when playing through the game that Dead Space 2 has high production values with the mix of gameplay and cutscenes, and the ability to pick nearly every object up. I smiled when I threw a stiletto shoe at a Necromorph. The voice acting is of a high quality, although when they speak through voice chat and when Isaac’s dead girlfriend speaks, the distortion is too high that I couldn’t understand what they were saying. It took me too long to think to turn on subtitles.
Some of the types of Necromorphs are introduced slowly over the course of the game so that there is something to surprise you. At first I enjoyed the introduction of the Stalkers, which would poke their heads around the corner and try to flank you, but then when I found a better position they all decided to run straight into my line of fire, so they aren’t very bright an AI. I was also surprised by the Ubermorph, which chased me through the final few chapters, which cannot die and regrows their limbs when cut off.
Having to be accurate with your ammo and using your abilities for survival makes the survival gameplay fun and having some interesting environmental puzzles and jetpack sequences prevent it from becoming stale. However, I felt that the game was pretty light on the story until the final few hours of the game and although the ending has a conclusion, it pretty much states “On to a new space station for Dead Space 3”. Not surprising considering the game has been confirmed, but it makes you feel like little has been accomplished.
As for the “Your mom will hate it” advert that they used, my mom walked in on arguably the most disturbing moment in the game and she hated it. It was the scene just before the introduction to the Ubermorph; if you’ve played it, you’ll know which one… *shudder*
As of writing, I couldn’t play a game on Multiplayer as no-one was online, but I suppose I am a bit late to the party. Multiplayer has a select few scenarios where you can play as a Human or Necromorph. I can’t say anything about it other than I haven’t heard much positive about it.
With campaign duration of 8-10 hours I would have been hesitant to recommend at full price, but ultimately it is a solid single game that I can recommend to survival horror enthusiasts at its current price.
7.8/10
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
Dead Space 2 is a third person survival horror developed by Visceral Games and published by EA. I decided to get the game when it was on a steam sale to see why it is critically acclaimed and to get acquainted with the series. Once I ran the game, I was asked to create an EA account, which pushed me into installing Origin on my PC. Now I know why EA are promoting their “Indie” bundle on Steam.
The story in Dead Space 2 takes place three years after its predecessor and the protagonist Isaac Clarke finds himself on the Sprawl; a civilian space station built on the remains of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, which was broken in a planet cracking operation. Isaac has no memory of the past three years and gets released from the hospital section by Franco. An event happens, leaving Isaac to fend for himself against the Necromorphs who have infested the station.
The survival horror aspect of Dead Space 2 is done by using “strategic dismemberment” to aim and pick off the limbs of enemies with accuracy so that ammunition isn’t wasted. Isaac has two abilities that are also key to his survival; Stasis and Kinesis.
Stasis is a projectile that Isaac can fire to slow down enemies and can hit multiple targets if they are close enough together. This is in limited supply, as you only have two shots in the beginning and it slowly regenerates over time. This ability is needed because some of the types of necromorphs can move at a very quick pace and Isaac dies quickly when one gets close.
Kinesis is an ability that allows Isaac to pull objects from range to put into your inventory or throw at enemies. This ability can be used infinitely and it is needed to survive by pulling a necromorph’s limb off that has a blade on it and throwing it back at them. This will impale a necromorph, usually killing it outright, saving you ammunition and giving you more time to fend off others if you are being attacked by a group of them.
Dead Space manages to pull jump scares by having Necromorphs play dead on the ground and attack you when you get close. This made me paranoid and I used the Kinesis ability on every corpse, which doesn’t work if they do play dead, so I wouldn’t be surprised.
Isaac’s abilities are also used for manipulating the environment to create some interesting, if simplistic puzzles to provide relief from surviving Necromorph assaults. On top of this, there are sections where Isaac has to navigate through areas with his jet pack. These sections were fine, but I didn’t like having to refill my oxygen tank repeatedly when doing some of them.
I played through the game with a keyboard and mouse and while it works, I felt that a controller would have been better. I can imagine that you would hold “x” to sprint on the PS3 and use the right stick to control the camera. Having to think about when to hold and release both the right mouse button and the shift key feels like trying to rub your belly clockwise and your head counterclockwise; hard to focus on simultaneously. However, I would assume that the mouse would be easier to aim with accurately under pressure.
Scattered throughout the levels are Power Nodes, which you can used at benches to upgrade your Weapons damage/clip size/reload speed/rate of fire/secondary fire; your Rig to increase your health/kinesis damage/air supply and your Stasis to have more charges/increase duration/reduce regeneration wait.
As you are likely to only have a few nodes, It is best to upgrade a single weapon and stick to it for the rest of the game, as spreading the nodes out will mean that you will have less effective weapons overall. Each time you die, the loading screen nearly always tells you to keep one spare node to access locked rooms. These rooms are usually full of randomly generated items, which will make things much easier for you.
Isaac has access to a store at certain locations in the game which allows you to purchase ammunition, new weapons, health packs and suits. When you buy a suit, you gain more inventory space and usually a bonus such as store discounts, weapon damage bonuses and stasis buffs. Each time you buy a suit, the bonuses carry over to the next one so you don’t have to worry about comparing gear.
You can tell when playing through the game that Dead Space 2 has high production values with the mix of gameplay and cutscenes, and the ability to pick nearly every object up. I smiled when I threw a stiletto shoe at a Necromorph. The voice acting is of a high quality, although when they speak through voice chat and when Isaac’s dead girlfriend speaks, the distortion is too high that I couldn’t understand what they were saying. It took me too long to think to turn on subtitles.
Some of the types of Necromorphs are introduced slowly over the course of the game so that there is something to surprise you. At first I enjoyed the introduction of the Stalkers, which would poke their heads around the corner and try to flank you, but then when I found a better position they all decided to run straight into my line of fire, so they aren’t very bright an AI. I was also surprised by the Ubermorph, which chased me through the final few chapters, which cannot die and regrows their limbs when cut off.
Having to be accurate with your ammo and using your abilities for survival makes the survival gameplay fun and having some interesting environmental puzzles and jetpack sequences prevent it from becoming stale. However, I felt that the game was pretty light on the story until the final few hours of the game and although the ending has a conclusion, it pretty much states “On to a new space station for Dead Space 3”. Not surprising considering the game has been confirmed, but it makes you feel like little has been accomplished.
As for the “Your mom will hate it” advert that they used, my mom walked in on arguably the most disturbing moment in the game and she hated it. It was the scene just before the introduction to the Ubermorph; if you’ve played it, you’ll know which one… *shudder*
As of writing, I couldn’t play a game on Multiplayer as no-one was online, but I suppose I am a bit late to the party. Multiplayer has a select few scenarios where you can play as a Human or Necromorph. I can’t say anything about it other than I haven’t heard much positive about it.
With campaign duration of 8-10 hours I would have been hesitant to recommend at full price, but ultimately it is a solid single game that I can recommend to survival horror enthusiasts at its current price.
7.8/10
The story in Dead Space 2 takes place three years after its predecessor and the protagonist Isaac Clarke finds himself on the Sprawl; a civilian space station built on the remains of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, which was broken in a planet cracking operation. Isaac has no memory of the past three years and gets released from the hospital section by Franco. An event happens, leaving Isaac to fend for himself against the Necromorphs who have infested the station.
The survival horror aspect of Dead Space 2 is done by using “strategic dismemberment” to aim and pick off the limbs of enemies with accuracy so that ammunition isn’t wasted. Isaac has two abilities that are also key to his survival; Stasis and Kinesis.
Stasis is a projectile that Isaac can fire to slow down enemies and can hit multiple targets if they are close enough together. This is in limited supply, as you only have two shots in the beginning and it slowly regenerates over time. This ability is needed because some of the types of necromorphs can move at a very quick pace and Isaac dies quickly when one gets close.
Kinesis is an ability that allows Isaac to pull objects from range to put into your inventory or throw at enemies. This ability can be used infinitely and it is needed to survive by pulling a necromorph’s limb off that has a blade on it and throwing it back at them. This will impale a necromorph, usually killing it outright, saving you ammunition and giving you more time to fend off others if you are being attacked by a group of them.
Dead Space manages to pull jump scares by having Necromorphs play dead on the ground and attack you when you get close. This made me paranoid and I used the Kinesis ability on every corpse, which doesn’t work if they do play dead, so I wouldn’t be surprised.
Isaac’s abilities are also used for manipulating the environment to create some interesting, if simplistic puzzles to provide relief from surviving Necromorph assaults. On top of this, there are sections where Isaac has to navigate through areas with his jet pack. These sections were fine, but I didn’t like having to refill my oxygen tank repeatedly when doing some of them.
I played through the game with a keyboard and mouse and while it works, I felt that a controller would have been better. I can imagine that you would hold “x” to sprint on the PS3 and use the right stick to control the camera. Having to think about when to hold and release both the right mouse button and the shift key feels like trying to rub your belly clockwise and your head counterclockwise; hard to focus on simultaneously. However, I would assume that the mouse would be easier to aim with accurately under pressure.
Scattered throughout the levels are Power Nodes, which you can used at benches to upgrade your Weapons damage/clip size/reload speed/rate of fire/secondary fire; your Rig to increase your health/kinesis damage/air supply and your Stasis to have more charges/increase duration/reduce regeneration wait.
As you are likely to only have a few nodes, It is best to upgrade a single weapon and stick to it for the rest of the game, as spreading the nodes out will mean that you will have less effective weapons overall. Each time you die, the loading screen nearly always tells you to keep one spare node to access locked rooms. These rooms are usually full of randomly generated items, which will make things much easier for you.
Isaac has access to a store at certain locations in the game which allows you to purchase ammunition, new weapons, health packs and suits. When you buy a suit, you gain more inventory space and usually a bonus such as store discounts, weapon damage bonuses and stasis buffs. Each time you buy a suit, the bonuses carry over to the next one so you don’t have to worry about comparing gear.
You can tell when playing through the game that Dead Space 2 has high production values with the mix of gameplay and cutscenes, and the ability to pick nearly every object up. I smiled when I threw a stiletto shoe at a Necromorph. The voice acting is of a high quality, although when they speak through voice chat and when Isaac’s dead girlfriend speaks, the distortion is too high that I couldn’t understand what they were saying. It took me too long to think to turn on subtitles.
Some of the types of Necromorphs are introduced slowly over the course of the game so that there is something to surprise you. At first I enjoyed the introduction of the Stalkers, which would poke their heads around the corner and try to flank you, but then when I found a better position they all decided to run straight into my line of fire, so they aren’t very bright an AI. I was also surprised by the Ubermorph, which chased me through the final few chapters, which cannot die and regrows their limbs when cut off.
Having to be accurate with your ammo and using your abilities for survival makes the survival gameplay fun and having some interesting environmental puzzles and jetpack sequences prevent it from becoming stale. However, I felt that the game was pretty light on the story until the final few hours of the game and although the ending has a conclusion, it pretty much states “On to a new space station for Dead Space 3”. Not surprising considering the game has been confirmed, but it makes you feel like little has been accomplished.
As for the “Your mom will hate it” advert that they used, my mom walked in on arguably the most disturbing moment in the game and she hated it. It was the scene just before the introduction to the Ubermorph; if you’ve played it, you’ll know which one… *shudder*
As of writing, I couldn’t play a game on Multiplayer as no-one was online, but I suppose I am a bit late to the party. Multiplayer has a select few scenarios where you can play as a Human or Necromorph. I can’t say anything about it other than I haven’t heard much positive about it.
With campaign duration of 8-10 hours I would have been hesitant to recommend at full price, but ultimately it is a solid single game that I can recommend to survival horror enthusiasts at its current price.
7.8/10