It had been three years since the original Dead Space made audiences scared of anything pointy and dark corridors. Now, with Dead Space 2, it was time to do it all over again. Isaac Clarke awakens from a coma, experiencing strange visions and confusion, he travels through the space station The Sprawl, only to find that the Necromorphs are still there to haunt him.
People often rave about Dead Space 2, and for good reason. There is plenty that this sequel to Dead Space offers players, and Dead Space certainly does some things better than the other Dead Space games in the EA series.
7 Learned From The First
Most games don’t get everything right the first time around. In the case of Dead Space, that meant continuing to grow and evolve its engine, and features to make the sequel bigger and better. After the ending of the first Dead Space, Dead Space 2 received some major upgrades in the form of graphics and controls, and it certainly feels like it as players begin a new chilling, and gruesome journey into The Sprawl.
Mechanics feel a lot better in Dead Space 2, and notably so. It’s great to see the developers of Dead Space learn from their game, and grow new ideas into great new things. Dead Space 2 managed to get a lot of things right, and brought players a refined and smoother experience.
6 The Creepiness
There’s something about infirmaries that are pretty unsettling, and when weird Necromorph babies are thrown into the mix, it’s dialed to 11. Dead Space 2 has a whole new level of creepiness that wasn’t seen in the first or third game. Whilst Dead Space is notably scarier, Dead Space 2 certainly wins in the creepy factor of things.
The idea of an abandoned institute is terrifying, and when genuine monsters are lurking around corners and in vents, it just makes matters a whole lot worse. The Crawlers are infant Necromoprhs that just make players want to turn off the game in fear, and that’s just the beginning.
5 Grotesque Gore
The developers of Dead Space saw how the game was received in the R rating section of things, so it is only natural that they decided to make things even more gruesome. Animations are notably more brutal, there’s an abundance of flesh, blood, and limbs to be spliced out, as well as plenty of death animations for those that truly want to see what gore the game has to offer.
Not only is the game feature more blood and guts than before, but there are some horrific scenes involving themes that are uncomfortable for squeamish people. One scene, in particular, sees players control a needle that needs to go directly into Isaac Clarke’s eye. Failure can result in his eye being gouged out, but success isn’t too pretty either.
4 More Action Packed
There are still plenty of horror elements to Dead Space 2, but the bigger the budget, the bigger the means for destruction. Dead Space 2 features a lot more action than the previous game, and that works in its favor. Isaac Clarke becomes less of a survivor and more of an action hero. Considering he has experience with the Necromorphs, it’s time he shows them who is the boss of whom with the Plasma Cutter in hand.
There’s more weaponry to excite the player in Dead Space 2, and players can expect exciting moments both with guns in hand, and those in cutscenes. The more action-orientated Dead Space 2 allows for the sequel to breathe away from its predecessor.
3 Character Development
There are a lot more characters in Dead Space 2, and these characters are seen, rather than heard through audio logs. The mystery of certain characters certainly adds to the intrigue of their being, and the nervousness for their survival. Yet, perhaps one of the more fascinating aspects of the game is the fact that Isaac Clarke has found his voice.
Thanks to Gunner Wright, Isaac Clarke performed. The character becomes a person and is no longer just the player in a RIG suit. Isaac Clarke has feelings, and the acting is greatly suited to his dilemma. Players will see Isaac Clarke turn from a scared engineer to a badass Necromorph hunter, but, still slightly scared.
2 The Setting
Although Dead Space's cold and breathless atmosphere is superior, Dead Space 2 certainly takes things up a notch when it comes to location. Dead Space 2 is set on the Sprawl, which is a grand space station in the remains of Saturn’s moon, Titan. It furthers Dead Space’s lore, featuring beautiful sights for the player to gaze upon. Sights are rudely interrupted by undead stabbing monsters.
There’s great architectural beauty in Dead Space 2. Visually, the game is stunning, and the backdrops for locations and certain rooms that can be explored also make for a grander setting. The game is still pretty disgusting, with a heavy emphasis on blood to ruin the pretty hallways.
1 4v4 Multiplayer Mode
Something that was lacking from the original Dead Space, and missing from the third, is that of a multiplayer versus mode. Dead Space 2 decided to dedicate some of its time to letting players face off against each other in humans vs Necromorph mode. This mode consisted of team-based matches, in which each team of 4 online players will be the Titan Station Security Force and the Necromorph horde.
There’s a variety of objectives in the game mode that require focus and teamwork, and all the Necromorphs have to do is kill the human team to stop them from advancing on their objectives. It was a fairly decent multiplayer mode for a game that didn’t need it to thrive.