Okay Geek Farm
PS3 Review - Dead Space 2
Jamie Donnelly
Another week, another massively hyped sequel – 2011 is not allowing gamers a moment’s respite and I am certainly not complaining. Dead Space 2 is on the agenda this week, and it promises to turn our faces white with terror. Apparently, Moms hate Dead Space 2, but they’re not important. The real question is simple; is it a true horror experience?
Will it scare you?
The standard measurement of fear seems to be the amount of underwear that is ruined during a playthrough. I did not literally soil myself while playing Dead Space 2, but I always felt the need to have a spare pair of underpants on hand just in case I did. From the very first cutscene, Dead Space 2 will fill you with a sense of dread that will have you jumping out of your skin at the knock of your door or a hand on your shoulder — (Yes, this actually happened to me, and, no, I am not a whimpering coward!) It’s not just the moments that make you jump, but the anticipation and suspense leading up to these moments. There is always the sense that something is lurking around the corner. For horror fans who prefer their scares to be brutally bloody, you need not worry — Dead Space 2 is knee deep in gore, and I mean that quite literally. I never thought religiously stomping on the corpses of the dead could give such a rewarding sensation.
So What’s Dead Space 2 About?
Following on from the events in the first game, Isaac Clarke is no longer the timid engineer who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is now a hardened survivor who has become accustomed to dealing with the necromorphs. This new found confidence often boils over into a dangerous sense of bravado. Visceral Games took a brave move when they decided to give Isaac a voice, and it paid off. Although Isaac is not the deepest of characters, you can still identify with his struggle and find yourself rooting for him all the way through. Without his voice, I do not think the same level of identification could have been achieved.
The game follows Isaac as he attempts to destroy the Marker (a religious idol) on a station known as Sprawl which has also become overrun with necromorphs. His mission is hampered by a loss of memory and visions of his dead girlfriend, Nicole, as well as various other characters whose trust he is unsure of. It is not the most advanced of stories, but it is a compelling enough narrative to keep the game interesting throughout. Unfortunately however, it is letdown somewhat by the time the game comes to an end. The build-up throughout the game is intriguing, but instead of reaching an almighty crescendo it ends somewhat tepidly. Despite the links to the first game, and a post-credits hint at a third title, Dead Space 2 is still a story that can be enjoyed as a standalone title.
What’s the Gameplay like?
While it is tempting to label Dead Space 2 as a survival-horror, I would be more inclined to define it as action-horror. Quibbling over such terms is neither here nor there, however the important thing is Dead Space 2 does what it does splendidly. It is a third-person shooter, and you are given a variety of weapons which you must use to dismember the limbs off enemy necromorphs. While the gameplay is very similar to the first game, the addition of new necromorphs and weapons keeps the experience fresh. Every weapon is unique, and each player will probably settle on their own favourite. The other weapons in your arsenal are the time manipulating ‘stasis’ and the ‘kinesis’ which allows you to pick up various objects that are scattered around the station. If you want to succeed at Dead Space 2 you will have to make liberal use of both these devices; using fallen enemy limbs as weapons is not only satisfying but more importantly saves on ammo as well. Who says you can’t be environmentally efficient while slicing and dicing space zombies? The stasis will save your bacon countless times, and I lost track of the amount of close encounters I had with a necromorph who was inches from scratching my face off before I fired off my stasis and slowed it to a standstill.
The most notable step-up that Dead Space 2 makes from its predecessor is the Hollywood-style action set-pieces that are interwoven throughout the game. There are many sequences in Dead Space 2 that will leave you admiring the scale of scenario while also feeling completely trapped. The game seems to switch between lonely corridors with one enemy at a time to moments of utter panic when a seemingly never-ending barrage of necromorphs are charging towards you. There are also various puzzle sections that help break up the pace, but they are by no means challenging. The puzzles simply involve finding an object and then moving the object to the right place, sometimes on a time limit if oxygen is restricted. Despite the simplicity of the puzzles, it forms a good balance and the pace throughout the entire game feels right; when you need a break you seem to get one, and just when you think something big hasn’t happened for a while you get blown out of a window and find yourself fighting for your life.
How does it look and sound?
Dead Space 2 is up there with some of the best looking games of this generation. Its dark and gloomy setting pulls you in and the spectacular action sequences look fantastic. The only problem with setting your game in a space station is that it’s hard to be original from start to finish. Towards the latter stages of play the corridors all start looking very familiar, and the rooms and furnishings bring on a slight sense of déjà vu. This is only a very slight criticism, however, as even when it gets a bit samey it still looks great.
Check out some real-time gameplay of Dead Space 2 HERE
Making something look scary is only half the battle, as the true feeling of suspense is created using the magic of sound. Dead Space 2 is clearly very much aware of this fact, and the music and sound effects on offer create a foreboding atmosphere that will have you questioning every rustle and scrape you hear from inside the space station walls. The music dips and dives at just the right moments, seemingly building up to a big scare before hiding itself away and then picking up again for a real fright. This musical rollercoaster keeps you on edge and doesn’t let you relax for a moment.
How difficult is it and is there any replayability?
Dead Space 2 emasculated me more than any game has before. I arrogantly decided that I would play on the Survivalist difficulty (equivalent of hard) to truly put the survival element of the game to the test. Dead Space 2 was unforgiving in its assault on my pride, tearing it limb from limb as if I was the necromorph. Not only had this game scared me into an emotionally drained sack, it was also kicking my sack as hard as it could. Lack of ammo was not so much of a problem; it was more a case of never wanting to reload. At certain points in the game I was swarmed by a horde of various necromorphs and I literally was at a loss for what to do as they endlessly mauled my face if I were to even stop shooting for a second. The fact that it takes approximately three years to do a 180 degree turn means necromorphs sneaking up behind you becomes a real problem. The saving grace of dying so many times is the varied and gruesome death sequences that Visceral Games decided to include. It’s almost as if the game punishes you just so you can appreciate the effort they spent crafting these brutal scenes.
The main problem with Dead Space 2 is that I cannot see any replayability. Do I want to replay it on hardcore difficulty to prove what a badass I am? To be honest, I don’t. I imagine playing through on that difficulty would be more frustrating than anything else, and throwing my controller through a wall would just result in my neighbours being scared instead of me. The scariest parts of Dead Space 2 are when you are walking down a dark, narrow corridor and you can just feel that something is about to jump out. The anxiety comes from not knowing exactly when it will happen, just that it will. Due to the scripted nature and behaviour of the things that go bump in the night, you would know exactly when and where the big jump moments are going to occur. There would be no suspense, no adrenaline shot to the face, and it would simply become an action game.
Multiplayer
When the Dead Space 2 multiplayer was first announced many people recoiled in horror, but not in the right way. Dead Space is all about the feeling of isolation in space; the gameplay is very much based around the idea of you versus what lurks in the dark. However, as more details got announced the multiplayer started sounding like it might just work, using small teams and objective based gameplay. What’s my verdict on the multiplayer? I don’t have one. I was unable to play the multiplayer as I could not connect to a single game, even after I spent hours forwarding ports and tweaking my router settings. I do not have this problem with any other game, and so it pains me to say the fault must be with Dead Space 2. I realise this sounds like a bit of a moan, and it is, but not being able to connect to the multiplayer really was frustrating and I apologize that my review is not a complete one because of this.
Overall
Dead Space 2 manages to combine excessive gore and nail-biting suspense to create a game that is the very definition of horror. Its compelling story and engaging gameplay means that you will struggle to put down the controller on your first playthrough. However, its shelf life may be limited beyond that point as
“The standard measurement of fear seems to be the amount of underwear that is ruined during a playthrough.” I cannot see it holding up as a long term title. The issue with connectivity to multiplayer was another major disappointment, but hopefully the problem will be recognized and sorted soon.
Pro’s
- Excessive gore and nail-biting suspense.
- Atmospheric music and sound effects.
- Impressive action set pieces.
Con’s
- Multiplayer has serious connectivity issues.
- Scripted events mean replayability may suffer.
- Frustrating difficulty spikes can ruin the atmosphere.
8/10 - In a year filled with great games, Dead Space 2 more than holds its own and will definitely be remembered come December as one of the year’s best titles.
