Isaac Clarke may have survived the events that took place on the ill fated USG Ishumura , but his mind was forever scarred due to the Markers manipulation. He was found drifting in space, and was brought to a city known as the Sprawl. Three years later, Isaac wakes to find another necromorph outbreak has just taken place on the Sprawl. He also discovers that Nicole, his girlfriend on board the Ishumura, is following him around on his journey for survival. Isaac begins to battle his scarred mind, while trying desperately to stay alive.
Dead Space 2
Developer: Visceral Games
Price: $59.99
Platform: Playstation 3 (reviewed), Xbox 360, PC
So Begins Dead Space 2, the next chapter in Visceral Games survivor horror franchise, and Visceral has not missed a beat in this outstanding sequel. The story takes place three years after the events on the USG Ishumura, and the Aegis VII Mining Colony. Isaac Clarke has once again found himself in the middle of a nightmare, as he wakes to discover that not only has another necromorph outbreak occurred, but the Marker, which was revealed in the first game to be an alien artifact found on Earth, has been rebuilt on the Sprawl. But Isaac’s mind is not all there anymore, as he is constantly visited by his dead girlfriend, Nicole. Isaac sees her at unexpected moments, and Isaac knows it’s the Markers way of calling back to him. If you did not know already, the Marker causes people to become insane, scarring their minds with terrifying alternate realities.This is where the game really highlights its level of horror that Visceral has set forth in their sequel. Yes there are places in the game where it intensifies, and the volume is conveniently increased to make you jump, but Isaacs’s fragile mind is more terrifying than the monsters he encounters throughout the game. I began to question many of the actions taken by Isaac, as there is the very real possibility that some of the things that he is witnessing are just in his head. This distinction makes our hero an absolutely flawed hero that cannot differ between reality and his imagination, but Visceral has also fleshed out Issac’s personality. In several tense moments, Isaac will crack a joke or two to lighten up the situation, something that I heavily admired while playing the game. Visceral has turned Isaac into a worthwhile character, and with the story revolved around his every move, I was left emotionally attached to Isaac, ultimately wanting more when the end credits rolled by.
Game play has improved from the first game, which felt sluggish at times, especially when trying desperately to whip Isaac around in a 180 degree fashion. Navigating Isaac is a lot smoother in Dead Space 2, which is greatly appreciated in those tough moments in the game, and trust me, there is a lot; although I would still like a way to quickly turn Isaac around seeing how many enemies attack him from behind, leaving him completely outnumbered in some situations, and making certain points slightly tougher than they need to be. Even the action in the game has improved. There are many set pieces in the game that definitely go for chaos, for example, the train scene goes from a standard train ride, to a fight for Isaac’s life in mere seconds. Explosions happen plenty in this game, but trust me, this has not taken away any of the “scare” moments. Necromorphs still jump out at unexpected moments, and areas that seem to be safe, turns out to be another room for a necromorph attack. In fact, right out of the gate, I never really felt safe. This made me feel tense whenever I walked into a room, or even when I jumped into an elevator. I had no trust in the environment out of fear that it was housing another enemy, which plays a part in the excellent atmosphere Visceral built for this game.
Atmosphere is something that should always be stressed in a horror game, and Dead Space 2 does it well. First off, lighting is absolutely beautiful in this game. From being in a poorly lit room, to being in a mall that has bright lights reflecting off of every wall, these ambient details never failed to amaze me. The beautiful lighting contributes to the interesting level design. Navigating through the Sprawl is both terrifying, and awe inspiring, with areas that are covered in blood, to an elementary school setting that is all but innocent, to beautiful panoramic shots of the city with Saturn in the background. Music also sets the tone for this horror fest. Driving tempos, matched with a score that chills the spine with terror and despair, makes this a wonderful soundtrack that sets a unique, and horrifying atmosphere for Dead Space 2.
Multiplayer has been added to the mix this time around, and I’ll be honest, I was a little hesitant about the multiplayer prior to the game’s release, but after a few hours of playing it, I became absolutely hooked. It is entirely objective based, with some missions requiring the human players to take off in an escape pod, or turning on a fuel core to take out the necromorphs, as well as smaller objectives like powering up the escape pods, or finding parts to build the fuel core or generators. Four players take on the role as the humans, who are equipped with two guns, and the stasis module, which is used to slow down enemies, and four other players take on the role as the necromorphs, who are aided by several A.I. controlled necromorphs. I find it to be a little unbalanced when taking on a human as a necromoprh head on. Stasis is the main culprit of this issue; however, the necromorphs have strong attacks, and a larger group makes for human players to be surrounded and overwhelmed by a constant barrage of attacks. Team play is the key concept here, and if a player begins to stray away from covering his or her teammates, no matter their skill level, he or she will most likely get taken out in a matter of seconds. The necropmorphs have a choice as where to respawn, often times in vents that can be right underneath a human player. Respawns can easily be used to overwhelm the human team, and cut off certain players from the rest of their team. Necromorphs are also equipped with an execution kill, for example, a Lurker can jump on top of a human player and must wrestle with them for the kill. The kills are both impressive, and disgusting, but trust me, seeing a human player get dismembered, never gets old. The multiplayer provides dozens of un-lockable guns, upgrades, and suits, as well as a ranking system that will take hours to climb, lending to its high replay value.
The Final Word
This is what a sequel should be. Visceral Games improved on what made the first game great, but still kept to the game’s survivor horror theme. There is a lot of replay value offered here; from different suits to collect that each carries their own specific traits, to five difficulty settings, one of which is Hardcore mode, that will take true skill in order to complete, to a multiplayer experience that is heavily dependent on team work, all the while still ushering fast paced game play that keeps the atmosphere that Dead Space 2 sets out to create. 2011 has just begun, but Dead Space 2 is already a contender as one of the best titles of the year.
– MonsterVine Rating: 5/5 – Excellent
