Dead Space 2: First GOTY candidate of 2011

“We’re all going to burn for what we did to you, Isaac.”


2011 is going to be a tough year for video games. Not for fans of video games, but for the games themselves. Why, you ask? Because Dead Space 2 was only released at the end of January but could easily be a Game of the Year contender. Even with other big name titles like Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Gears of War 3 due out this year, they already have stiff competition in EA’s third person action/survival-horror game. DS 2 improves on its predecessor in virtually every way and includes multiplayer to the formula as well.

Taking place on the Titan Space Station (also known as the Sprawl) Isaac is awoken to some startling news – a new Necromoprh infection has begun on the Sprawl. He can’t remember how he got on the station or how long he’s even been there but you’re not given much time to contemplate your surroundings – the first chapter of the game is one of the most intense since you don’t begin with any weapons or even your engineering suit. In fact, you’re strapped into a straight jacket and the person who came to get you out gets turned in right in front of your eyes.

The first few minutes of the game show off some new features to Dead Space – the addition of other NPCs Isaac will encounter and interact with, as well as the greatly enhanced visuals, giving facial expressions an eerie realism. Everything about the character models and animations in Dead Space 2 seem much, much smoother than the original. In addition to improving the graphics, Isaac Clarke is no longer a silent protagonist. He’s developed quite a personality since the first game and it’s great to finally hear something from the only man who has survived the Necromorphs.

Though you only have Kinesis at first, it has been upgraded very nicely from the first game and is a great option to have in battle. You’ll need every advantage you can get in DS2 because this game is very intent on outdoing the original in every way possible. In the first few minutes of the game alone you’ll be horrified and terrorized and soon realize it’s only the tip of the iceberg. DS2 features not just some of the most disgusting enemies ever imagined or the most grotesque gore, but also ups the ante with psychological torment. Exposure to the original Marker left Isaac with a degenerative dementia – a condition that manifests itself as Isaac’s lost love, Nicole. Throughout the game, Nicole will harass Isaac in a number of different ways, each new way as unsettling as the previous.

The combat hasn’t changed much from the original. New weapons are available, like the Detonator Mines and Seeker Rifle but still can’t top the “big three” – the Plasma Cutter, Pulse Rifle and Line Gun. The Plasma Cutter is still the all-around best weapon, useful for nearly any enemy. The Line Gun is the heavy-hitter, its wide shot and timed-mine alternate fire are really helpful when surrounded or being advanced on from multiple sides. The Pulse Rifle is still the standby weapon – great to fend off enemies to switch to your PC or LG and also works wonders against weaker enemies like the Pack.

Speaking of new enemies, devising new tactics for the new Necromorphs you’ll be facing is probably the biggest way combat has changed. The Pack are smaller, physically weaker enemies that attack in large groups and can easily overwhelm you if you’re not careful. Pukers vomit an acidic substance that will not just damage you but also make you unable to run. Pukers are also very aggressive and have no problem getting right in your face. My favorite new addition are the Stalkers, though. These guys will also attack in groups of four or five but don’t just blindly charge like most other Necromorphs – Stalkers are a little smarter and use their speed and quickness to throw you off their trail and flank you. Stalkers are incredibly dangerous – I found usually the best strategy is to back yourself into a corner so at least you’ll be able to see where they’re coming from. These things are fast and vicious and have no problem hitting you over and over again, especially when you’re down.

Other, smaller improvements may not be immediately recognized but are implanted so wonderfully that you’ll think they were part of the formula all along. For instance, the (nearly incomprehensible) map is done away with and your locator can be held down to show routes to your objective, save stations, stores and benches. The melee combat was slightly upgraded, with Isaac now able to stomp crawling Necromorphs as well as to reveal dropped items. Hand-to-hand melee combat is still dangerous, with Necromorphs easily able to slice and stab at you before you can knock them back (usually).

But my favorite improvement to DS2 is the improved zero-G areas. In the original you could only jump from surface to surface in these areas whereas Isaac now has thrusters on his suit that let you maneuver a full 360-degrees. Being able to move freely in weightless areas adds a ton of fun and inventiveness to puzzles, not to mention fighting Necromorphs in zero-G is even more unnerving, since you’re never quite sure where they’re coming from.

Though the earlier environments of DS2 are new to the series, a majority of the later levels seem a little too much like the first game (one area in particular – nudge, nudge, wink, wink). While the Unitology Church, apartment and shopping areas and school are really new and colorful, too many of the later levels are all dank hallways with flickering lights or the obvious choke point areas where you can just smell an ambush coming. DS2 does a good job of keeping you on your toes and not being too obvious about when an attack is coming but a majority of the time it’ll be pretty obvious when a swarm is about to hit.

Though Normal difficulty isn’t too challenging (the last few levels can be a real pain) Survivalist and Zealot are pretty insane. You’ll pretty much always be short of ammo and using Kinesis is necessary to survive. But for the crazier fans out there, an even more intense experience exists. In Hardcore mode, you’ll be faced with the toughest enemies yet as well as the least amount of items like ammo and health to be found. But that’s not all. On Hardcore, you’ll only be able to save three times. That’s right. Throughout the entire 8-10 hour game, while facing the strongest and deadliest enemies imaginable, you’ll only be able to make a total of three saves over the course of 14 chapters. Needless to say, I did not try this mode.

DS2 also includes a multiplayer mode that’s reminiscent of Left 4 Dead but even more closely resembles Singularity’s online play. On each map, a team of Human is given a task to complete to win the round while a team of Necromorphs tries to wreak as much havoc as possible. While the idea is great in theory, the online community isn’t great. You’ll usually spend as much time searching for games as playing them. On top of that, the Human objective isn’t always very clear and more often than not, your team will wander around haplessly, getting slaughtered nonstop as they get no closer to the objective. On the flip side, it’s nearly impossible to stop a team of Humans who work together – even a well balanced team of Necromorphs will find it difficult to stop a Human team who know what they’re doing. If you have a bunch of friends willing to play it can be some great fun, especially since the Necromorph melee combat works surprisingly well (much nicer than the Infected combat in L4D2). Overall, though, I had a ton more fun in the single player, slicing up Necromorphs and achievement hunting.

It’s a testament to how great of a game DS2 is that even though the single player is pretty short (as mentioned earlier, it’s about 8-10 hours if you search every area carefully – about 6-8 if you blaze through) and the multiplayer is fun but nothing special, the excellently paced solo campaign is full of so much action and breath taking moments (like the train, the escape pod/solar array, etc.) that as soon as I finished my first play through, I felt compelled to start a second right away.

Also, the first mission DLC pack was just announced for DS2, titled “Severed.” Players will take control of Gabe Weller, a security guard aboard the Sprawl and features characters from Dead Space Extraction. Other DLC packs featuring new weapons and armor are also available now on the 360 Marketplace and PSN.