You don't want Isaac Clarke's personal life
I loved the first Dead Space. It set the standard for how third-person shooters should look and feel. It was a masterpiece of game design. Isaac Clarke is one of the most troubled and unstable protagonists on the gaming landscape.
And now, we have the long-awaited sequel. And it looks even better than the original.
This game looks fantastic. I mean, this is one of the best looking horror/shooter layouts I've ever seen. The visual and graphic elements are nothing short of 10 out of 10. It carries the game.
And aside from one glitch that occasionally pops up in chapter 13 (most gamers don't encounter it, but it's well documented enough to be warned) the game is glitch free and runs smooth as silk. Beautiful high resolution, no chops, no lags, nothing. Technical performance is 9.5 out of 10.
The horror theme is carried very well. Everyone will jump at least a few times at various moments. It's a spooky game at times. The scenery is magnificently rendered, with flawless shadows that hint at unexpected surprises, and creepy elements manifesting unexpectedly throughout.
It's not a perfect game though. The gameplay is somewhat limiting, and eventually you figure out that Isaac Clarke's only path to redemption lies in an endless sequence of close combat with every form of space mutant imaginable. Some are huge and intimidating, others are small and sneaky as hell. Many gamers will get a little tired of it after a while. There are a few zero-G sequences to break up the monotony, and those scenes play well. But there are no side missions, no bilateral story elements, no choices that could add diversity and affect the outcome of the game.
Ultimately, Dead Space 2 is what, I suppose, it's intended to be -- a fairly linear walkthrough with an endless parade of gunfights (or harpoon fights, if you have fun using TK to pick up metal shards and launch them toward the enemy - personally I found this to be ineffective much of the time) with a never-ending stream of ghouls and monsters.
But I can live with that, especially when it looks this good.
9/10
GOOD -- Great graphics, audio and ambience. Great concept. Technically outstanding. Great story.
BAD -- Repetitious, linear gameplay for the most part. Not much in the way of gameplay diversity. Some boss battles and playable cutscenes are rail-programmed and require multiple replays.