Scarier, bloodier, gorier and more messed up than ever, Dead Space 2 steps up its game from the first one in a big way.
Not much has changed from the first game minus a few gameplay tweaks. For starters, Kinesis is now battle-oriented enabling you to grab sharp items and throw them back at attacking Necromorphs or pull off some poetic justice and kill them with body parts from fallen ones. Stasis returns, recharges with each use overtime and a simple button press will fill it up without risking going into your inventory. Power nodes are easy to come by plus the doors which require them to be opened hold more valuables than ever. Air cans have been completely removed for permanent oxygen tanks placed in convenient areas. Zero-G has gone through a major overhaul, giving more freedom to move around the room affected with no gravity and etc.
Other neat additions to Dead Space 2 would be some of the new arsenal of weapons Isaac obtains. All of the older ones make their return (some have not changed one bit while others have changed or improved for the better) though the newer ones are pretty good themselves. The Seeker Rifle is like a sniper rifle and is an extremely powerful weapon (though it can be difficult to use) with zoom-in capability for extra damage, the Detonator sets motion-sensor mines for unsuspecting Necromorphs and is more of a defensive weapon than anything else and the Javelin Gun hurls javelins (duh) at enemies and a simple press of the alternate fire will unleash a massive electric shock to the poor sap that gets nailed by the first shot as well as everyone else surrounding it. With over a dozen weapons to choose from with many creative ways to dismember your enemies, the possibilities are endless. Also some of the older weapons have gone through vast improvements from the first game, especially the secondary fire. The Pulse Rifle drops the overhead 360 degree shooting for a grenade launcher, the Force Gun's primary fire has greatly improved and is more devastating than before along with its secondary fire which also packs quite a punch itself.
Some of the old favorite Necromorphs make their return while a bunch of brand new, horrifying and downright annoying ones make their debut. Making their first appearance are the Pack, a bunch of mutilated toddlers that travel in groups that try to overwhelm you. They are the weakest enemies you will come across but they also hurt very badly if you let them get too close. The Puker hurls bile of acid at Isaac slowing him down tremendously, leaving him vulernable for an open attack from any other Necromorphs surrounding the area and will literally run into your face to, well, puke in your face. But the award for 'Best Newcomer' easily goes to the Stalkers. Similar to the raptors from Jurassic Park, these creatures are much smarter than the average Necromorph cleverly hiding behind cover while peeking behind corners and when the opportunity is right there, charge towards Isaac in an attempt to ram him with their hard heads. They hurt quite a lot should that battering ram connect and while you are busy fighting one Stalker, another will sneak up from behind in an attempt to flank Isaac. Stalkers fight similar to the Pack, using their numbers to overwhelm you but as noted, their intellect is far greater and they take quite a lot of ammunition to take a whole group of them down.
A final thing to note is that Dead Space 2 is way harder than the first one, especially on Normal difficulty but with careful planning it is manageable. The last game's hardest difficulty was Impossible Mode for a reason, while this year's game increases the difficulty even more. There's Zealot difficulty where ammo and health rarely drops and enemies will tear you apart while the final difficulty REALLY pushes thing: Hardcore. Ammo and health items are even more rare to come by, getting killed will respawn you at the last area that you saved and you can only save three times throughout the entire single player experience on Hardcore. Dead Space 2 really tests your skills and the reward in itself is extraordinary.
The single player experience takes about 9 to 10 hours to finish. Once that is over, the multiplayer experience awaits. In this you control either a bunch of human soldiers to successfully execute certain mission objectives or play as one of 4 Necromorphs: Slashers, Lurkers, Pack and Pukers to prevent the humans from clearing their objectives. Both classes have their strengths and weaknesses and are both rather fun to play with.
Dead Space 2 improves in a big way over the first one. Anyone who has played Dead Space 1, it is a no-brainier to buy Dead Space 2 as well. Cause once the single player experience is over, New Game Plus awaits or multiplayer. Highly recommended.