Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Grows on you"

I have to be honest with you, I purchased Dead Space 2 when it was first released, but for some unknown reason I stopped playing it halfway. I can't think of what the reason for such a long delay was, but boy I hope it was worth it. I revisited the series recently and just finished Dead Space 2. It was such an outstanding journey, exactly my type of game – engaging, atmospheric storyline, mind-blowing aspects, spectacular space visuals and good gameplay. All that, plus some scary moments, which are what the Dead Space series is supposed to provide to start with. And Isaac Clarke finally speaks up…

Story
Dead Space 2 follows up on the events of the previous game. After escaping the Ishimura planetcracker ship, Isaac Clarke finds himself stuck on a colonized space station, called the Sprawl. Well, needless to say, the Sprawl has been overrun by necromorphs and Isaac has to battle through vicious hordes, trying to figure out what caused the outbreak and while rigorously fighting his own dementia. The story is very engaging and will be something that you would look forward to hearing more and more about. Though, it does not have the "surprise" factor as much as the first game did. Which is rarely the case anyway, in any franchise I have played. 8.5/10

Graphics
Visceral Games deliver once more on the graphical presentation. The scenery is outstanding, the attention to detail is spectacular. Overall, visuals are top-notch and probably the best aspect of Dead Space 2. 10/10

Sound/Voice Acting
If you've ever played Dead Space before you would know that atmosphere and sound play huge role in its design. Being a horror game makes it a necessity for you as the player to be aware of every sound around you - from dripping water and static electricity to crawling necromorphs, rapidly approaching towards you. Once again, we hear outstanding ambient sounds, mixed with excellent sound effects. Voice acting is great as well, but the most notable difference is the fact that Isaac Clarke speaks now. In the previous game, he was completely silent and just followed orders. It is nice to put a voice to a face of such a popular protagonist finally. 9.5/10

Gameplay
There aren't many gameplay innovations that separate Dead Space 2 from its predecessor. There are some new weapons and new suit upgrades. The shooting mechanics are the same, the upgrade system is also similar. The major difference in gameplay is the way Isaac propels himself in a no-gravity areas. The current suit is equipped with propellers, so Isaac is able to "fly" around the area, as opposed to jumping from a surface to surface in the first game. It definitely adds more flexibility to your character in these zones. 8/10

Overall
Dead Space 2 is an outstanding game. While there aren't many differences between the two games in the series, it advances the story, it improves on the visual presentations and has outstanding production values. I regret delaying to finish Dead Space 2 as the game ended up being a proper and satisfactory journey in space. And the best part of that experience is that the third one is coming out soon! 8/10

EvilSelf