Dead Space was a game that rocked the foundations of horror video games for a long time. With its innovate AI that would stay hidden and pop out at you when you least expected it. It even continues the particularly weird and at the same time awesome storyline from the previous game. Dead Space 2 does include a few things to mix it up but keeps true to the first video game in the series. Most first video games where the main character just killed off an entire armada of enemies and lost everyone they know and love in the process portray the main character as unaffected in the second game. In Dead Space 2 however Issac(the main character) is torn apart by the previous games events and the death of his girlfriend. Several game play elements actually have to do with the fact that Issac may be losing his grip on reality. Despite that fact he still fights on anyway but at least they acknowledge it and make it a part of the game unlike other video games.
We will start Dead Space 2 on a good note by reviewing the main portion of the game or single player as some would call it. For the most part you will playing in dark environments with a light at your side and the hope that the necromorph's (zombie alien things) don't come up from behind to get you when you least expect it (they will). Often times you will hear them but not see them putting you on the edge and starting your cautiousness. It would be a lie to say that you won't spend a lot of time looking for the enemy in one room and not finding them. Then just as you are about to move on they come from behind you and attack when your guard is down. This is just one classic example of how smart the AI actually is in this game. Adding to that is the music which adds to the intensity and excitement of the unknown darkness that often surrounds you. Dead Space 2 even has a unique health bar that is located on your characters back which was used in the first video game. Basically Dead Space 2 his game is what all horror movies and horror genre video games should look at when they develop from now on because this game does it very well.
The armor of this game looks just as amazing as it did in the Dead Space and thankfully they decided not to give us the most powerful armor in the game if we purchased it the first day it came out, as they did in Dead Space. However for the first part of the game you will not be wearing armor and will look like just any other person until you get your armor back and can look totally awesome again. In a way this does make sense because in real life you could not be possibly be wearing that heavy armor all the time, so it seems like a good choice by the developers to have you get your suit as the first task in the game. A lot of the weapons from the Dead Space make a comeback in Dead Space 2 with a few changes to them(mostly for the better), all of them remain pretty unique and you may actually have to change weapons sometimes and not just blast one gun the whole game like most other shooting games. To add even more worth to single player the upgrade systems and purchasing system is very well done and you cannot just buy everything too early or not have the ability to buy things due to money restrictions later in the game.
Much like the Bioshock franchise the of Dead Space developer's decided that crappy multi player was better than nothing. So they put in a few maps together and whipped up a few game types where the humans have to do things and the necromorph's on the other team try to stop you. The multi player is fun for a little while but it has no real lasting appeal for most people. For the most part this game really shines because of its single player and multi player seemed like more of a last-minute idea that they decided to implement because they thought it would be fun. If Dead Space 2 did not have multi player however it would definitely be worth less money because adding in multi player gives you some more replay value even if it isn't a lot.
Overall Dead Space 2 is a bit better than the previous game and uses a lot of the same mechanics. This is not a bad thing because the Dead Space was very well done and this game just sought to improve upon it as most sequels do. The weapons are very well done and the armor looks as even better than it did in Dead Space. The purchasing system in the game is very well done again just as it was in the first game. The horror aspect remains largely the same from the first game which is also a great thing. The biggest element is the story changes that take place and the fact that Issac may be going very well be going insane due to the events in the first game. Multi player does not add much value to the game but as the developers probably thought it is certainly better than nothing.
TLDR
Good Stuff
- Single Player!
- Horror elements of the game (music,enemies, etc) are top-notch
- Unique weapons, a lot of them are from the first game though
- The money system is very well done
- Armor looks even better than it did in the last game
- Well thought out story and somewhat unique gameplay
- Smart AI
Bad Stuff
- Multi player
- Multi player?
- Getting jumped all the time by enemies can get a little frustrating
