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Developer (Platform): Visceral Games (Xbox Series X)
Publisher (Release): Electronic Arts (2011)
Length: 6-8 hours
Genres: Adult; Horror; Sci-Fi; Action
❗️Disclaimers❗️:
graphic depictions of blood, gore, and violence
horrific images and depictions of mental illness
this review contains low-level spoilers
recommendation: must play
👍 Pros 👍
Maintains and, in ways, outdoes its predecessor’s horror
Isaac finds his voice, giving his trauma and journey more weight
Refined gameplay mechanics are smooth without detracting from its predecessor’s foundations
👎 Cons 👎
None
👀 Synopsis & Trailer 👀
Three years after escaping the USG Ishimura, Isaac Clarke awakens on The Sprawl, a space station within Saturn’s moon, as a new necromorph nightmare begins and the consequences of Isaac’s contact with the alien Marker wreak havoc on his sanity.
🛎️ Introduction 🛎️
Dead Space 2 is that rare kind of sequel that not only embodies what made the first game an impactful horror but refines for a faster, smoother experience. Every area has been tastefully expanded, strengthening already great gameplay.
🧩 Plots 🧩
Taking place three years after the end of Dead Space, entry number two wastes no time in throwing the player into the horror, hands tied and helpless. It’s an impactful beginning that sets up a dark, bloody adventure that takes the lore from the first game (and other mediums of Dead Space content) and touches upon themes of mental illness to keep the player second-guessing every twist and turn.
Unhand me, sir!
While strong within its own story, there are moments when the integration of its expanded universe (books, movies, shitty spin-off titles) can create a little disjoint. Staying fresh the entire way through with a smart variety of enemies and some epic (if annoyingly stupid in terms of instantly killing the player) moments, Dead Space 2 closes itself with little doubt of a sequel without sacrificing a definitive close to its own story.
This seems like a bad eye-dea
Severed, a DLC continuation of Dead Space: Extraction meant to compliment Dead Space 2 (note the disjoint), is a fun foray back through some locations of the main game, but its biggest pro is also its biggest con: interesting plot points and characters are born, only to never be touched again.
…wastes no time in throwing the player into the horror…
🎭 Characters 🎭
Isaac Clarke returns, this time fully voiced by Gunner Wright, and, despite being a combat engineer extraordinaire, the more capable Isaac is balanced with a deteriorating mental state to keep the player from ever feeling too confident. I give major props to Gunner Wright’s performance. Love it or hate it, Dead Space’s decision to keep Isaac silent forced the players to put themselves in his shoes, to breathe life and give him a voice. Dead Space 2’s decision to replace the player’s voice easily could’ve backfired, but, luckily, Gunner Wright embodies Isaac Clarke.
Poor Ellie, surrounded by crazy
Joining him in his nightmare are Ellie Langford (Sonita Henry) and Nolan Stross (Curt Cornelius). Ellie, by far my favourite character, is capable, vulnerable, and acts as Isaac’s pillar of strength, while Stross is helpless, unreliable, and threatens to take Isaac down a path of madness; both are voice acted well and provide a good rapport with one another.
Nicole! Get off the furniture!
Video, audio, and text logs also return, exploring a variety of tales of other inhabitants of The Sprawl. I always forget how utterly heartbreaking some of them can be, and their personal, tragic nature imbues the game with so much life against the backdrop of death.
…utterly heartbreaking…
👾 Gameplay and Graphics 👾
Staying entrenched in its over-the-shoulder, third-person horror roots, Dead Space 2 further refines nearly pristine mechanics. Isaac is much more fluid, without sacrificing the dream-like quality of the controls. Animations are smooth and the game overall feels a bit more responsive. New weapons add more strategic approaches to enemy encounters and the series’s signature focus on disassembling an enemy makes inventory management a priority.
Please don’t eat me
Sound design and lighting work wonders when it comes to creating an atmosphere that destabilises the player, and scares are well-paced. With various difficulty modifiers (thanks for the anxiety, Hardcore), unlockables, and a new game+ mode, there’s a decent amount of replayability here, but, in all honesty, Dead Space 2 could ditch all that and still have players diving back in to give it another go. It’s just that good.
At least the view is nice
It’s just that good.
🧠 Final Thoughts 🧠
Dead Space perfected what a survival horror game should be, but Dead Space 2 inscribed it in gaming history. It showed the world a winning formula that I’ve rarely seen since and its absence is sorely missed.
The Phoenix Project 