Dead Space 2 Review
Kid Safe: Very Low Game Quality: Very High
Genre: Survival Horror
- This game features a focus on horror themes and attempting to escape the terror that has overtaken the situation. This game may contain situations that are scary for some players and scenes of intense blood and gore.
Internet Requirements: Moderate
- Dead
Space 2, while having an extensive single-player story campaign,
features an impressive internet-based multiplayer aspect where players
can play online with other individuals. Likewise, additional content
will be released for this title sometime later on that will be sold (and
downloaded) through the internet.
Story Summary: In Dead Space 2, you step back into the boots of survivor and engineer, Isaac Clark,
who,
after the events of the first game. Now, waking up from a coma on the
massive space-station, The Sprawl, you find yourself once again fighting
for your life. You must battle both your own developing insanity along
with the undead monstrosities that are quickly devouring the Sprawl as
you attempt discover the truth behind what happened both to you and the
residents of the brutally overtaken space-station.
Kid Safe: Very Low
- Foul Language: High
o Dead
Space 2 features an extensive amount of foul language, primarily in the
words "F*ck", "*S*it", "Motherf*cker", and "D*mn". These words are
regularly encountered throughout the entire game in general dialogue, in
text-based articles and journals, and in cutscenes between characters.
Players are able to trigger a stream of profanity by punching or
stomping the ground, which results in the main-character spewing
frustrated curse-words. The language is constant throughout gameplay.
- Violence and Gore: Very High - Not Recommended for Children
o Dead
Space 2 is, by far, the goriest and most violent game that we have
reviewed to date. This title features an extensive amount of both
violent scenes as well as depictions of blood, gore and viscera. To
begin, the creatures and monsters that players must fight are
constructed from the bodies of those that have been killed by others.
The very first scene of this game consists of a person waking Isaac from
his coma, only to have a creature sneak up behind him and impale him
through the chest and head; resulting in the man transforming into a
mutilated beast that attempts to murder and devour the main player.
Every monster is constructed of the mutilated remains of one or more
dead human beings.
o Not
only this, but the primary way to kill the monsters, named
"Necromorphs", consists of dismembering the creatures. Players are
encourage to use different weaponry to blow off the arms, legs and heads
of both monsters and corpses to keep them from reanimating and
attacking them. Should the monster/corpse not be initially attacking
them, players are encourage to stomp on dead bodies to remove limbs such
as the arms, legs, and head.
o There
are multiple scenes in which non-player characters are attacked and
murdered, main of which are ripped limb from limb. One disturbing scene
in particular features a mother who calls over a "Necromorph" infant and
cradles it before the infant explodes and sprays gore and viscera
across the entire room. The game also features a creature that
desecrates the corpses of fallen human beings to transform them into
beastly monsters.
- Sexually-Related Content: Low
o Dead
Space 2 features a low amount of sexual content. While the game has no
focus on sexually related activities and does not feature any inherent
nudity, this title does feature one creature of particular note. Known
as the "Spitter", featured in both single-player and multi-player modes,
the creature is the monstrous remains of human female who is seen
holding and squeezing her breasts with her human hands while she attacks
players with the spiked limbs protruding from her back.
- Use of Drugs and Alcohol: Low
o Dead
Space 2 does not feature any known instances of drug or alcohol usage.
However, the game does make reference to individuals using medication
overdose in order to take their own lives.
Game Quality: Very High
- Graphics / Visuals: Very High
o Dead
Space 2 features an exceptionally high quality of graphics and visuals.
First, to start with the positives, everything in the design of the
game feels fully realized. As you walk, explore, fight, and occasionally
break through the massive space-station that is The Sprawl, you find
that the world around you is fully realized. You find yourself walking
through a variety of districts, the majority of which that has been
hand-picked and designed to provide the feeling that you are, in fact,
walking through a space-station several generations old. Each level
reveals decimated apartments and living quarters, shopping districts,
engine and science labs, and even elementary schools. Each chapter of
the story reveals more and more destruction across an entire city in
space.
o Not
even this, but the graphical design for every level and structure is
physically impressive to look at; even by today's standards. Almost
every structure and creature appears realistically in front of you.
Metal appears hard and smooth, blood splattered and dripping slowly runs
down and cakes upon surfaces, and candles flicker against the darkened
background of space. On top of this, every monster and creature you
encounter is fully designed from the mutated body of one or more
deceased individuals, creating entire range of beasts ranging from a
standard "zombie-like" horror to a 15 foot tall monster constructed of
the tied together pieces of different corpses.
o The
only complaint concerning this title's graphics are as follows: the
remaining corpses. Respectfully, I know that this is a family-focused
website, however since this is not a family-focused title, it seems
legitimate to bring this up. While everything else seems fully realized
and designed, the remnants do not. These "left-overs" appear as little
more than graphical "dolls" that have just been painted over with a gory
pallet and left to provide poorly-done atmosphere to a well-done game.
While it does not overly distract from the title, it was rather annoying
to me as a fan of survival-horror games.
- Audio: Very High
o If
there is a single there that stands out with Dead Space 2, it is the
absolutely excellent audio quality. While the music is perfect and helps
to add to the atmosphere, the real kicker is in the truly-amazing
ambient sound; it adds everything you need to the gameplay. Walking
through any given hallway, you are prone to hear the soft tinkle of
claws against metal as a creature runs through a vent or the pounding
footfalls of someone running a floor above you. Or perhaps the
overarching environment doesn't scare you; maybe it's just that which is
directly around you. You will hear the screaming sobs of a woman
trapped in her apartment or the heavy breathing and soft roaring of a
creature slowly following you in the rafters overhead.
o While
this game does not feature an outstanding musical score, the soft
instrumental accompaniment attributes to the scares the player feels. A
violin, quickly gathering pace, scratches upon your nerves as you try
and walk down a hallway. The sudden absence of all background noise,
filled out by only the soft breathing and steady thumping of Isaac's
heart, is more terrifying then any score could have provided. This game
does EVERYTHING a title should with its ambient audio quality and I
cannot think a single place where they have faulted.
- Gameplay / Playability: High
o Dead
Space 2 features a relatively high quality of gameplay and playability.
To begin with, the controls for this title are relatively simple and
blend well into the gameplay. I very rarely found myself wondering what
button performed what action as the lay-out was relatively simple to all
other games of the genre. Likewise, for sequences of gameplay that were
out of the norm, the controls were generally of a simple nature and
quick and easy to pick up. Likewise, all of the gameplay is extremely
varied in a manner that keeps each situation and chapter fresh.
o One
of the truly fascinating elements of gameplay that blew us away was how
the cut-scenes and regular gameplay were constantly mixed and matched.
The game seamlessly moves from the standard game to the character
talking and interacting with irregular elements, such as main characters
from the story or extreme situations versus the monsters, and then back
again. A perfect example was a mind blowing sequence where Isaac slide
down a collapsing tram line, fighting off necromorphs, only to be
ejected and hang upside down by one foot fighting off a second onslaught
of monsters.
o However,
while the controls are generally simple (very often exact in comparison
to the original title), the game has this strange problem of not
telling you what those controls ARE. The tutorial aspect is a bit slow
on the uptake, often tending to drop you into scenes of extreme danger
and then, while you are running for your life, popping up a small window
telling you how to keep from being eviscerated. I won't deny that each
action is explained eventually, it doesn't often help to find out
that you can use certain items as weapons after having been mauled by
an undead monster 5 times in a row before you find that information out.
- Dollar-Value: High
o Dead
Space 2 has a relatively high dollar-value that is perpetuated by its
well-rounded options and gameplay. To begin with, the game-experience is
always kept exciting and new as new and interesting environments and
elements are constantly introduced. Not only will players be fighting
through the haunted corridors of The Sprawl, but they will be fighting
the Necromorph threat upside down, inside, and even outside of the
Sprawl in deep space; hurtling through the stars as you fight for your
life against the gruesome beasts that the Necromorph infection has
created in a 12 hour game.
o That
said, maybe fighting the infection on the Sprawl alone just isn't your
calling. Maybe you want to have some friends along for the ride. This
title features an extensive multi-player campaign akin to the Left 4
Dead series that can be played on the internet. This series allows
individuals to play as both Humans and Necromorph monsters in 4 vs. 4
battles as the Human attempt to stop the outbreak. Players are even able
to level up, similar to designs such as Call of Duty or Battlefield Bad
Company.
o The
only downside to the above mentioned design is that the gameplay feels a
bit roughly put together. While enjoyable, there are extreme balance
issues that need to be fleshed out between the Necromorph monsters and
the Sprawl security teams. While this is a relatively minor complaint in
the scope of things, it affected gameplay strongly enough that I always
debated whether I wanted to attempt to play multiplayer modes.
Recommendations
- Sadly,
we cannot think of a single survival horror game that has been rated
lower that M by the ESRB rating system. However, as we have suggested in
previous reviews, you may wish to take a look at the Resident Evil
series. While this title involves blood, gore, and zombie-monsters, it
is also one of the lightest horror titles on the market and offers a
large number of available games.
