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Dead Space 2 takes place a good three years after the events of the first game, again
with Isaac as the main protagonist. The sequel builds up well on the premise of the first
game while introducing new game play elements as well as a multiplayer perspective unseen
in third person shooter games. Can the second game still give a satisfyingly horrific experience?
Dead Space 2 is very beautiful to look at, using an improved version of the same engine
used in the first game. The setting of the game, the Sprawl, is vastly bigger and offers
more combat and exploration opportunities than the first game's Ishimura. Another good
aspect of the game is that the new necromorphs such as the pack, the hunter and the puker
offer entirely new combat situations. The puker can immobilize you the same way your
stasis ability slows the necromorphs and the hunter is an aggressively intelligent necromorph
that sneaks up and patiently waits for an opportunity before rushing in to assault you.
The multiplayer mode works much like Left4Dead, allowing to either play as humans (all similar
to Isaac Clarke) who need to work out the environment locks and corridors in order to
escape or as necromorphs intent on stopping the human team. The multiplayer is well designed
and the game does not suffer much from lag and connection problems.
The story is a bit detrimental in some spots; it has a really good opening and a very well
written ending but the story takes a repetitive routine somewhere in the middle. Another problem
is one shared with the first game. Dead Space 2 will still force you to go through really
mundane tasks like fixing elevators or electrical wires in order to progress. Also the camera
can get in the way every now and then, leading to unnecessary deaths.
While Dead Space 2 may seem more like a polished version of the first game with a decent multiplayer
mode slapped onto it, it is still a solid video game that gives an action-packed single
player campaign with a very intriguing plot and unique game play mechanics like how Isaac
can manipulate gravity or using his stasis to immobilize opponents. Final score: 8.5
out of 10.