The original Dead Space was a classic with a few minor issues. If you
disagree with that assessment then you probably want to read another
review because that is my starting point when evaluating Dead Space 2.
The issues with the original were minor but noticeable, mainly the
environments got repetitive and the PC version has some annoyances.
Dead Space 2 does away with both these complaints and on top of that
adds some new gameplay elements which really push it into 5-star
territory.
First off is gameplay, which while firmly rooted in survival horror
(meaning you will have to manage ammo, health and inventory) does not
make the mistake the recent Resident Evil's have made where the game
plays like a shooter but controls like an adventure game. Dead Space 2
might not be as fast-paced as something like Call of Duty but it
controls well and your ability to shoot enemies and run away is not
artificially impeded by a bad control setup. Shooting is fast and
accurate, you can move while aiming and reloading and most important you
move and strafe like in a shooter, not like some other genre. Enemy
variance is great in the game and each enemy type requires different
tactics and is more suited to certain weapons, which offers a lot of
variety and challenge like the shooters of old. Small toddler-like
aliens call for fast spray shooting while large hulking beasts call for
precision and dodging. Toward the end of the game many different types
will be thrown at you at once, creating hectic and exhilirating moments
where you have to quickly decide how to handle who, and with what.
Other than shooting creepy enemies that come from the dark you will
do a lot of exploring in Dead Space 2. Exploring in all dimensions
using the new anti-gravity freedom of movement is awesme fun and a great
addition to the game; I looked forward to these flying sections
throughout the entire game. All the environments this time around are
much more varied as you explore a space station, not just a ship. You
will go through residential areas, commercial areas, churches, military
bases, mining colonies and a few surprises along the way. While the
original Dead Space felt like one big engineering section Dead Space 2
has variety and better level design on the whole, plus there is no
repeating of areas like in the original game. You also get to choose
from various suits throughout the game, which offers up some bonus
variety on top of the 10 or so weapons on offer (you can carry four at
once). Exploring every area of the beautiful levels hoping to find a
new suit or weapon is great fun.
Speaking of beautiful levels, Dead Space 2 is a looker. The thing
that really stands out in the game is the brilliant lighting effects
which, at max settings on the PC, can really knock your socks off.
Shadows are rich and wonderful, black as night and deep as the ocean.
The design of the levels backs up the graphical splendor as well and I
was constantly pausing to see the unique "junk future" design play with
the lighting and effects. One standout moment is fighting in a hallway
illuminated only by a large advertisement for the future transport
system, it's jingle repeating as the graphic constant refreshes itself,
sprinkling light along the walls as you dodge alien zombies. Dead Space
2 uses design and effects to constantly give you these little standout
moments.
For the PC Dead Space 2 is a better, yet still basic PC port. The
original Dead Space was bashed by many PC gamers for having deliberately
slow and cumbersome aiming which for many felt uncomfortable with a
mouse. Dead Space 2 does not suffer from this issue and mouse aim is
excellent and fast throughout. Dead Space also lacked the ability to
reassign keys to some areas like the number pad, but Dead Space 2 seems
to allow full customization. There was a v-synch bug in Dead Space
which causes massive issues when v-synch was on but Dead Space 2 does
not suffer nearly as much (though v-synch does still limit the framerate
and cause minor floaty feelings, so you might want to turn it off
anyway and try forcing it with your graphics hardware... on nVidia this
fixed all the issues for me). There are many graphical settings for
shadows, effects, depth of field, blur and more. You will have to force
AA and AF through your control panel unfortunately, but on nVidia both
do work. The game uses SolidShield DRM which has to activate at install
and then deactivates when you uninstall, giving you 5 concurrent
activations at any one time. It's annoying and pointless (and easily
fixed if you desire to) but I don't let DRM effect the score.
Overall Dead Space 2 is a brilliant game I consider to be an instant
classic. If you like sci-fi shooters, creepy horror games and
exploration then you will surely love Dead Space 2. The PC port is
better this time and the game is a solid 12 hours long for one
playthrough on normal, so what are you waiting for? Dead Space 2 is
worth the cash, worth your time and not just a great game but a great PC
game. I thoroughly recommend it.
