The Sprawl (as Titan Station's inhabitants affectionately refer to as their home) has been all but gutted by this new necromorph scourge, but believe it or not, they aren't the only threat. Things go pear-shaped almost immediately the necromorphs show up, and for most of the game, Isaac's main objective has everything to do with self preservation. Hallucinations wrack his poor mind, and he's constantly haunted by the spectre of his lost love Nicole.ĭead Space 2 literally picks up right where Dead Space Ignition left off, with Franco Delille (an engineer on Titan Station) waking Isaac up from his coma. And then he woke up in the middle of a horrific necromorph outbreak only to find out that he's slowly going insane. I'm talking about the fact that the poor guy escaped almost certain death only to fall into a three-year coma. I'm not talking about the fact that he has a painfully awkward dual homage for a name. Luckily, the rest of the characters give the guy something to do with the role, and as a result, it's not bad. Unfortunately, that's one of the few areas in which Dead Space 2 comes up short. Gunner Wright makes Isaac believable enough, but I'm not sure anyone but the writers could have made him particularly memorable as a character.
#Dead space 2 helmet series
One of Dead Space 2's more noteworthy departures from its predecessor has to do with the fact that series protagonist Isaac Clarke actually speaks. Turns out, borderline silence is more effective for situations like that. Of course, there are far more "in your face" moments this time around unassuming violins and the occasional timpani glissando are great, but they don't sync up well with a high-velocity HALO jump. Jason Graves' score has more range than his taut, moody, and undeniably great contribution to the first game. And hear you me, this game does just that. All of these monstrosities die in numerous and disgusting ways, but if they ever kill you, you'll be equally impressed and appalled at what the developers did to poor Isaac.Īn experience like Dead Space 2 should feature sound design rich enough to make you want to invest in a wicked awesome set of speakers. My favorite new necromorph is the Stalker, I'll leave it to you to decide how they work, but it's obvious that someone at Visceral is a huge Jurassic Park fan. There are also Pukers, which are self-explanatory. First, we have the Pack: a group of hideous mutant children who are easy to put down on their own, but relentless in numbers. Just about all of the necromorphs from the original Dead Space return for the sequel, but the new types are standouts. Of course, different kinds of people mean new necromorph types for Isaac to slaughter (or be slaughtered by). There's a great surprise level towards the end, but I won't spoil it - it's just too cool. As a result, Isaac Clarke's twisted journey takes him through commercial shopping zones, the interior of a runaway train, a nursery school, and much more.
#Dead space 2 helmet license
That basically gives the art department a license to throw in as many interesting places as possible. This place isn't exclusive to mining and engineering personnel entire families live here. Titan Station is a bold departure from Dead Space's USG Ishimura. The lack of room for improvement on the technical side of things leaves the ball in the artists' side of the court. Even the little things impress I cheered at each instance when Isaac's helmet assembled over his face or reintegrated into his RIG. It's difficult to tell if Dead Space 2 could have improved on the tech. Fantastic lighting effects and creepy environments help conjure up an atmosphere of pure dread, and everything is topped off with a slick user interface that keeps you properly grounded. In fact, by the time this review goes live, you should already be on your second or third playthrough.ĭead Space's production values and presentation still deserve to be counted among the best of the current generation. Put simply, if you enjoyed Dead Space, you should already own Dead Space 2. But when the execution is spot-on, who cares? That seems to be the design mantra for the Dead Space team, which has spent the last few years crafting a sequel that manages to top its superb predecessor. No, Dead Space wasn't flawless, and it wasn't cut from an entirely new kind of cloth. Sure, the original Dead Space is a top-of-its-class action game, but it's the collective brainchild of an internal development studio at EA - a company not particularly well-known for ambitious new IPs. The success story behind the budding Dead Space franchise is one I'd like to see repeated.