2011 Game of the Year #05 - Dead Space 2

  

It’s no surprise that games coming out in the later part of the year are still fresh in the minds of many gamers. Dead Space 2’s launch in January has made it a distant memory for some but I am yet to forget the time I spent with this phenomenal game.

Dead Space as a franchise deserves praise on many levels including exceptional enemy and environment design alongside providing a terrifying and tense emotional experience.  Lead protagonist Isaac Clarke went through hell in the original Dead Space and returned to answer plenty more questions in the hit sequel. A story full of twists and turns and excellent set-piece segments flooded a brilliant sequel with the only major criticism being the developers Visceral Games didn’t stray far from their original formula.

What really made Dead Space 2 so special for me was the fine-tuning of the zero gravity sections. Being able to float around in space with subtle design elements like not hearing any sound in space was a testament to the care and attention that was put into the game. Also going out onto the outer layers of Saturn’s metropolis the Sprawl, was very satisfying as it gave space a huge sense of magnitude, something that the original Dead Space didn’t initially explore.

Another iconic element of the franchise is the Necromorph monsters. All horror games have fine-tuned gamers to aim for the head when attacked - well Dead Space as a series flip-turned this notion by forcing gamers to aim for limbs to neutralise your foes. Being a miner also made Dead Space 2’s arsenal of weapons intriguing as well – using power tools and laser cutters was an interesting divergence from your stereotypical machine guns and rocket launchers that plague modern gaming (cough Resident Evil 5).

Ultimately Visceral Games did a fantastic job taking their original game and expanding it to a worthy sequel. Giving Isaac Clarke a voice helped create a more layered story as he fought for not only survival, but also his sanity. A larger environment at first seemed to lessen the claustrophobia felt in the original game, but slowly you find yourself caught in terrifying areas like the child’s nursery where the corridors are narrow and the enemies are plenty. The tweaks to Zero G gave the game a whole new dimension when exploring space and everything I loved about the original can be found here in full force.

Dead Space 2 is one of the best modern third-person survival horror games available on the market and as a franchise; it’s easily one of my favourites going.

Favourite things about Dead Space 2:

Terrific enemy and environment design.

A great assortment of weapons that all work in interesting and unique ways.

Some of the best enemies any modern video game has to offer.

Great lead protagonist.

Interesting storyline with some fantastic set-piece segments.

Lots of cool upgrades and plenty of reasons to play New Game+ mode.

Most annoying things about Dead Space 2:

It’s possible to upgrade one weapon like the Plasma Cutter and complete the entire game using only that particular weapon.

Not much was significantly changed from the original Dead Space.

Not everyone liked Isaac Clarke having a voice and preferred the silent protagonist.

The scares became quite predictable especially if you played the original.

Thanks for reading and check the blog tomorrow as I award 4^th place to an entertaining and dangerous science experiment gone wrong.

As always check me out on Twitter @ss4Igor