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Dead Space 2
PlayStation 3
Dead Space Redo with a Few New Tricks
3.5/5 stars
While I have to admit that Dead Space 2 doesn't bring a lot of innovation to the table, it still manages to make the whole survival-horror-in-space concept work. Bottom line: if you're a fan of the original, you'll like this second entry and if you're new to the series it's still going to work (just make sure you watch the recap first - the story will make much more sense that way).
The story picks up three years after the original on the Saturn's moon of Titan where you are literally thrown into things - tied up in a straight jacket, necromorphs everywhere, you must escape sans weapons in a pretty good intro. You're freed, but for awhile you wander around with naught but a flashlight for protection. You get your handy kinesis and finally your first weapon. Then the game proceeds to tell you about six times to shoot the limbs - you know, for those slow people in the bunch.
From then on, it's business as usual. Sure, you meet up with a few new enemies - the swarming Pack (which resemble adolescents gone feral), the bile-spewing Puker - who has the annoying effect of slowing you down as you corrode from his attack and the Stalker - a raptor-like enemy who hides then charges you. Luckily you have some new weapons to take these threats out including the electrified Javelin Gun, the Seeker Rifle - which is essentially a sniping weapon and, my favorite, the Detonator - mine gun that acts as either a grenade launcher or a very good way to lay traps (just make sure you aren't caught in the explosion yourself).
Most of the game takes place on the Sprawl - the community on Titan, with a quick trip back to the USG Ishimura for good measure. Isaac actually says something this time around, so you're not just a mute hero anymore. Isaac finds that three years have passed and he had no memory of what's happened - necromorphs are taking over the entire community. Nolan Strauss, a fellow patient - is a key character who is a little more disturbed than Isaac (who keeps having visions of his dead wife and other random things) who keeps talking about the steps to destroy a new Marker. Isaac is skeptical and instead follows a voice of reason - Daina - who, of course, turns out to be a dirty, dirty Unitologist (the comparisons to Scientology are quite evident in this game and the original).
After being betrayed yet again, Isaac comes across Ellie Langford, who wants nothing to do with him, preferring to go it alone - but as she runs across Strauss, their two paths converge. The station's head honcho, Hans Tiedemann doesn't appreciate the meddling and sets about stopping Isaac and crew from reaching the Marker. It runs out Tiedemann is responsible for gathering up patients with the express desire to create another Marker - and Isaac is responsible for the ginormous one that now graces Titan. As such, he finds out he's the only one that can truly destroy it.
Characters are secondary to facing the rising tide of necromorphs and once again stopping the spread of the Marker's influence. Despite the inclusion of new creatures and weapons I still find the most effective weapon is the trusty Plasma Cutter, maybe with the Ripper as a back up. Other new innovations include full 360 degree control in zero G areas, a hacking mini game (that's pretty easy, even under duress) and better stasis and kenesis (like the ability to use necromorph body parts as projectiles). There is also added multiplayer, but seeing as I abhor online interaction, I can't comment on that aspect.
Creepiness still abounds - whether coming in the form of "jump-out-and-scare-you" necromorph attacks or the increasingly bizarre visions Isaac experiences. There is also a lot of eye gouging going on - something I personally find awesome and horrifying at the same time - so it's got that going for it too. Even if you hate dying, you owe it to yourself to watch the various ways Isaac dies - some of the best include the Puker death where he spews down your gullet, decapitations, and shooting yourself with a spear gun - each death is a wonder upon itself - so save first, then watch the death scenes unfold at your leisure.
While I can say I had a lot of fun playing Dead Space 2, it wasn't quite fresh enough to measure up to the original. Still, if this is your type of genre, it's worth checking out - especially when you get Dead Space: Extraction bundled with it.
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