Review: Dead Space 2

Dead Space 2 is a third person shooter and survival horror for the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. It was developed Visceral Games.

Isaac Clarke fighting off a couple of small Necromorphs on the Sprawl, with a larger Necromorph down the hall.

Isaac Clarke, the protagonist from the previous Dead Space, wakes up on a giant space station called the Sprawl, with no memory of what happened to him since the last game. The Sprawl is under attack by the Necromorphs, dead humans that have been mutated into murderous monsters, which Isaac quickly learns that he is indirectly responsible for. Isaac decides to put a stop to the attack, which is hampered by the Necromophs, the cause of the Necromorphs, and the head of Sprawl trying to stop him for an unknown reason.

Dead Space 2 is divided into chapters, though the start and end of each chapter is arbitrary. Isaac goes through the sprawl killing Necromorphs with weapons he buys. Necromorphs cannot be conventionally; instead the player has to shoot off a Necromorph’s limbs to kill it before it closes the gap between it and Isaac and kill Isaac in a gruesome manner. Isaac can buy many weapons but only carry four at a time. Ammo, health items, and money to buy everything is found on dead Necromorphs, but in limited supply, so the player has to carefully ration everything and bring along the weapons that are most appropriate. Extra weapons and items are stored in fancy vending machines; the vending machines are not abundant, but they keep everything, so Isaac can drop off some items at one and pick them up at another.

Isaac also has the ability to slow enemies down and pick up objects and hurl them and enemies with his mind. The telekinesis is unlimited, but the slowing down is not and has to be replenished like health. The telekinesis is also used for solving simple puzzles, like putting giant batteries into place.

Level design is underwhelming. At first it is cool running around futuristic commercial and residential areas like hospital and a shopping mall. But those levels are replaced a third of the way in with generic grey metal walkways and corridors that all look like they belong in a smelting factory or a mine. Unfortunately these levels make up most of the game. There are several times when Isaac either doubles back through levels, or goes through areas that look exactly the same.

For most of the game Isaac is travelling to a part of the Sprawl to deal with the Necromorphs, with no other story. And that is okay. Even if the plot is straightforward, it is entertaining to watch Isaac get himself into more dangerous situations and dismembering bigger Necromorphs. The survivors he talks to are not stupid or annoying, and the end of the game is exciting. There is a subplot of Isaac seeing hallucinations of his dead wife that is also mildly interesting.

What is really bad about the story is how often the narrative gets waylaid. Most the game is spent fixing some part of the station blocking Isaac’s way. I could never be bothered to remember what Isaac was going to fix and it makes most of the game blend together in a series of similar tedious tasks.

The monsters are horrific, but there only a half dozen different kinds and Isaac runs into all of them early on, so they are not surprising. Isaac is well equipped to handle them early on, so it is hard to find something you can slice to ribbons scary. And it is so predictable; every air vent might as well have a sign over it that says “Monsters will eventually burst through here” and every large elevator should say “Monsters are going to drop down.” The musical cues and loud banging that happen whenever a monster appears also diminishes the terror.

Despite all these problems, the basic game play is fun. It is easy to figure out how to cut off the limbs of Necromorphs, but the different variety of Necromorphs and the way they get stronger as the game progresses makes sure fighting them is always challenging.

Most of the weapons are enjoyable and effective, so the player can fight through the game however they want. The alternative fire on each weapon also lets the player be more creative Best of all are the power nodes that allow the player to customize their weapons however they want; it feels like an accomplishment maxing out a weapon’s stats, and the ability to enhance what part of the weapon you choose makes it feel less like a chore.

Isaac Clarke shooting a spinning saw blade at a Necromorph.

The amount of ammo and health Necromorphs drop and Isaac finds are at a level that keeps the player challenged when trying to survive, but it never feels like the game is being cheap or unfair.

All this together creates an experience that never gets old. It is challenging but reasonable and very rewarding all the time instead of dull and monotonous.

Dead Space 2 is fun even with the boring setting and story. But the lack of anything beyond a fun shooting sequence makes it hard to recommend buying at full price since once you are done you are not going to want to play it for a while.