Dead Space 2 is Timeless

Despite all my rage.....

Growing up mainly on Nintendo consoles, I missed out on a lot of video games. It wasn’t till late middle school that a family friend gifted me an Xbox One, and during my 1st year of high school I saved up enough money to buy a PlayStation 4. It was around that time that I fell more in love with video games, and you can see where this is going. Been writing reviews for 7 years now and haven’t gotten tired since. Exploring all the wonders gaming has to offer and catching up on all I missed. So one game I always wanted to play back then was Dead Space, the sci-fi horror classic still considered by many to be one of the best in the genre. Everytime I thought about trying the game, my time got occupied by something else. My interest in playing slowly diminished and I truly ready to skip out on an all time great. Then all of a sudden in 2021 the folks at EA decided to do something good for once in their miserable lives. Announced that Dead Space was being remade for modern hardware, and if the remake did good enough they might consider attempting to bring the franchise back. After they killed it with Dead Space 3 and forced Visceral Studios to close their doors. On the one hand a lot of people were excited. Dead Space was coming back, but out of all the games being remade did Dead Space truly deserve one?

The original still holds up to this day. It’s a godsend that Electronic Arts still allows you to buy it versus removing it from stores immediately once the remake released. A vast majority of games from the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 era hold up both in terms of visuals and gameplay. It’s like saying The Last of Us needed a remake. What sucks is that they did in fact actually do that. The Dead Space remake seemed like the most useless product to ever be conceived. Something that existed for the sake of existing. My expectations remained moderate, because I never played the Dead Space games and Electronic Arts is known for f*cking up a lot of things in recent memory. Surprisingly that is not what happened with the Dead Space remake. One of few miracles to pop out of that godforsaken company. The Dead Space remake was a genuinely well made game that brings an old classic to new light, and refines it using the mechanics and systems they built up with the later entries. It was a game so masterful that I remember saying I enjoyed it more than every single Resident Evil game I ever played. Dead Space was a masterpiece, and the remake is also a masterpiece. A testament at how far survival horror has gotten.

Ever since I beat Dead Space my mind planned to play the rest of them, including the original. It was unfortunate that I never actually did that. Just like how it took a remake for me to finally try out this burned out series. Three years passed, and now I finally decided to pick back up where I left up. Dead Space 2, a game often considered one of the greatest sequels ever made depending on who you are asking. Building upon the mechanics the first game laid out and delivering a plot with deeper characters and world building. Expanding the universe and showing what humanity is willing to do with knowledge they consciouslessly know is dangerous. Ah yes, the exact story you need for a sci-fi horror game. The game operated on a much higher scale and budget since Visceral proved their IP was capable of standing tall alongside rising legends like Mass Effect. A bolder horror experience, and they reflected this in the marketing. Focusing more on the thrills of the horror rather than the tension. Action, blood, explosions, set pieces that most likely took two whole days to make in the office. This was a BOLD horror game sequel, and at the time people were amazed. Some felt mixed on the direction Dead Space was going, because it was going the same route Resident Evil was traveling as well. Resident Evil almost killed itself by going action focused, and then Dead Space did with Dead Space 3. A title that showed the world that Electronic Arts is a demonic child that crawled out of hell.

That seemed to be the pattern with most franchises published by Electronic Arts at the time. The game series starts out great and around the second entry things take a sharp turn. Mass Effect 2 is a masterpiece, and Mass Effect 3 ends up a disappointing mess due to rushed development time. Dragon Age is an enthralling roleplaying experience that bridges the gap between old school and modern entries, and destroys it with a sequel with little to no opportunities to even roleplay. Then you got Dead Space 3, but that is a topic for another day. Dead Space 2 is a classic, but one that people often question was actually good. Is it or is it not better than the original. I don’t properly know the answer to that question. Again, I did not have an 360/PS3 growing up and so I missed out on a lot of games. I also haven’t played the original Dead Space despite how much I adored the remake. I’m judging Dead Space 2 as it is, and now comes the question of whether I liked it or not. Short answer, “Of f*cking course I did it’s Dead Space 2 for god’s sake!” Dead Space 2 is a lot better than I thought it would be. I knew it would be an excellent sequel based on what I ‘ve heard, but it managed to impress me in ways I wasn’t expecting. Doesn’t mean the game has no problems, but much like the Dead Space remake it’s easily risen to being one of the best in the genre. Let’s discuss Dead Space 2 and why it deserves your attention.

Story

I am still just a rat in a cage.

Taking place three years after the events of the original, space engineer Isaac Clarke went insane and is now strapped in a straightjacket within a mental ward. Haunted by the memories of all his close friends now dead, the monsters he fought through, his girlfriend committing suicide when he wasn’t around, and the visions the Marker left him. Isaac needs help, but rather than actually being given help he’s taken in by EarthGov. Mankind made peace, kinda. Their desire to conquer the stars and master science led them to Isaac Clark. A man who knows too much, has seen too much, and whose brain is flooded with info they seek. Doing everything they can to probe it out of him. Isaac loses track of time and reality. His dead girlfriend’s corpse watching him from just about every corner. Weeks turn to months then years. Cut to current events when Isaac finally starts to wake up and make sense of what’s going on. Someone was sent to rescue Isaac and help break him out of this miniature asylum. Unfortunately said person is killed, because the day they chose to save Isaac was also the same day a Necromorph outbreak occurred. The Sprawl, a vast space station housing hundreds of individuals and facilities for which they go about their daily lives. A religious group known as the Church of Unitology rose and they believe the Marker will grant them the next steps to evolution. Even managing to convince EarthGov.

They ruled the colony for a bit, and using whatever knowledge they could probe from Isaac they constructed another Marker. Hidden somewhere deep within the station so no one could find or know about it, and today they activated it. Transforming a good chunk of the population into big old flesh monsters, or making them go insane. Anyone who survived evacuated, and the Sprawl is now a giant hellhole. Isaac, knowing something must be done, locates the nearest equipment store and gears up once again. Plasma Cutter in one hand and telekinetic hand in the other. He’s ready to face the Necromorphs once again alongside the trauma he’s built up. Along the way he will make unlikely allies willing to assist on his journey. Ellie, one of the last sane humans left who wishes to find a way off the Sprawl. Stross, another person kept within the ward Isaac was put in, but managed to escape with some understanding of what Isaac is going through and the Marker. Two strange souls, but not as strange as the one that’s still stuck in his head.

Gameplay

Someone will say....

Dead Space 2 is a third person survival horror game with a heavy emphasis on action compared to the first. The original felt more in line with older survival horror titles despite influence from Resident Evil 4. Cramped hallways and rooms, limited resources, and getting by with what you got on hand. The Ishimura was a cold, dark, and dense place to navigate. Dead Space 2 goes for a much linear approach, and to compensate for sacrificing looping levels and backtracking they did more of what they knew how to do best. “Cut off their limbs,” a statement painted with thick blood on the walls in the first and that exact same rule applies to Dead Space 2. A vast amount of survival horror games encourage players to aim for the head as it deals more damage and allows them to save resources. Dead Space goes against this by telling the player to consider the enemy they are fighting. Giant angry flesh monsters with long tendrils, claws, and arms. Running at the player wildly in the hopes of slashing them up. “Cut off their limbs,” truly is the wisest advice Dead Space has given us. Same goes with Doom, but compared to Doom Guy dear Isaac Clarke here is making use of tools to get the job done. A good old trusty Plasma Cutter whose shots can be changed to fire horizontally or vertically, and the array of other weapons he can wield.

A flamethrower, Pulse Rifle, javelin cannon, buzzsaw launcher, Line Gun, the list goes on.  Each of Isaac’s weapons has their own alternate firing mode. Consuming a good chunk of ammo to fire a powerful shot. For example, the Pulse Rifle can shoot an explosive grenade with an arch. The Line Gun can lay down a trap that when crossed will explode. These are good tricks to pull off whether combat gets stressful, or you want to take advantage of an opportunity. These aren’t your most useful tools though. Telekinesis and stasis are two incredibly useful skills Isaac has at all times. One is unlimited and the other isn't. Telekinesis allows Isaac to pull objects toward him and launch them at what he aims. If an item is out of reach Isaac can grab and loot. If an object looks like it can be used as a weapon then take advantage. Sometimes you may be able to save up ammo with a good spear or explosive canister throw. Stasis allows Isaac to slow any enemies down no matter their size. It can even affect a group of Necromorphs if bunched closely together. This allows you to get some easier shots in on weak points, or avoid attacks you normally would not be able to dodge. However, stasis is limited and cannot be refilled unless you have a charge or find a station which can restore you to full capacity. Enemies come in a variety of flavors, and it’s up to you to figure out how to quickly take them out so they don’t become too much of a big problem. Cut their legs, arms, or the big glowing yellow bits.

When you defeat an enemy you can stomp their corpse to be given an item. Whether it be more ammunition, healing vials, or cash. You can also find this stuff by looting crates and checking the environment. Cash allows Isaac to purchase new guns, healing vials, and ammo at the shop. It’s also used to unlock rig upgrades. Allowing Isaac’s suit to become stronger, resist more damage, and carry increased inventory space. Weapons can also be upgraded using nodes you find across the game. Carefully hidden in the environment or found within loot containers. Upgrades work differently in Dead Space 2 than they do in most games. A large tree with different nodes, and by spending one upgrade node you activate one within this tree. Giving the player a stat increase in that tool, or allowing them to access a different upgrade. It’s much like the tree in CrossCode or Salt and Sanctuary. Make the right choices and determine what you’d like to invest in the most. Aside from that there’s not much else I can say about Dead Space 2. You can’t ask for more or less, because most of what it’s doing while simple is really well executed. Just a rock solid game I had an absolute blast to play through. Just hope you’re strong enough to live once again.

Thoughts

What is lost can never be saved.

There is a lot to love about Dead Space 2. The game is almost 15 years old now and after all this time it’s remained a timeless masterpiece. A well executed survival action horror game that puts the action is survival horror action. What do I mean by this? Well I’ve played a small handful of action survival horror games over the years. Resident Evil 4, Conscript, and The Evil Within. All of them are survival horror games with action, but I don’t know if one coincides with the other. Resident Evil 4 is one of the greatest action games ever made, but it’s not particularly scary. At no point does the game attempt to scare your pants off. The remake attempts to at times, but for the most part is just a third person action shooter. This action focus then paved the way for the infamous Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6. The second trading horror to go full action and almost killed a franchise for it. Conscript was a game about the horrors of war with occasional moments where players are forced to fight a wave of enemies. More tense than Resident Evil, but these sections were often challenging to downright punishing for if you make the smallest errors. Then there’s The Evil Within, which is just downright frustration. Dead Space 2 is truly an action horror game. Striking a balance between the two to create an engaging player experience.

The combat loop is brilliant. Requiring the player to react quickly, but make their shots count. To aim precisely, strike weak points, and use every tool they have on hand. What I like about these games the most is that their combat is great, but it has limitations compared to most games of the genre. Isaac Clarke is not a soldier or fully trained professional. He’s just some dude trying to get through an utterly terrible situation. It’s also why I love how a majority of weapons in the games are tools rather than the conventional rifle, shotgun, and explosive launcher. The Plasma Cutter is used to handle wiring or in the opening sequence a surgery where they need to make precise cuts. The Ripper was obviously made for shredding through sheets of metal, the flamethrower for any welding or smelting needed, and the javelin gun for nailing things down. Using these tools in a whole way shows a level of creativity. The developers of Dead Space turning an unconventional thing in something that feels f*cking awesome to wield. Nailing Necromorphs to a wall using the javelin gun feels so awesome to me. It’s probably my favorite weapon. 

Ammo and resources are sparse, but they’re not so sparse that the game becomes a chore or too hard to play. You’re always being granted resources, and even if you don’t get something you’d use from the RNG loot drop mechanics you can always trade it in at shops to buy what you want more of. The Necromorphs come in a variety of flavors, and the types thrown at you combined with room layouts creates fun challenges for the player to overcome. There’s even cool set pieces at times to test the player in different ways. Such as the elevator sequence where you gotta fend off against giant beasts trying to get on and claw at you. The game is just a joy to play. I do not have many complaints about the combat itself, but my one criticism is that not everyone will like how much action there is compared to the first game. The original Dead Space and from my own experience with the remake was that the atmosphere for the Ishimura was tense. Claustrophobic halls you wormed your way through with no idea whether something would jump at you or not. The constant fear of what lurks ahead, and if you’re ready for it. Then backtracking where you just came from, and wondering if it’ll be the same or not. Dead Space 2 putting a heavier focus on action has the chance to not scare people as much. Personally I was, because Necromorphs building up speed within seconds causes my reactive fight or flight measures to twitch out like crazy. When any enemy runs in Resident Evil 4 my aim steadies and I prepare to take a shot. In Dead Space 2 my mind says, “OH F*CK! AAAAAAH!”

Remember the fact that Necromorphs have specific weak points, so it’s you trying to make the right shot quickly or hoping you have a stasis charge on hand to slow them down. Still, a couple of people will not like the heavy focus on action. Some especially did not back then. This was a well praised game for its time, but I remember people five years after Dead Space 2 came out arguing whether or not it’s better than the first. It’s a good sequel, but does it do a good job trying to follow the original up spiritually? The game abandons some of its roots, and eventually this would lead us to Dead Space 3. The game that went full on action shooter than action horror. It’s not entirely Visceral’s fault that Dead Space 3 turned out the way it did. Cough cough, EA. I do wonder if it’s because of the success of Dead Space 2 that led to Dead Space 3 going the wild direction it did. I also know some people don’t like how linear the game is. To the point you have to wonder why they give you a guidance line to bring up when you get lost when it’s hard to get lost in the first place. Personally I don’t mind the linearity. What matters to me is whether logic for how you get from Point A to Point B makes sense, and Dead Space 2 is cohesive. It not only makes sense, but it makes sense for the setting you’re in. The Sprawl is a massive colony unlike the Ishimura. You march through train stations, hospitals, and shopping districts. It feels like an actual place humanity would build during their journey to expand and conquer planets. 

The game also does one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a video game. No loading screens or perspective taken away from the player. Well control is taken away at times, and at times this game frames Isaac from a different perspective or angle. What I mean is that Dead Space 2 is a game shot as if it were one long take. You know how God of War 4 always takes place from the point of Kratos. We’re always on his shoulders, and the story never cuts away from him. He is always in view, the vehicle which pushes the narrative forward. Same applies to Isaac, and even though the game does have to reload when the player does, it's amazing to imagine what it’s like if the player were to play the game without dying. How smoothly it transitions from one scene to the next. With one of the most memorable set pieces in Dead Space 2 being Isaac zooming just about more than halfway across the Sprawl. Rocketing through debris, crashing through a wall, and making a smooth landing onto the ground. This is what I meant when I said Dead Space 2 is bigger, higher in scope, and BOLDER. I’m just gonna assume you watched the Jacob Geller vid. I’m most likely saying stuff he said in a much better way, so go watch his video instead.

This game is outstandingly well made, fun, and technically impressive for a 2011 release. Okay, time to balance things out by saying the nitpicks I have. Some weapons are better than others. I thought the Line Gun was good at first, but realized the Plasma Cutter is better for how easy it is to wield and the Ripper does the job these two do but to the extreme. I have no idea why anyone would wield the flamethrower, and there’s only so many upgrade nodes you’ll get in a run. You might want to just stick to four or three weapons, because you don’t want to have crappy gear by the end because you either invested poorly or tried to spread things out too much. You get three suits throughout the game with the final one being reminiscent of the first game’s suit. I do not know how the engineering suit looked in the first place, but from what I’ve seen in screenshots it looks much slimmer. I hate to be rude, but Isaac looks fat in the vintage suit from behind in this game. It just looks ugly to look at. I get the thickness makes sense for an engineer in space, but it’s just too much for me. I loved the combat, but during the last hour or so is when it does get a bit annoying. With the 14th chapter throwing an enemy you can’t kill and have to constantly run from. Always being pressured as a ton of other dudes are thrown your way. Then followed by a boss fight where you blast your girlfriend & screaming zom-babies

I do want to address the story before we close this review. I think it’s a great follow-up to the 1st game, but in some ways I prefer the first game’s narrative more. The mystery of the Ishimura and what exactly happened. Putting the pieces together while also trying to figure out what happened to Nicole. The plot twists, discoveries, and the lovecraftian horrors that your mind doesn’t fully understand even by the end. I like the premise of the first game more, but that doesn’t mean the sequel has a bad narrative. It’s still a really good story! I like how they explored EarthGov and a world driven by knowledge and power. The same way Bloodborne was about humanity f*cking with things beyond their comprehensions. The clear signs that EarthGov knew what they were doing alongside the Church of Unitology, and did it anyways. Pulling out the big guns to literally stop a space engineer. The only man who understands what is going on and is willing to stop the chaos before it unfolds. Isaac Clarke is more fleshed out in this game, and that’s probably cuz the team got a voice actor for him now. Visceral made a character who knows how to interact with those around him, attempts to form relationships, and mentally process everything he has gone through up until now. The trauma, grief for his dead girlfriend, survivor’s guilt, and knowing no one will understand what he’s experienced. The closest thing to him was another crazy person. Isaac over time learns to let go of Nicole and think of a future where he can move on in peace. The game jets off with an ending scene reminiscent of the first. Isaac sees how much has changed, that things will change, and not all is doom and gloom from here. 

Dead Space 2 is a timeless masterpiece. I’m a bit afraid to check Dead Space 3 someday as it is what killed the franchise. However, it would be interesting to see what went wrong or if it’s bad as people are telling. Dead Space 2 gets a strong recommendation in my book. The purest survival action one can play. I give Dead Space 2 a 9.5/10 for being superb.

9.5/10, Superb