Written by: Joseph

 

 

 

Did I get you? No? Well don’t worry. "Dead Space 2" has all the jump scares and gruesome dismemberment a boy could ask for. Not that Isaac Clarke will be very happy. The eternally harassed protagonist from the 2008 original is somehow still alive, waking on a space station known as ‘The Sprawl’ to continue his eviscerative adventure.

 

For many, this will be the first game of the year and there are few better ways to begin 2011 than with Dead Space 2’s heart-pumping opening. Trapped in a straight jacket with a ravenous Necromorph at his heels, Isaac must bundle his way through a medical facility without knowing where he is, how he got there, or what he’s supposed to be doing.

 

 

It’s almost a shame that, before long, Clarke is reunited with his engineer’s suit and Plasma Cutter pistol. But the mind games aren’t over just yet. As our hero blasts through the station, watching civilians devoured and reanimated, he suffers from debilitating hallucinations. The player becomes almost powerless, able to choose only in which direction Isaac staggers. These episodes continue throughout and help immensely with bringing the character to life.

 

 

As does the voice-work of Gunner Wright. In general the voice talent on display is excellent and the script, if not in Red Dead Redemption territory, is a step above what you’ll find in most narrative games.

 

Dead Space 2 is a good example of the power of video game immersion. Converted to the cinema, Dead Space would be unremarkable story, but extended over a 10+ hour play time the emotional connection that bonds you to Isaac Clarke is deep and raw. Even if you haven’t played the first instalment, by the end of Dead Space 2 you’ll find yourself heavily invested in the survival of this troubled hero.

 

Audio and text logs are tucked away all around The Sprawl, revealing a snippet of extra back story related to your current location. Each one adds a spice of extra detail to the game and are well worth looking out for.

 

 

Particularly engaging are the logs found in the Church of Unitology. This creepy cultish religion deifies The Marker - the mysterious obelisk responsible for the Necrogen outbreak in the original Dead Space. Its place as a parody of Scientology has been denied by Visceral, but it’s hard to see their crazy opulence as anything but a spot of biting social commentary.