(REPOST) MadCap's Game Reviews - "Dead Space 2"

Xbox 360 Box Art

 I seem to be on a track lately of games that are just stupid crazy mindless fun, which is good, because I highly enjoy stupid crazy mindless fun. Anyway, my SCMF for the week was Dead Space 2. Once again, stepping into the now-voiced, rig-clad body of Isaac Clarke, who’s in the loony bin now for all the trouble he went through on the Ishimura that was apparently three years ago. Now he’s on Titan Station and another outbreak of Necromorphs has happened, causing Isaac to once again don his repair suit and pick up his Ripper of Asskicking +5 to go out and stop those whacky Unitologists from making the universe drink the funky Kool-Aid.

Mr. Clarke: Certified BAMF

Overall, I am in love with this game. It is simple, visceral, mindless fun. That being said, the gore is ramped up quite a bit from the first game. Normally I don’t take graphics into account in reviews because a good game does not necessarily have to have perfect life-esque graphics. Games from back in the days of 16-bit and the almighty SNES are still fun to play even with all the modern super awesome games I have for comparison, some even more than most modern games. But getting back on topic, the kills are lovingly visceral and disturbing but eventually they just lose their shock when they’re pulled out for the fifth or sixth thousandth time in a row.

 The same thing goes for a few of the attempts at horror. Yes, it makes my heart race when I’m trapped in a darkened elevator and the zombified face of Nicole or a Necromorph with a grudge decides to come and tear my heart out of my chest. But it’s ruined by the fact that it happens in almost every other elevator and more to the point, I have a razor blade gun to quell the raging jump scares. All in all, Dead Space 2 isn’t scary, it’s gory; which is not the same thing, as Rob Zombie and Darren Lynn Bousman will never learn.

Gameplay-wise, not much has changed since Isaac was stomping around through the Ishimura. Various equipment can be purchased from stores that are placed every so often, nodes are used to upgrade your rig and equipment, all but two of your friendly neighborhood NPCs show up to be Necromorph chow at so many different points in the plot. It’s as if they took the script for the first Dead Space and poured a few more buckets of gore all over it. It’s enjoyable but the atmosphere that the dark, shadowy environments try to create is ruined by the near-campiness of the gore. But if you can look past that, Dead Space 2 is completely worth it! 8 out of 10 easily. I’d give it more, but I have a pro-jetpack bias that I have to leave out for the sake of a fair review. I could also go on about how Isaac has his character development and how he has come far as a character but I'll just let you delve into that wonderland yourself. Anywho, give your comments and critiques below and tell me what you’d like me to take a crack at next, and I’ll see you next week…

Dead Space 2 is available from Electronic Arts and Visceral Games on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

This review is based on the Xbox 360 version of the game.