Video games: 'Dead Space 2' is intensely scary

by: Robert Rinaldo

“Dead Space 2,” developed by Visceral Games and published under Electronic Arts, is the sequel to the 2008 award-winning survival horror third-person shooter video game.

The game had a lot of expectations to live up to due to the critical success of its predecessor as well as the trend of emphasizing action over horror in recent games, most notable “Resident Evil 5.” Fortunately, Visceral Games succeeded in outdoing the predecessor and creating one of the scariest games of all time.

The game takes place three years after the events of the previous title. The main protagonist, Isaac Clarke, has no memory of his whereabouts during the last three years and wakes up on the Sprawl, a densely populated metropolis built on a shard of Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. Unfortunately, the Sprawl is infested with the mutated alien race known as “Necromorphs,” which can only be killed by dismembering their limbs from their bodies.

One of the franchise’s greatest strengths is storytelling; “Dead Space 2” continues that trend. The plot of the game is well paced with plenty of good twists to keep you on the edge of your seat while playing. The game also offers a recap of the events from the first game, so players will not be entirely lost if this is the first “Dead Space” title they are picking up.

The big question is whether or not “Dead Space 2” is scary. Recent games in the survival horror genre have placed more emphasis on action gameplay elements as opposed to horror, which has led gaming journalists and fans to question whether the genre has been abandoned entirely. Thankfully, this is not the case for “Dead Space 2,” as this is by far the scariest game I have ever played in my life.

Monsters will attack from every direction throughout the game. Some will pop out from the ceiling or from a vent while others will be waiting around the corner. The unpredictability of when you will run into a “Necromorph” really forces you to tread cautiously through the environment; this is not a game where you can mindlessly run through every room and area without getting spooked in some form.

Apart from the monsters, the environment itself really adds a degree of suspense and horror. The wide-open, larger scale setting offers much greater diversity of locations, which can make for some truly eerie and horrific moments, including a recruiting center for a mining operation and an elementary school.

One interesting addition to “Dead Space 2” is a competitive multiplayer very similar to that of “Left 4 Dead.” The multiplayer is separate from the main game, so an additional one-time fee is required before playing (unless the game is purchased new). Fortunately, the multiplayer is well worth it, with five objective based missions and the ability to unlock new weapons and suits.

The gameplay remains similar to its predecessor, which is a good thing. Having to dismember the “Necromorphs” as opposed to simply shooting them in the head retains its sense of strategy from the first game while still providing hectic moments. Killing and even being killed by “Necromorphs” leads to some of the goriest moments I’ve ever seen in a video game.

“Dead Space 2” also brings back Stasis energy and Kinesis, two telekinetic powers used to manipulate and freeze certain objects. These become very useful throughout the game as you are able to combine both of these with a wide variety of weapons to kill “Necromorphs.”

Overall, “Dead Space 2” is by far the scariest and one of the best survival horror games since “Resident Evil 4,” and it is a perfect addition to the library of any horror gamer.

It is not for the faint of heart or stomach as it provides an abundance truly scary and gory moments, and even without the multiplayer it is well worth a purchase.
Visceral Games has released a new golden standard in the survival horror genre, one that will be pretty tough to top for the years to come.