I agree. Good review, it's an honest portrayal of the game. Bonus points for talking about how some people thought that the first game was not scary.

The first game freaked me out, but I didn't enjoy replaying the game due to the predictability of scares, so maybe I'll rent Dead Space 2. Thanks Susan!

hell yeah, was hoping she was the one going the review on this one...much more interesting listening to thought from a girls perspective... especially when you are a guy :P

Vault Citizen:
I don't know if you know this Susan (your review implied you didn't) but the method of habving a line point you to where you needed to be was in the first game too.

She's referring to how you can now choose where the line points you to. It was one of the best upgrades they gave the game.

The only problem I had with the hordes of enemies (especially in some of the much later levels) was that the encounters seemed to go on for a really long time and overstayed their welcome...

Still I really enjoyed the game, thought it was absolutely brilliant and the online is also a pretty good addition ^_^

Susan's right about the initial shock of necro-morphs jumping out of places does wear off after a while and I was slightly aware that the first part was trying very hard to up the ante by leaving you defenceless, then practically defenceless (reminiscent of the start of resident evil 4).

The only thing I have to take issue with is that the objective lines were in the previous game...

EDIT: oh, she meant the ability to switch between bench/store/objective lines...

I really enjoyed the multiplayer, but it's not for everyone. It's quite casual, and mostly revolves around running around murdering people in hilarious ways.

First game scared the living shit outta me. I was thinking the new one wouldn't, cause like you said were used to those effing monsters.
I will be a cheap bastard and wait till this game is lowered in price to 20$.
Awesome review though its good to hear the navigation system is better :]

I'll never understand how Dead Space is considered scary. Sure the first time I played one it was a bit scary...then it lost all tension when I realized I was completely safe whenever there wasnt that stupid music playin. Just walk walk walk...oh hey, creepy music. Guess I have to kill somethin now. Walk walk walk.

Havent really played Dead Space 2 yet, but if thats still a feature then definitly not goin to bother which is a shame cause I actually like the combat.

Susan Arendt:
Thanks for clearing that up - I guess I didn't explain myself well enough about the navigation.

And yes, I completely agree about the onslaught portions going on too long.

Spoiler: Click to ViewPHA+bGlrZSBvbiB0aGUgZHJpbGwsIGZvciBleGFtcGxlLiBUaGF0IG5lZWRlZCB0byBiZSBhYm91dCB0d28gbWludXRlcyBzaG9ydGVyLiBMb3N0IGFsbCBzZW5zZSBvZiB0ZW5zaW9uLCBqdXN0IGJlY2FtZSBhIGNob3JlLjwvcD4=

No problem ^_^ I was pretty sure it was what you meant as I thought it was an excellent addition too!

And definitely!

Excellent review, Susan. I don't have it yet, but I did play the multiplayer a bit, and I thought it was a blast. Maybe a bit too repetitive, (something adding new maps and upgrades occasionally can easily fix), and stasis is a bit annoying, but it was still fun. Unfortunately, it's biggest problem is that the community probably won't last that long, as multiplayer-modes in primarily single-player games seldom do.

I wish for a game that makes me afraid to play it :[
Sadly, it appears I cannot be scared by games (don't bother recommending titles, I've tried them all).
Takes away a lot from the game's atmosphere.
I appreciate all the improvements in Dead Space 2, it really is a better game than it's predecessor, but it gives me no reason to play it.
The delusions and the setting don't even make me uneasy, the jump-scares aren't scary, the fights aren't interesting to me....
There are awesome action sequences but too far spread out to keep me playing.
It's a pity.

I've nearly finished and have really enjoyed Dead Space 2. I've played on Normal because I wanted to enjoy the story instead of being held up having to repeat sections over and over because of lack of health or ammo, but this has meant that there have only been a few moments in the game where I've even started to come close to running out of either - a real shame since it adds so much more to the tension as you have to coordinate switching between weapons, reloading, running, statis, and kinesis. Also I think the suits later on in the game let you carry far too much stuff. I'd definitely recommend a higher difficulty level.

There are several things I have really appreciated about DS2 - the lack of screen clutter since health and stasis are on his back and the ammo is shown when you raise the weapon, no loading times between levels (I think many games are spoiled by this - one of the things I remember from Mass Effect 2 on xbox was how long I seemed to spend waiting for a level to load, even moving between decks on the ship required loading times), the guidance option so no need to waste time on map reading ... I just think it's a shame that the save option was done so badly.

Saving at the points involves dropping out of the game and going to the playstation save screen where you save, wait and then get back into the game. For me it acted like an advert break in the middle of a film I 'm trying to enjoy.

I rarely replay through a game on a higher level, I don't care about trophies so there's no incentive there and I almost always trade in one game to make the next game cheaper, but this game definitely makes me want to try it again just to see how I handle some of the times when it swamps you with necromorphs. Great game.

EDIT - SPOILER finished the game last night and have to say the ending was an anticlimax - a few good moments before the inevitable boss fight, which then degenerates into the almost standard - shoot three times and it's over experience. Plus I finally tried the multiplayer and it was a real let down - like the recent Aliens/Predator game. I would have liked it more with a zombies in COD/left 4 dead approach instead of having to play as necromorphs.

Agree with the review. I found the game a lot less stressful than FEAR or Dead Space, though. As in, while I jumped up at few times myself (like when all lights went out with an explosion of the steam pipes... THEN monsters jumped out when I thought the scene was just to scare me), but I kept on going. Seriously, on one point in FEAR and few times in Dead Space I just said LOL NO THANKS IMA GO BACK TO CRYSIS.

Also it's still fun to decapitate things and impale.

I think the reason the Necromorphs aren't nearly as scary is because Isaac now has experience dealing with these things. He had no idea what was going on in the first game, and it was all very new and confusing.

Bonus points to the puker for vomiting out of it's throat hole after getting it's head blown off. That's some real dedication.

deadspace 1 had that navigation line

econael:
I wish for a game that makes me afraid to play it :[ ...

See I don't understand this view at all.

If a game could truly inspire fear and terror in you, the kind that makes you hug your knees in a corner while you rock back and forth mumbling to yourself, you wouldn't play it - so what's the point?

And if such a game was ever created I can only imagine that censors worldwide would jostle to change it. Hell, maybe even the designers might say "Hey fellas, I think we crossed the line here..."

Then we'd have to put up with all the winging about censorship again.

But then, there are those people out there that thirst for the horrendous and the terrifying (film, books etc), so I guess I should not be so surprised.

Different strokes for different folks.

Note: Not picking on you specifically, just this longing for something truly scary.

i always really like it when somebody else voices my opinion

This is certainly a fun game, but it could have been so much more. I'm am still upset that in the opening scene they made a clear distinction between physical reality and mental reality. That one decision alone propelled this game from the realm of Existential masterwork, to "merely serviceable" storyline.

Clearly they should have been reading for Dostoevsky before finishing up the game! XD

Good review, thanks Susan.

As you say, DS2 wasn't exactly scary but I was certainly uncomfortable and there was always a high measure of tension as you try to figure just how to bring down the Necros as efficiently as possible. As far as the jump scares, cheap as they might be, I found them quite exhilarating and they kept my heart beating at a suitably high tempo.
On the down side there were certain sections that overstayed their welcome but generally I felt the game held together well. I was also pleased with some of the characterisations including Isaac's and Elly's.
All in all a very good, if slightly short game. However, I am on my third run through so I'm definitely getting my money's worth. It's is also a game that I think I will probably come back to at a later date.
I played this game on the PC and found it be extremely impressive both visually and technically. Some of the scenes where you suddenly come to a window looking out over the Sprawl, or were actually outside the station, were gorgeously bleak. All visuals were done with great care and attention to detail. Thoroughly impressed from that standpoint.

Senaro:

... Bonus points to the puker for vomiting out of it's throat hole after getting it's head blown off. That's some real dedication.

Yes, I was impressed with their dedication also. They were quite awkward at times, the bastards. The ones who like to hide, peer around corners and then charge were a nice addition too. And by nice I mean, utter bastards.

DS1 was a bit scarier, but DS2 really makes up for it with the thrilling cutscenes. There's one point early in the game - not to give it away, let's just say you're in a rather vulnerable position - that scene had me and a friend simultaneously jumping in fright, then laughing.

Oddly, I think the Necromorph's in DS1 were a bit more frightening, at least the basic model. Pasty white flesh and slack-jawed faces that seemed to have been lost in DS2.

I was pleasantly surprised by DS2 - while I liked the first, I didn't think it was stellar. It's a fun, thrilling game, though. Especially when I replaced the music with the theme from John Carpenter's The Thing :).

I agree the game got too repetitive in the later stages. The new objective pointer is truly great, but as a result you can completely miss what you're supposed to be doing or where you're going, you just trudge from objective to objective and push or pull stuff. The objective explanations are in logs buried in your inventory menu and easily missed.

Still looking for a friends/team for the multiplayer :/ . Makes me wish I'd bought the game from Steam.

My biggest jump in this game = When one of the baloons popped near the reception desk.

Bad Marmoset:

Yes, I was impressed with their dedication also. They were quite awkward at times, the bastards. The ones who like to hide, peer around corners and then charge were a nice addition too. And by nice I mean, utter bastards.

The Force gun (I had the Zealot model) is almost too much of a "I Win" button for the entire game. They give a real subtle pointer (by leaving a bunch of ammo) that the Detonator is useful for those bald ostrich buggers, but I found the Force gun to be the solution to almost every Necromorph in DS2. If it wasn't for the fact that the Flame Thrower is so much phun :), I'd almost never switch weapons.

I hated the fact that Isaac didn't talk in the first game, especially when his girlfriend finally showed up in person. Drove me nuts. She's gushing her heart out and he simply stands there mute, not caring. Also, whenever anyone else would talk to him. Silence. Rude much, Isaac? Really broke the feeling of the game for me at parts.
So glad that they gave him a voice in this one. Can you try and save people in this one? That was another thing that bothered me in the first one. On the Valor, you find a Marine pinned to the ceiling. Perfectly alive and has a green rig, but he's stuck. Isaac simply stares at him and moves on. What the hell?
Going to pick this game up in a few days, when I get paid.

mrhateful:

Anoctris:

econael:
I wish for a game that makes me afraid to play it :[ ...

See I don't understand this view at all.

If a game could truly inspire fear and terror in you, the kind that makes you hug your knees in a corner while you rock back and forth mumbling to yourself, you wouldn't play it - so what's the point?

And if such a game was ever created I can only imagine that censors worldwide would jostle to change it.

See kids this is what happends when people confuse horror with gore..

Horror is when you feel a sense of being alone in a terrorfying world, normally a good horror won't even have to show any truly censor worthy images.

Now gore is when you make the most strange monster with lots of knifes on it and lots of blood and then give your protagonist a gun to shoot its limbs off.

So you're saying that censors only target terrifying/horrible visuals, ignoring all other forms of stimuli that inspire fear/terror (or could lead to neurosis and disorders like I mentioned before)?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_(emotion)

This explanation clearly defines that terror and horror effects are not soley restricted to visual stimuli alone.

I see the point you're trying to make, I agree that censorship of videogames in the past have been primarily based on 'gruesome' or 'realistic' visual effects, however I disagree that censors soley focus on them when considering the overall effect of the piece of media could have on a person.

One example is the renaming of drugs in Fallout 3. http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Med-X

Forgive me if that doesn't quite make sense, I'm tired.

Demon babies.

I appoved of that.

PopcornAvenger:

Bad Marmoset:

Yes, I was impressed with their dedication also. They were quite awkward at times, the bastards. The ones who like to hide, peer around corners and then charge were a nice addition too. And by nice I mean, utter bastards.

The Force gun (I had the Zealot model) is almost too much of a "I Win" button for the entire game. They give a real subtle pointer (by leaving a bunch of ammo) that the Detonator is useful for those bald ostrich buggers, but I found the Force gun to be the solution to almost every Necromorph in DS2. If it wasn't for the fact that the Flame Thrower is so much phun :), I'd almost never switch weapons.

Yeah, you've got to love that Force gun, I had some great fun with that thing especially with some of the smaller Necros. However, I am trying a different combination of weapons this time around (3rd) and I am having to change my tactics slightly.