Console: Xbox 360/ PlayStation 3/ PC
Players: Single Player / Multiplayer
Release Date: 25th January 2011
Publishers: Electronic Arts
Dead Space was unleashed onto the world by Electronic Arts in 2008 and quickly became one of the most popular games of that year across all platforms. It is a twisted horror survival cut with explicit action and some powerful and harrowing themes. If the idea of being trapped alone with an unknown but deadly force scares the living **** out of you then it is probably best that you avoid these EA games but if like you us you enjoy being scared ****less or you actually appreciate a good horror then get your wallets/purses ready because one of the best games in this genre is getting a sequel
Recap
Once more players will take on the role of Isaac Clarke, a ship system specialist and engineer but before we take a gander at what monstrosities lie in wait for our silent protagonist, perhaps it is best to take a look back on those monstrosities that we left behind on the Ishimura. Isaac and a crew on board the Kellion are sent out to answer a distress call issued by the Ishimura, a ship in orbit above Aegis VII. However something goes wrong and the Kellion ship crashes into the giant starship and once on board Isaac and co. are attacked with all but him and two others surviving the onslaught.
Separated, Clarke must navigate the huge ship in order to find answers and the woman he loved, Nicole, a medical officer on board. However the trio are not alone on board, something inhuman is following them, twisted monsters, savage killers and demented crew are out there in the dark and if Clarke has any hope of surviving he must find out the real cause of the attacks and destroy the source.
Plot
(Honestly, we got a little creeped out just thinking about the plot for Dead Space so please no loud noises). Clarke survived his horrific ordeal aboard the Isihmura having fought off countless hordes of terrifying creatures and monsters; his mind continues to be wracked by the mental illness brought on by the Marker, an alien artefact on board the starship, the events of Dead. Reviving on board the Sprawl, a huge metropolis built in space, a floating city, Isaac soon realises that the Necromorph infection has found its way into the city and now the citizens of Sprawl and the city itself have become a breeding ground for the plague to grow. How did it get there? What has the government of the Church of Unitology got to do with it? Isaac must find the answers to the questions once more and use all his power and knowledge from his last encounter to survive another nightmare.
System
The developers at EA know when they are on to a good thing and thankfully there have been only the smallest of changes to the game play of Dead Space 2. Controls in Dead Space were smart and easy to master, okay, Isaac moved at the pace of an 80yr old arthritic snail but we made allowances for gravity fluctuations and that heavy protective suit. In Dead Space 2, Clarke’s movements are a lot freer and we’ve never been happier to play a more limber character. The AI Monsters are just as fast and vicious and when ammo is running low it is often best to run for your life.
A lot of our favourite weapons have made a return and there are some new ones to get our nervous trigger finger wrapped around too.
The game still relies on the typical survival game plot, traversing various parts of the map, fixing broken conduits and equipment and getting your ass out of the danger zone!
Visually the game retains the same dark and drab scheme from the original, what little light you have is often more a hindrance than a help, casting twisted shadows, giving away your position and generally adding to the already quite nerve wracking experience.
Extraction
Own a Wii? Then you might have already been one of the lucky ones to play Dead Space Extraction! If not well then count your lucky stars if you own a PS3 and PlayStation Move as all copies of Dead Space 2 are coming with the his prequel to the events of Dead Space. A rail shooter, the events on the planet and the initial infection are retold by four survivors desperately fleeing for their lives.
Why Xbox owners aren’t getting a copy, maybe in the near future for Kinect but for now will have to wait and see!
So with a release date in less than a week, we are bracing ourselves for what looks set to be one of the best horror games of the year. We will just be sure to play the game with the lights on and have someone check under the bed for any Necromorphs…
