Dead Space 2
 

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DEAD SPACE 2 IS COMING (SOMEBODY GRAB A TOWEL)

OFFICIAL RELEASE: 1.25.2011

Dead Space was one of my favorite games back in 2008 and it was left pretty open-ended. The game now takes place in a populated outpost and Isaac suffers from mental dementia; a side effect from exposure to the "marker" from the original game. The game is now adding 4 vs 4 multiplayer which, judging from the descriptions I've read so far, is similar in structure to Left 4 Dead. (4 human players against 4 Necromorph)

TRAILER

There's been a live demo on both Xbox LIVE and PSN since 12.21.2010. Anyone played it yet? Who else is looking forward to this?

I'm torn.

The demo is much of the same thing as the first one, which is equal parts good and bad. Heavy scripting, but the first time through is still fun. (Although the zero g parts are markedly improved).

On the other hand, I'm fully expecting this to sell not much better than the first one did, which is to say that it'll be 20 bucks in 6 weeks.

Has a fucking AWESOME LE though. Damn.

I think this one has enough mainline recognition where it will do much better than the first game (sales-wise). The first game was awesome, and I'm looking forward to this, but I will rent. Even if the multiplayer is fantastic, I don't really see enough of us all getting the game to get into it for any real length of time.

I don't disagree. It'll do better, but I'm not sure how much so? I am sort of anticipating a situation like Bioshock 2 there, where there is just going to be way too many copies sitting about and they'll get chopped down in price before too long, regardless of anything else.

I picked the first one up for 15 dollars a month after it came out and while this one is definitely not be in the same boat, I don't think it'll be the sales darling they might be expecting.

I don't think the Bioshock 2 comparison is fair, because practically no one actually wanted that game, and Take Two projected completely retarded sales numbers on that one (wasn't it like 5 or 6 million?). Dead Space was a game that was highly praised (like Bioshock) that actually warrants a sequel and one that people really wanted and are looking forward to (unlike Bioshock). Also it's releasing in a really good period; I'll be surprised if it doesn't do at least a million across both platforms in the first 2 or 3 months.

'Eh, I still feel that's an overestimation of the original game's influence but I wouldn't be surprised if you're right in the end.

In retrospect the Bioshock 2 comparison was unduly harsh. And yes, I believe it was 5M that they were hoping for. It was something ridiculous at the very least. (On the flipside I think DS1 ended perfectly, considering it's tone. I don't believe it really needed a sequel. But that's just me.)

See, I felt that the game left it a bit open-ended myself which is why I was hoping that we'd get a sequel. I'm not too sure how the multiplayer is gonna fare though because the game seems to control a bit clunky in single player and, even though it works great for the single-player story, it like it would be a bit of a rough fit for a multiplayer model.

You can have a ending that's both open to interpretation and also appropriately final. I can think of a lot of media, games included, that don't provide absolute closure and are definitely better for it.

Agreed; I think just in Bioshock's case the first game wrapped things up pretty nicely, so Take Two throwing another studio on it, adding multiplayer, and having insane sales expectations really soured most people's opinions on it.

I agree that Dead Space didn't necessarily NEED a sequel story-wise; but it supported a sequel infinetely more than Bioshock did, especially since not everything was wrapped up, and Dead Space is way, way less story/environment heavy than Bioshock was.

BUT ANYWAY I THINK DEAD SPACE 2 IS GOING TO BE RAD

My main concerns are:

1.) What will they make Isaac's character out to be, now that he actually talks?

2.) How much will interaction with (non-insane?) outbreak survivors affect the feel of being alone?

Regarding concern 1: While playing the demo I actually thought "Who the hell is that?" when a male voice started talking over the radio. Then I realized it was Isaac. Also, this last year proved how disastrous it can be to give a silent protagonist a voice. At least Isaac shouldn't have any lengthy inner monologues.

Regarding concern 2: Yes, there were survivors on the ship the first time around, but the few that seemed to have retained core mental functions were clearly off the deep end. The shipmates you brought with you were pretty much just there to give you objectives, and it became apparent they had their own agendas anyway. If Dead Space 2 has survivor characters that you feel you can trust, it will eliminate that feeling of being alone.

Concerns aside, I am immensely looking forward to this game, and have my copy pre-ordered. I don't really have any strong feelings about the inclusion of multiplayer just as long as it didn't divert an excess of resources from the single player. If it's good, that's a bonus. If not, no big loss.

I hope that there's an actual need to use the other weapons this time. As awesome as the other weapons in DS1 were, after upgrades, the Plasma Cutter was still pretty much the best weapon in the game.

So uh... this is out now. Anyone care to talk about it?

I did my first playthrough on survivalist difficulty, and I found it to be a lot more difficult than the hard setting of Dead Space 1. I think they've cranked up the difficulty to account for players now having the ability to change the difficulty when they start a ng+ and bring all their upgraded stuff with them. I won't spoil anything, but by the end there were some areas where I found the only way to stay alive was to run like hell and not look back other than to stasis things long enough to get the next door open.

I will admit that I think there were some things the first game did a bit better, but there are also a lot of good new things too. I don't think at this point I can really say I like either one better than the other.

Oh, and I haven't tried multiplayer yet. I'll probably get around to it fairly soon.

I was originally gonna wait on this like I did with the first one, but ended up getting it completely on a whim today. So far I'm enjoying it, but it's pretty weird hearing Isaac talk after being so completely mute in the first game. Haven't had any shit my pants scary moments yet, but...

I'm probably gonna hold off on multiplayer until I finish the story.

Word to those who have the PC version: You won't get the end-game rewards for playing on Hardcore Mode yet (or DLC, or an Extra Suit) because Visceral or EA screwed up somewhere and they need to Patch it in. :gonk:

What is everyone's overall opinion of them game now?
I really enjoyed Dead Space 1, and was looking forward to Dead Space 2. In the end, I found I was really impressed with the sequel, but there were some things I had trouble understanding like:



Overall though, it was a great gameplay. I enjoyed the fact that I couldn't just sit and play it in one night.

I thought it was pretty good. I'm doing a second playthrough this time, making some fraps videos as I go along to capture the most scary moments in the game.

The only thing I dont like as much this time around, is that you can't backtrack as much. Sure, in the first game you were always limited to what deck you were on currently, but as long as you didnt take the tram to the next area, you could do whatever the hell you wanted. DS2 has a lot of a ways to limit you from doing that.

The only reason I really care about that, is because I'm the kind of guy who whores all the items I can carry, go to the nearest store, and either sell, unload schemetics/conductors or store items. It really pays off, because in both the first and the second game I was able to finish the game with everything fully upgraded. (not ALL the weapons of course, but at least 4 of them + the rig and stasis device)

Also, if anyone else here is what is now known as the dying breed PC gamer. Be prepared to yet again be pissed off, because we will not get the upcoming DLC. Yay for getting fucked over YET AGAIN.