Rather, I believe the issues of the game are a great many small changes to the formula-changes that I believe were made in the interest of pursuing a cleaner, clearer, smoother, more conventional game design. This is not a traditional review of the game, which would surely be much more favorable than what follows. It remains a very solid follow-up to the original, and an entertaining, worthwhile experience. Frankly, I don’t think Dead Space 2 has any big, glaring problems that weigh it down. After some careful consideration, I’ve come to a conclusion as to why this is. Yet, for all that, I would still maintain that there has been a slight slide down the scales of quality from the first game to the second. After all, nearly every element that hooked people into Dead Space, nearly every element that I praised in my own article on the game, remains present in the sequel: an engrossing and precisely tuned sound design, a plot that deftly blends sci-fi and body horror, a set of enemies who navigate through ductwork to ensure no space ever feels truly safe, a dismemberment-based fighting system that increases combat complexity while enhancing uncertainty regarding whether any given foe is deceased, a pacing that spaces out spans of tension with spans of relief, a combat system that straddles the line between being restrictive and being empowering, and an eschewing of a traditional HUD in favor of diegetic menus and indicators on and around the player-character’s suit.

I personally hold what seems to be an increasingly rare opinion among players of the Dead Space series: that Dead Space 2 is a noticeably worse work of art than the original Dead Space-a lesser work of horror as well as a lesser game in general.īut I must admit that, on first glance, it’s not remotely clear why anyone would hold my opinion.

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