First Impressions: Dead Space 2

This is an interesting game for me to cover as I have yet to play the original Dead Space. Still, from everything I heard, I'd expect I'd be shooting every corpse until it was a fleshy pudding. As I finished the demo, the game had given me every reason to curb stomp every body I saw.

It says something when the opening does this much for the game. Just letting the game sit for a minute while I write up I get some chills from the brooding music and it just makes me want to try the game more. I was not too disappointed only having the normal difficulty available, but that is what most people play on, as it is a Demo of the game I was playing (but why taunt with difficulties you can't choose?)

The opening cinematic considers for people who have not played the first game. It explains what has happened to Earth and what the human race is now doing to survive. It gives a small taste of what is was that made the first game. It covers the events of the game succinctly, explaining a little about the Red Marker. This is important as none who approach the marker are left untouched, or untainted in a sense. It also explains something of what happened to Issac after the events of the first game.

The demo starts with you just moving around, getting a feeling for the game itself. When you have your first Necromorph encounter, you have some idea of what to do. Much like the first game, your health and powers are displayed on Issac's back. The lower the lights on the spine, the worse off he is. The smaller half circle shows the suit's power level for Stasis and Kinesis.

As I played on, I found the game was worthy of the praise of the first Dead Space. It was a nice challenge, not so much in navigating (as you can easily hit a button and find out where you should be going) but in simple survival. Very quickly the game established, to me, the need to keep your back to a wall and lots of ammo handy or very solid aim. The Necromorphs, while individually easy to topple, prove challenging when dealing with en mass. Still, for every situation there was generally a gun or power you could use to even out the odds.

In the end, there was just enough story to keep the demo moving from start to finish. You get a small taste of the havoc that Dead Space 2 will be putting you through. There was a lot left that I wanted to do but as the demo ended, there was a certain sense of satisfaction for simply making it through. Still, the where it leaves you is another story.

If you want to get a taste of what Dead Space is like, this is a great way to find out.