It was the perfect way to marry gameplay and tone and is something Dead Space 2 heavily improved upon over the original. Precision under chaos is a ripe formula for such consistent thrills and building the whole game around such an intelligent micro gameplay loop ensured that it was always engaging and never got any less horrifying or tense. The strategic dismemberment enabled these moments, too, as carefully aiming at specific areas amidst the chaos was like the equivalent of a character fumbling the car keys around the lock in a horror movie. Executing that plan and improvising when things went haywire elicited a sense of tension that few others can match, further proving that horror games didn’t need to rely on clunky controls. It almost became like a Doom game as each encounter requires a quick assessment of each threat and then a plan to take them all down accordingly within the confines of the arena. The different types of enemies in the sequel kept up the mystery (and the fear inherent to it) and allowed for combat to never get stale. Enemies were still deadly and required precise aiming to kill and the more fluid shooting only made that process a better experience while still retaining the tension from its predecessor. Dead Space 2’s combat felt smoother and faster but did not sacrifice one bit of its survival horror roots. The first game’s Resident Evil 4-inspired third-person shooting got the job done yet had plenty of room for improvement. Beautifully blending action and horrorīut the gameplay also holds up, which isn’t always the case for shooters. It harkens back to the iconic and deeply unsettling transformation scene in 1981’s An American Werewolf in London both of which have effects have withstood the test of time. Seeing the mysterious man (who was also the star of the tepid Dead Space: Ignition) turn into a necromorph without any cuts or tricks is stunning even today as camera angles or other gimmicks will usually obscure such a difficult process. The transformation sequence cannot be understated, too. The fear of the unknown is strong as well as the fear of the known, which are shambling toward you with their sharp, extended limbs.
Something is deeply, deeply wrong as Isaac didn’t go back to normal after his traumatizing stay on the Ishimura. It’s one hell of an opening that is still one of the best in the genre because of how it sets the tone for the rest of the title. Still shackled, a traumatized and confused Isaac headbutts the newly formed monster and runs for his life. A mysterious man (modeled after the game’s producer, Rich Briggs) begins to free him before getting turned into a necromorph in real-time mere inches from Isaac’s face. Isaac, the previous game’s protagonist, is in a straightjacket for some unknown reason. Dead Space 2 opens with an unforgettable bang.
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