Popular Post Remilia Scarlet Posted October 2, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted October 2, 2021 Terror Never Dies It's a good time to be a Dead Space fan. EA recently announced their remake of the first game, which plans to incorporate cut content from the original, and Gunner Wright returning to finally give a voice to Isaac in the first game. It's still very early in development, but what we've seen so far looks incredible. EA Motive promises to stay true to the original story and spirit of the game while bringing it up to modern standards. I originally intended to write this piece on January 25th, which was the actual anniversary of Dead Space 2, but things came up and I never actually got around to it. Now that Halloween is on the way, I figured I would finally get to it. For clarification purposes this not a review. Here is my actual review of the game. This is more of a retrospective, my thoughts on the game as they developed over the last ten years. Improve But Don't Forget If you read my review of the game, you know that I consider it to be a bona fide masterpiece. And I still do. Dead Space 2 accomplished what many developers want but rarely achieve; it managed to surpass and improve on its predecessor in almost every way imaginable, while still creating an identity of its own. Dead Space 2 encompasses a philosophy of "improve but don't forget" style of game development. Improve on what the original set down as the foundation but don't forget the roots that led to its creation - something that many sequels (and developers) seem to forget is so important. Not only for the development cycle, but for the success of the game itself. Dead Space 2 added a lot of new functions and mechanics, but at the core of its identity, the game was still recognizably Dead Space, and was all the better for it. One of the biggest improvements Dead Space 2 had over the original was the EVA walks. I always tout the EVA sections of this game as one of the best parts of the game and for good reason. The EVA portions of the first game were unique because there weren't many games at the time that allowed you to move around in a zero-g environment but they were very limited. Dead Space 2 took the elements that made the zero-g parts of Dead Space so much fun and added free-floating movement in full 360 degrees, and fixed the camera so that it no longer disoriented the player when landing upside down. I cannot stress how much of an improvement adding full movement capability to EVA did for the game. Visceral opened up all new possibilities for gameplay by doing so and it made Dead Space 2 a better game. The improvements did not stop there. Combat opened up new possibilities as well. Visceral added a host of new weapons and tools to allow the player greater freedom in how they approached combat scenarios in the game. Although I prefer the trusty, tried and true plasma cutter, the weapons each have their own strengths and weaknesses, and all compliment each other. This goes back to what I mentioned before about "improve but don't forget". Dead Space 2 was and still is a marvel of game design and engineering. So rare is it to see a game that utilizes the full power of the system it is playing on but Dead Space 2 does, and it does it well. This is one of the few games I ever played that I still consider to be stunningly breathtaking and gorgeous to this day, and it's a testament to the love and care the design team in developing the game and its many environments. While I eagerly await the inevitable announcement (hopefully) of a remastered trilogy, I urge you all to go and play the game - take in the beautiful environments and stunning design and artworks. Dead Space 2 holds up better than I ever realized which becomes even more of a marvel when you find out it was built on the Tiger Woods PGA Tour engine. Yes, the game was developed using a golf simulation engine. The labyrinthine halls of the Sprawl, the towering and imposing walls of the Unitology church, and the silent vacuum of space are all painstakingly created and built with a deft touch not often found in games. Terror Never Dies What constitutes a good horror game? Being chased by an unkillable enemy? Screeching violin chords? Dark hallways, flickering lights and a dying flashlight? Jump scares? No, I don't think so. All of these are common elements in most horror games but what I find to be the most important aspect, and one that could very well make or break your game, is the atmosphere. Atmosphere is everything. It sets the tone of your game. It tells the player what to expect. From the opening few seconds of Dead Space 2 right to the ending the atmosphere is unrelenting dread. There is nothing that can be done to stop what is happening, and all you can do is try to stay alive long enough to escape. Dread and hopelessness permeate Dead Space 2 throughout your entire journey on the Sprawl. Walking through the residential district, seeing the corpses of families and children who never made it out, and and seeing the blood splattered all over the walls of the elementary school drive home the intent of the developers. They want to make you feel terror and doom, and it works. Music is a big part of driving home a successful atmosphere of terror and fear, and Dead Space 2 is no pushover. The music is haunting, and it succeeds in what it sets out to do. From the creeping strings of the cello and hair-raising shrieks of the violins and the heart stopping pounding of the drums, the music is one of the strongest elements of the game. Of course, this aspect pales in comparison to the lighting. No aspect of a horror game is perhaps as important as the lighting, even in comparison to the atmosphere. Lighting aids in the mood and plays such an important part in the psychological intent of your game. Visceral treats lighting as if it is a character unto itself, and that's a design philosophy I agree with. In no other genre is lighting so important as in horror. Scares are not dependent only on scary monsters and shrieking violins - you have to see what's coming at you. With the improved engine Visceral was able to cast deeper shadows, blacker blacks and brighter whites in their environments. Let me tell you - some of the kills Isaac has to endure are made all the more horrifying because of the stunning lighting used. The church of Unitology remains one of the creepiest and most visually stunning places in any game I ever played, and it's all because of the lighting. The Ishimura, as well, in Chapter 10, contains arguably some of the best lighting in all of video games. The dark, oppressive atmosphere is aided immensely by the black hallways, minimal lights and the audio - the groans and creaking of the derelict ship send shivers down my spine every time I play through it. It would never have been as effective without the phenomenal lighting Visceral used. A Legacy of Terror Dead Space 2 is hailed as one of the best games ever made, and one of the best horror games ever made as well. It is easy to see why. Visceral put so much love and care into the game, and as I said earlier in this piece, achieved a feat very few developers ever manage by surpassing the original in nearly every aspect. Dead Space left a mark on gaming, and Dead Space 2 left its own as well. So many developers have attempted to emulate the incredible success of the two games and almost always fall short. When you stand on the shoulders of giants, be careful that you don't fall off, as the saying goes. The eighties and nineties were an era of greatness for horror games. Classics such as Clock Tower, Silent Hill, Resident Evil and Alone in the Dark were released, and went on to become known as some of the greatest horror games in history. Their legacies permeate the gaming industry to this day and influenced survival horror in ways that forever changed how these games would be developed. I like to think that Dead Space left its own mark. It proved that a survival horror game doesn't need to severely limit or handicap the player to be truly terrifying. The idea of being alone in space, with nobody there to help you, surrounded by nearly unstoppable monsters that take over your body - that's terrifying, even with a gun to help you. Dead Space 2 succeeds as a horror game because of... you guessed it - the philosophy of "improve but don't forget". Atmosphere, music, gameplay, lighting, and philosophy all came together in a perfect storm to create a game that stands the test of time ten years later. Dead Space 2 is proof that in a great horror game, no matter how many times you play it... terror never dies. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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