"Isaac...We're all gonna burn for what we did to you."

Dead Space 2 is a science fiction survival horror video game, developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts.

Story
I highly recommend playing first Dead Space before this entry, however if for some reason you pass on that great title and decide to straight up jump into a sequel, or if you simply forgot what was going on in previous title, game offers a quick recap of events that happened in "Previously in Dead Space" video!

Dead Space 2 is set 3 years after the events that took place in Dead Space. You once again play as CEC Engineer Isaac Clarke, one of the very few survivors from Ishimura, who wakes up on The Sprawl, a space station orbiting one of the Saturn moons.
With lack of memory on how he ended up here and with severe hallucinations after Aegis VII, Isaac quickly finds himself in the middle of a new Necromorph outbreak, which once again he has to stop.

Gameplay
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Dead Space 2 follow that simple rule as it sticks to what worked in first title. Once again you got a third person over-the-shoulder perspective, and core gameplay focused on survival against hordes of monsters while gathering supplies and credits.
This time due to different enviroment, game is more linear than first entry and contains less revisiting of already explored locations. Said change is also a reason map was removed, and now to quickly navigate and figure out where is the objective or an important location, you can use a locator.

Resource Integration Gear (RIG) suits are still here, which serve as in-game HUD system, showing off your equipment, health, and few different stats (like amount of credits or ammo) using holograms.

Necromorphs return, mutated, aggresive creatures made from human corpses. Just like in first entry, eliminating them in fastest and most efficient way requires to go for limbs rather than heads in what game calls "strategic dismemberment" style. Surgical precision and steady aim reward with not only satisfying and brutal combat, but with more resources left in your backpack. Sequel brings new types of enemies to make Isaac's life even worse. Whether you have to check your corners for Stalkers or fight off The Pack, Necromorphs will constantly keep you on your toes. And later on game introduces Enhanced versions of previously encountered enemies, just so you won't have it easy.

Fortunately Isaac already has experience with turning industrial equipment into deadly weapons that can be used against his enemies. At the start your choice will be limited, but as your progress you will gather schematics required to aquire new tools in store.
Arsenal features all weapons from first game plus new additions, whether you want to burn enemies away with a industrial torch turned into a flamethrower, go for a classic approach with plasma cutter, or obliterate enemies using a contact beam, you will find something for yourself even if that, due to schematics, might be a bit more later than sooner.
You can carry up to 4 weapons at the same time.

Besides standard weaponery he can use kinesis to grab all kinds of objects, from deadly projectiles to loot, plus stasis which will slow down enemies and enviroment elements.

All mentioned aspects can be improved at Benches, workshop stations where Isaac can put his enginnering skills to good use. For a small price of a power node, you can upgrade statistics of your weapons, stasis capabilities and amount of health or air in RIG.

Outside of benches game also has Save points where you can save your progress and Stores in which you get to buy items, sell them, or store in a safe for later.

While on your trip through Sprawl, you can find text and audio logs which give additional information about different events or characters!

Playtime, replayability and other modes
Dead Space 2 took me 7 hours to complete on Normal difficulty, but because this was far from my first playthrough, for a first-timer playtime can be closer to 9.
You can replay a game in New Game Plus mode where you keep your unlocks and upgraded items to show monsters how it's done from the start, plus collect new versions of the suits! Those who are interested in doing a Hardcore mode run should also attempt to beat a game few more times to learn it.
Besides NG+, Dead Space 2 contains Multiplayer component known as Outbreak mode that pits humans against Necromorphs on Sprawl.
Pretty fun thanks to option of playing as multiple different creatures, each with unique abilities and decent progression system. However it requires EA Account which quite often has connection issues, problem that makes people turn away from it and what is a reason for lack of playerbase.

Pros and cons
Elements that made first game great, here are just as good. Solid core gameplay, satisfying, rewarding, gruesome combat, simple mechanics and upgrade system.
While it doesn't bring anything new to the genre as it sticks to what worked in first title, content is nonetheless terrifying in a good way.
Additions of new weapons and enemies bring more variety to the game and keep it challenging to the end, as arms race between constantly improving Isaac and increasing amount of Necromorph types never ends.
Tweaks in movement system now give you smoother controls, especially manuvering in zero-gravity areas is improved, and in terms of combat, melee now is a viable option as stomps and swings are now faster.
HUD in form of RIG holograms, still one of my favourite elements in entire series, it adds even more sci-fi climate to a game.
Mouse issues that occured in a first entry no longer appear.
Isaac can now speak, and while voice acting in general is not something outstanding nor awful to write more about, such move was a great choice as now he can share more of his emotions through speech rather than though head shakes.
Fantastic horror aspects, as game constantly forces you to be on your guard against danger lurking in the walls while you make your way through blood-painted locations. Including some violent scenes (which can be seen at literall prologue of the game) to keep it shocking.
Additionally game features elements from psychological horror as events from first entry had an impact on Isaac which can be seen throughout the game. It's tense, it's disturbing, it's great. But game to that horror cocktail adds more set pieces, cutscenes and Quick Time events to keep the action going, so slight change in overall tone of Dead Space is visible, as it now is closer to being a sci-fi action game than first entry.

To the "mixed" bag I can throw in Multiplayer component. Some find it an unnecessary addition, some find it as a great way to stick around this dark universe for a bit longer, it's about personal preference. For me it's great but the pesky issues with connection and EA Account problems are main reason mode is not as popular as it could be, and a reason for low playerbase.

Final words and conclusion
Sadly Steam version of Dead Space 2 doesn't contain Severed DLC, shame considering more Dead Space is always a positive in my book. But just like every other PC version, it automatically has all DLC Packs with additional weapons and armor, which can help in your Hardcore runs.

Dead Space 2 is a great sequel that delivers gruesome horror elements, satisfying, violent combat, and improved action aspects to create another disturbing chapter in Isaac's fight for survival.

Check out my curator page for more reviews!

"Isaac...We're all gonna burn for what we did to you." [i]Dead Space 2[/i] is a science fiction survival horror video game, developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. [b]Story[/b] I highly recommend playing first Dead Space before this entry, however if for some reason you pass on that great title and decide to straight up jump into a sequel, or if you simply forgot what was going on in previous title, game offers a quick recap of events that happened in "Previously in Dead Space" video! Dead Space 2 is set 3 years after the events that took place in [i]Dead Space[/i]. You once again play as CEC Engineer Isaac Clarke, one of the very few survivors from Ishimura, who wakes up on The Sprawl, a space station orbiting one of the Saturn moons. With lack of memory on how he ended up here and with severe hallucinations after Aegis VII, Isaac quickly finds himself in the middle of a new Necromorph outbreak, which once again he has to stop. [b]Gameplay[/b] If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Dead Space 2 follow that simple rule as it sticks to what worked in first title. Once again you got a third person over-the-shoulder perspective, and core gameplay focused on survival against hordes of monsters while gathering supplies and credits. This time due to different enviroment, game is more linear than first entry and contains less revisiting of already explored locations. Said change is also a reason map was removed, and now to quickly navigate and figure out where is the objective or an important location, you can use a locator. Resource Integration Gear (RIG) suits are still here, which serve as in-game HUD system, showing off your equipment, health, and few different stats (like amount of credits or ammo) using holograms. Necromorphs return, mutated, aggresive creatures made from human corpses. Just like in first entry, eliminating them in fastest and most efficient way requires to go for limbs rather than heads in what game calls "strategic dismemberment" style. Surgical precision and steady aim reward with not only satisfying and brutal combat, but with more resources left in your backpack. Sequel brings new types of enemies to make Isaac's life even worse. Whether you have to check your corners for Stalkers or fight off The Pack, Necromorphs will constantly keep you on your toes. And later on game introduces Enhanced versions of previously encountered enemies, just so you won't have it easy. Fortunately Isaac already has experience with turning industrial equipment into deadly weapons that can be used against his enemies. At the start your choice will be limited, but as your progress you will gather schematics required to aquire new tools in store. Arsenal features all weapons from first game plus new additions, whether you want to burn enemies away with a industrial torch turned into a flamethrower, go for a classic approach with plasma cutter, or obliterate enemies using a contact beam, you will find something for yourself even if that, due to schematics, might be a bit more later than sooner. You can carry up to 4 weapons at the same time. Besides standard weaponery he can use kinesis to grab all kinds of objects, from deadly projectiles to loot, plus stasis which will slow down enemies and enviroment elements. All mentioned aspects can be improved at Benches, workshop stations where Isaac can put his enginnering skills to good use. For a small price of a power node, you can upgrade statistics of your weapons, stasis capabilities and amount of health or air in RIG. Outside of benches game also has Save points where you can save your progress and Stores in which you get to buy items, sell them, or store in a safe for later. While on your trip through Sprawl, you can find text and audio logs which give additional information about different events or characters! [b]Playtime, replayability and other modes[/b] Dead Space 2 took me 7 hours to complete on Normal difficulty, but because this was far from my first playthrough, for a first-timer playtime can be closer to 9. You can replay a game in New Game Plus mode where you keep your unlocks and upgraded items to show monsters how it's done from the start, plus collect new versions of the suits! Those who are interested in doing a Hardcore mode run should also attempt to beat a game few more times to learn it. Besides NG+, Dead Space 2 contains Multiplayer component known as Outbreak mode that pits humans against Necromorphs on Sprawl. Pretty fun thanks to option of playing as multiple different creatures, each with unique abilities and decent progression system. However it requires EA Account which quite often has connection issues, problem that makes people turn away from it and what is a reason for lack of playerbase. [b]Pros and cons[/b] Elements that made first game great, here are just as good. Solid core gameplay, satisfying, rewarding, gruesome combat, simple mechanics and upgrade system. While it doesn't bring anything new to the genre as it sticks to what worked in first title, content is nonetheless terrifying in a good way. Additions of new weapons and enemies bring more variety to the game and keep it challenging to the end, as arms race between constantly improving Isaac and increasing amount of Necromorph types never ends. Tweaks in movement system now give you smoother controls, especially manuvering in zero-gravity areas is improved, and in terms of combat, melee now is a viable option as stomps and swings are now faster. HUD in form of RIG holograms, still one of my favourite elements in entire series, it adds even more sci-fi climate to a game. Mouse issues that occured in a first entry no longer appear. Isaac can now speak, and while voice acting in general is not something outstanding nor awful to write more about, such move was a great choice as now he can share more of his emotions through speech rather than though head shakes. Fantastic horror aspects, as game constantly forces you to be on your guard against danger lurking in the walls while you make your way through blood-painted locations. Including some violent scenes (which can be seen at literall prologue of the game) to keep it shocking. Additionally game features elements from psychological horror as events from first entry had an impact on Isaac which can be seen throughout the game. It's tense, it's disturbing, it's great. But game to that horror cocktail adds more set pieces, cutscenes and Quick Time events to keep the action going, so slight change in overall tone of Dead Space is visible, as it now is closer to being a sci-fi action game than first entry. To the "mixed" bag I can throw in Multiplayer component. Some find it an unnecessary addition, some find it as a great way to stick around this dark universe for a bit longer, it's about personal preference. For me it's great but the pesky issues with connection and EA Account problems are main reason mode is not as popular as it could be, and a reason for low playerbase. [b]Final words and conclusion[/b] Sadly Steam version of Dead Space 2 doesn't contain Severed DLC, shame considering more Dead Space is always a positive in my book. But just like every other PC version, it automatically has all DLC Packs with additional weapons and armor, which can help in your Hardcore runs. Dead Space 2 is a great sequel that delivers gruesome horror elements, satisfying, violent combat, and improved action aspects to create another disturbing chapter in Isaac's fight for survival. Check out [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/31947302/] my curator page for more reviews! [/url]