The horrifying mutants in the "Dead Space" series kill everything brutally and indiscriminately. The mere sight of them can drive a person mad. But if the Necromorphs are so frightening, why are we excited to see them again?
With the release of "Dead Space 2" in a few weeks, horror game fans are having trouble containing their enthusiasm for the chilling follow-up. Here are five things you should expect from the single-player journey through the Sprawl, based on an early look at the game's first few chapters.
1. It's scary.
"Dead Space 2" hasn't strayed from its horror roots to become another sci-fi shooter. Developer Visceral's new philosophy toward pacing seems focused mainly on injecting variety into the action rather than changing the feel of the game play. Instead of just walking down corridors waiting for something to jump out, I visited more zero gravity areas, guided Isaac as he rocketed toward a runaway tram and played a sequence where I had to fight off Necromorphs while hanging upside-down. While these segments add flavor, the classic "Dead Space" game play, complete with its signature dread, is still intact.
2. The sprawl is different.
"Dead Space" took place in the cramped corridors of a mining vessel, but the sequel is set on a populated space station. The change in venue provides more variety in the scenery -- an apartment building, a shopping center, a church, floating in deep space. The areas aren't just corridors, either. Each section has different colors and spaces, so I got more of a feeling of moving from one distinct place to another. In one open plaza, I noticed clever fake advertising, such as a poster for a horror movie called "The Clogger" featuring bloody wooden shoes. These elements add levity to an otherwise tense atmosphere.
3. Kinesis and stasis are better.
Isaac's guns are still his main weapons, but his secondary tools have seen improvements for the sequel. Stasis, which slows down enemies, now slowly recharges. You still need to carry packs to replenish your meter mid-combat, but in the time between encounters, you can bank a few uses of the ability for when the fighting starts again. Kinesis has seen tweaks, too. It's a viable combat tool now, good for grabbing environmental objects and hurling at your foes. It's still not perfect; in a pile of dead Necromorphs, I had difficulty controlling whether Isaac would grab useful sharp bits or slabs of meat. Regardless, the ease and speed with which you use kinesis is a noticeable upgrade from the original.
