When Isaac Clark boarded the derelict mining vessel USG Ishimura, his actions were fueled by hope. His girlfriend, Nicole, was stranded on this ship. But the Ishimura was contaminated by a biological threat. Everyone aboard it, including his love, was lost to the disease. Although Isaac survived, he couldn't outrun the contagion. He was infected.
In "Dead Space 2," Isaac's deteriorating state of mind adds tension to an already unnerving atmosphere. He sees ghosts, and his consciousness periodically shifts from reality to a horrifying memory.
Not being able to trust a game's protagonist puts the player in a precarious position. I found myself second-guessing Isaac's actions. Is he battling the people infected with the virus? Or is it tricking him into harming uninfected people? The race to find a cure becomes Isaac's priority.
Compared with Isaac's time aboard the Ishimura, "Dead Space 2's" scares are bigger, the tension is greater, and the threat created by the virus makes every shot you fire count. This is one of the most emotionally and physically draining games I've played.
"Dead Space 2's" new setting, the Sprawl, a heavily populated space station built on one of Saturn's moons, contributes greatly to the heightened unease. The infection strikes children and even newborns. Battling a 7-foot beast that vomits acidic bile and tries to impale Isaac with razor-sharp appendages is one thing, but watching a mother cradle a necromorph baby will haunt my nightmares until I die.
Although Isaac still uses many of the same tools from his previous entanglement, the setting and new threats that lurk within it give "Dead Space 2" a decidedly different feel. Not only does Isaac hallucinate, but creatures burst through walls when you least expect them to.
At no point in this game did I feel that Isaac had the upper hand. Enemies are not only greater in number this time around, they are stronger and better protected. De-limbing specific necromorph types takes an entire clip of ammo. I often found myself using kinesis to hurl every object in a room at a monster, praying that one shot impales the beast or at least knocks it back long enough for me to reload.
While I appreciate the challenge the team has created, I have to call them out on the design of many of the combat scenarios. As Isaac is engaging a threat in front of him, foes will drop from vents behind him. Tack these unfair spawns onto a game that is brutally difficult to begin with, and many of your screams will come not from horror, but frustration.
