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It's a Mad House!

With Resident Evil becoming "Resident Action" and the Silent Hill series becoming a shadow of its former self (pending the release of Downpour being very good that is) survival horror hasn't had much to scream about these days. Sure, Alan Wake was a nice psychological thriller, but it's been a while since a franchise was known to just plain scare the holy S*!T out of you. Two years ago, a little known title by a new developer called Visceral Games was born called Dead Space. Even with its climatic ending, one wondered if it were to be a one trick pony. Developing the "God of War clone" Dante's Inferno didn't give gamers much hope who fell quickly in love with this new and frightening breed of horror. Thankfully they heard our plea, our cries, and our nagging to once again scare us to death by issuing a follow up, and the gang heard us loud and clear and began working on Dead Space 2. Of course like all sequels, there is more of a fear of the game being a re-hash or just plain crappy rather than the fear the game conjures up during game play. Announcing a multiplayer mode also induces fear of the series main plot line being swayed to provide equal game enjoyment, thus leaving one or both modes half assed. Rest your weary minds gamers, the team at Visceral Games has not only delivered the goods on the single player campaign, but the multiplayer mode is pretty exciting as well. The end result is another white knuckle ride of adrenaline rushing, fear inducing, and tons of "oh my god" moments that only the strong hearted can stand. Be afraid... be very afraid... it's Dead Space 2.

Sequels are made to do things bigger and better than the original, and Dead Space 2 brings it on full force. The levels are bigger, the scares are more frightening, the game exudes more personality, and there is even multiplayer adding more bang for the buck. As good as the first Dead Space was, you can bet your ass part two more than exceeds every expectation and is exactly what fans have screamed for over the last two years of waiting.

What makes Dead Space 2 a better game that outdoes its predecessor is the personality that Isaac has acquired. No longer are you a workforce grunt fixing a ship's hull, you are now a survivor of one of the most diabolical events in human history and with a face and a voice you get to delve deep in the mind of Isaac and his now mentally abused psyche. Fear not, Isaac is a beaten man, but he's far from broken and will do whatever it takes to survive any and all obstacles that come before him. He's also a humanist, so any human characters he encounters he immediately bonds with and is willing to help them through these times of trial and circumstance. What's more, as you progress in the story and the imagery you are subjected to when Isaac slowly slips past the limits of insanity, the scares come more often and more hard core complete with legitimately scary moments, cheap shock scares, and even some disturbingly creepy creatures that are truly warped not only in design but origin as well. This all puts a nice bloody bow on this package of complete terror that survival horror fans have been begging a long time for.

Gameplay rocks as well, with easy to navigate menus, pick up and play game play, and enemy A.I. that will not only think, but out think you as well. Sure a good chuck of the drones that come out you with limbs flailing towards you are a dime a dozen, but the ones who are determined to stay undead will be your most rewarding challenges. Of course Isaac has a nice arsenal of weaponry that will help you fend off many foes and demons that get in your way. Some are nice little throwbacks, but you are introduced to a variety of new weapons that will dismember your reborn corpses beautifully. Most of your familiar set ups are the same this go round as you will have your shops to purchase upgrades, ammo, and health packs; benches to upgrade your guns and rigs; and save spots that will allow you to release your white knuckled grip from your controller and take a break. Added this time around is the seeker line that takes you to your destination that not only shows you where your next objective is, but where the closest store, bench, and save spots making that need to back track a little less needed. No matter how desensitized you were in the first game from the scares, expect to surrender your fears in Dead Space 2 as they come more often, and more cleverly, and with the new story and environments, more suspensefully.

You get more bang for your buck as well this time around too. The story will take you a good 10 to 15 hours depending on your difficulty level, exploration, and knack to get into every door is concerned. In the first game, as with this one, that would have been enough to satisfy my bloodlust. Visceral games, on the other hand, said...nope...not enough. With that in mind they tossed in a nice little multiplayer game that pits Dead Space marines against the Necromorphs in a one on one skirmish for supremacy. What's more you can chose from the variety of Necromorphs yourself allowing for a nice battle for good versus evil. Lastly, for anyone who purchases the Limited Edition PS3 edition (which is the "standard" version for the time being) gets an added treat of Dead Space Extraction, complete with upgraded HD visuals and PlayStation Move controls. . For the unfamiliar, Extraction is the Wii version of Dead Space that takes place prior to the events of that take place in the first Dead Space game. It is made in the vein of a House of the Dead knock off, so the Move controls fit the bill quite nicely. It has been redone in HD, so it is far cleaner than the Wii version, not to mention FREE with limited edition versions of the PS3 version! All in all, Dead Space 2 provides gamers with more, and in a sequel, that's all that counts.

Being a fan of the first Dead Space game, I can honestly say that Visceral Games have outdone themselves, not only with making the game feel fresh and new, but the new challenges, game play types, enemies, weapons, provide gamers with a feeling that nothing was left out. Toss in all the story twists and turns, played out more cinematically now that Isaac has personality, and you have one mind-bender of a story that will keep you glued and guessing to its final frames which, fortunately or unfortunately, make you cry for more! There is a new king of survival horror in town, and its name is Dead Space. It's just what the psychologist ordered.