A demo forDead Space 2 was released on Xbox Live/PSN yesterday, and all good people downloaded it immediately. The first game scared me so much that I kept doing little rabbit poops from out of my puckered browneye, so Dead Space 2 has a lot to live up to.
Naturally, no demo is complete with some Jimpressions, so why not see what I thought of the game as if my opinion matters? Oh, and do thank Nick Chester for providing the game footage!
According to the demo, it's well on its way. Yes, the scares are cheap and sometimes predictable, but people who pretend not to enjoy a good "boo" scare are liars. With Necromorphs faster and more brutal than ever, even when the jump has been had, the panic induced by simply fighting them is kept on the high setting at all times.
Speaking of the Necromorphs, the demo alone seems to imply they're more varied -- and disgusting -- than before. The demo gives us regular Necromorphs, scary children, messed up Unitarian priests, those things with the exploding arms, and large-clawed creatures that drag themselves around. I imagine that's just a taste of what's coming.
The demo had a few sound issues for me at the beginning of the level, with audio cutting out, but hopefully that's not indicative of the main game and it only happened briefly. The majority of the demo looked and sounded great, with Visceral continuing the high focus on spooky audio that made the first game such a terrifying success.
With Dead Space 2 set in a city, I was hoping for larger environments, but the demo was very corridor-based and featured areas that could easily have been on the Ishimura. Towards the end of the demo, there are windows that show off the entirety of the city in the background, and these are quite impressive, and remind me of looking out of the tubes in BioShock to see the outside of Rapture. Hopefully the main game opens up a lot more.
Dead Space 2 is looking like it'll be an incredibly worthy follow-up to the original game. It doesn't look like a great deal has changed, simply expanded, and that's fine. Not a great deal needed changing. I'm definitely looking forward to playing the full thing after that demo, that's for sure.
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I still haven't finished the first game (I think I'm a couple chapters from the end) and I am trying my best to avoid spoiling the end before then, so I guess the demo will have to wait. Sounds good, though!
I enjoyed it rather thoroughly myself. I liked the fact that you couldn't always just back up into a corner while firing due to the fact that most of the time Necromorphs where spawning in more than one direction. I won't lie. I'll be playing this on casual myself, just to max out my character. Hopefully, they'll let you re-roll on a higher difficulty with your gear/stats unlike the first game.
@Comrade Snarky You can play the DS2 demo without it spoiling anything for you as long as you skip the intro. In game, they really don't say much regarding the first game, if anything.
The demo was awesome. Had the same on-edge feeling as I did throughout the majority of the first game. I loved how the bit in the church was practically non-stop Necromorphs. Just when I thought I could take a breather to reload, collect items, and assess my inventory...something would jump through a window or drop from the ceiling.
I may now go back and replay the first until the 1/25...
I remember people being rather upset about the fact that Issac was going to speak in Dead Space 2, I'll admit that I was a little iffy about it too but after hearing it in the demo I'm pretty sure it won't be that bad.
Same here. After downloading the demo and staring at the START screen for what must have been 15 minutes, I decided to just delete the thing. I'm already going to buy the game, and I'd like it to be as new as possible when the time comes.
After playing that, I remembered that I still haven't played Dead Space Extraction. It had a price drop too! $13 at GameStop after discount. Play that until DS2.
I was nervous to play it as I'm over-anticipating this title, but was quite encouraged one finished.
The first half of the demo was certainly more corridor-y, but the last half, in the church or whatever that place was, was definitely a more open space than anything on the Ishimura.
I'm not sure the open vs. corridor change is one I'd like to see in the sequel. To me, the claustrophobia of a derelict space ship was integral to the overal feeling of stress and disparity in the world of the first Dead Space, so, the sequel begs for a suitable analog that could be tough to deliver in a wide-open city, perhaps.
I think most of the other changes -- subtle as they may be -- are quite welcome.
I like Isaac's voice. I really liked everything about the demo: actual animations for Isaac reloading, not just simple pats, more varied enemies, great music that felt new, and a huge nasty, gritty feeling amongst everything. Oh, and the zero gravity sequences look like they'll be a lot more easy than before, which is great. I don't think there's anything I didn't love, and I get why they want Isaac to be talking, as it makes everything a lot less confusing.
My only concern is that we'll get a really short campaign, like the first game, but I think that was completely dissolved when the narrator talked. I have a feeling Dead Space 2 will be an overall better game, which is fantastic. A little disappointed that there was no multiplayer, but I'm sure it'll be great.
Highly anticipating this game, so much so that my ladyfriend has it preordered as a Christmas present. Like some others, I won't be playing the demo. Can't wait!
With the sequel, Dead Space has become much more of a shooter than survival-horror, and i think it's better for it. This demo was simply more active and fun than the endless monster closets of the original. Good show.
"Messed up Unitarian priests"? That comment speaks to the hard conversation of living into a painful choice of mutual trust and shared honesty... OH GOD WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME
Demo is great, it looks sharper with better lighting and more dynamic color scheme; the graphics are improved all around. And it still feels like Dead Space, I was instantly creeping around, worrying about where the baddies would come from. The weapons feel better too. Good Stuff.
man i am so exited for this game! this and portal 2 are my two most anticipated games for next year. i still have to go back to get a couple more achievements on the first one. i still have to beat the game on the hardest difficulty and beat it with just the plasma cutter, i know that its not too hard to beat on the hardest setting and i know its not real hard to beat on normal with just the plasma cutter. so i am getting them both in one run. im so excited for this game i absolutely cannot wait.
Maybe I played too much of the original...but I found the demo rather lackluster. I don't know why, I liked the enhancement over the zero-g, and the larger variety in necromorphs. It's only a demo though, so I'm going to give the game a buy.
Played it and it's looking good. I'm loving the new zero-g controls and the look of the enemies.
Is it me or is the pulse rifle better? I rarely used in Dead Space because it did shit damage but it seemed more useful in the demo. I'll see tonight because that demo got me hyped and I'm about to run through Dead Space again.
I liked the demo. Pretty sweet gameplay and shatz. Although, this game has the same gripe I've always had with horror stuff in general. I can't stand it when games/movies start to rely on "Just being gross and shocking" for a scare. I.E. in the church, when that one necromorph with the tongue grabs you and drags you around trying to kill you. Isaac's death sequence there was too nasty for me when it stabs you in the mouth.
I'm not saying the game should be pulled off of shelves, banned, or reported to FOX news, it's just a bit heavy for me. I'll sit this one out when it's released. You guys enjoy :)
Towards the end of the demo, there are windows that show off the entirety of the city in the background, and these are quite impressive, and remind me of looking out of the tubes in BioShock to see the outside of Rapture.
tubes you say? like the internets! also, the demo was awesome, my sister was hiding behind a pillow throughout!
I hope with Isaac's voice, they can inject fear into his voice. Even heavy breathing during the most stressful situations cause now he's kinda affected by the marker.
I will say, those screeching babies are fucking the worst thing EVER. I was bugging out when there was a hoard coming after me. They are legitimately freaky.
Also, anyone else have a bitch of a time finding out what the hell to do with that gravity machine "puzzle"? I must be dumb....
It was a decent demo, but there was a fanboy tinge of disdain from me as I played, which came I assume directly from playing the first game on my PS3 while waiting for the 360 demo to download. There were a few things that I noticed that, while not entirely being deal-breaking, didn't exactly sell the game for me.
1. The lighting and shadow depth are more grayish than black in the demo as compared to the first game. This might be to hedge the game closer towards being an action game that requires better visibility to adjust for faster and frankly much more numerous enemies, but it tones down the fear level a lot when the room you are in has enough ambient lighting that there are no corners dark enough to unsettle you and at no point are you aiming your weapon sights on them just for the benefit of the attached flashlight. I bought a Plasma TV for the expanded contrast levels and Dead Space delivered the first time around, although this is just a demo I would have liked a large sample of lighting situations simply because of how well they were done the first time around.
2. The scenery change doesn't seem as frightening. The Ishimura was a hazard to itself. You could hear it creak and moan. There where areas where the industrial roar was deafening, and one necromorph hiding in those areas where just as nerve-wracking as the fifteen or so I fought inside of the Unitologist Chapel. Horror is as much, if not more so, about ambiance than any amount of creatures. Sure, they're plenty threatening and disgusting, but I personally feel that a harsh environment can do more towards to shaking a player than anything else, which is something that I would hope to see more of in the complete game.
3. Call me a whiner, but I liked my Zero G jumping better than these floaty-ass boots. I can understand why you'd want to allow for more mobility, albeit it a little more sluggish, in Zero G along with the ability to engage in free floating firefights, but I don't know if it is for me. Zero G as it previously functioned was more inclined towards realigning the gamer's orientation in multiple dimensions and making them look beyond 'foor' being the only navigable surface, which was neat to me. The boots seam to undo the wall crawling and make things seem a little more vertical to me. There is a chance that with the little time that I spent accustoming myself to them I missed out on some of the finer points of navigation and landing, but honestly I don't find this version of Zero G nearly as compelling, nor does it seem as well situated into the level design as what I had previously seen. Again I'd love to be proven wrong, and this is just a demo.
4. The curved line upgrade for the in game GPS is a rad update. Sure, right angles have a timeless and technologically endearing feel to them, but I am happy to see the change as it implies to me a much more organic design structure in the game's architecture that hopefully will translate into something a bit more biology and little less physics.
5. I want to shoot more Tesla Coils into monsters faces. There's no need explain this one.
I loved the demo. What with the seemingly repeating first rooms, the gravity chamber, the church, the cliffhanger at the end, honestly, I think it's one of the most well-made demos I've ever played. I thought it was perfect!
I agree, actually. I was hoping for a more open-based structure. But I can certainly understand the need to cling to the claustrophobic atmosphere that worked so well in the first game.
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Contest:
10:00 AM on 12.22.2010 | 
@Comrade Snarky You can play the DS2 demo without it spoiling anything for you as long as you skip the intro. In game, they really don't say much regarding the first game, if anything.
Why all the hate, game developers?
Why's Valve the only one who seems to give a shit about us?
I may now go back and replay the first until the 1/25...
Thanks! Maybe I'll give it a shot, then, minus the intro.
Same here. After downloading the demo and staring at the START screen for what must have been 15 minutes, I decided to just delete the thing. I'm already going to buy the game, and I'd like it to be as new as possible when the time comes.
@Jim
Glad to hear it was solid!
i've downloaded it, but I think I might do the same.
The first half of the demo was certainly more corridor-y, but the last half, in the church or whatever that place was, was definitely a more open space than anything on the Ishimura.
I'm not sure the open vs. corridor change is one I'd like to see in the sequel. To me, the claustrophobia of a derelict space ship was integral to the overal feeling of stress and disparity in the world of the first Dead Space, so, the sequel begs for a suitable analog that could be tough to deliver in a wide-open city, perhaps.
I think most of the other changes -- subtle as they may be -- are quite welcome.
My only concern is that we'll get a really short campaign, like the first game, but I think that was completely dissolved when the narrator talked. I have a feeling Dead Space 2 will be an overall better game, which is fantastic. A little disappointed that there was no multiplayer, but I'm sure it'll be great.
...I hate myself a little for liking games by EA.
Is it me or is the pulse rifle better? I rarely used in Dead Space because it did shit damage but it seemed more useful in the demo. I'll see tonight because that demo got me hyped and I'm about to run through Dead Space again.
I'm not saying the game should be pulled off of shelves, banned, or reported to FOX news, it's just a bit heavy for me. I'll sit this one out when it's released. You guys enjoy :)
tubes you say? like the internets! also, the demo was awesome, my sister was hiding behind a pillow throughout!
I will say, those screeching babies are fucking the worst thing EVER. I was bugging out when there was a hoard coming after me. They are legitimately freaky.
Also, anyone else have a bitch of a time finding out what the hell to do with that gravity machine "puzzle"? I must be dumb....
Ha! I had the same problem. I tried doing all sorts of stupid things before getting it right:
Throwing objects at it.
Using that time-warp ability on objects, then throwing them at it.
Throwing grenades at it.
Electrocuting it with the javelin gun.
Time-warping the gravity machine, then dropping things in the center.
Oh, I could go on :D
I thought the exact same thing. I hope it dies open up. The free moving zero-g section in DS2 was awesome and I hope they've really expanded on it.
1. The lighting and shadow depth are more grayish than black in the demo as compared to the first game. This might be to hedge the game closer towards being an action game that requires better visibility to adjust for faster and frankly much more numerous enemies, but it tones down the fear level a lot when the room you are in has enough ambient lighting that there are no corners dark enough to unsettle you and at no point are you aiming your weapon sights on them just for the benefit of the attached flashlight. I bought a Plasma TV for the expanded contrast levels and Dead Space delivered the first time around, although this is just a demo I would have liked a large sample of lighting situations simply because of how well they were done the first time around.
2. The scenery change doesn't seem as frightening. The Ishimura was a hazard to itself. You could hear it creak and moan. There where areas where the industrial roar was deafening, and one necromorph hiding in those areas where just as nerve-wracking as the fifteen or so I fought inside of the Unitologist Chapel. Horror is as much, if not more so, about ambiance than any amount of creatures. Sure, they're plenty threatening and disgusting, but I personally feel that a harsh environment can do more towards to shaking a player than anything else, which is something that I would hope to see more of in the complete game.
3. Call me a whiner, but I liked my Zero G jumping better than these floaty-ass boots. I can understand why you'd want to allow for more mobility, albeit it a little more sluggish, in Zero G along with the ability to engage in free floating firefights, but I don't know if it is for me. Zero G as it previously functioned was more inclined towards realigning the gamer's orientation in multiple dimensions and making them look beyond 'foor' being the only navigable surface, which was neat to me. The boots seam to undo the wall crawling and make things seem a little more vertical to me. There is a chance that with the little time that I spent accustoming myself to them I missed out on some of the finer points of navigation and landing, but honestly I don't find this version of Zero G nearly as compelling, nor does it seem as well situated into the level design as what I had previously seen. Again I'd love to be proven wrong, and this is just a demo.
4. The curved line upgrade for the in game GPS is a rad update. Sure, right angles have a timeless and technologically endearing feel to them, but I am happy to see the change as it implies to me a much more organic design structure in the game's architecture that hopefully will translate into something a bit more biology and little less physics.
5. I want to shoot more Tesla Coils into monsters faces. There's no need explain this one.
"I want to shoot more Tesla Coils into monsters faces."
I want that for you.