The Moment I Have Been Waiting For, Dead Space 2 Edition

Dead Space was my personal Game of the Year in 2008. It succeeded in reinvigorating the survival horror franchise by creating a world with a rich history and then filling it to the brim with atmosphere. They threw in some fun combat mechanics and some cool RPG elements and made the game easily the best horror experience I have ever had. Since our "End of the Year" show last year, I have been dying for a confirmation of a sequel. The Wii rail shooter, Dead Space Extraction really had me worried about the future of the series but it seems that I can finally breathe. EA/Visceral Games has officially announced Dead Space 2 for the current gen systems and is gearing up to unveil the game in the next issue of Game Informer.

Details are slim and there are no screenshots of the game to speak of but Game Informer's beautiful new cover suggests quite a bit about some of the game play that we can expect. The art suggests that we won't be seeing any significant change in setting (I hope i'm wrong in this assumption) but implies a lot about the new game play mechanics that might come into play. Isaac Clark, the protagonist from the original Dead Space is confirmed as the games lead character and he seems to once again be sporting the upgradable mining suit. The crazy looking boots on appear to be some sort of jet-pack type device which opens up a world of possibilities in regards to combat, zero-gravity puzzles, and even boss battles. Hopefully this will come more into play with the recently rumored multiplayer mode in the game. I'm praying that Visceral doesn't turn this game into a competitive multiplayer mode and instead opts for either a co-operative campaign or even a mode that will play a lot like horde mode from GoW2.

This is all just speculation but the game seems like the team may be playing it safe for the sequel and not taking any major risks by mixing up the original formula. I will be waiting anxiously for the next issue of Game Infomer but here are my personal hopes for the sequel:

1. Change of scenery- I loved the moody space station setting of the original but I would really love to see the series branch out more and maybe take the player to the surface of an alien planet or something along those lines.  The game needs that "space" setting but the game will hopefully jump around and keep the games setting from feeling bland or overused.

1. More make-shift weapons-  Using mining equipment as weaponry was genius and I want Visceral to really expand on this concept.  Perhaps arm Isaac with other makeshift weapons from the environment.

1. Deeper story- The story in Dead Space was great, if not a little cliche.  The use of visual/audio cues and the integration of story progression into the actual environment was amazing and I never found myself yearning for cutscenes.  With that said, I hope the team really deepens the story by introducing new aspects of the universe.  With the release of digital comics and the animated movie, there is clearly a wealth of content for the team to pull from.

Those are my 3 most basic desires for this game so I will hold all other commentary until after the game has been fully revealed.  Expect a follow-up post once I have read the article and had some time to let it sink in.  If the quality of the original game was any indication, my 2010 game of the year candidates just got some new competition!

-Nick

Game Informer Cover Reval:  Here