Okay. Before you read the folowing, there are a few things you should know.
1) I'm still working on finishing the game, but I think I've played enough to comprehend it to the point where I'm confident about this review.
2) This is an experiment review. I'm trying to find 'my voice' and figured this style was worth a shot.
3) I didn't put pictures in, because of #2. It's not a full review, and I will most likely put the finished product up on my blog (www.ohsnapabear.wordpress.com)
4) Please, please PLEASE give me feedback. I really need it.
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After trying to calm a clearly emotionally disturbed man, I slowly make my way forward. My plasma cutter is drawn. I try to maintain a balance between alertness and sanity. The latter is difficult to keep a grasp on.
Recently diagnosed with a unique case of dementia, while I know nothing is certain I have been seeing the ghost of my dead girlfriend. All I DO know for sure is that my name is Isaac Clark. I am on a massive space-station-city called the Sprawl. It is filled with human-alien hybrid monsters, called Necromorphs. I also know that these monsters will kill me and everything else they run into, and I am the only hope at stopping them. What I do not know, is how I got to the Sprawl and what has happened since my first battle with the Necromorphs.
Contemplating the gibberish the insane man tried to tell me, I move on. I soon find myself in a large warehouse, filled with shelves. Plenty of hiding spots for Necromorphs, I think to myself. The mood is tense. As I reach the first corner, a medium-sized barrel rolls by.
"OH SHIT!"
I don't quite jump, but am afraid. I don't know what kind of enemy is going to pop out, but I can be sure something will. I walk into a clearing in the room. I'm worried ? Lots of approaches for baddies to come from, lots of ways they can sneak up on me. A stalker climbs over a shelf, staring at me.
Stalkers are enemies who will attack one-by-one, but travel in groups. It charges at me.
I fire my line-gun, a high powered ? but slow ? weapon, best for taking out running necros. My shot cut the thing in half. Before I can even think about my awesome skills, another stalker charges at me from behind. I hear it, turn around and try firing. Instead of the gratifying wave of plasma and gore, I hear a click.
"I forgot to reload. SHITSHITSHIT"
The creature tackles me. I try fighting back, but it is useless. Instead of taking the gun from my hand, it rips my whole right arm off. Then the bastard rips into my neck with it's teeth, and picks up my leg and drags me away.
CONTINUE FROM LAST SAVE
I listen to the crazy guy talk again. I run into the room, my weapons holstered. This time I'll try using my last stasis pack to hold off the stalkers before they can all attack me. I walk to past the first corner, and the barrel rolls by. I run into the center of the room, and draw my line gun. Fortunately, I remember to reload it before the battle. The stalker climbs over the shelf ? same as before. I manage to hit it with a stasis blast ? basically putting the target of the blast in slo-mo. I shoot the bastard dead.
I hear screaming from behind. Turn around. A stalker charges at me. I cut the fool in half. Right as I'm reloading, I get tackled from behind.
CONTINUE
Hear crazy guy, reload, see a barrel roll past, stalker climbs up shelf. I shoot stuff, get killed really cheaply. Rinse and repeat until I manage to kill them all and get past.
It's things like this that make Dead Space 2 what it is. Take it or leave it, you're going to get killed a lot. And get used to the scares to the point where it's just taking up time you could be using to get to the next checkpoint. Don't get me wrong, the gameplay is much better than the first game. The graphics and lighting is expertly put together for an overly-dramatic and tense ambiance.
It just feels... cheap. Cheap scares, cheap deaths, cheap monsters and a lame story. I got the game for $12 on Direct2Drive, and find this to be a worthy price. Anything above $15 I would have regretted. If you're in the mood for some action-packed infuriating space dismemberment, check it out. If you're not in the mood for a heavily scripted experience with 'popout' scares and frustrating difficulty changes, I'd say skip it and get a GOOD game.
1) I'm still working on finishing the game, but I think I've played enough to comprehend it to the point where I'm confident about this review.
2) This is an experiment review. I'm trying to find 'my voice' and figured this style was worth a shot.
3) I didn't put pictures in, because of #2. It's not a full review, and I will most likely put the finished product up on my blog (www.ohsnapabear.wordpress.com)
4) Please, please PLEASE give me feedback. I really need it.
__________________________________________________________
After trying to calm a clearly emotionally disturbed man, I slowly make my way forward. My plasma cutter is drawn. I try to maintain a balance between alertness and sanity. The latter is difficult to keep a grasp on.
Recently diagnosed with a unique case of dementia, while I know nothing is certain I have been seeing the ghost of my dead girlfriend. All I DO know for sure is that my name is Isaac Clark. I am on a massive space-station-city called the Sprawl. It is filled with human-alien hybrid monsters, called Necromorphs. I also know that these monsters will kill me and everything else they run into, and I am the only hope at stopping them. What I do not know, is how I got to the Sprawl and what has happened since my first battle with the Necromorphs.
Contemplating the gibberish the insane man tried to tell me, I move on. I soon find myself in a large warehouse, filled with shelves. Plenty of hiding spots for Necromorphs, I think to myself. The mood is tense. As I reach the first corner, a medium-sized barrel rolls by.
"OH SHIT!"
I don't quite jump, but am afraid. I don't know what kind of enemy is going to pop out, but I can be sure something will. I walk into a clearing in the room. I'm worried ? Lots of approaches for baddies to come from, lots of ways they can sneak up on me. A stalker climbs over a shelf, staring at me.
Stalkers are enemies who will attack one-by-one, but travel in groups. It charges at me.
I fire my line-gun, a high powered ? but slow ? weapon, best for taking out running necros. My shot cut the thing in half. Before I can even think about my awesome skills, another stalker charges at me from behind. I hear it, turn around and try firing. Instead of the gratifying wave of plasma and gore, I hear a click.
"I forgot to reload. SHITSHITSHIT"
The creature tackles me. I try fighting back, but it is useless. Instead of taking the gun from my hand, it rips my whole right arm off. Then the bastard rips into my neck with it's teeth, and picks up my leg and drags me away.
CONTINUE FROM LAST SAVE
I listen to the crazy guy talk again. I run into the room, my weapons holstered. This time I'll try using my last stasis pack to hold off the stalkers before they can all attack me. I walk to past the first corner, and the barrel rolls by. I run into the center of the room, and draw my line gun. Fortunately, I remember to reload it before the battle. The stalker climbs over the shelf ? same as before. I manage to hit it with a stasis blast ? basically putting the target of the blast in slo-mo. I shoot the bastard dead.
I hear screaming from behind. Turn around. A stalker charges at me. I cut the fool in half. Right as I'm reloading, I get tackled from behind.
CONTINUE
Hear crazy guy, reload, see a barrel roll past, stalker climbs up shelf. I shoot stuff, get killed really cheaply. Rinse and repeat until I manage to kill them all and get past.
It's things like this that make Dead Space 2 what it is. Take it or leave it, you're going to get killed a lot. And get used to the scares to the point where it's just taking up time you could be using to get to the next checkpoint. Don't get me wrong, the gameplay is much better than the first game. The graphics and lighting is expertly put together for an overly-dramatic and tense ambiance.
It just feels... cheap. Cheap scares, cheap deaths, cheap monsters and a lame story. I got the game for $12 on Direct2Drive, and find this to be a worthy price. Anything above $15 I would have regretted. If you're in the mood for some action-packed infuriating space dismemberment, check it out. If you're not in the mood for a heavily scripted experience with 'popout' scares and frustrating difficulty changes, I'd say skip it and get a GOOD game.