Zero Punctuation: Dead Space 2

[Therumancer]

Too many games on order, I put this one on my "wait list" to perhaps pick up when it drops in price a bit.

That said, a very entertaining critique of it, and yes I do agree with Yahtzee about how overdone violence and gore tends to ruin the impact compared to more realistic portrayals. But then again, I think that's the point, it's a variation on Tom and Jerry cartoon violence. Game companies don't have the guts to really try and scare people anymore, since that's an uncomfortable feeling, and if they impress jaded horror fans, the watchdogs who already hate video games will be screaming for their blood. Once in a while you'll see something like what "Heavy Rain" did for one scene, but for the most part the overblown violence and easily destructable corpses is a way of them being able to say "see, this is so ridiculous nobody can possibly take it seriously"... and that includes the people who want a seriously horrific experience from it. It's sort of like how EA responded to Fox News' recent criticism (of Bulletstorm) by listing their game content from "Bulletstorm" as a way of pretty much saying "this game is ridiculously stupid, you must be insane to take a premise like this, or anything in it, even remotely seriously".

The game industry, as it currently stands, is not likely to ever make a decent horror game. We won't see one until it undergoes some kind of renaissance.


Oh and the new ship name lacked the elegance of "Kill Beast Buffet".

 

[UsefulPlayer 1]

I don't really appreciate the spoilers. Now I feel like I'm always gonna expect the finger thing with Heavy Rain. Not trying to ***** but that's my thoughts

 

[Oirish_Martin]

Ach, I hate those vents. Mostly because after a certain point in the game you can tell when a monster is going to pop out at you and where it will, yet you can't use your knowledge of the situation to kill it before it gets the drop on you. So, you're forced to willing go into their stupid trap.

Makes you wish you could have proximity mines, so you can set up and just walk away laughing as the stupid necro owns himself.

Maybe I'm not picking up on sarcasm here, but there is a new weapon on DS2 that allows you to do that.

 

[Darks63]

Ach, I hate those vents. Mostly because after a certain point in the game you can tell when a monster is going to pop out at you and where it will, yet you can't use your knowledge of the situation to kill it before it gets the drop on you. So, you're forced to willing go into their stupid trap.

Makes you wish you could have proximity mines, so you can set up and just walk away laughing as the stupid necro owns himself.

Maybe I'm not picking up on sarcasm here, but there is a new weapon on DS2 that allows you to do that.

Really I havent started playing yet so I didnt know what weapons there are yet, if so this is yet another thing like preemptively smashing corpes which I will have to do in game.

 

[Treaos Serrare]

I laughed when the gunship just shoots the hell out of the unitology church when you finally, reach the top its especially funny when the churchy goon who's holding onto you just stares at you dumbfounded as the windows shatter and everyone gets sucked out into space, fucking hilarious.

 

[jebussaves88]

Whilst I concede that the game isn't really scary, it is very good at building tension leading into combat. This is definitely more Uncharted/Gears of War in space than it is Amensia: The Dark Descent, but that is fine for those of us who want to shoot something other than a terrorist or a zombie. Even though it isn't scary, you have to admit it's interesting, and very enjoyable as far as I am ( Chapter 10: The USG Here are the juicy humans yum yum so long as you're asking)

 

[DeliciousCake]

To anyone thinking about bying this game, please don't the game was awful and if you fall into the same trap as i which is, "man this game is easily just as great as the first one", then game studios might think that we want this kinda crap. Also anyone who is saying that it was a good game is either lying or an idiot.

Dear Sir and/or Madam,

Having provided points and an overly large textwall detailing things that I thought the second game improved on, I'm sitting here wondering why you didn't do something similar. You could have said: "I disliked this game because: x, y and z. I found the [Blank] to be [insert adjective here]. Therefore, I must say this game is [good/decent/bad]." Your complete lack of points illustrating why the second game is, as you put it, "crap", makes me wonder if you know how to construct a complex opinion. Secondly, I must say your last sentence somewhat bothered me. Having mulled it over, I conclude that you are saying something along the lines of: "Anybody who doesn't share my opinion is wrong and stupid." This, combined with your lack of evidence, makes your seem rather foolish. I wanted to let you know this in the hopes that you may gather up your reasoning and respond to me in the fashion of a gentleman.

Good day,
Sir Delicious Cake Esquire

 

[sp86]

To anyone thinking about bying this game, please don't the game was awful and if you fall into the same trap as i which is, "man this game is easily just as great as the first one", then game studios might think that we want this kinda crap. Also anyone who is saying that it was a good game is either lying or an idiot.

Obvious troll is obvious. You don't like the game, your loss; by any objective assessment it's a solid game, and easily an early contender for one of the top games of 2011.

What do I mean about objective assessment?
*The metaplot is well-written, sadly the fact that people still thinking unitologists are the game's whacky cult instead of a conspiracy that cuts to the core of the setting just proves people aren't reading much into the game.
*The graphics from a technical standpoint are flawless, I never experienced clipping, visual lag, missing textures, distension or any of the usual hiccups.
*The art design, while not being the prettiest around is very suited to the game's atmosphere.
*The physics engine, while somewhat rudimentary adds a great deal of weight to the game. Things seem as if they have real weight to them, and for the most part behave realistically.
*The game combines several mechanics that would serve as other games single gimmick, telekinesis, hacking, Bullet-time, and even the much loathed QTEs (Though the presentation is occasionally changed up).
*Sound design and light design are both suitably creepy and in depth, and go a huge way to pushing the atmosphere.
*The multiplayer is a great addition, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
*The 3rd Person Shooter genre has by and large stagnated, becoming haunted by the success of Gears of War, anything that can be done to resurrect a great genre is welcome in my book.

I could go on, but those are the key bullet points.

 

[sp86]

Ach, I hate those vents. Mostly because after a certain point in the game you can tell when a monster is going to pop out at you and where it will, yet you can't use your knowledge of the situation to kill it before it gets the drop on you. So, you're forced to willing go into their stupid trap.

Makes you wish you could have proximity mines, so you can set up and just walk away laughing as the stupid necro owns himself.

Maybe I'm not picking up on sarcasm here, but there is a new weapon on DS2 that allows you to do that.

Really I havent started playing yet so I didnt know what weapons there are yet, if so this is yet another thing like preemptively smashing corpes which I will have to do in game.

It doesn't just plant mines, you can use it as a grenade launcher. The Pulse Rifle also has a grenade launcher now. As does the flamethrower. The force gun's is gone though.

The real winner is the Hand Cannon though.

 

[Sir-Bearus]

Booo Hooo, this game isn't silent hill , and doesn't bore me to tears, booo hooo, it's not what I wanted it to be, even though it's so much fun, boo hooo, it's EA, therefore mainstream and thus must not like it.

 

[DeliciousCake]

The real winner is the Hand Cannon though.

I swear, that thing turns the game from action horror to full on comedy.

 

[xdiesp]

I swear that part of him getting paranoid, at the game talking at him, was creepier than he intended.

 

[sp86]

The real winner is the Hand Cannon though.

I swear, that thing turns the game from action horror to full on comedy.

Pew Pew Pew BANG

For the uninitiated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O8R8iiOVPs

 

[fisk0]

Oh, I had been told that DS2 wasn't going to do the vent stuff that got really ridiculous only a few minutes into the first Dead Space.
All the air duct monster closets just removed every single bit of suspense from the game for me, instead you just noticed all the vents when you walked into a room and knew exactly where all the monsters would come from, and if any vents had not yet been opened by the time you were about to exit the room, you could be sure that it was a room you'd have to pass through again later.

I'll probably still get DS2 when it gets cheaper, I did like the setting and atmosphere in the first game, it just was very predictable and non-scary.

 

[scw55]

I leave...somewhat disappointed from that review. Maybe it's the fact that his rage was tempered by the game being a horror game in space with jet packs, but I honestly expected him to tear further into this.

You do know he *reviews* games. Not, rip them apart for lols? He just happens to be very blunt with his critisms. Perhaps you should watch something else.

~

To be honest, any game that's advertised as your "mom" hating it, will be a bucket of adolecent gorey fantasy.

 

[sp86]

I leave...somewhat disappointed from that review. Maybe it's the fact that his rage was tempered by the game being a horror game in space with jet packs, but I honestly expected him to tear further into this.

You do know he *reviews* games. Not, rip them apart for lols? He just happens to be very blunt with his critisms. Perhaps you should watch something else.

~

To be honest, any game that's advertised as your "mom" hating it, will be a bucket of adolecent gorey fantasy.

He's built a career on accentuating the negative, so to "rip them apart for lols" is a pretty good description of his business model. I like Yahtzee because he's entertaining, every Wednesday I come to the circus (as it were) to watch a monkey dance and throw feces, but it's only amusing: it's not enlightening or informative, and that's the end of it.

 

[shadowmagus]

I leave...somewhat disappointed from that review. Maybe it's the fact that his rage was tempered by the game being a horror game in space with jet packs, but I honestly expected him to tear further into this.

You do know he *reviews* games. Not, rip them apart for lols? He just happens to be very blunt with his critisms. Perhaps you should watch something else.

~

To be honest, any game that's advertised as your "mom" hating it, will be a bucket of adolecent gorey fantasy.

I'm so glad you pointed that out, I had no idea /sarcasm

That said, I stand behind my former assertion that the game is overall weak and I expected he would review it worse and tear further into this....maybe even "for the lols".

 

[FallenMessiah88]

Well judging from your review Yahtzee, it seems like Dead Space 2 is a pretty safe buy for me. The first Dead Space was by far one of the best games i have played in recent times. Is it the best game ever? No, mostly because i dont believe in such a thing. However, it IS a really good game and at the time it was a fresh new IP in an industry populated mostly by sequels. Is it the scariest game ever made? Hell no! In my opinion, there are plenty of other survival horror games that are WAY scarier: Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, Amnesia etc. In fact, i would define Dead Space as more of an action horror game than a survival horror game, with a big emphasis on the action part. And to everyone who are so obsessed with "proving" how these game are totally not scary: Horror is a subjective thing. So if somebody finds Dead Space to be the scariest fucking game ever made, then they have every right to think so.

 

[mrhateful]

To anyone thinking about bying this game, please don't the game was awful and if you fall into the same trap as i which is, "man this game is easily just as great as the first one", then game studios might think that we want this kinda crap. Also anyone who is saying that it was a good game is either lying or an idiot.

Dear Sir and/or Madam,

Having provided points and an overly large textwall detailing things that I thought the second game improved on, I'm sitting here wondering why you didn't do something similar. You could have said: "I disliked this game because: x, y and z. I found the [Blank] to be [insert adjective here]. Therefore, I must say this game is [good/decent/bad]." Your complete lack of points illustrating why the second game is, as you put it, "crap", makes me wonder if you know how to construct a complex opinion. Secondly, I must say your last sentence somewhat bothered me. Having mulled it over, I conclude that you are saying something along the lines of: "Anybody who doesn't share my opinion is wrong and stupid." This, combined with your lack of evidence, makes your seem rather foolish. I wanted to let you know this in the hopes that you may gather up your reasoning and respond to me in the fashion of a gentleman.

Good day,
Sir Delicious Cake Esquire

First of all I would like to point out that just because you explained yourself in a text wall doesn?t make your opinion more valid since it?s about the context not the amount. Secondly in defense of my post as I can see how you can be a bit offended I?d like to add that I really am very disappointed with the game, and are in truth just trying to warn others.

Now I don?t blame you for not knowing this but I have written quite a few posts on why I don?t like this game, some of which are on the ?other? escapist review of the game, which does explain my opinion a lot better I think.

But since you?ve written me such a nice reply I thought I?d retread my opinion:
First of all the game is not a sequel but rather an extension since it doesn?t add anything new, the monsters are the same, the gameplay is the same, like corpses playing dead, mobs coming from holes, shoot limbs, pretty much nothing new or innovative, now obviously a game doesn?t have to be a completely new and different but it does at least have to add some new elements and to me it doesn?t do that(except for the jet pack which I felt was nothing special)
Okay that was gameplay, to me gameplay is important but it can?t really carry a game if a game lacks story and atmosphere then gameplay falls flat and eventually becomes tedious if it is as repetitive as DS2 is.

Story, in my opinion is the most important thing (Baldur?s Gate 2 is my favorite game after all), and this is where DS2 completely fails. Its story and I?m not talking about the acting, I?m talking about the story which you learn about, as you progress through the game, that thing that keeps you attached to your protagonist and makes you want to continue on.
Now I haven?t finished the game (quit about 10 min after the lady betrays you, just like in ds1, only done worse).

Basically the story which I got to learn was Necromorphs has come back, and you need to get to the lady, because you?re sick. And too me that just doesn?t cut it?s simply too thin especially after you finally get to her and some unknown ship kills her without any resolution, such a let down

After that disappointment that other guy(forgot his name), appears out of nowhere and says ?come to me?, and now you have to get to him, that?s NOT a good story, it?s a story specifically designed for one thing and one thing only: to get you through as many rooms as possible in order to force an stereotypically atmosphere down upon you, a nursing home haunted with deformed kids, a medical facility with insanity happening, etc. etc, I mean at this point why not a virtual reality machine that sends you to a haunted house with lightning striking outside the window.

Now you might think well if that?s your opinion on DS2 then you must really hate DS1, actually no because even though I don?t consider it one of best games, I was actually entertained all the way to the end, which to me is very important.

It certainly wasn?t a horror but it was new and refreshing, and had this almost unknown phenomenon called a story this where you in your reflection of the protagonist, experience different events and situations, in a crash attempt to make you become attached to your protagonist.

Now I agree with the popular opinion that your girlfriend had no effect however what did have an effect was the feeling of trying to get off the ship. Also if I can add just one thing DS1 became very silly towards the end which I felt DS2 just continued.

Hopefully this answers it all for you; normally it can be hard to explain why a game is boring simply because nothing is happening.

Sad day to you,
Overmind Hateful invasion

 

[CptTrippsX]

That's it, I'm moving to the land of chocolate lesbians