I wouldn't have guessed that Dead Space 2 is trying to take itself seriously after that ad campaign. Insightful and funny as usual Yahtzee....chocolate lesbians lol.
Zero Punctuation: Dead Space 2
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
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Uhm, monsters suddenly jumping out of vents. You know, it was annoying even in the original Half-Life, which a) wasn't a horror game, b) not scary, and c) overused even then (over a decade ago).
I'm a bit surprised at the lack of criticism from Yahtzee towards this game, even though I liked Dead Space 2. First of all, considering how great the boss battles were in DS1, even though they were few, I was really disappointed that DS2 doesn't have a single REAL boss fight (even the final battle feels like a semi-boss at most).
Also, am I the only one who hates the necromorphs with passion? Their attacks just feel cheap, and some of the new enemies didn't help at all. Those guys who charge at you from behind corners were a nightmare, especially when encountered with other enemy types. Maybe Yahtzee was playing on easier difficulty, though in this game you actually CAN change difficulty setting mid-playthrough.
Also, am I the only one who hates the necromorphs with passion? Their attacks just feel cheap, and some of the new enemies didn't help at all. Those guys who charge at you from behind corners were a nightmare, especially when encountered with other enemy types. Maybe Yahtzee was playing on easier difficulty, though in this game you actually CAN change difficulty setting mid-playthrough.
Bah. After wading through the entrails of a thousand deathclaws, with nothing but a rusty tire iron in hand, I can honestly say that monsters are just crunchy cannon fodder to me.
Maybe if the game had ghosts or some such shit. Or a rabid grizzly.
Or better yet... if you weren't friggin' able to defend yourself. That feeling of squishiness is a pretty important factor in horror games.
Also, great review, had me laughing quite a few times
Maybe if the game had ghosts or some such shit. Or a rabid grizzly.
Or better yet... if you weren't friggin' able to defend yourself. That feeling of squishiness is a pretty important factor in horror games.
Also, great review, had me laughing quite a few times
I've always maintained the understanding that the Dead Space franchise is so over the top with its gore and violence that it's more of a slapstick kind of horror than any genuine 'horror' title. You could argue that the insta-transformation face-melty thing at the beginning is meant to make you cringe and look away from it out of disgust or fear. I could understand that, but the thing is, the game then expects you to pick up weapons and start blasting about a hundred other guys who look exactly the same. It's not like The Thing where the aliens scurry off into the darkness and you barely get to see one - let alone kill one. They're everywhere, they're a dime a dozen, and because you take out any connection to the supernatural and paranormal you can't rely on those tried and true elements to effectively scare the player through atmosphere. We know the shit Isaac sees isn't real, we know it's a trick of the mind brought on by the Marker, we know that this alien life is just like any other lifeform. If it bleeds, you can kill it. The minute you give the player the ability to deal with a threat, you strip away any fear that player might have of facing said threat. The reason Amnesia and Penumbra work so well is that you can't really deal with the threat, just run and hide. It's the same why ghosts are scarier than zombies. Zombies you can kill, but there's no way to effectively fight a spirit. It's also why Silent Hill works so well. The clunky combat controls are not detrimental. They're a positive. By being unable to fight the creatures, the player is left with little other choice but to run, and it's this fear of being caught by something that can't really be stopped that spurs the player on. Or the thought that something else might be in the next room that you may have to run from as well. Thusly, Dead Space can only rely on "jump" moments rather than atmosphere and genuine horror, which is extremely odd seeing as it seems to tote itself as being more the latter than the former.
The Ripper isn't overpowered, it's one of the crappier weapons IMO. It's unreliable, slow and did I mention unreliable?
As for the game itself, it was better than DS1, simply because there's an actual protagonist this time around, with something going on with him (dementia, guilt, halucinations), making him more interesting than 90% of protagonists in similar games. Also, the extra variety in locales doesn't hurt.
As for the game itself, it was better than DS1, simply because there's an actual protagonist this time around, with something going on with him (dementia, guilt, halucinations), making him more interesting than 90% of protagonists in similar games. Also, the extra variety in locales doesn't hurt.
Ooh that description hits the spot. That was another awesome Zero Punctuation. I especially loved the Scientology reference because I like everything that mocks them. :')The Real Sandman said:
And yeah, basically everyone who's ever heard of the game knows it's weak point: The not-so-scary repetitive horror.
Ah so it's the video game equivalent of a slash flick then eh? Loaded with superfluous gore and not at all scary.
Good video.
It still tickles me when people take Yahtzee's videos as actually reviews. It seems analogous to taking a hyper-polarized Op-Ed piece from whatever Newspaper it appears in and stating it's reality. Instead of knowing that Yahtzee will always focus on the negatives, regardless of the positives of the game - it's his shtick. To each their own I suppose.
It still tickles me when people take Yahtzee's videos as actually reviews. It seems analogous to taking a hyper-polarized Op-Ed piece from whatever Newspaper it appears in and stating it's reality. Instead of knowing that Yahtzee will always focus on the negatives, regardless of the positives of the game - it's his shtick. To each their own I suppose.
Well, I expected him to bash it, but I'm still disappointed that he has to be so steadfastly wrong-headed about Dead Space 2. I know that's his schtick, but the truth is that the design team did an outstanding job of taking what worked from Dead Space, improving it, and adding new aspects to really enhance the experience.
The result of their work is an excellent game. Period. While you can have criticisms of certain elements of the game, I would have to say that those are highly subjective: 'jack-in-the-box surprises aren't horror blahblahblah', 'monsters in vents', etc etc.
I actually thought that Visceral did a fantastic job of creating atmosphere and tension, along with some real moments of terror. No, it's not a survival horror game: it's an action horror game, and it does it very well. Maybe it's not your cup of tea, but really, to pick nits about a perceived 'overuse' of schools and nurseries, along with the bull about Issac Clarke's voice actor not being manly-sounding enough... Really? That's the kind of stuff you bring up?
This review was extremely poor: it had some funny lines, but it really felt the entire way through like Yahtzee said to himself "I have to hate DS2 since I panned DS1 and everyone expects it. I'm not going to give them any credit whatsoever" and then discovered that he really had to dig to find things to ***** about.
And the sad thing is that Yahtzee didn't actually hate DS. His verdict, IIRC, was "samey sci-fi; some good moments, but rather bland overall"
The result of their work is an excellent game. Period. While you can have criticisms of certain elements of the game, I would have to say that those are highly subjective: 'jack-in-the-box surprises aren't horror blahblahblah', 'monsters in vents', etc etc.
I actually thought that Visceral did a fantastic job of creating atmosphere and tension, along with some real moments of terror. No, it's not a survival horror game: it's an action horror game, and it does it very well. Maybe it's not your cup of tea, but really, to pick nits about a perceived 'overuse' of schools and nurseries, along with the bull about Issac Clarke's voice actor not being manly-sounding enough... Really? That's the kind of stuff you bring up?
This review was extremely poor: it had some funny lines, but it really felt the entire way through like Yahtzee said to himself "I have to hate DS2 since I panned DS1 and everyone expects it. I'm not going to give them any credit whatsoever" and then discovered that he really had to dig to find things to ***** about.
And the sad thing is that Yahtzee didn't actually hate DS. His verdict, IIRC, was "samey sci-fi; some good moments, but rather bland overall"
People need to realize that being startled is technically fear, at least within a biological sense. Flight or fright, 'm I right? Yes, the best of horror will use atmosphere to make you constantly freaked out, but if that's the case with almost example of media, you're a massive pussy. For example, if all this shit was going on in real life, you would be LOSING YOUR FUCKING MIND. The sight of a necromorph would make you shit your pants. But it's a game, or a movie, or a novel or what ever. It's extremely hard to make you feel like your there.
I felt that the atmosphere for Dead Space 2 was great. I was rarely ever afraid to go around a corner, but it looked great and played the part well. Also, there was one school in the game, and it wasn't very long. Not sure what Yatzee was talking about. You'd see a kids room every now and then, but people have kids. They exist. They never stopped existing or anything :O.
Also, I really liked the necromorph transformation. Again, if it were real life, you'd probably have a heart attack seeing that. I don't think a slow transformation would make it better for scaring you... at all. It'd probably make it a lot worse. It would increase story, but not horror.
Oh yeah, and EA had nothing to do with the game's design. Quit using the publisher where the developer should be used. (It's Visceral Games, by the way.)
I felt that the atmosphere for Dead Space 2 was great. I was rarely ever afraid to go around a corner, but it looked great and played the part well. Also, there was one school in the game, and it wasn't very long. Not sure what Yatzee was talking about. You'd see a kids room every now and then, but people have kids. They exist. They never stopped existing or anything :O.
Also, I really liked the necromorph transformation. Again, if it were real life, you'd probably have a heart attack seeing that. I don't think a slow transformation would make it better for scaring you... at all. It'd probably make it a lot worse. It would increase story, but not horror.
Oh yeah, and EA had nothing to do with the game's design. Quit using the publisher where the developer should be used. (It's Visceral Games, by the way.)
I greatly enjoyed the original Dead Space, but I do understand why other people weren't scared of it. Personally, as I am not a big fan of horror, I went into Dead Space to try and get into the genre. I think it's a good game to get a start in the survival horror genre as it does give a feeling of dread and it has a great atmosphere to it. That said, the scares were mainly jump scares and it was more "OOHHH, look at how disgusting I look, look at me, woooOOOoo, there's blood, WOoowWO!!" kind of horror.
That was my thought exactly, however after i am 50 £ poorer i can safely say don't it's insanely boring compared to the first game, for instance i haven't even completed it thats how freaking boring it is :SSoylent Bacon said:
If you like repetative combat against the same mobs from Dead Space 1 and no story then this game might be for you.
