Zero Punctuation: Dead Space 2

[antipunt]

You have to saw off your own pinky in Heavy Rain? D:

 

[Dfskelleton]

This was hilarious. I'm still buying it, but you did make a few good points.
One of the funnier reviews.

 

[Arcane Azmadi]

I normally wouldn't make this kind of complaint, but I think that joke about the mountain climber who had to cut his arm off to survive was really off-colour, Yahtzee. Bad form.

 

[PHorensics]

Haha I got the rock climber reference

 

[beefpelican]

I will agree that it doesn't really scare you, just makes you jump every so often or go, 'WHERE'D THAT COME FROM?!' If anythng, the one scene that did make me sweat a lot is...

Spoiler

Crossmy heart and hope to die, STICK A NEEDLE IN MY EYE

OH MY GOD YES. That was nightmare fuel. Also, I'm glad I beat the game before reading your post, because I can never help but look behind all of the spoiler tags.

Unsurprised at the number of references to your Dead Space 1 review, since from what I've heard Dead Space 2 is really quite similar.

From all the reviews I've heard and read, Dead Space 2 is mostly Dead Space 1 with an extra helping of bland thrown in. The game actually punishes you for letting the enemies get up close so you can use the dismemberment tactics.

Silent Hill 1 and 2 were the last games to get atmospheric horror right. Silent Hill Shattered Memories did a decent job with it, but it could have done better.

The dismemberment tactics worked at a distance...really the only weapons with a limited range are the saw and the flamethrower, for which it makes sense.

Also, I think I agree with the many people who say it's a different sort of horror game than silent hill. One thing Dead Space does really well is make you panic, by throwing fast things at you from all directions. Since only limb shots actually count, it also gets harder the more you panic and fire wildly. Combine this with very limited ammo and health, and the game gets even more desperate. Long story short, I liked it, but I wouldn't recommend it for someone who's looking for a new Silent Hill.

 

[Xpheyel]

It seems to me like Dead Space wants to be on the cheesy side of horror.

I don't know if that's deliberate or not but it is the way it comes across to me as well, in both games.

 

[T3h guy]

you have the best series ever! One thing about dead space 2 though. My friend told me the reason the plasma cutter fires shots like that is because Isaac fucked with it a bit.

 

[Accountfailed]

Snip!

Either that or he didn't really like it very much.

Just sayin'.

That could be it, but surely I'm not the only one who gets the feeling that he's just hating on it to stay consistent with his character. Which is shameful because I for one find him more entertaining when he's speaking about a game he likes. or even a game that was mediocre, like the original silent hill(oh yes, I went there. Come get me) but had some really good elements. It's annoying for me to see him slap a "sucks" label on every game except the odd few when most of them don't deserve it, and every fool who thinks them self "game savvy" because they watch ZP suddenly decides that they aren't going to buy it because Yahtzee didn't give it a 10/10.

 

[typhon923]

kind of agree i don't think the ripper is overpowered though, it's really only good when your fighting the little kids

 

[Kenzinator]

Props to Arron Ralston.

 

[kara_bulut]

I think I got a damned Heavy Rain spoiler at the end.
In Dead Space.

Yaay.

 

[aarontg]

I always wondered what Isaac's motivation was behind talking off his helmet every time someone was trying to stab him in the face.

 

[ethaninja]

I dunno, I liked this one a lot better then the first. In the first one it was bad dudes every room. Although I wasn't sure if the evil ***** that is your mutilated TV wife was supposed to be scary because... well it wasn't =(

 

[Balthazzar]

Hah, I saw 127 Hours the other day, nice "that mountain climber bloke"-reference

 

[AsurasFinest]

Too bad to see Yahtzee getting on the "I don't like the Isaac voice over" bandwagon. Granted its not Oscar worthy, but it was about as good as game characters go.

And anyone who expected DS2 to be even remotely scary having played DS1 deserved a kick in the face. Which brings me to another point: how come we judge the game by what someone says it should be, in this case a horror game? True, its not all that scary, but its still one of the best shooters to come out in recent months. Take the game for what it is , not what someone tells you it should be.

Wet wolverine.... lol.

It is marketed as a horror game
It was designed as a horror game first, shooter second
Therefore judging it on whether it actually does a good job at being a horror game is perfectly fine and valid

 

[enriquetnt]

Ultra Kudos, and 2000 brownie points for "Human Centipede" reference

 

[Zaverexus]

May I remind Yahtzee (on his "survivors in the looney bin" point) that:

Spoiler

Near the end of your game Six Days a Sacrifice it is revealed that not-Somerset-guy ended up in an asylum as well... just sayin'

Feel free to dismiss my point in a video/column, just thought it was interesting.

 

[enriquetnt]

Ill have to agree with the whole voice over thing, one of the things that make the first game so cool was the fact that you didnt know how isaac looked or how it sounded like, it somehow helped to get YOU in the game (videogames are about transference "being" the character your playing whit, when a character have too strong a personality its impossible to completely transfer into it, DS1 is one of the most "in the game" game ive ever played, other great examples are ICO and Shadow of the Colossus) also remember the first Jak and Daxter, Jak didnt speak ONE line in the entire game and it was awesome, then on the second and third they tried to sell you this macho bs character and i didnt like one bit, same happens whit Isaac in DS2 everybody had "their" Isacc made up in theyr minds and theres no way that the game designers could beat that one, same happens when they adapt books to movies, no matter how good the adaptation is movie-makers cant beat the imagination of the people who read the books

 

[Neferius]

"The Human Centipede" reference actually knocked me back for a bit there ...I actually had to stop and rewind three times just to make sure I saw that right O.O

Cor. Good Show Yahtzee bd

 

[Xman490]

I think you're getting the "second favorite location" thing wrong. Instead of the land of "chocolate-covered lesbians", it should have "bisexual women whose bodily fluids are chocolate".