Game Informer goes in-depth on the new game and we're here to give you the full scoop.
So I come home from a trip and the first thing I see sitting in my mailbox back at me is Issac with a mining gun. Rad. Now there are a bunch of new screens here including dead babies, beautiful lighting effects, alien ruins, and metropolis cities under attack, but with no scanner I can only give you details. Just trust me on this: This game looks much more beautiful than the last game, and that's saying something.
Before I continue I'd like to mention that Game Informer is doing a monthly thing on their site, however this info is quite different than the info they have up. Some of it may be old, but plenty of it is new, so this is not just a rehash of info and was personally written up by me.
Three years have passed since the events of the original Dead Space. It seems poor Isaac can't get a break. He escaped alive from the Ishimura, but his mind came off twisted and haunted by the monsters he thought he escaped from. His task isn't finished though. The necromorphs thought to be terminated have resurfaced for some unknown reason, but not on some lowly illegal mining ship. The break-out is taking place on a largely populated space station which has no suspecting idea what's going on. The government has some massive scheme once again related to the Marker, and Isaac is the only man who knows how to kill these things, so Isaac is back to take on terror upon the massive space Station, the Sprawl.
Now for an interesting bit which I'm not sure fans will like or hate. It seems the makers are aware that people in the first game could only play 30 minutes to an hour always on the edge something was going to happen all the way through. Speaking as a horror fan that was fantastic, but the director talks about pacing. In other words, they clarify they are definitely not going to take any of the horror from the original game, in fact they aim to make it even scarier, but with better pacing. In other words, they want there to be times you feel and are more powerful than the enemies you're facing thanks to some new gun, or a situation you get the leap on your foes. However, they also want situations where it feels you have to do the impossible, cornered, scared, confused and fighting to merely live. They also say they want to put more "epic" moments in the game, and jokingly talk about fighting bosses from the inside, surfing on top of a tram, and fighting a giant Sphincter. These could be real situations or they could be mere jokes, but whatever the case they are planning for some epic moments. However, they also set out to make a scary game, and they want you to know that. They are trying to make monster comings less predictable, but won't say much more than that except they all worked as a team to make many genuine scares in the game, many original scares, and not just something popping out and loud sounds playing. They also want to make missions a lot more intuitive and interesting and not just fetch quests. More puzzles are also going to be implemented, and figuring out what to do.
Zero-Gravity is also changed up. Yes you can still run on walls and jump from railing to railing, but if you jump too far Isaac can actually take control of his direction and start drifting through space. By this he can shoot while in the air and direct the direction he's drifting in.In other words, you won't just be jumping from point to point but also drifting around in these segments.
They are trying new and diverse environments to keep things interesting in this game. The Sprawl makes the Ishimura look tiny, the Sprawl is an "organic, haphazardly constructed, long-term place that's built around the remaining shards of one of Saturn's moon-The first planet-crack ever. Like any real city it is not all built by one person. Some stuff was built up, and some areas, corporate areas, government areas, and public areas." That Ian Milham guy (the art director of Dead Space) sure knows his stuff. Anyways, we'll be going through shopping malls, schools, churches, and a lot more. They also say since it was a more public place, a place where people lived, there won't be a bunch of hallways and locked doors this time. Not saying there aren't, of course, just also a good change of environment. And Isaac won't just be coming to a dead land, he will be seeing the infection from the very beginning. He's there when the outbreak begins, and he's there when all the panic and terror begins to strike the ship. Apparently they want to go with a strong sense of watching the outbreak get worse and worse and more and more people dying and more and more Necromorphs showing up the further you get into the game.
Isaac will also be introduced really for the first time. Though we played as him, his character is left very much into the backseat with very little actually known about him. For those who love anonymous avatars be warned, though for the rest of us be glad. Isaac will be speaking in this title, he will have dialogue, and he will have character. He won't just be a man with no opinions doing everything he is told to do, he does have a mind and will, even if a big part of that is now a bit twisted in the head. He is seasoned in fighting the necromorphs and he is a veteran at fighting them, even put in charge of necromorphs by the people just because he survived the attack, people around him looking for a savior will turn to Isaac just because he lived. Isaac is out to make a difference, but can he stand the pressure put on him along with his continuously twisted mind? Apparently we're going to have to make the call, Isaac's judgment is not in the right light, his mind is still twisted from the first experience he had, and it's only getting worse. As it comes along, the difference between reality and craziness may be harder and harder to differentiate. Also they want to make a bigger sense that Isaac hates doing task for other people as much as you do, especially when it feels like you're the only one doing any work like in the first game. Also they want Isaac's suit upgrades and customization to be much more vast and visually different this time, with much more customizable options and different styles and looks.
But now an important part of any horror game, the enemies. They say that the last game feels a lot like a haunted house; The enemies are always in the closet out to get you. In this one they want it to feel a lot more cat and mouse; You're after them, but they're also after you. You both are on the hunt for the other, and a lot more deeper approach. They want the enemies to be a lot smarter this time. We got the basic Necromorphs looking more twisted and bloody than ever, but we also have some new enemies never before seen. One that sticks out are dead naked children with no lips; Their teeth grin as they run around, super long claws on their hands and eyes sealed shut. They pounce on Isaac and try to pierce him with their claws. Another new monster is a skeleton of a man... Literally! His insides come out of his skin and start flopping it's way towards you. Even more yet is a tentacled man who has giant pinchers for hands and his esophagus hanging out like a giant tongue that grabs you and drags you to it so it can cut you to tiny pieces with it's claws. Then there's the Stalker, an enemy that hunts in packs. The Stalkers make a chirping noise, and may quizzically and shyly peak out at you from around the corner. Cute maybe, but it's all just a prowl, as this one distracts you a whole group comes from behind and starts piercing into your body. They are too quick to shoot and chasing them is bad since they will usually lead you to a group of them that will pounce you at once but you've got your own ways, like maybe purposely leading them into a pre-set proximentary mine field set up by yourself? It's up to you to be strategic.
Oh and there's a lot of new weapons too. They realized lots of people complained about the Plasma Cutter being too good through the whole experience. The response: Not to nerf the Plasma Cutter but to make the other weapons more awesome and the enemies more powerful. A few shown off are the likes of the Javelin Gun, which shoots enemies and pins them to the wall. Shoot a Necromorph in the chest for instance and if it rockets far enough back to make it into a wall, the Necromorph will be stuck to the wall, pinned down. The environments are also more immerse with a lot more to them, so there will be a lot more to pick up and use with your telekinesis this time. They even are working on making Telekinesis more smooth and helpful for combat, making it quicker, more fluid, and precise. An example is Isaac picking up severed blade and tossing it at a nearby Necromorph.
The controls have also been refined to be able to maneuver and control better. The game being more open overall and able to run around more and be in charge of combat lead to finer controls so you can go and make a strategy and try to be the first on the assault, and not always be the hunted. He can move a little faster, and a little more refined, but they say they are definitely still keeping it in the horror-genre way. The Dead Space and Halo series are still worlds apart. They ensure they are not trying to make Isaac a super hero, a guy who jumps, flies around and punches enemies like no ones business. They just want the controls to not be a hinderence, to feel like your failure is your own and not that of the controls. What a nice way to put it.
They also aren't saying anything, but they say they really enjoyed the process of making the animated movie and comics and would like to continue it.
And multiplayer? He only gives us a tease. "All I can say is it's really fun, and you'll get to strategically dismember your friends." Player versus human-controlled Necromorphs, anyone?
Making it scarier!? I had a chill running up and down my spine every time I played this! SOunds like it's gonna be a great upgrade.
