See below for timestamps. I refer to Visceral Games as Visceral Studios in the video. I've genuinely no idea why. I've just always called it that and never thought to fact check something so "obvious" to me. (It's not that big a deal, but I hate giving ammo to trolls who look for any silly reason to completely dismiss a video.) Intro - 0:00 Making of - 1:22 Location, Location, Location - 6:51 Horror vs Action - 12:58 Story - 23:33 Difficulty and PC Port - 30:16 Conclusion - 33:14
While I agree that dead space 2 has less of the "traditional" horror elements, I do felt like the game did a good job making you feel constantly under pressure. The setpieces and and constant fights gave me no time to rest when playing the game, and the sound design was also a constant assault. I think it achieved a strong sense of horror in that sense. Also I agree with you on the stalkers, I think they are one of the most brilliant enemies I have ever seen in a game
I also wanted to point out his comment about them being like raptors; there is an achievement you get for killing one a certain way called Clever Girl.
I love Dead Space 2. In fact, I think the sequel is a better game overall. On the "horror" part, the first one wins. But I don't call Dead Space 2 an "action" game. It is action horror game, but not even clooooose to what Dead Space 3 was. Dead Space 3 is PURE ACTION, it loses everything on the "horror" side and...it's a shitty game considering what it could be. That last game was a mistake.
I completed the 'hardcore' mode on the 360 version way back when. To this day it's a rather proud and very memorable experience. I played thru twice before attempting it, did lots of research on strategies and tips. In particular, which weapons to use and where to make the saves. The 360 version had one quirk that actually makes it easier....the game came on two DVDs, and the point where we swap discs (around chapter five-ish IIRC) acts as a checkpoint in a way, granting essentially a 'free' save in addition to the three. My biggest fears were the first juggernaut, the drill machine and the eye-poke machine. Turns out the first two were unnecessary. I went straight thru to the eye-poke machine, where I made a save thankfully, saving me from a great loss when I inevitably got it wrong first time. After that it was a sprint to the finish. I used the shotgun weapon (essential vs explosive enemies and for crowd control) and javelin gun. It's a terrifying way to play as the lack of a safety net added a real sense of consequence to dying. I think I managed it in a day and it was exhilerating. I replayed DS2 about a year or so ago on PC. After a quick playthru, I thought I'd try to do hardcore again and died on the first explody-arm guy :-D DS2 is my favourite of the three. I enjoyed 1 a lot, especially the level design. 3 was a shooter in space with MTX, multiplayer and other horrific changes. They should have let DS be a niche sci-fi horror game. Trying to make it mainstream ruined the game and Visceral studios, just as trying to make Mass Effect mainstream did for BioWare.
So did I when it first came out ...with just a plasma cutter for most of the game .. took me forever but after a while I did my first save at Chapter 6 which looking back I wish I had waited because if you die after you put in disc 2 it just takes you back to the start of the disc as you stated .. gonna have to look for the game and give it another go...
Same here I beat the game on hardcore mode on 360 I was so glad to have the swap discs advantage, my first save was after chapter 7 I think and I went through the game using the pulse rifle and the security suit with its 5 percent rifle damage and then when I got to the government sector I respec the pulse rifle and upgraded the contact beams alternative shot with stasis and cleaned throught running till the final boss (thanks to a RUclipsr called gamergod but I sadly can't find anything about him on youtube anymore)and I managed to have an extra save left , I spent so much time memorizing the enemy spawns and types and I even played through the game all the difficulties for a total of 10 times this was when I was around 12 so I had alot of time on my hands
This will always be one of my great gaming memories, I loved this series and I feel it culminated with this game. Can't help but to smile while watching this footage. Great work as always
I thoroughly enjoyed the first and the second installment of the series and I strongly wish there were more games like those. The third one was a bit less exciting but still a solid game nonetheless.
The 3rd was great for its multiplayer. Any couch co-op done well gets a thumbs up in my book. The story, on the other hand, was flaming garbage. But it did what it needed to do and nudged me foreword bit by bit.
Dead Space 2 is underrated. I have so many fond memories of having very low health, Isaac limping and panting, while running away from Uber morphs. The scene of Isaac sending Ellie away on the shuttle, avoiding eye contact or Isaac accepting his fate and sits down looking mentally exhausted while everything crumbles around him these moments were unforgettable. Isaac Clarke is a beast
Finishing this game on Hard Core was a great experience. I think it took me like 3 tries and was tense as hell to finish the game. The foam gun is fun. :) Bang!
I agree that Dead Space did not succeed in being Resident Evil in space. However, I 100% do not understand the idea that the reason it didn't do that was because it's not scary enough. When the actual hell was Resident Evil ever scary? Cause 4 sure as shit wasn't in any way shape or form scary even in the slightest. Regardless, I'm glad it's not RE4 in space because I will gladly take DS1 and 2 over RE4 any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
One great aspect of DS2 is that every weapon is viable, I've made several different playthroughs focusing on different weapons and each has its plus and minuses. For example I remember the flamethrower and ripper being very efficient ammo cost-wise once I upgrade them correctly.
The console achievement for fighting stalkers for the first time is called "Clever Girls" so I'd say Jurassic Park was in the minds of the devs as well
When Dead Space 2 wanted to be scary, they did a damn good job of it. I always dread having to fight those raptor necromorph guys because they trap you in a small area and lurk around you. The eyeball machine is easily the most stress inducing part of the game for me, my heart rate goes up with isaacs. And the ending, good lord, Isaac shouting “FUCK YOU AND FUCK YOUR MARKER!” is always going to be one of my favorite quotes in gaming. The only thing I don’t like is all the DLC shit I can’t get without paying for it. Like I want the hacker suit but I’m sure as hell not playing Dead Space Ignition for it.
Those raptor necromorphs are so frustrating, definitely not scary. It just made me realise how unintuitive the level design was. Also, the raptor necromorphs make no sense internally in the lore and move away from what Necromorphs are (corrupted humans). Dead Space 2 marked the start of when Visceral basically said "Yeah, a Marker can turn you into *any* alien design we want."
@MrWereverForever Imagine having a different opinion lol Glad you found them scary, I hope one day Dead Space 2 actually manages to be spooky to me, but until then it's a very solid action game with a bland pretence of what horror is. Hopefully you don't play a real horror game though, you might actually hurt yourself from fright due to being scared by something so heavy-handed like Dead Space 2.
The multiplayer mode for Dead Space 2 was actually surprisingly decent. They put more thought into it than you'd expect and playing a necromorph was really fun, even if some were underpowered while others were overpowered. The game modes weren't exactly varied but I remember that most matches I had were actually quite tense. It had technical issues like a lack of host migration. It wasn't a great mode or anything and had a lot of hallmarks of the time that dragged it down like a progression system but I played it a few times and found it to be a fun distraction and if EA wanted to make Dead Space 3 to have multiplayer elements they really should've just expanded upon the decent, sturdy groundwork that they set with Dead Space 2's multiplayer rather than compromising the main story.
@@YOBAMUSTDIE I think that oversells how good it was tbh. Maps were typically quite small and human characters respawned, both of which are things that held it back from being better than it was.
I was thinking the other day. What makes a scary enemy in a video game (or movie for that matter)? I am led to believe that the size of the monster is important and that it should be around the same size as a person or slightly larger. If the monster is huge then it loses all it's scariness and becomes just a big boss. E.g. Laura from the Evil Within is far scarier than the Guardian from Evil Within 2. The Raptors in the kitchen from Jurassic Park are scarier than the T-Rex scene. Anyone think if any circumstances where a very large creature is more frightening than a human-sized one?
That really depends on situations. For a typically on foot game, yeah much larger creates the sense of clunky exploitable creature tó fight back against. But in not direct physical confrontation, especially with mythical creatures and spirits that's not always the case. Many more elements are at play given the atmosphere, build up and presentation. Dahaka, from Prince of Persia Warrior Within has great introduction and can turn an action platformer into survival horror for the sections it is present. And that's a 15 feet tall hulking beast. Tho pretty humanoid... or more like a time cop minotaur demon lol. Anyhow not the awkward abomination that can loose it's scaryness at that size. Then there are the Reapers from Mass Effect, which are battleship sized squid-like creatures, still scary AF. Given their Lovecraftian inspiration, eldridge horror, same as mythical creatures can break that size barrier and even very strange forms. But yeah on manmade/ mutated with a logical origin, there is a point where huge abominations become less scary and more clunky. Maybe just the trust in human with and ingenuity over does that are within reason. Massive foes design with the intend to crush that reason are immune to this 'law' IMO
@@janosd4nuke more horrifying than the Reapers are the Leviathans in ME3 DLC. Huge underwater/space creatures are definitely scary because they live in an environment that humans are pretty much incapable of surviving. Also the unknown contributes to this fear as well.
(Sends a ship and that ship goes missing) (Send a second ship and that also goes missing) You would think this time they would atlist send a ship with 3 armed cruise ship and a squad of trained soldiers to go investigate (Sends a third ship full of engineers with no weapons and no soldiers, that ship also goes missing)
There were political considerations. The CEC was violating an EarthGov quarantine by being in the Aegis system at all. So, they were sending small ships that wouldn't be missed if something happened to them. The problem being that the Ishimura is too big to go missing for long, so they're trying to recover the ship quietly and coverup what happened before the government (and military) realized that they went someplace they really weren't supposed to be. During the events of Dead Space 1, an EarthGov military cruiser responds to the Ishimura's distress call, and comes in to investigate, becoming a new environment for a couple maps. It didn't go well for the troops aboard the ship.
Going from memory, the preorder bonuses do screw one or two things up, whether you try to ignore them or not: Ammo schematics. In vanilla Dead Space 2, you cannot buy ammunition for your guns until you find a schematic to unlock each ammo type. The preorder bonuses give you the schematics for the associated weapons automatically at the store. Even before you've picked up the "normal" versions of those guns in the game. So, there's some actual ammo scarcity early on, but the preorder bonuses break that and let you buy ammo for anything you're running low on, without requiring exploration. It might also make some of the early game unpowered doors and exploration less rewarding, because you already have the schematics. For example: I vaguely remember the encounter at the school play rewarding an ammo schematic (maybe the ripper blades or line gun cartridges) meaning before that fight you wouldn't have been able to stock up on ammo for those weapons.
Just came across your channel and I've been binging all day while at work, love long form analysis type videos. Keep it up man! Your video on nioh convinced me to finally actually play it after having it for years
@MrWereverForever Some workplaces are different, one earbud policy at my place. Asked cuz it's kind of ignorant for a working adult to not think of differences in rules at different places of work.
The idea behind the baby enemies makes me sad and horrified at the same time. According to the behind the glass scene (I haven't played DS2), they charge at you like they genuinely want some love and when they reach you...boom. Great enemy design. I'm emotionally torn right now.
I really liked the first two Dead Space games. In addition to the monster design, the sound design and effects were really effective. I still remember playing the first game at night with headphones on, and being scared of each tiny scratch of a sound coming from distant corridors. I wish they'd remaster Dead Space 1 & 2.
I have some vague memories about DS2's multiplayer. It was an asymmetric team based game mode pitting human security teams against necromorphs. Humans were tasked with completing certain objectives within a certain amount of time though I don't remember if they had a respawn ticket system. Necromorphs had the goal of stopping the humans by killing them or just running the clock. You could play as the pack, the wall spiker babies, crawlers, and the pukers alongside some bot necromorphs to pump your numbers a bit. It had a LFD versus feel since each team took turns playing as both sides.
dead space 1 & 2 are excellent candidates for a remaster and ray tracing. The minimalistic light sources would make for a very creepy and realistic darkness that would add a lot to the atmosphere of the game.
Played the original almost a decade ago and always loved it, just never got around to the sequels til now. Played 3 first because of its reputation and decently enjoyed it, but I’m so glad I saved 2 for last cos’ it strikes the perfect balance of action and horror. I think it might be one of the best games of the decade.
The part of the dead space trilogy I really loved was the abandon fleet of ancient war ships in dead space 3. While one and two are both better games I love the idea of space graveyard. If this series ever makes a return I really hope they play around with that concept.
I played the multiplayer mode on launch, from what I can remember it was objective based for the human players, having to go turn on generators or stand in a zone. I don't remember if humans had limited lives, but I think they did. The necromorph team had infinite lives I think, and the respawn timer would be longer if you chose to be more powerful necromorphs, although being a Wall Baby (I think they're Lurkers) was quite good because you could be on the walls and such with a short respawn.
for me, i prefered dead space 2 and the reason why is while i did felt fear the first 2 chapters, after that i pretty much stopped being frightened by the atmoushpere or monsters, that is until anytime the hunter makes an appearance, especially when i'm in a cramped room trying to move obstacles around and move them back to seal the hunter behind me, that shit fucked me up, but other than the hunter, the only chapter it's self that scared me after chapter 2 was 10 and that's it, every other time i was enjoying my self, but i wasn't scared or even that tense. dead space 2? while i wasn't frightened i was enjoying my self a lot more and that's because it sped up the pace a it more and i got more out of it that way, for me there was never a dull moment
I actually found Dead Space 2 scarier. Yes alot of it is juno scares, but I was also constantly lower on ammo, the Necros we more viscous and crept in the dark, the suspenseful sections were more impactful due to the more aggressive Necro. Remember that daycare scene, or the bits with the stalkers jumping out at you. Haha. Yeah it's less traditional Survival horror, but I think it's a better game. Plus the guns are so much cooler. DS 2>DS>DS3
Another stellar critique. Your opinions more or less echo my feelings on the game, but even if they didn't, whenever Chris Davis releases a well-researched and reasoned pop culture analysis, I always pay attention.
Great critique! I entirely agree with you about the somewhat more haphazard feeling of some of the enemy encounters. I do not recommend playing through the 1st time on Zealot. I got it done but I would have had a much better time on survivalist for my first playthrough. I feel that the focus on action doesn't lend itself well to the last few chapters on harder difficulties. Just my opinion, but I felt that the harder difficulties in DS1 were better balanced. Every death I had felt justified and I knew what I did wrong. In DS2 I had a handful of deaths that just didn't feel good and more frustrating than anything. All in all though this is an impressive title and a good blend between action and horror. I prefer more traditionally tense experiences like DS1 but I would be lying if I said DS2 isn't cool as hell.
DS2's multiplayer was pretty fun while it lasted, Necromorphs were actually real easy to control with all their varying attacks and movement animations intact. Matchmaking was consistent, nothing felt cheap with the human classes, all in all, I fully recommend anyone with enough friends to give it a go on XBL, or PC.
Dead Space 1 and 2 have to be played on the difficulty that is one above the default difficulty (I forgot what it's called). That gives you the proper enemy lethality and also ammo scarcity.
I’m absolutely loving everything you put out. It might be simply that I agree with most of your subjective points of view and your objective, factual delivery is done really well. Above everything, I’m really enjoying your isometric RPG series. I have to say that your take on Dead Space 2 was hard to disagree with, despite it being in my “top 10”. I tried to find points that I thought you unfairly criticize the gameplay elements or even the story, but every point you made was valid and fair. I was also really disappointed with the PC version simply because there was a massive input lag that never seemed to be addressed by Visceral and I was forced to find a fix on forums (which really sucks when you’ve just paid full price for a triple-a title). Other than the reticle movement, I’m surprised you didn’t mention it. Anyway, I’m a huge fan and you deserve every view, follow and sub you can get! cheers mate! Looking foreword to the next video.
This is the first video of the game that raised issued about the Lore getting messy. I've always felt that there were some inconsistencies regarding the "rules" about the ultimate purpose of a marker and the notion of the dead space around them. In the first game, the marker was upset that it was taken to the ship. In the 2nd Game, this idea is not even there. For me it has to do with them inventing the Convergence concept for the 2nd game. (and then the Moon thing in the 3rd game). I also feel a bit of disappointment when these franchising building IPs dont seem to have a long-term vision of where the plot will go. Similiar to Mass Effect.. they create this fantastic concept of the Reapers but apparently never thought beyond the first game of where the story would go.
I once got asked about my scarriest gamingmoment. The answer was as obvious (to me) as quick. Dead Space 2 when I saw the "Ishimura" from part 1 and realized that I had too get into it again. Proof how much scarrier part 1 was than 2.
Great video! Dead Space is my favorite game series and it's hard to choose between the first and the second, as they are both just so fun and have such great atmosphere. The multiplayer in DS2 was actually way better than it had any business being, in my opinion. You cold play as a security guy or as one of the necromorphs. Playing as the humans was easier, because guns, but playing as the necromorphs was more fun because, depending on which type you were, you could climb walls and ceilings and travel through the vents. I'm glad it didn't become the focus of the series, but it was alot of fun while it was active. While I do think the story of DS2 is probably the weakest, I think it deserves more credit than you give it because I feel like the main arc is about Isaac dealing with Nicole's death, with dealing with the marker being the part of the plot that drives the action. I loved the scene in the beginning where he was the one to convince her to work on the Ishimura because it really puts his guilt into perspective. I'm looking forward to your video about DS3! It's the black sheep of the series, but I love it nonetheless. It also actually has a really good story, in my opinion, that I feel would have endeared more people to the 3rd game if it hadn't been severely hampered by the awwwwwwwwwful love triangle sub-plot.
I for one was never thinking horror needs the surprise factor. We all know what will happen in a zombie movie or a game and still they can be scary, I would say it all comes down to how its cooked
This is a perfect summarization of DS1 and DS2! DS1 is Like Alien... Survival Horror at it's BEST! You NEVER Encounter large enemy groups by Default, only If you/Isaac makes mistakes Like running from one tiny enemy group into another and or If you fail to kill the pregnant necromorphs in an effective way so that it's not releasing little offsprings. Also the clunky movement is typical for survival Horror games! In DS2 IT is different.... Like in Aliens, enemies Attack in larger groups, meaning less suspense but more Action is in Play. The Pack necromorphs are such Canon fodder Units and Isaacs movement is much faster/better to Take on more aggressive and faster enemies thus making IT the perfect Action Horror Game! I Love These 2 Games for different reasons, Just Like Alien and Aliens. Now Dead Space 3... I do Not Talk about that... This should Tell Something 😅😩
You can absolutely kill the Regenerator enemy. In the last room before you would otherwise escape it, there's a large fan you can blast the Regenerator into for an instant kill. IIRC, there's even an achievement for doing this.
LIke you, my biggest criticism about this game was the third act. I felt it nailed the atmosphere and balance between action and horror up to that point. And then it just starts throwing huge waves of enemies at you, and then the Regenerator just shows up out of the blue. That actually really annoyed me, in the first game it had a reason for being there, it was part of the story. And here it was just there and only existed to make the hacking minigame an even bigger pain in the ass to complete than normal.
If by any means that Dead Space gets rebooted, would you all prefer it to be a fully survival horror or just rely on what made the original recognizable?
chris I love your vids but I do miss the long story synopses from the videos like the witcher, you have a really good way of explaining them . understand you can't do that all the time, your content is great whatever you release
Hey chris, i was wondering what you would think of a game called stasis? It is space horror somewhat like deadspace, with a terribly disapointing villains arc, but the build up to what you will find is amazing, and the game is pretty tense. If you like dead space, you might enjoy stasis, and i think your critique of it would be interesting to hear, i will say tough the game is flawed. Dont see this as a demand tough, just what i think would be an interesting addition to the channel, and a interesting point of comparison to dead space. Cheers!
Are you going to play ENCASED? I'm going to say it's like a modern version of fallout 1.. it's still in early access but its REALLY well written, I usually skip content in RPGs but im finding I like it so much I talk to every single npc and I dont regret it. Plenty of choices that have consequences, great character building and rpg elements. Please dont roast me for not using paragraphs.
This game was my introduction to the series back on Xbox 360. I didn't really liked it and the first mini-boss was super frustrating as I didn't have much ammo for the fight, but after beating it, I was done with this series. Then I bought first Dead Space on GOG for some reason and played it until the end. Here I thought I was wrong and Dead Space is actually a good series. So I thought that I need to give DS2 a second chance. And first thing that I dislike upon fresh start is the fact that Isaac now talks a lot. This time I had easier playthrough since my experience with Necromorphs was increased and I've become more experienced with TPS shooters overall. I've played much further this time, but in the end I just gave up at some point, as throughout my play I constantly thought how better first game was. Even new monsters didn't impress me and fixed weapon balance didn't really change thing either. So I don't know what to say really. I guess it is not a bad game, but can't say it's better than the first one. P.S. Aliens is better than Alien.
Haha I was about to type an angry comment about the Alien/Aliens situation and then out of the blue you mentioned it and I'm like "yeah...this is some quality youtube content"
Aliens works because it is about confronting and facing your fears, whereas Alien was about the unknown. Alien is about running in fear from the lion chasing and trying to eat you. Aliens is about realising you cannot outrun it but deciding to go down making that lion regret eating you by giving it a debilitating injury or better still taking it with you. But it cannot be repeated. Or if it is it must be expanded upon not in number but the sheer depth of what you are confronting. The Flood in Halo never stops being frightening because it is less 'scary monster' and more an existential dread that it provokes which is why, if done properly and spaced out, you could have multiple 'The Thing' movies. Albeit 2011 missed that terror not horror made 1982 'The Thing' terrifying. Indeed SEGA showed the way with 'less is more' in Alien Isolation.
You should do the bioshock games and maybe the last of us/uncharted type games they are popular and I don't think they have been talked about in depth too much.
It's funny that you say that you don't like the seeker rifle and then gush about the stalkers being tough foes. The seeker rifle is so effective against the stalkers that I think that it might have been made primarily to serve as a counter to them. You still have to be quite fast on the draw but it tears them apart like the assault rifle does with the pack. In fact I think there was even an achievement for killing stalkers with the seeker rifle.
To me Dead Space 2 felt like it was finally coming into its own. Dead Space 1 was trying to be like RE4 but failed to understand why that game worked so well as a horror game and in 2 they seemed to get what made Dead Space stand out and built on that. Its a shame that EA killed this franchise before Visceral could give us a masterpiece.
I'm thinking of revisiting Dead Space 2 at some point. I played the first many times, but only finished its sequel once. I felt like it was too "directed" at times, being more like a linear action adventure game in the vein of Uncharted. I liked the story well enough, and some locations were great. However, it's telling that the absolute best and scariest part of the game is the level when you return to the Ishimura, which has almost NO combat for most of the level. Combat in general took a hit, too. The added variety of creatures resulted in many that didn't take advantage of the first game's dismemberment, making many sections more of a boring third person shooting gallery than the (somewhat) calculated, tense fights of its predecessor. Enemies were faster in general, too, as was the player, and it made everything feel less thoughtful and more reactive. Add in a recharging stasis meter and most enemies and encounters end up feeling much easier since you rarely need to - or even should - consider your loadout and available ammunition before going into an unexplored area. The multiplayer was also one of the most broken, imbalanced messes I've ever played. Account progression was skewed toward benefitting players who were already doing well, due to a focus significantly rewarding players with XP for getting kills and winning rounds. It gave you next to nothing for dealing damage, getting assists, healing teammates, or even just finishing a match (which led to a lot of people quitting once things stopped going their way, only making a bad matchup even worse). Mechanically, it had some fun ideas, but it did such a terrible job of rewarding team play - odd considering its necessity for success - that it became little more than frustrating. Players who "stole" kills and leveled up more quickly unlocked much more powerful weapons and abilities, and it rendered any new players at an abysmal disadvantage. That likely prevented many from ever even wanting to play after their first couple of matches, and it turned me off of it within only a few days as well. Changing XP rewards to better benefit players who work well together regardless of their number of personal kills or match wins, while changing the unlockable upgrades to be optional with positive and negative aspects, would have likely made the entire thing genuinely great, but whoever came up with the overarching progression system really killed this one in its infancy.
Watching you do the final fight was painful. If you stopped running around so much and stood your ground and started shooting it’s the easiest fight. You had the ripper equipped also no? That’s one of the best weapons for dealing with the kid necros… makes the final fight even easier.
Gotta disagree with you on the movies. Downfall was way better than the second one. Regardless great video as always Chris. I also feel like Dead Space 1-2 draw a lot of parallels to Alien and Aliens. The first instalment was incredible horror whilst the sequel was still horror but more action focussed.
Easiest way to true survival horror.... Play Alien Isolation through without dying... Then remember those moments where you nearly did. Being hesitant in RE7.. At some point you will meet the family.,.... Or maybe just stay outside the house or not go past the point of no return.
As far as I followed, DS1 tried to be survival horror, but doesn't quite nailed the scarcity balance and steered toward action-horror. DS 2 is more squarely in action horror, or even action thriller. Yup, calling it straight up action is not fitting at all. But then again genres are loose concepts, so if you want to not mess with hybrid/border genres there is no harm in calling it survival horror. But for a long form critique, it's kind of expected for him to get lost in the grey zones.
I doubt the DLC would have meant much to you since it was made as a sequel to Extraction which you haven't played. Can't say I shared your opinion on the Stalkers as after their introduction, their appearance is heavily telegraphed by the use of large open rooms filled with containers or giant crates. Also, if you're using the right weapon, they are pretty easy to dispatch, something that's demonstrated by an early appearance by them in a room that's pre-filled with mines. Also disagree on the final point. I would rather have a better survival horror game like the first game or a better action horror game like the third game than a game like this that is awkwardly jammed between the two. Also, what bossfights? You mean the swarm fights where you just fight a ton of enemies thoughtlessly tossed into the same arena or the quick time events where your only agency is to shoot at a thing before time runs out?
I mean the entire point of designing the Stalker rooms like that is to give the player a chance to prepare a strategy for how to deal with them, which routes to cover, weapons to use, environmental objects to implement as projectiles etc. I'd have to massively disagree on 3 being the better action title considering that solo mode in that game is one of the most unbalanced games I've ever played. Also I'm kinda grateful about the lack of boss fights in this game considering all the ones in the first game were shit.
It really sucks how EA essentially busted in the dev studio and tore up all their plans and told them to make it a big blockbuster with multi-player. It sucks, but isn't surprising
The enemies in this game weren’t fun to fight at all most enemies feel like sonic compared to Isaac in the first game they would come at you at very well placed spots in this one they come out of nowhere the first one had more atmosphere I felt like I was really trapped in this one there’s a nice balance of action and horror but god why are the enemies so fast the leapers got buffed to the top they can get to you at light speed I swear that’s my only problem also they put you at areas where you barely have space to do anything other than that is cool and was fun final “boss” kinda sucked if you can even call it a boss
See below for timestamps. I refer to Visceral Games as Visceral Studios in the video. I've genuinely no idea why. I've just always called it that and never thought to fact check something so "obvious" to me. (It's not that big a deal, but I hate giving ammo to trolls who look for any silly reason to completely dismiss a video.)
Intro - 0:00
Making of - 1:22
Location, Location, Location - 6:51
Horror vs Action - 12:58
Story - 23:33
Difficulty and PC Port - 30:16
Conclusion - 33:14
let me guess, this game is a metaphor for white people and it needs more diversity
Ya got Mandela'd lol
leave it to Chris Davis to get triggered by the ad campaign
Bit late & watching these in the wrong order,
fair to say you seem to dislike EA as much as I do.
How do you feel about Ubisoft? xD
subbed.
While I agree that dead space 2 has less of the "traditional" horror elements, I do felt like the game did a good job making you feel constantly under pressure. The setpieces and and constant fights gave me no time to rest when playing the game, and the sound design was also a constant assault. I think it achieved a strong sense of horror in that sense.
Also I agree with you on the stalkers, I think they are one of the most brilliant enemies I have ever seen in a game
I also wanted to point out his comment about them being like raptors; there is an achievement you get for killing one a certain way called Clever Girl.
@@getampt22 I'm glad that I wasn't the only one who noticed them being a reference to Jurassic Park.
I love Dead Space 2. In fact, I think the sequel is a better game overall. On the "horror" part, the first one wins. But I don't call Dead Space 2 an "action" game. It is action horror game, but not even clooooose to what Dead Space 3 was. Dead Space 3 is PURE ACTION, it loses everything on the "horror" side and...it's a shitty game considering what it could be. That last game was a mistake.
Nope...I wasn't even on edge.
This will always be one of the most memorable games I've ever played.
I completed the 'hardcore' mode on the 360 version way back when. To this day it's a rather proud and very memorable experience. I played thru twice before attempting it, did lots of research on strategies and tips. In particular, which weapons to use and where to make the saves.
The 360 version had one quirk that actually makes it easier....the game came on two DVDs, and the point where we swap discs (around chapter five-ish IIRC) acts as a checkpoint in a way, granting essentially a 'free' save in addition to the three. My biggest fears were the first juggernaut, the drill machine and the eye-poke machine. Turns out the first two were unnecessary. I went straight thru to the eye-poke machine, where I made a save thankfully, saving me from a great loss when I inevitably got it wrong first time. After that it was a sprint to the finish. I used the shotgun weapon (essential vs explosive enemies and for crowd control) and javelin gun.
It's a terrifying way to play as the lack of a safety net added a real sense of consequence to dying. I think I managed it in a day and it was exhilerating. I replayed DS2 about a year or so ago on PC. After a quick playthru, I thought I'd try to do hardcore again and died on the first explody-arm guy :-D DS2 is my favourite of the three. I enjoyed 1 a lot, especially the level design. 3 was a shooter in space with MTX, multiplayer and other horrific changes.
They should have let DS be a niche sci-fi horror game. Trying to make it mainstream ruined the game and Visceral studios, just as trying to make Mass Effect mainstream did for BioWare.
So did I when it first came out ...with just a plasma cutter for most of the game .. took me forever but after a while I did my first save at Chapter 6 which looking back I wish I had waited because if you die after you put in disc 2 it just takes you back to the start of the disc as you stated .. gonna have to look for the game and give it another go...
Same here I beat the game on hardcore mode on 360 I was so glad to have the swap discs advantage, my first save was after chapter 7 I think and I went through the game using the pulse rifle and the security suit with its 5 percent rifle damage and then when I got to the government sector I respec the pulse rifle and upgraded the contact beams alternative shot with stasis and cleaned throught running till the final boss (thanks to a RUclipsr called gamergod but I sadly can't find anything about him on youtube anymore)and I managed to have an extra save left , I spent so much time memorizing the enemy spawns and types and I even played through the game all the difficulties for a total of 10 times this was when I was around 12 so I had alot of time on my hands
I had to marathon my hardcore run mode. Took me 12 hours to complete it
This will always be one of my great gaming memories, I loved this series and I feel it culminated with this game.
Can't help but to smile while watching this footage.
Great work as always
There is no Dead Space 3 in ba sin se v:
I bought dead space 2 near release and liked it so much I didn't want to play until I finished the first one such a great franchise.
The Baby Boomers were my favorite new enemies.
Ok boomer
Love the name
ha!
I thoroughly enjoyed the first and the second installment of the series and I strongly wish there were more games like those. The third one was a bit less exciting but still a solid game nonetheless.
The 3rd was great for its multiplayer. Any couch co-op done well gets a thumbs up in my book. The story, on the other hand, was flaming garbage. But it did what it needed to do and nudged me foreword bit by bit.
@@stipler89 I enjoyed the co-op, but 3 really was a mess.
@@BlackPantherFTW Fallout 76 is a mess. DS3 is a solid game.
I love how well spoken your videos are. I really appreciate that and am happy to be subscribed.
Thanks for all the work you do.
Dead Space 2 is underrated. I have so many fond memories of having very low health, Isaac limping and panting, while running away from Uber morphs. The scene of Isaac sending Ellie away on the shuttle, avoiding eye contact or Isaac accepting his fate and sits down looking mentally exhausted while everything crumbles around him these moments were unforgettable. Isaac Clarke is a beast
Finishing this game on Hard Core was a great experience. I think it took me like 3 tries and was tense as hell to finish the game. The foam gun is fun. :) Bang!
I agree that Dead Space did not succeed in being Resident Evil in space. However, I 100% do not understand the idea that the reason it didn't do that was because it's not scary enough. When the actual hell was Resident Evil ever scary? Cause 4 sure as shit wasn't in any way shape or form scary even in the slightest. Regardless, I'm glad it's not RE4 in space because I will gladly take DS1 and 2 over RE4 any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
Same
Honestly imo devil may cry 1 is far scarier than most RE games LOL
Love the videos mate your cadence is perfect and very relaxing. Thanks for all the work you put in to make then so great
One great aspect of DS2 is that every weapon is viable, I've made several different playthroughs focusing on different weapons and each has its plus and minuses. For example I remember the flamethrower and ripper being very efficient ammo cost-wise once I upgrade them correctly.
The console achievement for fighting stalkers for the first time is called "Clever Girls" so I'd say Jurassic Park was in the minds of the devs as well
When Dead Space 2 wanted to be scary, they did a damn good job of it. I always dread having to fight those raptor necromorph guys because they trap you in a small area and lurk around you. The eyeball machine is easily the most stress inducing part of the game for me, my heart rate goes up with isaacs. And the ending, good lord, Isaac shouting “FUCK YOU AND FUCK YOUR MARKER!” is always going to be one of my favorite quotes in gaming. The only thing I don’t like is all the DLC shit I can’t get without paying for it. Like I want the hacker suit but I’m sure as hell not playing Dead Space Ignition for it.
M G Well I mean I don’t like having the other suits locked behind a paywall, I have the game on the Xbox 360. I think PC got them all for free.
Does Isaac hate all markers or just yellow highlighter markers?
Largentina TM He really doesn’t like red markers for some reason
Those raptor necromorphs are so frustrating, definitely not scary.
It just made me realise how unintuitive the level design was.
Also, the raptor necromorphs make no sense internally in the lore and move away from what Necromorphs are (corrupted humans).
Dead Space 2 marked the start of when Visceral basically said "Yeah, a Marker can turn you into *any* alien design we want."
@MrWereverForever Imagine having a different opinion lol
Glad you found them scary, I hope one day Dead Space 2 actually manages to be spooky to me, but until then it's a very solid action game with a bland pretence of what horror is.
Hopefully you don't play a real horror game though, you might actually hurt yourself from fright due to being scared by something so heavy-handed like Dead Space 2.
Thought TheRadBrad uploaded lol, great video!
The multiplayer mode for Dead Space 2 was actually surprisingly decent. They put more thought into it than you'd expect and playing a necromorph was really fun, even if some were underpowered while others were overpowered. The game modes weren't exactly varied but I remember that most matches I had were actually quite tense. It had technical issues like a lack of host migration. It wasn't a great mode or anything and had a lot of hallmarks of the time that dragged it down like a progression system but I played it a few times and found it to be a fun distraction and if EA wanted to make Dead Space 3 to have multiplayer elements they really should've just expanded upon the decent, sturdy groundwork that they set with Dead Space 2's multiplayer rather than compromising the main story.
it was basically copy of Left 4 Dead mp reskined in Dead Space sytle.
@@YOBAMUSTDIE I think that oversells how good it was tbh. Maps were typically quite small and human characters respawned, both of which are things that held it back from being better than it was.
@@YOBAMUSTDIE I agree. I liked playing as the neceomorphs but found playing as humans to be bland but way more powerful.
I was thinking the other day. What makes a scary enemy in a video game (or movie for that matter)? I am led to believe that the size of the monster is important and that it should be around the same size as a person or slightly larger. If the monster is huge then it loses all it's scariness and becomes just a big boss.
E.g. Laura from the Evil Within is far scarier than the Guardian from Evil Within 2.
The Raptors in the kitchen from Jurassic Park are scarier than the T-Rex scene.
Anyone think if any circumstances where a very large creature is more frightening than a human-sized one?
That really depends on situations. For a typically on foot game, yeah much larger creates the sense of clunky exploitable creature tó fight back against.
But in not direct physical confrontation, especially with mythical creatures and spirits that's not always the case.
Many more elements are at play given the atmosphere, build up and presentation.
Dahaka, from Prince of Persia Warrior Within has great introduction and can turn an action platformer into survival horror for the sections it is present. And that's a 15 feet tall hulking beast. Tho pretty humanoid... or more like a time cop minotaur demon lol. Anyhow not the awkward abomination that can loose it's scaryness at that size.
Then there are the Reapers from Mass Effect, which are battleship sized squid-like creatures, still scary AF. Given their Lovecraftian inspiration, eldridge horror, same as mythical creatures can break that size barrier and even very strange forms.
But yeah on manmade/ mutated with a logical origin, there is a point where huge abominations become less scary and more clunky.
Maybe just the trust in human with and ingenuity over does that are within reason.
Massive foes design with the intend to crush that reason are immune to this 'law' IMO
@@janosd4nuke more horrifying than the Reapers are the Leviathans in ME3 DLC. Huge underwater/space creatures are definitely scary because they live in an environment that humans are pretty much incapable of surviving. Also the unknown contributes to this fear as well.
@@Pearcinator Absolutely!
Just being only known from a DLC I didn't want to go into it on a not Mass Effect topic with a more obscure example.
(Sends a ship and that ship goes missing)
(Send a second ship and that also goes missing)
You would think this time they would atlist send a ship with 3 armed cruise ship and a squad of trained soldiers to go investigate
(Sends a third ship full of engineers with no weapons and no soldiers, that ship also goes missing)
There were political considerations. The CEC was violating an EarthGov quarantine by being in the Aegis system at all. So, they were sending small ships that wouldn't be missed if something happened to them. The problem being that the Ishimura is too big to go missing for long, so they're trying to recover the ship quietly and coverup what happened before the government (and military) realized that they went someplace they really weren't supposed to be.
During the events of Dead Space 1, an EarthGov military cruiser responds to the Ishimura's distress call, and comes in to investigate, becoming a new environment for a couple maps. It didn't go well for the troops aboard the ship.
thanks for making these videos Chris :) you deserve all of the success! so well made
I can never forgive EA for what they did to dead space.
Brought it to life?
Sam Just and then killed it, it did both
@@SamJust Shelved it and left us on a horrible Cliffhanger... They also disbanded Visceral too.
Ressurrected it?
Going from memory, the preorder bonuses do screw one or two things up, whether you try to ignore them or not: Ammo schematics.
In vanilla Dead Space 2, you cannot buy ammunition for your guns until you find a schematic to unlock each ammo type.
The preorder bonuses give you the schematics for the associated weapons automatically at the store. Even before you've picked up the "normal" versions of those guns in the game. So, there's some actual ammo scarcity early on, but the preorder bonuses break that and let you buy ammo for anything you're running low on, without requiring exploration. It might also make some of the early game unpowered doors and exploration less rewarding, because you already have the schematics.
For example: I vaguely remember the encounter at the school play rewarding an ammo schematic (maybe the ripper blades or line gun cartridges) meaning before that fight you wouldn't have been able to stock up on ammo for those weapons.
This game is one of my all time favorites. It's sad that this franchise is gone 😞
I liked the multiplayer back at launch but it died very fast.
I honestly enjoy your analysis and retail of the games. Pls, keep on the food job!
Just came across your channel and I've been binging all day while at work, love long form analysis type videos. Keep it up man! Your video on nioh convinced me to finally actually play it after having it for years
@MrWereverForever Listening through an earbud while performing my regular duties? Have you had a job before?
@MrWereverForever Some workplaces are different, one earbud policy at my place. Asked cuz it's kind of ignorant for a working adult to not think of differences in rules at different places of work.
The idea behind the baby enemies makes me sad and horrified at the same time. According to the behind the glass scene (I haven't played DS2), they charge at you like they genuinely want some love and when they reach you...boom. Great enemy design. I'm emotionally torn right now.
I really liked the first two Dead Space games. In addition to the monster design, the sound design and effects were really effective. I still remember playing the first game at night with headphones on, and being scared of each tiny scratch of a sound coming from distant corridors. I wish they'd remaster Dead Space 1 & 2.
I have some vague memories about DS2's multiplayer. It was an asymmetric team based game mode pitting human security teams against necromorphs. Humans were tasked with completing certain objectives within a certain amount of time though I don't remember if they had a respawn ticket system. Necromorphs had the goal of stopping the humans by killing them or just running the clock. You could play as the pack, the wall spiker babies, crawlers, and the pukers alongside some bot necromorphs to pump your numbers a bit. It had a LFD versus feel since each team took turns playing as both sides.
dead space 1 & 2 are excellent candidates for a remaster and ray tracing. The minimalistic light sources would make for a very creepy and realistic darkness that would add a lot to the atmosphere of the game.
Played the original almost a decade ago and always loved it, just never got around to the sequels til now. Played 3 first because of its reputation and decently enjoyed it, but I’m so glad I saved 2 for last cos’ it strikes the perfect balance of action and horror. I think it might be one of the best games of the decade.
Another interesting critique! Been watching you since The Evil Within, keep it up.
The part of the dead space trilogy I really loved was the abandon fleet of ancient war ships in dead space 3. While one and two are both better games I love the idea of space graveyard. If this series ever makes a return I really hope they play around with that concept.
Love this series - yes, even 3!!
I played the multiplayer mode on launch, from what I can remember it was objective based for the human players, having to go turn on generators or stand in a zone. I don't remember if humans had limited lives, but I think they did. The necromorph team had infinite lives I think, and the respawn timer would be longer if you chose to be more powerful necromorphs, although being a Wall Baby (I think they're Lurkers) was quite good because you could be on the walls and such with a short respawn.
The Ishimura chapter of DS2 is one of the scariest experiences I had in my life.
for me, i prefered dead space 2 and the reason why is while i did felt fear the first 2 chapters, after that i pretty much stopped being frightened by the atmoushpere or monsters, that is until anytime the hunter makes an appearance, especially when i'm in a cramped room trying to move obstacles around and move them back to seal the hunter behind me, that shit fucked me up, but other than the hunter, the only chapter it's self that scared me after chapter 2 was 10 and that's it, every other time i was enjoying my self, but i wasn't scared or even that tense.
dead space 2? while i wasn't frightened i was enjoying my self a lot more and that's because it sped up the pace a it more and i got more out of it that way, for me there was never a dull moment
I absolutely loved the multiplayer, I must have sunk 60-70 hours into it
I actually found Dead Space 2 scarier. Yes alot of it is juno scares, but I was also constantly lower on ammo, the Necros we more viscous and crept in the dark, the suspenseful sections were more impactful due to the more aggressive Necro. Remember that daycare scene, or the bits with the stalkers jumping out at you. Haha. Yeah it's less traditional Survival horror, but I think it's a better game. Plus the guns are so much cooler.
DS 2>DS>DS3
I personally loved dead space 2 it was really awesome and a good sequel at least in my opinion.
The tormentor chase is by far the most memorable set piece to me.
Seeker rifle is an absolute beast fully upgraded, as it turns out. Can 1-shot a decent amount of necromorhps, and the game is generous with its ammo.
Another stellar critique. Your opinions more or less echo my feelings on the game, but even if they didn't, whenever Chris Davis releases a well-researched and reasoned pop culture analysis, I always pay attention.
That 3D animation makes Berserk 2016 look great
Great critique! I entirely agree with you about the somewhat more haphazard feeling of some of the enemy encounters. I do not recommend playing through the 1st time on Zealot. I got it done but I would have had a much better time on survivalist for my first playthrough. I feel that the focus on action doesn't lend itself well to the last few chapters on harder difficulties.
Just my opinion, but I felt that the harder difficulties in DS1 were better balanced. Every death I had felt justified and I knew what I did wrong. In DS2 I had a handful of deaths that just didn't feel good and more frustrating than anything.
All in all though this is an impressive title and a good blend between action and horror. I prefer more traditionally tense experiences like DS1 but I would be lying if I said DS2 isn't cool as hell.
DS2's multiplayer was pretty fun while it lasted, Necromorphs were actually real easy to control with all their varying attacks and movement animations intact. Matchmaking was consistent, nothing felt cheap with the human classes, all in all, I fully recommend anyone with enough friends to give it a go on XBL, or PC.
Great video as always!
I've never felt about Dead Space to be more survival than action horror except the parts where the regenerator is hunting you down.
Dead Space 1 and 2 have to be played on the difficulty that is one above the default difficulty (I forgot what it's called). That gives you the proper enemy lethality and also ammo scarcity.
Love your videos man
Oh yeah, its gonna be enjoyable! Thanks a lot!
I’m absolutely loving everything you put out. It might be simply that I agree with most of your subjective points of view and your objective, factual delivery is done really well. Above everything, I’m really enjoying your isometric RPG series.
I have to say that your take on Dead Space 2 was hard to disagree with, despite it being in my “top 10”. I tried to find points that I thought you unfairly criticize the gameplay elements or even the story, but every point you made was valid and fair. I was also really disappointed with the PC version simply because there was a massive input lag that never seemed to be addressed by Visceral and I was forced to find a fix on forums (which really sucks when you’ve just paid full price for a triple-a title). Other than the reticle movement, I’m surprised you didn’t mention it.
Anyway, I’m a huge fan and you deserve every view, follow and sub you can get! cheers mate! Looking foreword to the next video.
Critiques for Dusk, Deep Rock Galactic, Dead Cells, Hades, Risk Of Rain 2 and Dying Light coming soon. Right? RIGHT?!?!
This is the first video of the game that raised issued about the Lore getting messy. I've always felt that there were some inconsistencies regarding the "rules" about the ultimate purpose of a marker and the notion of the dead space around them. In the first game, the marker was upset that it was taken to the ship. In the 2nd Game, this idea is not even there.
For me it has to do with them inventing the Convergence concept for the 2nd game. (and then the Moon thing in the 3rd game). I also feel a bit of disappointment when these franchising building IPs dont seem to have a long-term vision of where the plot will go. Similiar to Mass Effect.. they create this fantastic concept of the Reapers but apparently never thought beyond the first game of where the story would go.
Here are some suggestions for however distant future:
- Tales of Maj'Eyal;
- Nox;
- Avernum: Escape From the Pit;
- Anacronox.
Your mistake was not using the upgraded contact beam for the final boss. That gun full upgraded almost breaks the game.
I once got asked about my scarriest gamingmoment. The answer was as obvious (to me) as quick. Dead Space 2 when I saw the "Ishimura" from part 1 and realized that I had too get into it again. Proof how much scarrier part 1 was than 2.
Nice video. I hope you can make the critique of Dead Space 3. Congratulations!
Great video! Dead Space is my favorite game series and it's hard to choose between the first and the second, as they are both just so fun and have such great atmosphere.
The multiplayer in DS2 was actually way better than it had any business being, in my opinion. You cold play as a security guy or as one of the necromorphs. Playing as the humans was easier, because guns, but playing as the necromorphs was more fun because, depending on which type you were, you could climb walls and ceilings and travel through the vents. I'm glad it didn't become the focus of the series, but it was alot of fun while it was active.
While I do think the story of DS2 is probably the weakest, I think it deserves more credit than you give it because I feel like the main arc is about Isaac dealing with Nicole's death, with dealing with the marker being the part of the plot that drives the action. I loved the scene in the beginning where he was the one to convince her to work on the Ishimura because it really puts his guilt into perspective.
I'm looking forward to your video about DS3! It's the black sheep of the series, but I love it nonetheless. It also actually has a really good story, in my opinion, that I feel would have endeared more people to the 3rd game if it hadn't been severely hampered by the awwwwwwwwwful love triangle sub-plot.
What a fucking treat Mr.Davis
I actually prefer dead space 2 slightly over the first one. But I love both of them
I for one was never thinking horror needs the surprise factor. We all know what will happen in a zombie movie or a game and still they can be scary, I would say it all comes down to how its cooked
This is a perfect summarization of DS1 and DS2! DS1 is Like Alien... Survival Horror at it's BEST! You NEVER Encounter large enemy groups by Default, only If you/Isaac makes mistakes Like running from one tiny enemy group into another and or If you fail to kill the pregnant necromorphs in an effective way so that it's not releasing little offsprings. Also the clunky movement is typical for survival Horror games!
In DS2 IT is different.... Like in Aliens, enemies Attack in larger groups, meaning less suspense but more Action is in Play. The Pack necromorphs are such Canon fodder Units and Isaacs movement is much faster/better to Take on more aggressive and faster enemies thus making IT the perfect Action Horror Game!
I Love These 2 Games for different reasons, Just Like Alien and Aliens.
Now Dead Space 3... I do Not Talk about that... This should Tell Something 😅😩
Fantastic video, as usual.
pulse rifle, detonator, flame thrower, and contact beam
I loved the Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2..... It was hilarious.
You can absolutely kill the Regenerator enemy. In the last room before you would otherwise escape it, there's a large fan you can blast the Regenerator into for an instant kill. IIRC, there's even an achievement for doing this.
There is no achievement for that , and im pretty sure that was just a bug/exploit
LIke you, my biggest criticism about this game was the third act. I felt it nailed the atmosphere and balance between action and horror up to that point. And then it just starts throwing huge waves of enemies at you, and then the Regenerator just shows up out of the blue. That actually really annoyed me, in the first game it had a reason for being there, it was part of the story. And here it was just there and only existed to make the hacking minigame an even bigger pain in the ass to complete than normal.
I'd argue the 1 game that pulled off a silent protagonist was Half-life 2.
If you don't like silent protagonists for the most part, what do you think about doom 2016 and doom eternal silent protagonist approach?
If by any means that Dead Space gets rebooted, would you all prefer it to be a fully survival horror or just rely on what made the original recognizable?
chris I love your vids but I do miss the long story synopses from the videos like the witcher, you have a really good way of explaining them . understand you can't do that all the time, your content is great whatever you release
Hey chris, i was wondering what you would think of a game called stasis? It is space horror somewhat like deadspace, with a terribly disapointing villains arc, but the build up to what you will find is amazing, and the game is pretty tense.
If you like dead space, you might enjoy stasis, and i think your critique of it would be interesting to hear, i will say tough the game is flawed.
Dont see this as a demand tough, just what i think would be an interesting addition to the channel, and a interesting point of comparison to dead space.
Cheers!
Dead Space 2 was my favorite of the trilogy.
Same
You can finish the final fight with basically 10 to 20 shots with the Contact Beams Alt... It's the only weapon I keep for the last Chapter.....
Are you going to play ENCASED? I'm going to say it's like a modern version of fallout 1.. it's still in early access but its REALLY well written, I usually skip content in RPGs but im finding I like it so much I talk to every single npc and I dont regret it. Plenty of choices that have consequences, great character building and rpg elements. Please dont roast me for not using paragraphs.
This game was my introduction to the series back on Xbox 360. I didn't really liked it and the first mini-boss was super frustrating as I didn't have much ammo for the fight, but after beating it, I was done with this series. Then I bought first Dead Space on GOG for some reason and played it until the end. Here I thought I was wrong and Dead Space is actually a good series. So I thought that I need to give DS2 a second chance. And first thing that I dislike upon fresh start is the fact that Isaac now talks a lot. This time I had easier playthrough since my experience with Necromorphs was increased and I've become more experienced with TPS shooters overall. I've played much further this time, but in the end I just gave up at some point, as throughout my play I constantly thought how better first game was. Even new monsters didn't impress me and fixed weapon balance didn't really change thing either. So I don't know what to say really. I guess it is not a bad game, but can't say it's better than the first one.
P.S. Aliens is better than Alien.
the multiplayer stuff was pretty fun. it didnt hold my attention long but no mutliplayer game can for me anymore, except for a few exceptions
Awesome sauce!
Haha I was about to type an angry comment about the Alien/Aliens situation and then out of the blue you mentioned it and I'm like "yeah...this is some quality youtube content"
I wasn't first but I wasn't last.
I've been looking forward to this one. Dead space 2 was really fun but the first game is the better experience.
Aliens works because it is about confronting and facing your fears, whereas Alien was about the unknown. Alien is about running in fear from the lion chasing and trying to eat you. Aliens is about realising you cannot outrun it but deciding to go down making that lion regret eating you by giving it a debilitating injury or better still taking it with you. But it cannot be repeated. Or if it is it must be expanded upon not in number but the sheer depth of what you are confronting. The Flood in Halo never stops being frightening because it is less 'scary monster' and more an existential dread that it provokes which is why, if done properly and spaced out, you could have multiple 'The Thing' movies. Albeit 2011 missed that terror not horror made 1982 'The Thing' terrifying. Indeed SEGA showed the way with 'less is more' in Alien Isolation.
I think of THAT scene in The Faculty too dude.
I really like Dead Space 2 (the unitology church is one of my favorite levels in gaming) as much as I like Bioshock 2
You should do the bioshock games and maybe the last of us/uncharted type games they are popular and I don't think they have been talked about in depth too much.
It's funny that you say that you don't like the seeker rifle and then gush about the stalkers being tough foes. The seeker rifle is so effective against the stalkers that I think that it might have been made primarily to serve as a counter to them. You still have to be quite fast on the draw but it tears them apart like the assault rifle does with the pack. In fact I think there was even an achievement for killing stalkers with the seeker rifle.
Not gonna lie there’s a bunch of things you kind of got wrong in here like lore details such as how the marker specifically affects people
He explained the inconsistencies with the books and movies
Rest in pieces Dead Space, may EA don't resurrect your body as a necro-mobile game
"may EA don't"
Actually the mobile game was really good, i played it a long time ago and still remember how i loved it. It's a shame it can't be played anymore.
To me Dead Space 2 felt like it was finally coming into its own. Dead Space 1 was trying to be like RE4 but failed to understand why that game worked so well as a horror game and in 2 they seemed to get what made Dead Space stand out and built on that. Its a shame that EA killed this franchise before Visceral could give us a masterpiece.
Dead space 1 wasn't really trying to be RE4. Y'all need to stop comparing everything to RE
Dead Space 1 & 2 are both action horror masterpieces.
Fun 2 games. Never saw them as scary at all as you had plenty to defend yourself with, but definitely entertaining and fun
@MrWereverForever yeah, that's more horror than dead space. Dead space is just action shooting
@MrWereverForever I don't agree, Dead Space is not at all scary to me, just fun shooty shooty, never got scared in the slightest
@MrWereverForever never played them you condescending child
I'm thinking of revisiting Dead Space 2 at some point. I played the first many times, but only finished its sequel once. I felt like it was too "directed" at times, being more like a linear action adventure game in the vein of Uncharted. I liked the story well enough, and some locations were great. However, it's telling that the absolute best and scariest part of the game is the level when you return to the Ishimura, which has almost NO combat for most of the level.
Combat in general took a hit, too. The added variety of creatures resulted in many that didn't take advantage of the first game's dismemberment, making many sections more of a boring third person shooting gallery than the (somewhat) calculated, tense fights of its predecessor. Enemies were faster in general, too, as was the player, and it made everything feel less thoughtful and more reactive. Add in a recharging stasis meter and most enemies and encounters end up feeling much easier since you rarely need to - or even should - consider your loadout and available ammunition before going into an unexplored area.
The multiplayer was also one of the most broken, imbalanced messes I've ever played. Account progression was skewed toward benefitting players who were already doing well, due to a focus significantly rewarding players with XP for getting kills and winning rounds. It gave you next to nothing for dealing damage, getting assists, healing teammates, or even just finishing a match (which led to a lot of people quitting once things stopped going their way, only making a bad matchup even worse). Mechanically, it had some fun ideas, but it did such a terrible job of rewarding team play - odd considering its necessity for success - that it became little more than frustrating. Players who "stole" kills and leveled up more quickly unlocked much more powerful weapons and abilities, and it rendered any new players at an abysmal disadvantage. That likely prevented many from ever even wanting to play after their first couple of matches, and it turned me off of it within only a few days as well. Changing XP rewards to better benefit players who work well together regardless of their number of personal kills or match wins, while changing the unlockable upgrades to be optional with positive and negative aspects, would have likely made the entire thing genuinely great, but whoever came up with the overarching progression system really killed this one in its infancy.
Yay!
Me and my friends likes the multiplayer back in the day but that’s not really any indication how good it was
Watching you do the final fight was painful. If you stopped running around so much and stood your ground and started shooting it’s the easiest fight. You had the ripper equipped also no? That’s one of the best weapons for dealing with the kid necros… makes the final fight even easier.
Gotta disagree with you on the movies. Downfall was way better than the second one. Regardless great video as always Chris. I also feel like Dead Space 1-2 draw a lot of parallels to Alien and Aliens. The first instalment was incredible horror whilst the sequel was still horror but more action focussed.
Easiest way to true survival horror....
Play Alien Isolation through without dying... Then remember those moments where you nearly did.
Being hesitant in RE7.. At some point you will meet the family.,.... Or maybe just stay outside the house or not go past the point of no return.
So if it's not horror( ds 1 review) and not survival then what genre would you put it in? Action? Feels silly to call it an action game.
As far as I followed, DS1 tried to be survival horror, but doesn't quite nailed the scarcity balance and steered toward action-horror.
DS 2 is more squarely in action horror, or even action thriller.
Yup, calling it straight up action is not fitting at all. But then again genres are loose concepts, so if you want to not mess with hybrid/border genres there is no harm in calling it survival horror.
But for a long form critique, it's kind of expected for him to get lost in the grey zones.
I doubt the DLC would have meant much to you since it was made as a sequel to Extraction which you haven't played.
Can't say I shared your opinion on the Stalkers as after their introduction, their appearance is heavily telegraphed by the use of large open rooms filled with containers or giant crates. Also, if you're using the right weapon, they are pretty easy to dispatch, something that's demonstrated by an early appearance by them in a room that's pre-filled with mines.
Also disagree on the final point. I would rather have a better survival horror game like the first game or a better action horror game like the third game than a game like this that is awkwardly jammed between the two.
Also, what bossfights? You mean the swarm fights where you just fight a ton of enemies thoughtlessly tossed into the same arena or the quick time events where your only agency is to shoot at a thing before time runs out?
I mean the entire point of designing the Stalker rooms like that is to give the player a chance to prepare a strategy for how to deal with them, which routes to cover, weapons to use, environmental objects to implement as projectiles etc.
I'd have to massively disagree on 3 being the better action title considering that solo mode in that game is one of the most unbalanced games I've ever played. Also I'm kinda grateful about the lack of boss fights in this game considering all the ones in the first game were shit.
It really sucks how EA essentially busted in the dev studio and tore up all their plans and told them to make it a big blockbuster with multi-player. It sucks, but isn't surprising
The enemies in this game weren’t fun to fight at all most enemies feel like sonic compared to Isaac in the first game they would come at you at very well placed spots in this one they come out of nowhere the first one had more atmosphere I felt like I was really trapped in this one there’s a nice balance of action and horror but god why are the enemies so fast the leapers got buffed to the top they can get to you at light speed I swear that’s my only problem also they put you at areas where you barely have space to do anything other than that is cool and was fun final “boss” kinda sucked if you can even call it a boss