Dead Space 2 is a survival horror game starring engineer Isaac Clarke, the protagonist of the first game, as he continues to fight the Necromorph threat.
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Story & Themes
Dead Space 2 continues the story of Isaac Clarke after the events of the original game. With no memory of what happened on Aegis VII, Isaac awakens in the psych ward of a space station. He doesn't have much time to recover, however, before the station is overrun by Necromorphs. A woman called Daina Le Guin reaches out to Isaac, informing him that the station's administrator, Hans Tiedemann, has plans to build a new Marker using the information his people have mined from Isaac's head. As it turns out, Daina is a Unitologist and has told Isaac this in order to lure him to her. She attempts to restrain him, but is killed when a gunship begins firing on the station.
Escaping, Isaac makes contact with Nathan Stross, a man claiming to have undergone the same invasive tests as Isaac. They team up with a pilot, Ellie Langford, with the purpose of destroying the Marker. But Stross has suffered too much psychological damage at the hands of the Unitologist scientists, and he turns on Ellie, prompting Isaac to kill him in self-defense.
Eventually, Isaac is able to fight his way past Necromorphs to the Marker where he kills Tiedemann. The Marker engages Isaac in a mental battle which renders him unconscious. When he wakes up again, he discovers that the Marker has been deactivated, and as a result the station's reactors are melting down. Ellie flies in on a gunship to rescue him, and the pair escape just in time to avoid the explosion behind them.
One of Dead Space 2's main themes is the idea of coming to terms with the death of a loved one. Isaac Clarke is haunted by disturbing, violent visions of his dead girlfriend, Nicole, and feels partially responsible for her death. However, when Isaac stops struggling against his guilt and accepts that she is gone, his hallucinations of her become benign and less destructive.
Difficulty
Dead Space 2 has five different difficulty levels, ranging from Casual to Hard Core. Even on Casual, Dead Space 2 isn't the easiest game due to the nature of the Necromorphs which can (and will) attack suddenly and unexpectedly. Saving often is a good idea.
Heads Up!
Violence Violence in Dead Space 2 is pretty graphic. The Necromorphs are dispatched by strategic dismemberment, so blood and gore are abound. Mutilated human corpses can also be seen throughout. One particular scene features the protagonist being graphically stabbed in the eye by a needle.
Scary Imagery Dead Space 2 definitely capitalizes on jump scares, a creepy atmosphere, and grotesque imagery. Players sensitive to horror should be wary.
Strong Language The game features fairly frequent strong language in both spoken and written word such as f*ck and sh*t.
Online Community
Dead Space 2 can be played online in "Outbreak mode." This multiplayer mode splits players into two different, competing teams.
Conversation Starters
- Would you call the Necromorphs zombies? Do you think they're scarier or less scary than the traditional portrayal of a zombie?
- What did you think of the game's jump scares? Were they effective? Did you think they occurred too frequently or were predictable?
- How does Isaac deal with Nicole's death? What do the hallucinations reveal about his mental state?
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