Dead Space 2
Encyclopedia
Dead Space 2 is a survival horror third-person shooter
video game developed by Visceral Games
and published by Electronic Arts
for Microsoft Windows
, PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
. It is the sequel to Dead Space
. Unlike its predecessor, Dead Space 2 has a multiplayer mode. A Collector's Edition is available for all three platforms. The PlayStation 3 Limited Edition includes Dead Space: Extraction
as a PlayStation Move compatible title.
. The player controls Isaac Clarke
from a third-person point of view, looking over the character's right shoulder. The game features no HUD
, relying on holograms projected from the player character and his weapons to show information such as messages and ammunition count, respectively. Player health and stasis are shown by visual indicators on Isaac's back. Isaac must fight an alien organism that infects and takes control of human corpses, turning them into "Necromorphs", mutating their bodies.
The player acquires two modules; a "stasis" module, allowing the player to slow down enemies or objects, allowing for otherwise insurmountable moving obstacles such as active heavy machinery to be slowed down, allowing Isaac to safely pass, and the "kinesis" module, which allows Isaac to manipulate objects and machinery telekinetically
.
The player may upgrade their weapons and armor at work benches, using power nodes found throughout the game. In-game stores may be accessed where the player may buy and sell various items and attain new weapons and suits through the acquisition of schematics found throughout the levels.
The player encounters zero-G
environments, where Isaac is capable of maneuvering with thrusters
attached to his suit.
Dead Space 2 offers five difficulty level
s; Casual, Normal, Survivalist, Zealot and Hard Core. Hard Core mode is unlocked once the game has been completed. It can only be played from a fresh start and the player is limited to three saves in the entire game, with ammunition, health, supplies and credits being very difficult to find, and enemies are very challenging. There are no checkpoints in this mode.
, one of Saturn
's moons. Isaac Clarke has no memory of the last three years, having just been released by Franco, the protagonist of Dead Space Ignition
. However, before he can remove the straitjacket, Franco is killed and transformed into a necromorph, leaving Isaac to escape on his own. He is later contacted by a woman named Daina, who guides him to her location. He is also contacted by another patient, Nolan Stross, claiming he and Isaac can destroy the Marker, which Hans Tiedmann, the station's administrator, forced them both to rebuild after finding Isaac adrift. Ignoring Stross, Isaac fights his way across the city, making his way to Daina. Upon his arrival, two guards seize Isaac as Daina reveals that she is a Unitologist sent to "recover" Isaac, claiming that he is responsible for building the Marker that is causing the current infestation and that they need him to build more. As they are about to leave, A Titan Security gunship guns down Daina and her associates, allowing Isaac to escape.
Stross contacts Isaac again and he reluctantly decides to trust Stross, as his only mission now is to destroy the Marker. Stross tells Isaac that the Marker is located in the Government Sector under lockdown. As he makes his way there, Isaac comes across another survivor, Ellie Langford, a CEC officer who eventually joins their mission, deciding that she needs their help to survive. As they progress through the Sprawl, Tiedemann throws several obstacles in their way to stop them from getting to the Marker. Later, Stross' dementia worsens, causing him to attack Ellie, stabbing her eye out with a screwdriver. She survives, and later Isaac is forced to kill Stross in self-defense. As he fights his way to the Marker Isaac experiences visions of Nicole, which become more vivid as she tries to deter him from his task. Eventually he comes to accept the guilt of Nicole's death, causing the Nicole visions to become friendly.
Upon reaching the Government sector, Isaac sends Ellie away alone on a gunship, despite her protests. He does this because he reasons that, even though he could not save Nicole, there is still time for him to save Ellie. Once inside, he releases the doors holding back the necromorphs trying to get to the Marker, who overwhelm Tiedemann's men. Isaac eventually comes upon the Marker, which is surrounded by necromorphs. As Isaac looks on, the Marker begins "convergence", an event foretold by the Unitologists. With the vision of Nicole guiding him, he comes upon a machine that unlocks the blocked Marker-infected parts of his mind, which Nicole claims will help him. He then fights his way to the Marker, where he encounters Tiedemann, whom Isaac is forced to kill. Isaac then approaches the Marker when the Nicole vision suddenly pulls Isaac into his own mind. There, Isaac encounters the parts affected by the Marker and the Nicole vision, who then reveals that the only way to make the Marker "whole" is to absorb the body and mind of the one who created it. After a lengthy battle, Isaac is able to destroy the Nicole vision and rid all traces of the Marker's influence from his mind, destroying the Marker in the process.
Upon exiting his mind, Isaac slumps to the ground, ready to accept his fate as, in a last act of desperation by Tiedmann's security forces, the station's power core will detonate, destroying the station. Suddenly, Isaac receives a call from Ellie, who crashes the gunship through the ceiling. As the room collapses, Isaac makes his way onto the gunship and they escape.
After the credits, an audio transmission is heard between two people, an unknown subordinate and his ranking superior (known only as "the Overseer" from one of the text logs that can be collected during the course of the game). The subordinate relays that Titan Station (which was Marker Site 12) and the Marker have been destroyed. The Overseer replies that the other sites will then have to “pick up the pieces”.
and Dead Space 2, which is that when we started building Dead Space, we basically started with a mechanic set that was really similar to Resident Evil 4
, the [people on the] team were really huge fans of that game."
The game's art director, Ian Milham, commented about the multiplayer of Dead Space 2, "Other games are fine but this is different. It's the kind of multiplayer that could only exist in a Dead Space type world."
A closed multiplayer beta began on September 23, 2010. A playable demo was released for the Xbox Live Marketplace
worldwide and PlayStation Network on December 21, 2010 in North America and on December 22, 2010 in Europe.
A downloadable game was released on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace
prior to the release of Dead Space 2. Titled Dead Space Ignition
, it comprises three minigames: Hardware Crack, Trace Route, and System Override. Dead Space Ignition has four endings and obtaining each ending unlocks a piece of equipment for use in Dead Space 2. The creator of the Dead Space comic book series Antony Johnston wrote the story for Dead Space: Ignition. The game was also available as a free pre-order bonus with the standard and collectors edition.
EA announced that the multiplayer component of the game would be receiving two new multiplayer maps. The "Outbreak Map Pack," which includes The Academy and The Concourse, will send players back to survive multiplayer evisceration in The Sprawl on May 31 and June 3 for Xbox 360 and PS3, respectively.
, and a DLC voucher for access to the Rivet Gun. It is the HD version of Extraction which supports PlayStation Move, features co-op gameplay options, and has been updated to include full trophy support.
packages were available at launch: the Hazard pack, the Supernova pack and the Martial Law pack for consoles. Each include multiple new suits and weapons. The PC version included the DLC free as part of a later patch.
The Outbreak Map Pack containing 2 free multiplayer maps was released in March 2011 for consoles only.
The first post-launch downloadable content package, titled Dead Space 2: Severed, was announced on January 25, 2011. It features characters previously seen in Dead Space: Extraction
contained in a standalone two chapter single-player campaign. It was released on March 1, 2011 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 only. EA stated that Dead Space 2: Severed will not be released on PC.
The campaign was criticized as sexist and reinforcing stereotypes against female and older gamers. As the game is M rated and only 17+ can purchase it, others thought the advertisements were pointless and would hurt market share. Mary Elizabeth Williams of Salon.com
wrote: "The video game's campaign hinges on a unique premise -- one that ignores how much the culture of gaming has changed." The Approval Matrix published by New York Magazine placed the campaign in the Lowbrow but Brilliant quadrant.
On the other hand, notable voices in the video game industry defended the campaign. Brian Crecente asked “Are that many people really taking the Dead Space 2 Mom’s campaign that literally? When did Gamers become so humorless.” Steven Hodson of The Inquisitr wrote, "Granted it took a lot of guts for EA to even go down this road but the idea of pulling in 200 middle-aged moms into an individual focus group situation to evaluate a new game – title unknown – was awesome." Some people even went as far as to say the campaign was sheer genius. Gaming industry guru Cliffy B chimed in suggesting that the EA marketing team should all get a raise. Adult Swim also demonstrated their approval by creating a pre-cartoon segment bumper that aired in January 2011 stating that “the best marketing idea of 2011 already goes to Electronic Arts for their Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2 campaign”. Electronic Arts won the Mi6 Game Marketing award for 2011 Outstanding Overall Marketing Campaign of the Year.
gave the game a 9.5. Game Informer
s Andrew Reiner gave Dead Space 2 a 9/10, calling it a "monster of a sequel". He praised its horror aspect by claiming "Battling a seven-foot beast that vomits acidic bile and tries to impale Isaac with razor-sharp appendages is one thing, but watching a mother cradle a necromorph baby will haunt my nightmares until I die." Official Xbox Magazine UK gave the game 9 out of 10. GameTrailers gave the game 9.0 out of 10, praising the game's dark and dreary atmosphere and its intense and unrelenting gameplay, while pointing out the multiplayer component's shortcomings.
GameSpot
's editor Carolyn Petit, who gave the game a score of 8.5 for the Xbox 360 and a 9.0 for the PlayStation 3, said: "Dead Space 2 doesn't bring with it the same sense of experiencing something utterly new and innovative that its predecessor did. But it's nonetheless a terrific game, with a campaign that simultaneously leaves you satisfied and eager for more, and intense multiplayer that gives you a great reason to keep coming back to this terrifying universe. Unless you're just plain chicken, this is a sci-fi horror adventure you definitely want to suit up for."
IGN
's editor Greg Miller gave the game a 9.0, saying that the survival-horror genre got a new gold standard and that: "Dead Space 2 is more than just an action game and it's more than a survival horror game -- it's a game that tells a really personal story about a guy who has been seriously scarred by the events around him. That premise alone makes it interesting, but Visceral Games melds it with rewarding combat, shocking enemies, and huge set pieces
before tossing it into a world that's truly creepy and scary." He also said that he did not find the multiplayer very interesting.
Thierry Nguyen from 1UP.com
compared Dead Space 2 and its predecessor to "Ridley Scott's Alien
and James Cameron's Aliens
". In his review, he says, "The first installments in both series focus on civilians panicking their way through a dark spaceship while avoiding an extraterrestrial lurking horror; both follow-ups retain their predecessor's basic aesthetic while deliberately shifting from creeping tension into outright sci-fi action. Aliens introduced space marines, the power loader exosuit, and the Alien Queen; Dead Space 2 gives us scenes of Isaac flying around in zero-g, mowing down Necromorphs with an assault rifle while wearing 'space marine' armor, and confidently throwing explosives with his telekinetic powers."
Fangoria
's Doug Norris gave the game 4/4 skulls, praising both the gore and psychological horror. He stated that the intro is "one of the most hellacious first fifteen minutes of a game ever to appear on consoles."
Destructoid
's Jim Sterling liked Clarke's change from a silent protagonist to a speaking role, and praised the overall quality of the single player part of the game. However, he felt that there were too many tight corridors in the Sprawl, which made it look like the spaceship of the previous game. He also thought that the multiplayer was "rather unsatisfying and delivers nothing of the pacing and tension that the main game brings."
Hardcore Gamers Adam Beck gave Dead Space 2 a 4.5/5, praising the cinematic single-player campaign but criticizing its horror aspect by claiming "there are just too many expected encounters when you enter a room and it never allows you to let your guard down". He goes on to say "Dead Space 2 is one of the most disturbing, grotesque and unsightly games I've ever played... but it's so damn good."
EA reported that Dead Space 2 sold nearly 2 million units in the first week of its release.
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
video game developed by Visceral Games
Visceral Games
Visceral Games is a video game development studio internally owned by Electronic Arts. They are perhaps best known for the critically acclaimed Dead Space series.-History:...
and published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. It is the sequel to Dead Space
Dead Space (video game)
Dead Space is a survival horror third-person shooter video game, developed by EA Redwood Shores for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was made available on Steam on October 20, 2008...
. Unlike its predecessor, Dead Space 2 has a multiplayer mode. A Collector's Edition is available for all three platforms. The PlayStation 3 Limited Edition includes Dead Space: Extraction
Dead Space: Extraction
Dead Space: Extraction has received favorable reviews, with an average rating of 82/100 on review aggregator Metacritic. Official Nintendo Magazine awarded the game 84 percent and called it "A first rate introduction to one of the finest survival horror franchises of recent years." The website...
as a PlayStation Move compatible title.
Gameplay
Dead Space 2 is a survival horror third-person shooterThird-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
. The player controls Isaac Clarke
Isaac Clarke
Isaac Clarke, an engineer, is the protagonist of the Dead Space where he confronts the Necromorphs. He is not voiced in the first game, but is voiced by Gunner Wright in the second.-Before Dead Space:...
from a third-person point of view, looking over the character's right shoulder. The game features no HUD
HUD (video gaming)
In video gaming, the HUD is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface...
, relying on holograms projected from the player character and his weapons to show information such as messages and ammunition count, respectively. Player health and stasis are shown by visual indicators on Isaac's back. Isaac must fight an alien organism that infects and takes control of human corpses, turning them into "Necromorphs", mutating their bodies.
The player acquires two modules; a "stasis" module, allowing the player to slow down enemies or objects, allowing for otherwise insurmountable moving obstacles such as active heavy machinery to be slowed down, allowing Isaac to safely pass, and the "kinesis" module, which allows Isaac to manipulate objects and machinery telekinetically
Psychokinesis
The term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
.
The player may upgrade their weapons and armor at work benches, using power nodes found throughout the game. In-game stores may be accessed where the player may buy and sell various items and attain new weapons and suits through the acquisition of schematics found throughout the levels.
The player encounters zero-G
Weightlessness
Weightlessness is the condition that exists for an object or person when they experience little or no acceleration except the acceleration that defines their inertial trajectory, or the trajectory of pure free-fall...
environments, where Isaac is capable of maneuvering with thrusters
Spacecraft propulsion
Spacecraft propulsion is any method used to accelerate spacecraft and artificial satellites. There are many different methods. Each method has drawbacks and advantages, and spacecraft propulsion is an active area of research. However, most spacecraft today are propelled by forcing a gas from the...
attached to his suit.
Dead Space 2 offers five difficulty level
Difficulty level
In general usage, difficulty level refers to the relative difficulty of completing a task or objective.In computer and video games, the term specifically delineates the ease or difficulty with which an average user may complete a game or a part of a game. Arcade games as well as many early console...
s; Casual, Normal, Survivalist, Zealot and Hard Core. Hard Core mode is unlocked once the game has been completed. It can only be played from a fresh start and the player is limited to three saves in the entire game, with ammunition, health, supplies and credits being very difficult to find, and enemies are very challenging. There are no checkpoints in this mode.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer mode pits two teams of four players against each other, one team consisting of humans trying to accomplish an objective, and the other consisting of Necromorphs, who are tasked with stopping the humans from accomplishing said objective. Each playable character has two weapons in their arsenal. New weapons and improvements can be unlocked through level progression, along with different colored suits for the humans. The necromorphs on the other hand, unlock improvements to their current abilities as well as bonuses to health or damage.Plot
The game begins in a hospital on the Sprawl, a densely populated metropolis built on a shard of TitanTitan (moon)
Titan , or Saturn VI, is the largest moon of Saturn, the only natural satellite known to have a dense atmosphere, and the only object other than Earth for which clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found....
, one of Saturn
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
's moons. Isaac Clarke has no memory of the last three years, having just been released by Franco, the protagonist of Dead Space Ignition
Dead Space Ignition
Dead Space Ignition is a survival horror action puzzle video game developed by Visceral Games and Sumo Digital and published by Electronic Arts for the Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. It is a midquel to the survival horror third-person shooter video game Dead Space 2 , which was...
. However, before he can remove the straitjacket, Franco is killed and transformed into a necromorph, leaving Isaac to escape on his own. He is later contacted by a woman named Daina, who guides him to her location. He is also contacted by another patient, Nolan Stross, claiming he and Isaac can destroy the Marker, which Hans Tiedmann, the station's administrator, forced them both to rebuild after finding Isaac adrift. Ignoring Stross, Isaac fights his way across the city, making his way to Daina. Upon his arrival, two guards seize Isaac as Daina reveals that she is a Unitologist sent to "recover" Isaac, claiming that he is responsible for building the Marker that is causing the current infestation and that they need him to build more. As they are about to leave, A Titan Security gunship guns down Daina and her associates, allowing Isaac to escape.
Stross contacts Isaac again and he reluctantly decides to trust Stross, as his only mission now is to destroy the Marker. Stross tells Isaac that the Marker is located in the Government Sector under lockdown. As he makes his way there, Isaac comes across another survivor, Ellie Langford, a CEC officer who eventually joins their mission, deciding that she needs their help to survive. As they progress through the Sprawl, Tiedemann throws several obstacles in their way to stop them from getting to the Marker. Later, Stross' dementia worsens, causing him to attack Ellie, stabbing her eye out with a screwdriver. She survives, and later Isaac is forced to kill Stross in self-defense. As he fights his way to the Marker Isaac experiences visions of Nicole, which become more vivid as she tries to deter him from his task. Eventually he comes to accept the guilt of Nicole's death, causing the Nicole visions to become friendly.
Upon reaching the Government sector, Isaac sends Ellie away alone on a gunship, despite her protests. He does this because he reasons that, even though he could not save Nicole, there is still time for him to save Ellie. Once inside, he releases the doors holding back the necromorphs trying to get to the Marker, who overwhelm Tiedemann's men. Isaac eventually comes upon the Marker, which is surrounded by necromorphs. As Isaac looks on, the Marker begins "convergence", an event foretold by the Unitologists. With the vision of Nicole guiding him, he comes upon a machine that unlocks the blocked Marker-infected parts of his mind, which Nicole claims will help him. He then fights his way to the Marker, where he encounters Tiedemann, whom Isaac is forced to kill. Isaac then approaches the Marker when the Nicole vision suddenly pulls Isaac into his own mind. There, Isaac encounters the parts affected by the Marker and the Nicole vision, who then reveals that the only way to make the Marker "whole" is to absorb the body and mind of the one who created it. After a lengthy battle, Isaac is able to destroy the Nicole vision and rid all traces of the Marker's influence from his mind, destroying the Marker in the process.
Upon exiting his mind, Isaac slumps to the ground, ready to accept his fate as, in a last act of desperation by Tiedmann's security forces, the station's power core will detonate, destroying the station. Suddenly, Isaac receives a call from Ellie, who crashes the gunship through the ceiling. As the room collapses, Isaac makes his way onto the gunship and they escape.
After the credits, an audio transmission is heard between two people, an unknown subordinate and his ranking superior (known only as "the Overseer" from one of the text logs that can be collected during the course of the game). The subordinate relays that Titan Station (which was Marker Site 12) and the Marker have been destroyed. The Overseer replies that the other sites will then have to “pick up the pieces”.
Characters
- Isaac Clarke – The protagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
. Isaac is tormented by a dementia caused by self-replicating signals implanted into him before the Red Marker's destruction in the first game. No longer a silent protagonist, Isaac now speaks; Gunner WrightGunner WrightGunner Wright is an American film actor known for his role in the film Love and for "portraying" the face and voice of Isaac Clarke in the videogame Dead Space 2. Wright raced motorcycles competitively until the age of 21 when he moved to Southern California. There he began working on Fox...
provides his likeness and voice.
- Hans Tiedemann - Director of Titan Station, the highest civil authority aboard the Sprawl and the game's main human antagonist. Lester Purry provides his likeness and voice.
- Ellie Langford - A CEC heavy equipment pilot and one of the few survivors of the Necromorph attack. Sonita Henry provides her likeness and voice.
- Nolan Stross - A demented survivor aboard the Sprawl. Prior to the disaster, he suffered dementia caused by exposure to the pieces of the Red Marker in Dead Space: AftermathDead Space: AftermathDead Space: Aftermath is an animated film that bridges the storyline between Dead Space and Dead Space 2.-Plot:When contact with the USG Ishimura and the Aegis VII colony is lost, the Concordance Extraction Corporation sends the ship USG O'Bannon to investigate...
. Fallen to complete insanity, causing him to murder his wife and son; he was captured and transported to the Sprawl where he, alongside Isaac, underwent brainwashing under Tiedemann's psychiatric team. Curt Cornelius provides his likeness and voice.
- Daina Le Guin - A Unitologist fanatic, Daina is the first main character who contacts Isaac after his escape from the psychiatric lab. Tahyna TozziTahyna TozziTahyna Valentina Tozzi is an Australian model, singer and actress, perhaps best known for her role as Perri on Australian television series Blue Water High on free to air channel ABC.- Early life :...
provides her likeness and voice.
- Nicole Brennan - Isaac's dead girlfriend appears as a hallucination caused by Isaac's dementia. Tanya Clarke provides her likeness and voice.
Development
The game's creative director, Wright Bagwell, said that Dead Space was very similar to Resident Evil. "There's an interesting story from Dead SpaceDead Space (video game)
Dead Space is a survival horror third-person shooter video game, developed by EA Redwood Shores for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was made available on Steam on October 20, 2008...
and Dead Space 2, which is that when we started building Dead Space, we basically started with a mechanic set that was really similar to Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, Nintendo Australia, Red Ant Enterprises and THQ Asia Pacific...
, the [people on the] team were really huge fans of that game."
The game's art director, Ian Milham, commented about the multiplayer of Dead Space 2, "Other games are fine but this is different. It's the kind of multiplayer that could only exist in a Dead Space type world."
A closed multiplayer beta began on September 23, 2010. A playable demo was released for the Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
worldwide and PlayStation Network on December 21, 2010 in North America and on December 22, 2010 in Europe.
Marketing
As part of a build up campaign to Dead Space 2s release, Visceral Games ran a competition via Facebook to get your face in the game by creating a piece of text, video or artwork detailing a melee kill by Isaac Clarke. The winner, chosen from ten finalists, will have their face put on a character who will meet a rather violent end.A downloadable game was released on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
prior to the release of Dead Space 2. Titled Dead Space Ignition
Dead Space Ignition
Dead Space Ignition is a survival horror action puzzle video game developed by Visceral Games and Sumo Digital and published by Electronic Arts for the Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. It is a midquel to the survival horror third-person shooter video game Dead Space 2 , which was...
, it comprises three minigames: Hardware Crack, Trace Route, and System Override. Dead Space Ignition has four endings and obtaining each ending unlocks a piece of equipment for use in Dead Space 2. The creator of the Dead Space comic book series Antony Johnston wrote the story for Dead Space: Ignition. The game was also available as a free pre-order bonus with the standard and collectors edition.
EA announced that the multiplayer component of the game would be receiving two new multiplayer maps. The "Outbreak Map Pack," which includes The Academy and The Concourse, will send players back to survive multiplayer evisceration in The Sprawl on May 31 and June 3 for Xbox 360 and PS3, respectively.
Retail editions
The Collector's Edition of Dead Space 2 features a copy of the game, replica plasma cutter, CD soundtrack, DLC voucher (for access to the Unitology Suit and Force Gun) and artwork. In North America, all three system versions comes with the plasma cutter. In Europe, however, only the Xbox 360 and PC versions come with the plasma cutter. The PlayStation 3 version forgoes the replica gun and comes with Dead Space: ExtractionDead Space: Extraction
Dead Space: Extraction has received favorable reviews, with an average rating of 82/100 on review aggregator Metacritic. Official Nintendo Magazine awarded the game 84 percent and called it "A first rate introduction to one of the finest survival horror franchises of recent years." The website...
, and a DLC voucher for access to the Rivet Gun. It is the HD version of Extraction which supports PlayStation Move, features co-op gameplay options, and has been updated to include full trophy support.
Downloadable content
Three downloadable contentDownloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
packages were available at launch: the Hazard pack, the Supernova pack and the Martial Law pack for consoles. Each include multiple new suits and weapons. The PC version included the DLC free as part of a later patch.
The Outbreak Map Pack containing 2 free multiplayer maps was released in March 2011 for consoles only.
The first post-launch downloadable content package, titled Dead Space 2: Severed, was announced on January 25, 2011. It features characters previously seen in Dead Space: Extraction
Dead Space: Extraction
Dead Space: Extraction has received favorable reviews, with an average rating of 82/100 on review aggregator Metacritic. Official Nintendo Magazine awarded the game 84 percent and called it "A first rate introduction to one of the finest survival horror franchises of recent years." The website...
contained in a standalone two chapter single-player campaign. It was released on March 1, 2011 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 only. EA stated that Dead Space 2: Severed will not be released on PC.
Advertising
For the advertising campaign, 200 women were selected for their conservative values and lack of familiarity with video games. Their reactions to a screening of the game were featured in EA's web and TV advertisements with the campaign slogan called "Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2".The campaign was criticized as sexist and reinforcing stereotypes against female and older gamers. As the game is M rated and only 17+ can purchase it, others thought the advertisements were pointless and would hurt market share. Mary Elizabeth Williams of Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
wrote: "The video game's campaign hinges on a unique premise -- one that ignores how much the culture of gaming has changed." The Approval Matrix published by New York Magazine placed the campaign in the Lowbrow but Brilliant quadrant.
On the other hand, notable voices in the video game industry defended the campaign. Brian Crecente asked “Are that many people really taking the Dead Space 2 Mom’s campaign that literally? When did Gamers become so humorless.” Steven Hodson of The Inquisitr wrote, "Granted it took a lot of guts for EA to even go down this road but the idea of pulling in 200 middle-aged moms into an individual focus group situation to evaluate a new game – title unknown – was awesome." Some people even went as far as to say the campaign was sheer genius. Gaming industry guru Cliffy B chimed in suggesting that the EA marketing team should all get a raise. Adult Swim also demonstrated their approval by creating a pre-cartoon segment bumper that aired in January 2011 stating that “the best marketing idea of 2011 already goes to Electronic Arts for their Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2 campaign”. Electronic Arts won the Mi6 Game Marketing award for 2011 Outstanding Overall Marketing Campaign of the Year.
Reception
The game has received critical acclaim from critics. PSM3 gave the game 92%. Official Xbox MagazineOfficial Xbox Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine is a monthly video game magazine which started in November 2001 around the launch of the original Xbox. A preview issue was released for E3 2001, with another preview issue for November 2001. The magazine is bundled with a disc that includes game demos, preview videos and...
gave the game a 9.5. Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
s Andrew Reiner gave Dead Space 2 a 9/10, calling it a "monster of a sequel". He praised its horror aspect by claiming "Battling a seven-foot beast that vomits acidic bile and tries to impale Isaac with razor-sharp appendages is one thing, but watching a mother cradle a necromorph baby will haunt my nightmares until I die." Official Xbox Magazine UK gave the game 9 out of 10. GameTrailers gave the game 9.0 out of 10, praising the game's dark and dreary atmosphere and its intense and unrelenting gameplay, while pointing out the multiplayer component's shortcomings.
GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's editor Carolyn Petit, who gave the game a score of 8.5 for the Xbox 360 and a 9.0 for the PlayStation 3, said: "Dead Space 2 doesn't bring with it the same sense of experiencing something utterly new and innovative that its predecessor did. But it's nonetheless a terrific game, with a campaign that simultaneously leaves you satisfied and eager for more, and intense multiplayer that gives you a great reason to keep coming back to this terrifying universe. Unless you're just plain chicken, this is a sci-fi horror adventure you definitely want to suit up for."
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's editor Greg Miller gave the game a 9.0, saying that the survival-horror genre got a new gold standard and that: "Dead Space 2 is more than just an action game and it's more than a survival horror game -- it's a game that tells a really personal story about a guy who has been seriously scarred by the events around him. That premise alone makes it interesting, but Visceral Games melds it with rewarding combat, shocking enemies, and huge set pieces
Setpiece
In film production, a setpiece is a scene or sequence of scenes the execution of which requires serious logistical planning and considerable expenditure of money. The term setpiece is often used more broadly to describe any important dramatic or comedic highpoint in a film or story, particularly...
before tossing it into a world that's truly creepy and scary." He also said that he did not find the multiplayer very interesting.
Thierry Nguyen from 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
compared Dead Space 2 and its predecessor to "Ridley Scott's Alien
Alien (film)
Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
and James Cameron's Aliens
Aliens (film)
Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, William Hope, and Bill Paxton...
". In his review, he says, "The first installments in both series focus on civilians panicking their way through a dark spaceship while avoiding an extraterrestrial lurking horror; both follow-ups retain their predecessor's basic aesthetic while deliberately shifting from creeping tension into outright sci-fi action. Aliens introduced space marines, the power loader exosuit, and the Alien Queen; Dead Space 2 gives us scenes of Isaac flying around in zero-g, mowing down Necromorphs with an assault rifle while wearing 'space marine' armor, and confidently throwing explosives with his telekinetic powers."
Fangoria
Fangoria
Fangoria is an American magazine devoted to horror and exploitation films, which has a number of associated brands:* Fangoria Comics* Fangoria Films* Fangoria RadioFangoria may also refer to:* Fangoria , a Spanish electro pop band...
's Doug Norris gave the game 4/4 skulls, praising both the gore and psychological horror. He stated that the intro is "one of the most hellacious first fifteen minutes of a game ever to appear on consoles."
Destructoid
Destructoid
Destructoid is an independent video game-focused blog based in San Francisco, California that was founded in March 2006. It has since grown into one of the most widely read video game sites on the Internet, reaching more than 3 million unique visitors per month...
's Jim Sterling liked Clarke's change from a silent protagonist to a speaking role, and praised the overall quality of the single player part of the game. However, he felt that there were too many tight corridors in the Sprawl, which made it look like the spaceship of the previous game. He also thought that the multiplayer was "rather unsatisfying and delivers nothing of the pacing and tension that the main game brings."
Hardcore Gamers Adam Beck gave Dead Space 2 a 4.5/5, praising the cinematic single-player campaign but criticizing its horror aspect by claiming "there are just too many expected encounters when you enter a room and it never allows you to let your guard down". He goes on to say "Dead Space 2 is one of the most disturbing, grotesque and unsightly games I've ever played... but it's so damn good."
EA reported that Dead Space 2 sold nearly 2 million units in the first week of its release.