The original Dead Space was my favorite game of 2008, so it should come as no surprise that when the time came to choose who was going to witness the sequel’s demo at the EA booth, my hand was raised higher than anyone’s on the team. I was expecting to see bigger necromorphs, bigger environments, more intense firefights, and new weapons. Any combination would make me happy.
And boy, was I happy after that demo.
The special demo room at EA’s booth at E3 was designed to look like the interior of a church. A church of Unitology, to be more precise. Pews were arranged, an altar (LCD screen) was adorned, stained glass windows were glowing, and black & white comic books detailing the values of Unitology were placed throughout. It was a nice touch, and certainly better than the sweltering rooms of other publishers.
Ian Milhem, Art Director for Dead Space 2, led the presentation of the demo.
Isaac Clarke returns in Dead Space 2, now set in the futuristic space-city of the Sprawl. The visuals of the first Dead Space are still some of the best to be found on modern consoles, so it wasn’t a surprise or a letdown to see that those of the sequel aren’t groundbreakingly better. The details and textures have improved, though, as has the incredible lighting. In one scene, Isaac battled a necromorph at close range with the building’s interior lights seemingly bouncing around the glistening wet folds and ripples in the beast’s skin. Still gorgeous and moody. The necromorph grabs Isaac in a fairly lengthy QTE and but fends it off by pressing “X” at the right time.
Isaac’s updated suit was also impressive, as it appeared more lightweight and versatile for movement. The same iconic HUD was found floating in front of Clarke, which was welcomed. The mainstay weapons and tools return, but now have received some enhancements. Included with the plasma cutter, for instance, was a built-in flashlight. In zero-G sections of the game Isaac will have a jetpack for full 360-degree movement.
The initial sections of the demo had Isaac running through the hallways of a darkened city building, overrun with necromorphs. Flickering lights, creaking floorboards, and monster closets galore — all of this seemed eerily similar to the original game. In fact, these could have been areas pulled straight from the Ishimura and I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. It wasn’t until Isaac cleared the hallways and entered into a sedated glass room that city unfolded in front of him. The Sprawl appeared massive, highlighted by a setting sun in the background… It reminded me of the first time seeing a panoramic shot of Bioshock‘s Rapture in its decay. I could almost hear the screams of terror from the streets below.
The city signifies a crucial focus for the game: more than just action, Dead Space 2 builds on the story development in Extraction. Isaac, having returned to civilization after a narrow escape from the dying Ishimura, is now “the boss”. Having lived through the harrowing experience, he is considered to have some level of recognition within the community as a hero. This is best shown in the two biggest character changes: we can now see Isaac’s face, and for the first time we hear his voice. It was explained to us that if he is to be a leader, he certainly can’t be the silent type. This shift towards making Clarke more “human” should create for some interesting character-building in the game.
While Dead Space was a fantastic experience, its story was told by the peripheral characters. This time around, Clarke will be more integral to the plot. Dead Space surely now has a “mythos” around it, and Visceral looks to have created a solid follow-up towards solidifying that legacy. Dead Space 2 releases on January 25th, 2011.
[Images and video courtesy Visceral/EA]
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