Dead Space 2

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1472 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,217 out of 1472
  2. Mixed: 205 out of 1472
  3. Negative: 50 out of 1472
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  1. dumle
    Mar 22, 2013
    7
    Dead space 2 is a really competent game. The action feels great and there the combat feels good. The enemies are varied enough and there is enough weapons so that you wont get bored. The Sci-fi setting feels great and i really liked the environments not to mention the space sections that i really enjoyed. The story and the character interactions are good enough even though i personallyDead space 2 is a really competent game. The action feels great and there the combat feels good. The enemies are varied enough and there is enough weapons so that you wont get bored. The Sci-fi setting feels great and i really liked the environments not to mention the space sections that i really enjoyed. The story and the character interactions are good enough even though i personally wasn't a big fan of the story. Overall the game feels like a nicely put together shooter without any really serious flaws. The quicktime events are awful though. And i found myself getting a little bit bored of the combat in the later parts of the game since it gets a bit repetitive. I should also mention that i rarely got frightened in the game despite being a bit of a coward so don't go into this game expecting anything like scary. This game is simply put a really well put together third person shooter that hold a high standard all the way through but never really blows you away. The games length should be a bit under 10 hours depending of what difficulty you chose.… Expand
  2. JimCorbett
    Sep 8, 2012
    7
    Much better port than to original game. The options are still a bit limited and the camera still feels a little odd, but the overall controls are improved and the UI is improved as well. Zero gravity segments are drastically better than in the original game but the came during these segments is a headache to control. The story isn't as good but it's full of twists and turns to keep youMuch better port than to original game. The options are still a bit limited and the camera still feels a little odd, but the overall controls are improved and the UI is improved as well. Zero gravity segments are drastically better than in the original game but the came during these segments is a headache to control. The story isn't as good but it's full of twists and turns to keep you interested. I definitely wouldn't consider this game scary at all, it's more of an action-thriller. If you liked the first game, you will surely like this one more.… Expand
  3. Sephet
    Apr 12, 2017
    7
    A worthy sequence to the original game, unlike Dead Space 3. The PC port is a bit flawed though, had a lot of trouble during the parts where you need to repeatedly smash a button.
  4. HerrDoktor
    Jan 28, 2011
    7
    Dead Space was pussified. As the developers stated in an interview, the first game was deemed "too scary" for mainstream audience, and they considered that the reason behind the mediocre sales of the masterpiece that is Dead Space 1. In other words, Dead Space 1 was too good to be successful.

    Now, what made me love DS1 was exactly that, as a seasoned horror fan, it's very hard to find    Dead Space was pussified. As the developers stated in an interview, the first game was deemed "too scary" for mainstream audience, and they considered that the reason behind the mediocre sales of the masterpiece that is Dead Space 1. In other words, Dead Space 1 was too good to be successful.

    Now, what made me love DS1 was exactly that, as a seasoned horror fan, it's very hard to find something to gave me real shivers, be it in movies or games. And DS1 delivered, as no movie or game in recent memory could do - maybe with the exception of Silent Hill 2.

    Yes, there were recycled levels, and yes, they ripped off lots of stuff from other games. But, as Picasso reportedly said, the mediocre artist copies, the great artist steals. Critics called DS1 "unoriginal", but that's missing the point completely. It was worthy not because the script, storytelling or game mechanics (despite dismemberment being original). It was worthy for achieving a overwhelmingly macabre feel that no one on cinema, lest gaming industry, today manage to achieve. Dead Space 2 is just not scary. I played it on the level above normal, got killed a lot of times. Still, I couldn't feel that impressing sensation of imminent danger that made DS1 into the game I loved. Some critics talked about the jump from Alien to Aliens, Ridley Scott to David Big Cheese Cameron. So, it's like having your favorite cult movie being re-shot in a generic commercial way by a Hollywood studio - or, more specifically, a Hollywood studio accidentally releasing a masterpiece and "correcting" it later.

    Now, DS2 has its merits as a game. Combat is still very satisfying, the script is a lot less generic, with Isaac turning into a person with his own will, not a generic vessel of suffering. It deserves the 7 I'm giving for those merits, and for that I'm excluding my comparison with DS1. Fortunately, it's not easier than DS1, maybe harder. On the down side, it's too linear - I really don't see the point of critics in hailing that as an advantage. Worse still, one of the new monsters, the stalker, caught my attention as a symptom of dumbification - it's supposed to hide at corners to suprise-attack you, but it actually sticks its head from the corners so you can peek it every time before it predictably charging head-on for you to cut his legs. The stalker actually playing peek-a-boo with you - I suppose that's adequate for the public they had in mind.

    Maybe it's not the developers' fault or executive meddling, maybe they set the bar too high, or it's just impossible for one to get the same scare twice - see Silent Hill after 2. Still, I'd wait for the price go down a little before acquiring it, not expecting it to be Dead Space, but just a competent monster shooter, a little soulless, but funny still.    … Expand
  5. Deadatthescene
    Feb 2, 2011
    6
    More of the same. Don't get me wrong, it's a great game but I don't see any huge improvement upon this game from DS1. I loved DS1 and thought it was scary as sh*t. But with DS2, I wasn't hooked. There are a couple of noticeable glitches (getting stuck on things and having to restart). There aren't any "omg awesome" guns that were introduced (and useful). There weren't many "omg crazy!"More of the same. Don't get me wrong, it's a great game but I don't see any huge improvement upon this game from DS1. I loved DS1 and thought it was scary as sh*t. But with DS2, I wasn't hooked. There are a couple of noticeable glitches (getting stuck on things and having to restart). There aren't any "omg awesome" guns that were introduced (and useful). There weren't many "omg crazy!" creatures that were introduced. And on a decent computer (I just recently upgraded), the game looks no better than an Xbox port.

    The multiplayer seems cool for a day then I realized there is no depth and it has no replayability. There is only one game type with very minimal maps, there are too many bottleneck points which make for unbalanced gameplay, and you get more points for kills, not completing objectives which makes for extremely slow leveling up if you're focusing on securing objectives.

    Overall, the game is okay, I enjoyed playing it, but if there was a DS3 for next year, I'd skip it or rent it. The way I feel about this game is comparable to Bioshock 2. Feels more like a forced sequel, more of the same, whoop dee doo I was already here before. I got tired of the "No way, the door is locked, you'll have to open it somewhere else" and "the lights went out, watch out for the..." Seriously, you can only pull off something like this once before it gets boring.    … Expand
  6. llamayarmybar
    Oct 21, 2016
    7
    Its funny how a sequel can really change your mind about a first installment. In this case for instance, it can remind you of how much more compelling a relatively sleeper hit like the first Dead Space actually was. It featured a unique, though not particularly original, eerie spaceship to explore, an excellent lighting engine and some pretty good monster designs, as well as a whole hostIts funny how a sequel can really change your mind about a first installment. In this case for instance, it can remind you of how much more compelling a relatively sleeper hit like the first Dead Space actually was. It featured a unique, though not particularly original, eerie spaceship to explore, an excellent lighting engine and some pretty good monster designs, as well as a whole host of "mining" tools you could use to defend yourself from the ghastly things on board the Ishimura. A lot of it seemed practical, barring the "kinesis" and "stasis" modules. A lot of the weaponry seemed practical for a ship in space harvesting whole planets for rare metals and materials. However, the chief focus of the original was what exactly? It wasn't really scary, it wasn't really well written, featuring some pretty poor dialogue from all parties involved throughout the story line it would seem and aside from borrowed mechanics from other similar games, Dead Space didn't have a whole lot it could call its own. It did have three things though, a story that didn't usually get in the way of very solid, satisfying gameplay, and a very good atmosphere accompanied by probably some of the best sound design in a science fiction horror game. I really enjoyed the first game for primarily these reasons, but this is where the sequel slips up. First off, the story is repugnant, its not interesting, its not fleshed out, I have no reason to care about Isaac anymore now than I did before, the characters are dull, the level design is much worse than the first games, and the sound design just doesn't have the charm of its predecessor. Their is so much wrong with playing through the first twenty minutes of the game that I suddenly remembered why I nearly quit playing on multiple occasions. First off, our protagonist talks now, no explanation for it really. He just talks now and unfortunately, he's had some pretty bad and utterly bizarre dialogue written for him as well. Secondly, Ashley is now a psychotic ghost that can physically manifest itself to give Isaac empty threats, reminders of the "past" events, and to generally annoy him by causing infuriating quick time events and pausing the entire pacing of the game just to tell the player something to remind Isaac how bad he should feel for some reason. I have a hard time understanding why, who, and for what reason this was placed into the game. Seems to me theirs already plenty of conflict with rampaging aliens murdering everything in site, why on earth did the main character need to have this internal conflict with his very dead girlfriend? Oh wait, that's right, because "the marker." The marker is boring guys, it was left vague and unexplained in the first game for a reason. All of sudden all these games are about some totally ambiguous and uninteresting alien artifact that humans have reversed engineered somehow. Who even cares? I can't think of one reason why this had to be in the plot. Could've just been your standard fair, "Everything is screwed up and we have to get out of here," plots, but I guess they've done that one already. Thirdly, love interest. I get it, Isaac has to have some woman involved with him on every nightmarish space engineering adventure he goes on. However, this ones pretty unnecessary and silly. The first game accomplished a sense of isolation that permeated throughout your play through. Sure Hammond and the "traitorous wench" were on board the Ishimura too, but you were always in different parts of the ship. No one in Dead Space 1 meets face to face aside from two or three occasions. This kinda added to the atmosphere. Everyone else was gone, it was literally just the three of you alive on the ship. In Dead Space 2, they attempt to do this with the involvement of someone who is obviously very crazy and a female interest named Ellie. Theirs a fourth character involved, but is essentially only there to cause conflict for Isaac and his group. The real problem is, every time I've played through this game, I can't even really remember a single portion I enjoyed, it all just sort of blends together with really the only highlight being a brief section when you're back on board the Ishimura. The cut scenes are numerous and kill the flow of the game, the Ashley subplot should've been axed by someone in the writing department before they threw it haphazardly into the game and Isaac should never have been given a voice. What little plot their even is, it doesn't feel like you're motivated by much of anything. So much so that after the first hour it starts to feel like a slog from "A-corridor to B corridor." Their was a lot of potential here to make a longer, more atmospheric and more interesting game, but they took too many elements they "thought" people liked from the first one and focused on them and them only. Dead Space 2 remains a solid, but ultimately very disappointing sequel at the end of the day.… Expand
  7. yusep
    Aug 19, 2014
    7
    Positive:

    + Better produced than first one.
    + more oriented to mass audience.

    Negative:
    - more lineal , non-existant backtracking, the game is a tunnel.
    - It gets boring at the end due to to getting into too much action becaming a shooter instead of a horror game.
    - more action , less horror.
  8. Coeco
    Feb 23, 2013
    5
    A sequel that lost sight of it's original goals for better or worse, DS2 tries exploring too much new territory at once and is forced to take short-cuts in the form of jump-scares, bad graphics, and difficulties dumbed down for the masses while having a very short and straightforward story campaign. Buy this on sales only.
  9. agalloch
    Feb 1, 2011
    5
    The game becomes extremely linear half way through. The, admittedly, diverse space station becomes tiring after awhile. The guns are cool for a bit, then lose their touch. The story is very straight forward. Not enough content to keep my interest over the full 10 hours.
  10. wordy_actions
    Jun 14, 2011
    7
    THE GOOD: Expanded enemy variety from the first game, appropriately creepy and atmospheric, wide range of fun ways to kill enemies, more engaging plot than first game. THE BAD: The first few chapters are repetitive, but they do get better. Issac Clarke's personality is too generic. Not enough big boss fights. Could have been longer.
    THE UGLY: A few noticeably bad textures. Not enough to    THE GOOD: Expanded enemy variety from the first game, appropriately creepy and atmospheric, wide range of fun ways to kill enemies, more engaging plot than first game. THE BAD: The first few chapters are repetitive, but they do get better. Issac Clarke's personality is too generic. Not enough big boss fights. Could have been longer.
    THE UGLY: A few noticeably bad textures. Not enough to spoil the game or anything and they're few and far between, but still. I can't wait for the next console gen just so PC ports will start looking better.    … Expand
  11. socokid
    Feb 8, 2011
    5
    Played it for 30 minutes at a friend's house. Fun for a bit, but I will be buying it for $30 months from now. No way in hell am I paying $60 for a 10 hour game. No. Way.
  12. dosse91
    Jan 29, 2011
    7
    oh my **** god! i've never been so enraged since the first time i played contra on the nes. the normal difficulty is WAY too hard, while the casual difficulty is way too **** easy. so what to i do? do i destroy everything in the room every time i get pissed off, or do i just enjoy one of the easiest games on earth?? these people were on dementia when they made those difficulties. i dare tooh my **** god! i've never been so enraged since the first time i played contra on the nes. the normal difficulty is WAY too hard, while the casual difficulty is way too **** easy. so what to i do? do i destroy everything in the room every time i get pissed off, or do i just enjoy one of the easiest games on earth?? these people were on dementia when they made those difficulties. i dare to try the hardest difficulty... do i just start and die at the first frame of the game???
    anyway, apart from my frustration, this is a good game. the graphics are not top-notch for pc standards, but the atmosphere is great. the sound effects are great too, however some sounds are waaay too loud and can really piss you off if you're using headphones like i do. one of the things that make this game so hard for me, is the control. i mean, the first game had god awful control and it was nearly unplayable with keyboard and mouse, but the main problem is that sometimes you have no way to defend yourself, like if you're surrounded by enemies, you're **** they'll kill you almost instantly and it makes you wonder what's the point of the life bar on your back. another thing that i really hate is that when you're hacking something you have no way to defend yourself, and there's nothing you can do except for trying again and again, and eventually after a lot of tries, you might be lucky enough to make it. in general, the levels of this game are 90% trial and error: it's just "oh, there's an enemy, shoot him!, oh damn there's another one, oh **** there are enemies behind me, FUUUUUU, i'm dead... AGAIN!" also, i should mention that i keep getting killed in what i think are cutscenes: what a ****load of **** bull****! why do so many things in this game look like cutscenes? why isn't there some sort of indication that what's going on is or not a cutscene? goddamn it this kind of things just piss me off so much it makes me wanna throw the game out the damn window! this kind of bull**** would have been nice in the 80s when game developers had to make hard games to make them last, but why in the name of god do you have to do thing like this in 2011??? jesus christ! i can finish contra on the nes without dieing too many times, but i keep dieing over and over again in this damn game! that's definitely not what i expected.

    in conclusion: not a bad game, but holy **** is it hard! 7/10    … Expand
  13. nonrelated
    Feb 3, 2011
    6
    meh, i thought it would be much better. The graphics are nice, the gameplay is solid though repetitive, the sound effects are good BUT the story omg...The story is so dull, cheesy and unimaginative, the voice acting is so bad compared to the sound effects. Some lines are so bad and delivered so poorly that i did find find myself laughing while being chopped by them necrommorphes. Themeh, i thought it would be much better. The graphics are nice, the gameplay is solid though repetitive, the sound effects are good BUT the story omg...The story is so dull, cheesy and unimaginative, the voice acting is so bad compared to the sound effects. Some lines are so bad and delivered so poorly that i did find find myself laughing while being chopped by them necrommorphes. The characters are poorly written that i've lost any interest for the story and just kept griding to the finish. Is it scary? Well, maybe you get a few thrills in the opening hour but after that you've learnt all game's tricks and you can anticipate the 'surprises'. 6/10… Expand
  14. Pixxip
    Feb 9, 2011
    7
    no bad.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
  15. StumpBeefknob
    Mar 8, 2011
    7
    I think StevenH basically said everything I wanted to say to a T. So I'm going to keep mine a little shorter.
    I think this game should be called Dead Space 1.2... It was a huge letdown with regards to innovation, creativity, and story-telling. I thoroughly enjoyed the improved gameplay mechanics, and some of the scares, but.. that's about it.
    The rest of the game felt like a familiar    I think StevenH basically said everything I wanted to say to a T. So I'm going to keep mine a little shorter.
    I think this game should be called Dead Space 1.2... It was a huge letdown with regards to innovation, creativity, and story-telling. I thoroughly enjoyed the improved gameplay mechanics, and some of the scares, but.. that's about it.
    The rest of the game felt like a familiar ritual. At first I was fully expecting new twists and innovations, but that expectancy quickly gave way to an ever deepening sense of disappointment. Way too linear, some recycled environments, stupid puzzles, very few visual improvements, and worst of all for a survival horror; it was dreadfully predictable. I still enjoyed the game though, and will most likely purchase the next effort in the franchise, but I'll never again pre-purchase a Dead Space game, or purchase it at their full asking price... I'll simply wait for the Steam sales.    … Expand
  16. Nautilus
    Apr 14, 2011
    7
    The game is good. Solid 9 hours. But it is a Doom 3 clone. Puzzles are very easy to solve, should've been harder. Graphics are not that good. Low resolution textures, not having anisotrophic filtering option and maximum 2xAA kinda sucks. AMD GPU owners should play this game with Morphological AA enabled. There are also several bugs in the game and they're still present even if you installThe game is good. Solid 9 hours. But it is a Doom 3 clone. Puzzles are very easy to solve, should've been harder. Graphics are not that good. Low resolution textures, not having anisotrophic filtering option and maximum 2xAA kinda sucks. AMD GPU owners should play this game with Morphological AA enabled. There are also several bugs in the game and they're still present even if you install the patch. Bugs i've encountered so far are: 1)aiming gets locked sometimes and not letting player to zoom out, 2)corpses or body parts get stuck in between walls and making constant weird noises, 3)there's some kind of graphical glitch with the characters' eyeballs and eyelids which makes them look very weird, as if their eyeballs are coming out.… Expand
  17. mcnultys
    Apr 17, 2011
    7
    ok i won this game in about 6 hours so i would say the story is preety long but this game has some issuses i found serveal glitches in a mission one was were a alien would spawn behind me a kill me this game has a **** ending may have a dead space 3?
  18. Nil
    Apr 21, 2011
    7
    When you make a mute character speak in a sequel it will fail.
    That out of the way, I liked Dead Space 2, it's ok. Of the "BOO! Scared you?" games out there it does deliver a bit of tension and a decent story. Onto the game, I keep loving the claustrophobic experience the camera creates, it is a high point in this franchise. The weapons are quite great, but again a pain to upgrade so    When you make a mute character speak in a sequel it will fail.
    That out of the way, I liked Dead Space 2, it's ok. Of the "BOO! Scared you?" games out there it does deliver a bit of tension and a decent story. Onto the game, I keep loving the claustrophobic experience the camera creates, it is a high point in this franchise. The weapons are quite great, but again a pain to upgrade so basically you have to focus on one or two. And you'll be fine through the whole game. And well, that's. I'd hope it was a bit more memorable, but it'll do.    … Expand
  19. Ghoster
    Sep 28, 2012
    5
    That is game making strange feelings. It seems to be really good game, but somehow didn't fit me well. I really love horror or mystic atmosphere games and also 1st and 3rd person shooters but that game just didn't fit. I tried to play it 3 times and figure what am I missing in game when reading good reviews, but just not fun! Endless walking around killing always the same monsters withThat is game making strange feelings. It seems to be really good game, but somehow didn't fit me well. I really love horror or mystic atmosphere games and also 1st and 3rd person shooters but that game just didn't fit. I tried to play it 3 times and figure what am I missing in game when reading good reviews, but just not fun! Endless walking around killing always the same monsters with silly weapon doesn't seems right. Maybe I should try to play longer. Maybe later it's awesome?! Who would know... ?… Expand
  20. Soullex
    Nov 30, 2022
    7
    İlk oyunda dediklerim bunun içinde geçerli ama burada korku öğeleri daha da azalıyor.
  21. HerHavuzun
    Jan 31, 2011
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is more like a movie (a mix of Event Horizon and Alien). Some scenes are for my taste disturbing and could have left out. But then again why do I still keep playing this game? The pain, the horror? The Marker knows why.… Expand
  22. pandateddybear
    May 20, 2011
    7
    dead space is back but not many things are changed since last DS game.. graphics are tweaked and few more gameplay ideas are added other then that its same thing as first game.. tho more horror/gore based 2x more blood will be spilled before you finished the game.. great rent material but if you can get good deal its worth buying cheap 7/10
  23. FFStudios
    Aug 23, 2012
    7
    Before I start bashing this game, let me get the good points out the way first. Dead Space 2's engine is incredibly well-deigned and the environments have a good amount of attention-to-detail: lights flicker through gaps in the wall and the dark environments do a good job of building atmosphere (when the game lets it). The story is generally good and kept me engaged. The combat isBefore I start bashing this game, let me get the good points out the way first. Dead Space 2's engine is incredibly well-deigned and the environments have a good amount of attention-to-detail: lights flicker through gaps in the wall and the dark environments do a good job of building atmosphere (when the game lets it). The story is generally good and kept me engaged. The combat is satisfying, if a little pretentious and the HUD is very effective at drawing you in and keeping you immersed. Now, the bashing. Despite its pretensions; DS2 is not a proper horror game. I've always said that the best horror games will make players doubt what they can see, and fear what they cannot see. Dead Space 2 has meets neither of those requirements; there is a sub-plot involving hallucinations, but it has little effect on the gameplay and is only really there for cheap scares. The monsters you fight in the game lack any form of subtlety and will display themselves in full illumination; the opening scene especially being a perfect example of this game's lack of subtlety. Another niggling issue is the save points: you save your progress at different "save stations" dotted throughout the levels; not only are they out-of-place but they also ruin the immersion that the game tries so hard to achieve. This game is extremely long (10 hours) in proportion to how many ideas it has and would have benefited with having 5 of those chopped off of to make it less flabby. On top of that, the game isn't even that scary and will often throw buckets of gore and blood in your face in an attempt to scare you. So the biggest problem with DS2 is that it just can't decide what it's trying to be; switching between splattery gory action and morbid sentimentalism and creating jarring tonal shifts. Dead Space 2 is not a bad game: I don't deny that it is still quite fun to play, but it completely misses the point of what horror is about and while non-horror fans will probably be on the edge of their seat, those used to proper atmosphere are in for a bit of a flop. On a side note, I'm glad Visceral fixed that awful mouse movement from DS1. If you want a proper horror game, download "Slender"; if that doesn't scare you, nothing will.… Expand
  24. ns0l
    Mar 10, 2014
    7
    Well, Dead Space 2 is great too. But most of the game is dark, even in the brightest light. And the places aren't impressive. The story is heavily boring. Give me a good reason why I should lose my nerves on this. Is it worth it? The gameplay is good. But something is missing. It doesn't feel so real. The difficulty is extremely sick, even with the easiest mode. I know exactly that EA hasWell, Dead Space 2 is great too. But most of the game is dark, even in the brightest light. And the places aren't impressive. The story is heavily boring. Give me a good reason why I should lose my nerves on this. Is it worth it? The gameplay is good. But something is missing. It doesn't feel so real. The difficulty is extremely sick, even with the easiest mode. I know exactly that EA has made a great effort on this game, and it is a great game. But I think they focused on the one hand that do not matter much as far as the other.… Expand
  25. BeatYourHeadIn
    Jul 14, 2012
    7
    This game is a triumph. However, it is not a game for children or pre-teens; parents you've been warned. It is a seething, brooding, merciless, shameless descent into a rich sci-fi backdrop of dark agendas and disastrous consequences. Imagery ranges from beautiful panoramic vistas of a sprawling outer-solar system pressurized metropolitan habitat, to grotesquely violent and spatteringThis game is a triumph. However, it is not a game for children or pre-teens; parents you've been warned. It is a seething, brooding, merciless, shameless descent into a rich sci-fi backdrop of dark agendas and disastrous consequences. Imagery ranges from beautiful panoramic vistas of a sprawling outer-solar system pressurized metropolitan habitat, to grotesquely violent and spattering deaths of enemies, NPCs, and players alike. It's actually fun to die in this game just to see the gory results. This game does a good job of inventing futuristic ways to kill your character; if you can stomach the gore, the satisfyingly painful, squishy death scenes can help take some of the frustration out of having to replay an encounter. The graphics may not present many groundbreaking advanced render techniques, but they do the job well and help to create deeply immersing environments. Audio production is top notch; ambiance is moody and atmospheric, and monster noises are visceral and unnerving. The musical score is done right, and enhances the tension and thrills. While the audio environment significantly aids the game's ability to create these thrills, I found the visual appearance of the monsters themselves to be not all that scary. Maybe a lifetime of desensitization by exposure to modern horror movies containing disfigured mutants and copious amounts blood-spilling and dismemberment explains my lack of fear, and as a result I am no longer able to be scared by monsters on both the silver screen and the computer screen. Don't get me wrong, the monsters look good, and the dismemberment mechanic employed as the way to dispatch them never gets old (blowing them to pieces sure is fun), but whenever I encountered a new variety of enemy, my "just kill it" mentality over-rid my "cower in fear" reaction in a nano-second. That applies to all enemies except one... end mini-boss whom you can't kill and can only slow by shooting his limbs off and running before his legs regenerate. He is visually intimidating in a spine-tingling kind of way, and and as I watched him rise like the phoenix after I thought I had killed him, he created the first and only true "f*** me! RUN!" moment of the game that I experienced... which was awesome! Also very good is the level design. The environments are, yes, entirely linear, but are varied and interesting while managing to avoid repetitiveness. They range from frantic chases and extreme escapes, to claustrophobic and plodding corridor crawls, to monster-closet arena defenses. All of them fit the thematic elements of the game. They just make sense. Actually, there is nothing that doesn't make sense about this game... except the DRM (3 installs then I have to beg EA for more? That's pathetic customer service). I didn't delve into multiplayer much, but it is there and it is similar to Left 4 Dead's versus mode, which all I can say about it. The game length is just right; not to short, not too long. I finished it in about 15 hours exploring as much as I could and, importantly, I wasn't begging for it to end like I was in other games, such as the new Deus Ex (that game seemed like it would never end). However, like all story-driven singleplayer adventures, the replayability is VERY limited. All in all, it is a very well produced and gripping single player experience, and continues laying the groundwork for a lush sci-fi universe kicked off by the original. Solid 7/10.… Expand
  26. suneater
    Dec 11, 2012
    7
    Better than the original in almost every way. While I enjoyed the isolation of the original, this one still manages a lot of creepiness in a sprawling city environment. I don't think any game will be scarier than Amnesia (at least until Frictional's next game) but this still had some tense moments. The game tends to alternate between beautiful/serene, creepy/disgusting, andBetter than the original in almost every way. While I enjoyed the isolation of the original, this one still manages a lot of creepiness in a sprawling city environment. I don't think any game will be scarier than Amnesia (at least until Frictional's next game) but this still had some tense moments. The game tends to alternate between beautiful/serene, creepy/disgusting, and blast-your-way-through-the-zombie-horde action. If you enjoyed the original you will most likely enjoy this one even more. If you haven't played the original (and you should) they even included a "previously on..." video to explain what happened in DS1.… Expand
  27. tenmuter
    Jun 18, 2013
    7
    7/10: Fantastic game, far above average. But Still has flaws.

    I loved how fluid the combat and movement systems were in this game but the story and scariness of the game were really lacking. I did not find that this game was very scary and after about an hour of playing it, the experience became mind-numbing. The game is startling at its best but in all honesty, the game became    7/10: Fantastic game, far above average. But Still has flaws.

    I loved how fluid the combat and movement systems were in this game but the story and scariness of the game were really lacking. I did not find that this game was very scary and after about an hour of playing it, the experience became mind-numbing. The game is startling at its best but in all honesty, the game became predictable because of music and sound changes in the game.

    I loved this game though and I have amassed 50 something odd hours playing it. Overall this is a great game.    … Expand
  28. gracjanski
    Nov 22, 2015
    6
    story starts interesting, but it is too childish, so the immersion was low for me. Gameplay is very consolelike, the same goes for controlling. I dont care about graphics, it looks ok. After just 1 hour I deinstalled. In my view just a good game, but nothing every gamer must really play.
  29. B1ackGuard
    Jul 14, 2015
    6
    Minimal changes in comparison with the first part. This is exactly the same graphics and game mechanics. Added a few new models of weapons and equipment, several new types of Necromorphs... and it's all... The storyline is not as scary as the first part. Atmosphere of the game is not what it used to be. Necromorphs are larger, more difficult to pass. The primitive design of the spaceMinimal changes in comparison with the first part. This is exactly the same graphics and game mechanics. Added a few new models of weapons and equipment, several new types of Necromorphs... and it's all... The storyline is not as scary as the first part. Atmosphere of the game is not what it used to be. Necromorphs are larger, more difficult to pass. The primitive design of the space station is disappointing. Investigation of the spaceship from the first part was more interesting. Overall playable, but very boring.… Expand
  30. Lonxu
    Aug 10, 2014
    5
    I truly enjoyed the first Dead Space. It was the best 5€ I've ever spend on a game. Surely the sequel that I purchased along it would be improvement...

    The first chapter at the hospital was promising. I liked how dark it was at times and how they've improved the animations and controls of the game. Isac had a voice and we could see his face more often, surely that will mean good things    I truly enjoyed the first Dead Space. It was the best 5€ I've ever spend on a game. Surely the sequel that I purchased along it would be improvement...

    The first chapter at the hospital was promising. I liked how dark it was at times and how they've improved the animations and controls of the game. Isac had a voice and we could see his face more often, surely that will mean good things for the story....

    However. Once I progressed it became clearer to me that this wasn't really the game I hoped it would be.
    this wasn't the ultra scary horror that #1 was. This was just a gory 3rd person shooter...not a real Dead Space game to me. At times it was like spending afternoon at the mall mowing down a lot of zombies, nothing scary, just ammo consuming.

    Also I hoped the story would be even better than in the first one. Nope, the quality of writing was pretty bad. I'm not a huge lore-geek, but damn, I don't understand how they **** up this bad. Also the added sidekick-gurl-with-boobjob wasn't really adding anything to this game.

    There's again some puzzles in the game, I think they were a lot easier than in the first game, but that might be just me. Then there's also the door hacking which I disliked a lot... it was always the exact same thing 20 times, except the very last door has an unkillable enemy harassing you, bad design really.

    I think it's clear that Dead Space 1 was too scary for many people and EA wanted Dead Space 2 to fix that; make Isac more badass and the women more sexy. It's a shame really, but nothing new in the world of AAA-titles...

    Dead Space 2 isn't a horrible game, it's an okay game, some new fans of the series might even think it's amazing game. It just went less scary and more mainstream shooter, some people like it better that way. More importantly it will lead to more sales. Overall the visuals were a lot more varied, but it was never a problem in the first place for me, to me it was just something they did because this time they could.

    As a huge fan of the first game this one is a forgetable monster wave-killing game. Not a scary-scary scifi space shooter thriller. I won't be spending money on the 3rd game as I doubt the series will go back to it's roots    … Expand
  31. Signas501
    Apr 3, 2015
    6
    Dead space 2 takes place 3 years after the first game, Following his nightmarish encounter on the USG Ishimura, former engineer Isaac Clarke arrives on the Sprawl, a civilian space station built on the remains of Saturn's moon, Titan, which was broken into pieces in a planet-cracking operation. Here a new Necromorph outbreak begins. Isaac witnesses the panic that overtakes the station fromDead space 2 takes place 3 years after the first game, Following his nightmarish encounter on the USG Ishimura, former engineer Isaac Clarke arrives on the Sprawl, a civilian space station built on the remains of Saturn's moon, Titan, which was broken into pieces in a planet-cracking operation. Here a new Necromorph outbreak begins. Isaac witnesses the panic that overtakes the station from the start.… Expand
  32. Cz3rw0ny
    Feb 10, 2021
    7
    Still a decent game, it built up upon a good first part. Added some more crafting and shooting, but the core gameplay remained unchanged. The story in the first part was more interesting for me.
  33. res0nancer
    Jul 25, 2023
    7
    Сиквел делая упор на экшн составляющей растерял шарм лично для меня. Говорящий герой и соприкосновение с жителями других планет не похоже на то, что игроки имели в первой части - заброшенный в мертвом космосе корабль, кишащий чудовищами, и шансы выжить практически равны нулю, что отчетливо ощущалось. Вторая часть не обязана сохранять это, но и игроки не обязаны принимать ее также тепло какСиквел делая упор на экшн составляющей растерял шарм лично для меня. Говорящий герой и соприкосновение с жителями других планет не похоже на то, что игроки имели в первой части - заброшенный в мертвом космосе корабль, кишащий чудовищами, и шансы выжить практически равны нулю, что отчетливо ощущалось. Вторая часть не обязана сохранять это, но и игроки не обязаны принимать ее также тепло как и первую, и я не воспринял. Первая часть пришлась мне больше по вкусу, а вторую я практически забыл. Это не делает ее плохой игрой, это делает ее не подходящей мне. Любителям космоса, экшена и чуточку хоррора - стоит попробовать.… Expand
  34. GabriMH19
    Jun 15, 2020
    7
    En comparación con su antecesor mejora y empeora en varias cosas. En esta segunda parte el tema terror pasa a un segundo plano sacrificándose por una peor y mas lineal historia. Pero a su vez mejora tanto gráficamente como en jugabilidad añadiendo nuevas y curiosas mecánicas. Mi nota real seria 7.5 dado que para mi la primera entrega seria un 8.
  35. MohakAoki
    Jul 5, 2021
    7
    Dead space genre is horror. but it's not scary at all. this game is better than 1st one. its more dark, better gameplay. but for storyline, I think 1st game was better. some movement bugs that was in dead space 1, was not in dead space 2. but audio compose bugs wasn't removed at all. at first I didn't like story. but as game progressed, story improved.
  36. WellEvil
    Apr 16, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great game with a huge focus on story, characters, and world-building. I don't remember the last time when the story absorbed me so much. Yes, there are a few bugs here are there, but nothing game-breaking. Usually minor visual glitches.… Expand
  37. DoomDoc_
    Aug 11, 2023
    7
    ----------------------------------
    I am giving this game 7/10.
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Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Best PC Game of 2011
28
#28 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
56
#56 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. Gaming Target
    Mar 24, 2011
    88
    With this sequel, Visceral Games has masterfully expanded on the first Dead Space. They've revved up the series with tougher guns, a bigger setting, and online multiplayer, but kept the spirit and, most importantly, the scares of the original in tact.
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  2. PC Games (Russia)
    Mar 21, 2011
    90
    An absolute blockbuster that makes the superb original look like a B-movie. [Mar 2011, p.87]
  3. PC Format
    Mar 18, 2011
    86
    It's just a huge shame that it's not as terrifying as it should be. [Apr 2011, p.98]
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