It’s time for another Retro Ad Replay article, this time focusing on Dead Space 2 as it’s been 11 years since its release date! This is the series where we head backward in time to reminisce and celebrate the anniversary of some of the most significant moments in gaming. If you find yourself wanting more content like this, be sure to visit Mandatory.com.
In this January 25 edition of Retro Ad Replay, we’re heading back two years in time to when Dead Space 2 first launched on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. That’s January 25, 2011. Dead Space 2 put players back in the shoes of Isaac Clarke as he’s once again tasked with blasting the arms and legs off alien baddies. Oh, the sequel let a buddy join in the fun through co-op!
GameRevolution awarded Dead Space 2 an 8/10 in our review, praising the “incredible first few chapters, “top-notch art and sound design,” and “sold shooting mechanics.”
Like a fleshy version of ASTEROIDS, DEAD SPACE tasked you with blasting space zombies apart into smaller pieces until they could be stomped underfoot and milked for ammo and health pickups. Rather than emphasize headshots, DEAD SPACE encouraged you to aim for limbs and joints. DEAD SPACE 2 doesn’t fiddle with that core design, but it dresses it up in a much longer game with much more colorful and varied environments and an all-new multiplayer mode.
Not content with the original’s mix of Alien-meets-Resident-Evil, DEAD SPACE 2 adds a whole freezer-full of old meat to the pile. Sequences and plot twists are borrowed from GEARS OF WAR, BIOSHOCK, HALF-LIFE 2, MANHUNT 2, DOOM 3, and more movies and games than I can possibly name in this review. But this isn’t a bad thing. As I said, the gaming industry thrives on breathing new life into old ideas, and DEAD SPACE 2 does its level best to make it all seem fresh and vital.
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Missteps aside, DEAD SPACE 2 has some of the most beautiful art and sound design ever in a game, and for that reason alone it deserves your attention. Sure, the actual shooting doesn’t step out from under its predecessor’s shadow, but fans of the series and of the sci-fi and horror genres will find plenty to keep their interest. It’s only disappointing because it opens so strongly, and even at its most derivative, DEAD SPACE 2 still stands well above most other shooters in its mechanics and setting.
Like Frankenstein’s monster, DEAD SPACE 2 is an assemblage of preexisting parts brought to exciting new life. And like seeing the living dead, it’s impressive for a little while… then they start clawing for your brain.
Check out the Dead Space 2 launch trailer below:
