The number three most exciting game gave me a lot of trouble, which is part of the reason why it has been delayed for so long. At different points I had Dragon Age 2, Metal Gear Rising, XCOM, and Portal 2 occupy this spot. Those are all games that I think will turn out to be fun and or innovative. But I decided that Dead Space 2 is the best fit, for many reasons.
 |
| Issac Clarke in his new Advanced Suit. Photo property of IGN |
The original Dead Space featured a lot of good game design, which I want to mention. Enemies don't have traditional weak points, they can change the way they move after partial dismemberment. The guns were all derived from mining tools and weren't the traditional pistol, assault rifle, shotgun, rocket launcher, etc. The lack of a HUD was nice, clean and well integrated and the game itself was very atmospheric. There was also a hint of psychological trauma throughout the game which I found to be very helpful in defining an otherwise mute Issac Clarke. If the second game follows in it predecessor's footsteps, then Dead Space 2 should be a solid title.
But like always, there is another side to the coin. Dead Space did have some control issues. Issac just didn't feel very mobile, and having to hold a button to run is always annoying in my opinion. As a player you are never going to want to stroll when you are being attacked, so why force the player to always be holding the run button?
The game also didn't make use of its great atmosphere. There were times when I was literally horrified and frantically struggling for my life, but these moments were few. The game is very surprising with lots of pop-out scares, but that doesn't make a survival horror game scary. Or good.
I guess the trick is to keep the frame of the first game, but add and elaborate on the formula. Visceral Games should take a hard look at the early Silent Hill games to understand how to turn their atmosphere (or lack thereof) into true horror.
Video property of IGN
No comments:
Post a Comment