Angela Jan 25, 2011 (edited Jan 26, 2011)
I came in late with the first Dead Space, but I'm glad I muscled through it before the sequel hit today. I even went to the midnight launch last night, knowing full well I wouldn't be able to play the game until the following night. (At the very least, I was able to full install the two-disc game on my 360.) Now, as the mood-setting dusk approaches, I'm finally afforded the opportunity to tear into some Necromorphs. Yes, it's time to get my FREAK on.
I'm three chapters in, and so far the game's making a great first impression. The core gameplay and controls remain about the same, though there were some minor button function swaps that threw me for a loop. (The menu HUD, for example, was moved from the "Y" button to Select, and quick health replenish was switched from "X" to "B".) Isaac himself feels a touch more nimble now. He strafes quicker, and the curb stomp feels much less restrained. Remaining as tactile as ever, you're now allowed to do multiple stomps in rapid succession, at last making it a viable attack maneuver that can get you out of a tight pinch. Other mechanics are handled with more finesse too; the manual reload for weapons feels faster, and I haven't even done a single Node upgrade to any of them yet.
Graphics and atmosphere remain as top notch as ever. Not to give anything away, but the first hour alone made me jump in genuine fright at least three or four times; one of them gave me a particularly awful start. Like the first game, you've GOT to play this on a great sound system. I also have my critical eye turned toward the game's framerate, but I'm happy to report that it's as rock solid as the first. Even with several more Necromorphs attacking you at once, it rarely ever dips.
Still warming up to the fact that Isaac now has a voice. I haven't gotten far enough past the "Where the hell am I?!" phases of his dialogue to render judgment on him as a character just yet, but at least he has the decency to not crack wise in between gameplay sections.
So far, so good. There's the feeling that Visceral Games has taken what was already a very polished product with the first Dead Space, and given it an extra layer of sheen.