14 DAY TRIAL // Dead Space 2 innovates and brings a lot of new features as opposed to its predecessor, with the biggest one being the brand new multiplayer mode.
Visceral Games' Dead Space 2 packs one great single-player campaign, with main hero Isaac Clarke going through a great adventure that charts his coping with the loss of his girlfriend to the claws of the deadly alien necromorphs.
It's a great story that really touches on how real life people might act when faced with such a terrible adversity, but also packs plenty of scares to make it a worthy survival horror game.
The multiplayer mode, however, isn't like that, as the whole immersion into the game's world can easily be broken by other players.
Dead Space 2 is at its best when you're navigating dark, twisty corridors, not knowing from where the necromorphs will strike, but, with a team of space marines at your side, things aren't really that scary or challenging.
Dead Space 2's multiplayer pits marines against necromorphs, in a Left 4 Dead-style Versus system.
The marines are definitely more capable than the aliens, as they get lots of decent weapons and can stay in packs, while the necromorphs rely almost solely on their claws to do any damage, meaning they need to get up close and personal.
Even then, things are pretty much lackluster, as you'll just be swinging your claws, hoping the marine doesn't execute a melee attack to break your combo.
This doesn't mean the multiplayer isn't fun, however, as a decent enough experience is delivered, especially once you start upgrading your characters with new items and traits.
If you end up with some experienced players in a match, that know how to work as a team, then the fun factor is augmented even further.
With the right amount of polish and updates, I think that the multiplayer can become a worthy addition to the Dead Space series.
The publisher of the game, Electronic Arts, has said that the age of single-player only titles is drawing to a close, and that all future titles need to have online modes in order to grasp the attention of regular gamers.
Dead Space 2 is among the first titles from the company to showcase this strategy, but while the multiplayer is more than just tacked on mode, it's going to take time in order to really adapt it to the whole horror experience.