14 DAY TRIAL // What we know The survival horror genre is set to receive a brand new installment of one of its newest franchises, Dead Space 2, which will try to terrify players next week. The game continues the story of the original's protagonist, Isaac Clarke, who managed to survive the traumatic events on board the Ishimura and is now on the Sprawl space station.
As he is trying to cope with the trauma, the station is invaded by the same evil alien necromorphs, now complete with new species that will make battling them that much harder.
The story of Dead Space 2 wants to further expand on Clarke's character, this time showing his face and even giving him a voice, to reflect the humanity of the tough space engineer against the monstrosity of the aliens.
More background info is going to be revealed about the game's fictional religion, the church of unitology, and how it is connected to the invasion of the necromorphs on the station.
Dead Space 2 will also have a dedicated multiplayer mode, where teams of space marines and necromorphs are going to duke it, out head to head, in battles of supremacy, as well as try to keep players entertained after they finish the single-player portion.
Why it matters The survival horror genre has been severely lacking in terms of triple-A games, so Dead Space 2 is just what the doctor ordered to keep it relevant in the following years.
Isaac Clarke will be detailed and humanized, no longer just a guy in a space suit battling legions of aliens, so it's interesting to see just where the development team at Visceral Games will take his character.
While it could have just fitted a bare bone story on the original, Visceral tried to create an intriguing conflict, so fans of the original will certainly be interested in finding out just how the necromorphs arrived on the Sprawl.
Last but not least, Dead Space 2 matters because of its multiplayer, a mode that might seem a bit tacked on at first, but, could end up being a valid addition to the game.
Many gamers are looking for new multiplayer experiences, and the promise of playing as the necromorphs is definitely enticing, so it's worth at least a quick look.
Dead Space 2 will arrive on January 25, 2011, published by Electronic Arts for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.