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The original Dead Space introduced us to engineer Isaac Clarke, an outer-space Gordon Freeman with an even gorier monster problem. Though his journey was long and rough, Isaac was able to battle his way out of the spaceship from hell and into an uncertain future. Dead Space 2 picks up more or less where the player left off; Isaac has no idea where he is or how he got there. He only knows that he’s back in the bowels of hell, on a strange ship, and he needs to run. This is where Dead Space 2 drops us off, and for the next 8-10 hours, never lets us rest.

Get away from me!

The gameplay in Dead Space 2 is, pardon my pun, out of this world. It’s truly unbelievable how easy they’ve made the controls for the player. While there were a few times I was panicking and kept using health packs that I didn’t need to, overall the game flowed beautifully. The same weapon selection is back from the first game, and honestly I’m glad they didn’t tinker around too much. Something about the 3-laser sighted Plasma Cutter makes me feel safe; like I could remove a fair amount of monster limbs before they had a chance to get to me. There are relatively few games that I’ve beaten and wanted to restart again immediately, but despite the challenges of the final boss battle, the minute my screen hit the ‘Game +’ menu I was ready to get back into things on a harder difficulty. Overall, I’d say the actual gameplay of Dead Space 2 was pretty close to perfect. Of course there were areas that presented more of a challenge than others, but getting through them requires the player to simply think about the challenge differently.

I could go on for days about how fun Dead Space 2 is, but I’d much rather go on for days about how much it scared me. If you played the first game and weren’t scared at all, that’s fine; neither was I. Dead Space 2 plays like it was developed by a system of computers that was powered by full-grown adult nightmares. I am not exaggerating when I say that on my first time through, I spent roughly 80% of it with my gun drawn, inching slowly forward. Whether they’re manipulating shadows and light, making noises and movements just off-camera, or hinting you’re about to be attacked, the game keeps the player on the edge of their seat nearly the entire game. I’m no stranger to the survival horror genre, and this game had me making sure I didn’t play it before I went to sleep.

Gross.

The beloved Necromorphs from the first game are back, but this time they really flesh them out and give them some depth. Within the first 5 minutes of gameplay, a guy who is talking to you is attacked and transformed into a monster right in front of your eyes. Some may call showing the process depraved, but I loved that the developers didn’t shy away from confronting the player so graphically. There are even more disgusting parts later in the game that I don’t want to spoil for you (I hope you’re not squeamish about eyeballs), but some of the game’s best moments come from the subtle scares, like when you first witness the exploding babies in the nursery, or when you meet the raptors in the church – an encounter that ranks in my Top Ten Most Stressful Moments in Gaming. The game also added an interesting element of tunnel-crawling this time around, which fits with the environment while at the same time delivering a brand new level of claustrophobia.

I don’t know how many Xbox 360 games have gone this route, but Dead Space 2 is the first game I’ve owned that has spanned two discs. They give you one hell of a lengthy romp through outer space for your money, which I appreciated. Though at times the story itself seemed a bit jerky (“hurry up and meet this person! Okay, cool – now go meet this other person!”), it was a satisfying tie-in to the first installment. Again, I don’t want to give too much away, but the driving motivation for Isaac Clarke in the first game is back again. Well… kind of.

At times, the original Dead Space suffered from a clunky inability to distinguish between something that’s “challenging” and something that’s “unbearable to the point I don’t want to play anymore”.  Fortunately this was fixed with its sequel, and I never found myself faced with an insurmountable obstacle or an area that wouldn’t let me pass until I honed my cat-like reflexes and ability to memorize a level. Dead Space 2 masters the fine line between thrills and challenges, and rewards the player in key moments of desperation. It doesn’t fall for the same tired mechanic of “no ammo = survival horror”, but instead trains a player on how to manipulate what they find into something that will help them stay alive.

Like I explained earlier, Dead Space 2 had me completing the game and then jumping right back in for more like a darn fool, so I feel like it would be redundant of me to emphasize just how critical this game is for your collection. The folks who made it know what they’re doing; they know how to make a game scary but playable, disgusting but manageable, and challenging but worth it. Dead Space 2 is truly scary, truly twisted, and amazingly fun.

Starting today at 4:30pm pacific, fans can interact directly with the Dead Space 2 team! Executive Producer Steve Papoutsis will be hosting the one hour event to show team interviews, new videos and of course talk gameplay.

Those who watch live can ask questions, but may also eligible for prizes!

Make sure to tune in at ustream.tv/deadspace at 4:30pm for all the scary fun! If you attend, make sure to say hi to GamingAngels member, Warren!

Dead Space is coming not only to the iPhone but also the iPad. We don’t have many details, but we have the screenshots attached to this article. Maybe we’ll have more information soon.

In the meantime, check out our forums and leave your opinion on the Dead Space 2 demo.

We don’t know much, but EA has sent us word that Dead Space is coming to the iPhone and iPod touch. From the look of the screens, it looks impressive and like it’s going to be just as scary as the original.

No word on if this is the same story, or price, or release date, but we do have another awesome screenshot to show you.

“With everyone chomping at the bit for Dead Space 2, we hope to wet their appetites with a deeper look into the Dead Space lore,” says Tor editor, Eric Raab.  “Writer B.K. Evenson looks at the milieu that created the Church of Unitology by prying open the discovery of the Black Marker here on Earth and what it unleashes.  It’s a physical and psychological horror tale that both fans of the game and SF/Horror will really enjoy.”

If the book is anything like the games it’s bound to be a great read and probably make you want to keep the lights on. “Dead Space: Martyr” is available in paperback for $14.99 in stores or on Amazon.

Visceral and EA have released a teaser trailer, titled “Dementia,” to bring you up to speed. (It’s embedded below.)

Not only that, but http://www.deadspacegame.com/ has been uploaded with “shiploads” (their pun, not mine for a change) of new content about what’s gone down since the massacre aboard the ship, including a memorial as well as wallpapers and an audio log.

Enjoy the trailer!

“One of the most compelling storytelling aspects of Dead Space has been the Church of Unitology: its origins, power, and role in Dead Space,” says Tor editor, Eric Raab. “Writer B.K. Evenson gets into the terrifying aspects of mob mentality like no other writer today. This isn’t only a great story within the Dead Space universe; it’s a great novel on its own.”

Dead Space: Martyr will be available in July 2010 at booksellers!

See, I wasn’t kidding about the cool part!

Anyway, the panel takes you behind-the-scenes of Dead Space, and features key Dead Space team members like Steve Papoutsis (Executive Producer), Rich Briggs (Producer), and Ian Milham (Art Director). The new Isaac suit will also be making an appearance! The ultimate goal of the panel? Getting you ready for Dead Space 2.

You might be thinking, “That’s not fair! That means only the people in the room will be completely ready!” Ah, we disagree. Visceral Games is streaming the entire panel! Come back here at 1 p.m. Eastern/10 a.m. Pacific to see the complete panel. (Don’t despair if you come here after that – the panel may have been recorded for your pleasure.)

Live TV : Ustream

First and foremost, I’m sure Hell is a sucky place to be. This is why I would’ve liked to see aforementioned game company take a different route; I would’ve preferred something a tad more immersive than a simple “Hack N’ Slash.” I mean, the dude is travelling to the nine circles of Hell and I should probably feel the need to crap myself. Instead, I just feel out-of-time! “NO TIME, THERE’S NEVER ANY TIME!” My key point here is, unfortunately, I’ve never taken ‘Hack N’ Slash” games seriously. A fable dealing with Christian Purgatory is srs biznezz and because of this, I would’ve liked something with an ounce of intelligence and originality just as said story. Some of us may never escape Hell, no matter how big our Scythes are (…that’s what she said), so Dante should just be grateful he knows how to utilize artillery bigger than his guilty arse. Oh, and let us not forget the veiny, fully exposed boobies. The only thing that would make me purchase this game is if I knew certain scenes were to be directly adapted from the work and this is purely for shock value. Just how far can they take an “M” rating?

The gameplay is moderately entertaining due to “action sequences” and combo upgrading, both of which do a fair job in preventing this game from becoming insanely repetitive. The only thing that kept me on my toesies was the dramatic music. It presented to me an uncanny feeling of overwhelming anxiety which consequently made me button mash ten times faster. So, that’s a good thing. According to developers, it’s up to the player to decide on whether or not they use the politically correct “Dark” and “Light” powers to fight against enemies, but this is an action separated by a mere button and probably has no real consequence in the game. All in all, Dante’s Inferno looks like a good time killer. A religious allegory probably isn’t every gamer’s cup of tea, but it’s safe to say the gaming industry is heavily influenced by this subject matter and at least the story is interesting. My only regret was refusing to keep-up with current information regarding this game, but I was under the impression that I’d be pleasantly surprised. Don’t take my word for it, though. If you’re not able to download Dante’s Inferno at the moment or you refuse to wait over three hours for PSN to download a demo, then you can watch me get familiar with the entire thing here. Enjoy!

Dante’s Inferno Full DEMO PS3 from Amanda on Vimeo.

Dead Space

For the last few weeks job postings have all but confirmed that Dead Space 2 is in the works for Visceral Games. Now, EA has officially confirmed that the title is in development for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Dead Space 2 will be developed by Visceral Games and will star Issac Clark.

“Like so many gamers worldwide, we love the Dead Space franchise and are very excited to announce a new game in the series,” EA’s senior VP and group general manager Nick Earl stated.

The game’s executive producer Steve Papoutsis added: “We’re thrilled to jump back into the series, making the next chapter in Isaac’s journey. The infection continues to spread throughout space and our hero Isaac Clarke is the only person able to contain it.

“There are still loads of Necromorphs that need killing. In Dead Space 2, not everything is exactly as it seems. Expect plot twists that will surprise you and a huge cast of twisted, disgusting monsters that are sure to scare the daylights out of you.”