Dead Space 2

[Dante]

 

Dead Space 2 Announced

 

Visceral Games, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) studio announced today that the award-winning Dead Space™ franchise will continue to frighten gamers with its stunning sequel, Dead Space 2. Hero Isaac Clarke returns for another heart-pounding adventure, taking the fight to the Necromorphs in this thrilling action-horror experience. New tools to gruesomely slice and dismember the Necromorphs complement Isaac's signature Plasma Cutter, empowering him as he meets new characters, explores epic Zero-G environments, and fights against a relentless necromorph onslaught. Survival isn't the only thing on Isaac's mind in Dead Space 2 – this time, he calls the shots.

 

“Like so many gamers worldwide, we love the Dead Space franchise and are very excited to announce a new game in the series,” said Nick Earl, Senior VP and Group General Manager at EA. “Visceral Games is quickly becoming known for delivering high-quality, action-packed games. Dead Space 2 is on target to deliver a jaw-dropping experience gamers won’t soon forget.”

 

“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!” said Steve Papoutsis, Executive Producer of Dead Space 2. “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.”

 

Originally launched in 2008, Dead Space quickly became one of EA’s top rated wholly-owned intellectual properties. With close to 100 industry awards and an average critic score of 89*, Dead Space became a hit with horror and videogame fans worldwide. In 2009, EA launched Dead Space Extraction, a prequel to the original Dead Space that expanded the fiction and brought the franchise to a new audience base.

 

Dead Space 2 is being developed for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and on PC. This product has not yet been rated by ESRB or PEGI. Follow us on twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/isaacclarke. Become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/deadspace. For additional information and news, visit http://www.deadspacegame.com.

 

* According to Gamerankings.com and Metacritic.com

 

 

Game Informer Details

 

-New enemies, some will hunt in packs, even more disturbing enemy design

-New weapons plus beefing up some of the underused guns from the first one

-The Sprawl is like a giant organic city instead of the Ishimura

-There's a cat and mouse approach to storyline and gameplay. The Necros are hunting Isaac, but he's also hunting them.

-Isaac's mind is twisted and wrecked and it takes place three years after the Ishimura incident. They will delve into his personality and history. He is looked upon as a saviour of sorts... and he apparently hates fetch quests.

-The government plays a large role

-Zero-G has been enhanced

-Enemy AI has been beefed up

-Suit customization and upgrading is much deeper now

-Possibly more 'epic' moments (bigger bosses?)

-Less predictability and better pacing

-Isaac will be present for the entirety of the infection, from the very beginning. He won't show up after it's happened like the Ishimura

-Enhancing and refining the controls to make Isaac move better, but they stress that it will still remain a horror game.

-Maybe more comics and animated features soon.

-Multiplayer seems to involve strategic dismemberation among your friends.

 

Game Informer goes in-depth on the new game and we're here to give you the full scoop.

 

So I come home from a trip and the first thing I see sitting in my mailbox back at me is Issac with a mining gun. Rad. Now there are a bunch of new screens here including dead babies, beautiful lighting effects, alien ruins, and metropolis cities under attack, but with no scanner I can only give you details. Just trust me on this: This game looks much more beautiful than the last game, and that's saying something.

 

 

Before I continue I'd like to mention that Game Informer is doing a monthly thing on their site, however this info is quite different than the info they have up. Some of it may be old, but plenty of it is new, so this is not just a rehash of info and was personally written up by me.

 

Three years have passed since the events of the original Dead Space. It seems poor Isaac can't get a break. He escaped alive from the Ishimura, but his mind came off twisted and haunted by the monsters he thought he escaped from. His task isn't finished though. The necromorphs thought to be terminated have resurfaced for some unknown reason, but not on some lowly illegal mining ship. The break-out is taking place on a largely populated space station which has no suspecting idea what's going on. The government has some massive scheme once again related to the Marker, and Isaac is the only man who knows how to kill these things, so Isaac is back to take on terror upon the massive space Station, the Sprawl.

 

Now for an interesting bit which I'm not sure fans will like or hate. It seems the makers are aware that people in the first game could only play 30 minutes to an hour always on the edge something was going to happen all the way through. Speaking as a horror fan that was fantastic, but the director talks about pacing. In other words, they clarify they are definitely not going to take any of the horror from the original game, in fact they aim to make it even scarier, but with better pacing. In other words, they want there to be times you feel and are more powerful than the enemies you're facing thanks to some new gun, or a situation you get the leap on your foes. However, they also want situations where it feels you have to do the impossible, cornered, scared, confused and fighting to merely live. They also say they want to put more "epic" moments in the game, and jokingly talk about fighting bosses from the inside, surfing on top of a tram, and fighting a giant Sphincter. These could be real situations or they could be mere jokes, but whatever the case they are planning for some epic moments. However, they also set out to make a scary game, and they want you to know that. They are trying to make monster comings less predictable, but won't say much more than that except they all worked as a team to make many genuine scares in the game, many original scares, and not just something popping out and loud sounds playing. They also want to make missions a lot more intuitive and interesting and not just fetch quests. More puzzles are also going to be implemented, and figuring out what to do.

 

Zero-Gravity is also changed up. Yes you can still run on walls and jump from railing to railing, but if you jump too far Isaac can actually take control of his direction and start drifting through space. By this he can shoot while in the air and direct the direction he's drifting in.In other words, you won't just be jumping from point to point but also drifting around in these segments.

 

They are trying new and diverse environments to keep things interesting in this game. The Sprawl makes the Ishimura look tiny, the Sprawl is an "organic, haphazardly constructed, long-term place that's built around the remaining shards of one of Saturn's moon-The first planet-crack ever. Like any real city it is not all built by one person. Some stuff was built up, and some areas, corporate areas, government areas, and public areas." That Ian Milham guy (the art director of Dead Space) sure knows his stuff. Anyways, we'll be going through shopping malls, schools, churches, and a lot more. They also say since it was a more public place, a place where people lived, there won't be a bunch of hallways and locked doors this time. Not saying there aren't, of course, just also a good change of environment. And Isaac won't just be coming to a dead land, he will be seeing the infection from the very beginning. He's there when the outbreak begins, and he's there when all the panic and terror begins to strike the ship. Apparently they want to go with a strong sense of watching the outbreak get worse and worse and more and more people dying and more and more Necromorphs showing up the further you get into the game.

 

Isaac will also be introduced really for the first time. Though we played as him, his character is left very much into the backseat with very little actually known about him. For those who love anonymous avatars be warned, though for the rest of us be glad. Isaac will be speaking in this title, he will have dialogue, and he will have character. He won't just be a man with no opinions doing everything he is told to do, he does have a mind and will, even if a big part of that is now a bit twisted in the head. He is seasoned in fighting the necromorphs and he is a veteran at fighting them, even put in charge of necromorphs by the people just because he survived the attack, people around him looking for a savior will turn to Isaac just because he lived. Isaac is out to make a difference, but can he stand the pressure put on him along with his continuously twisted mind? Apparently we're going to have to make the call, Isaac's judgment is not in the right light, his mind is still twisted from the first experience he had, and it's only getting worse. As it comes along, the difference between reality and craziness may be harder and harder to differentiate. Also they want to make a bigger sense that Isaac hates doing task for other people as much as you do, especially when it feels like you're the only one doing any work like in the first game. Also they want Isaac's suit upgrades and customization to be much more vast and visually different this time, with much more customizable options and different styles and looks.

 

But now an important part of any horror game, the enemies. They say that the last game feels a lot like a haunted house; The enemies are always in the closet out to get you. In this one they want it to feel a lot more cat and mouse; You're after them, but they're also after you. You both are on the hunt for the other, and a lot more deeper approach. They want the enemies to be a lot smarter this time. We got the basic Necromorphs looking more twisted and bloody than ever, but we also have some new enemies never before seen. One that sticks out are dead naked children with no lips; Their teeth grin as they run around, super long claws on their hands and eyes sealed shut. They pounce on Isaac and try to pierce him with their claws. Another new monster is a skeleton of a man... Literally! His insides come out of his skin and start flopping it's way towards you. Even more yet is a tentacled man who has giant pinchers for hands and his esophagus hanging out like a giant tongue that grabs you and drags you to it so it can cut you to tiny pieces with it's claws. Then there's the Stalker, an enemy that hunts in packs. The Stalkers make a chirping noise, and may quizzically and shyly peak out at you from around the corner. Cute maybe, but it's all just a prowl, as this one distracts you a whole group comes from behind and starts piercing into your body. They are too quick to shoot and chasing them is bad since they will usually lead you to a group of them that will pounce you at once but you've got your own ways, like maybe purposely leading them into a pre-set proximentary mine field set up by yourself? It's up to you to be strategic.

 

Oh and there's a lot of new weapons too. They realized lots of people complained about the Plasma Cutter being too good through the whole experience. The response: Not to nerf the Plasma Cutter but to make the other weapons more awesome and the enemies more powerful. A few shown off are the likes of the Javelin Gun, which shoots enemies and pins them to the wall. Shoot a Necromorph in the chest for instance and if it rockets far enough back to make it into a wall, the Necromorph will be stuck to the wall, pinned down. The environments are also more immerse with a lot more to them, so there will be a lot more to pick up and use with your telekinesis this time. They even are working on making Telekinesis more smooth and helpful for combat, making it quicker, more fluid, and precise. An example is Isaac picking up severed blade and tossing it at a nearby Necromorph.

 

The controls have also been refined to be able to maneuver and control better. The game being more open overall and able to run around more and be in charge of combat lead to finer controls so you can go and make a strategy and try to be the first on the assault, and not always be the hunted. He can move a little faster, and a little more refined, but they say they are definitely still keeping it in the horror-genre way. The Dead Space and Halo series are still worlds apart. They ensure they are not trying to make Isaac a super hero, a guy who jumps, flies around and punches enemies like no ones business. They just want the controls to not be a hinderence, to feel like your failure is your own and not that of the controls. What a nice way to put it.

 

They also aren't saying anything, but they say they really enjoyed the process of making the animated movie and comics and would like to continue it.

 

And multiplayer? He only gives us a tease. "All I can say is it's really fun, and you'll get to strategically dismember your friends." Player versus human-controlled Necromorphs, anyone?

 

Edited December 11, 2009 by Dante

[Retro_Link]

[CoolFunkMan]

I posted all the info in the "Dead Space" thread, and no one paid any attention to it. :'(

 

Ah well, DS2 looks and sounds brilliant though, can't wait to get my hands on it! Is there going to be a trailer or anything at the Spike VGAs?

[Dante]

Only Gears Of War 3, Crackdown 2, POP:TFS.

 

One reveal you won't be seeing, as some have guessed, is the recently announced Dead Space 2. Keighley quickly put his foot down on that one saying "it's not at the show and wasn't planned to be at the show." Don't expect to see anything from Microsoft on Project Natal, or even Sony's motion controller, codenamed "Gem," either.

[Retro_Link]

Camera footage from the Penny Arcade Expo 2010,

 

Train Gameplay...

 

[Deathjam]

Argh can't see this cos I am at work. Is it good? Please tell me it looks good.

[Cube]

Argh can't see this cos I am at work. Is it good? Please tell me it looks good.

 

It looks as good as something played on Windows Media Player then recorded with a low-quality camcorder and uploaded in a lower-qualiy YouTube format can possibly look.

[Solo]

Just from that clip it seems more Resi 5 than Resi 4.

 

Rocket boots??

[D_prOdigy]

Just from that clip it seems more Resi 5 than Resi 4.

 

 

I was thinking a similar thing. I loved Dead Space. But so far, the 'evolution' of Dead Space -> Dead Space 2 seems to be uncannily similar to that of Resi 4 -> Resi 5.

[Deathjam]

These words you type do not fill me with hope

 

EDIT: How did you get that it looked like resi 5 from that vid. Could barely see crap but from what I saw, it's a *little* faster paced if that at all.

[Solo]

Well apparently one of the reasons for making it more action orientated is:

 

We don't want people to be sacrificing their understanding of the story and their enjoyment of the environment because they're always so scared.

 

What a load of bollocks.

[flameboy]

Well apparently one of the reasons for making it more action orientated is:

 

 

 

What a load of bollocks.

 

That really is a load of shit...so obvious they are doing it to make it more commercially viable and to make it appeal to more people. Just like Capcom with Resi

[Dante]

First trailer is online.

[dwarf]

The end bit pretty much reminded be of the Nathan Hale yellow eyes give away at the end of Resistance FoM.

[LegoMan1031]

The end bit pretty much reminded be of the Nathan Hale yellow eyes give away at the end of Resistance FoM.

 

I 2 thought the same thing!

 

Hopefully this does turn out to be good! I did enjoy the first, although reading the comments above from ages ago i wont rather they didnt make it more action based. One reason that i like Dead Space was that it was good old survival horror. A dieing genre of gaming!

[dwarf]

A dieing genre of gaming!

Heh.

tenchar

[Cookyman]

Looking good!

 

[Deathjam]

Looking good!

 

 

CANNOT WAIT TILL THIS COMES OUT. May have the guts to play the first again.

[Dante]

Dead Space Ignition announced for PSN/XBLA

Press Release - Hacking Minigames

 

Hours before engineer Isaac Clarke begins his adventure on “The Sprawl” in Dead SpaceTM 2 a Necromorph outbreak occurs – but how did the events unfold? Players will witness the horror first-hand when Visceral GamesTM, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) studio releases Dead Space Ignition, an all-new downloadable game that takes place on the Sprawl and challenges players to survive the initial Necromorph outbreak. Dead Space Ignition will be available in Fall 2010 on Xbox LIVETM Marketplace and the PlayStation®Network.

 

“Dead Space Ignition is the first of many exciting game extensions we have planned for the launch of Dead Space 2,” said Steve Papoutsis, Executive Producer on Dead Space franchise. “The interactive comic-style game will give Dead Space fans a unique perspective on the events leading up to Dead Space 2, but will also introduce the storyline to a brand-new audience of gamers.”

 

Dead Space Ignition combines an interactive comic-style story with three unique hacking mini games; Hardware Crack, Trace Route and System Override. Each game offers a fun and satisfying arcade experience that will challenge players with puzzles and twitch gameplay. Dead Space Ignition features a unique “Choose Your Own Adventure” type narrative, allowing players to survive the horrific Necromorph outbreak in multiple ways. The game offers four unique endings and upon completion of each one, players will be rewarded with unlocks including an exclusive suit, all of which can be used by Isaac Clarke in Dead Space 2 when the game releases on Jan 25, 2011.

 

Dead Space Ignition is written by Antony Johnston, the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of comics, graphic novels, video games and books including Wasteland, and Daredevil. Antony makes his return to the Dead Space universe after creating the six-book Dead Space comic series in 2008. In Dead Space Ignition, Antony uses his horror story-telling expertise to introduce new characters and craft new plot twists for this intriguing prequel.

 

Dead Space 2 recently won various prestigious awards at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, including ‘Best Action/Adventure Game’ from top media outlets including Game Informer, GameSpot, GameSpy and Machinima.com. Dead Space 2 also won GameSpot’s highly-coveted ‘Best Xbox 360 Game’ award.

 

In Dead Space 2, engineer Isaac Clarke makes his return in a blood-curdling new adventure on an all-new space installation known as “The Sprawl.” The lone survivor of a horrific alien infestation, Isaac finds himself confronting a catastrophic new nightmare. Battling dementia, Isaac will do whatever it takes to save himself and dominate the relentless enemy onslaughts. Equipped with a new arsenal of tools to dismember the necromorphs, Isaac faces the challenge head-on. Players will see Isaac fight bigger, scarier and more epic battles that will keep them on the edge of their seats.

[Daft]

I wonder if this will use Move since it comes with 'Extinction'.

[Cube]

I wonder if this will use Move since it comes with 'Extinction'.

 

Does this "interactive comic" even involve shooting?

[Daft]

Does this "interactive comic" even involve shooting?

 

I mean Dead Space 2, since that's what comes with Extinction.

[Cube]

I mean Dead Space 2, since that's what comes with Extinction.

 

Ah. I thought that Move was why they had half of the Dead Space 2 demo over at Sony's E3 conference.

[Daft]

Nah, EA were in the Sony conference to pimp out all the extras that come with Dead Space 2 and Medal of Modern Warfare.

[Daft]

Six. posts. up.