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Dead Space 2 Collector's Edition by Electronic Arts
Product SummaryBrand: Electronic Arts Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); English (Original Language); English (Manual) Published: 2010-12-31 Release Date: 2011-01-25 Platform: PlayStation 3 Model: 16945 Publisher: Electronic Arts Product features: - For the first time, experience the horror of a Necromorph outbreak in multiplayer as you fight in skirmishes around the Sprawl and strategically dismember your friends
- Collector's Edition includes PlayStation Move compatible game, replica plasma cutter, soundtrack, concept art and in-game items
- Continue the frightening Dead Space saga in a whole new survival-horror adventure with engineer Isaac Clarke
- Impale Necromorphs into the walls with the Javelin, use improved telekinesis to turn limbs into deadly weapons, plant powerful dismembering trip mines, or create a hull-breach to suck a group of monsters out into space
- Fire up Isaac's suit boosters to rocket around in zero gravity exploring the depths of the Sprawl and encounter new weightless combat and physics-based puzzles with full 360 degree movement
Video Game Reviews of Dead Space 2 Collector's EditionCustomer Review: "How I wonder what you are..." Summary: 5 Stars
Necromorph-blasting fans rejoice!
Dead Space 2, the continuation of Dead Space, is upon us and has certainly upped the ante of the survival-horror genre.
If you haven't purchased the original Dead Space, stop reading and play the first game. You'll appreciate this game a LOT better and this review may spoil the first game a tad for you. I'm writing this review from the point of view of someone who HAS played the first game.
Story (potential, yet minor spoilers - skip ahead if you wish to the next section)
First off, Isaac has extremely vague recollections at the beginning of the game of a "therapy" session with a psychiatrist who certainly sounds more like he's interrogating Isaac about the Marker from the first game.
Shortly thereafter, Isaac Clarke is revived in the midst of an unknown location with Necromorphs roaming about causing chaos. The game starts off with a bang and doesn't let up soon! Not only does Isaac Clarke have to contend with Necromorphs, he stumbles across security/military personnel who also do their utmost to specifically eliminate him as well under the orders of a man named Tiedemann (sp?).
Isaac Clarke is then contacted by a mysterious woman who informs him that he is located on a city-like outpost on Titan and claims that she will help him with his situation as well as his increasing dementia which results in hallucinations, including his long dead girlfriend, Nicole.
That pretty much sums up the premise of Chapter 1 (there are a total of 15) and I won't spoil it beyond that. Suffice it to say, however, that Isaac has a speaking role this time and you get to see a lot more of him then the first game. It's quite a different take from our mute protagonist in the first game, but it's a quite welcome change and the story is immediately engaging and ratchets up further from there.
Gameplay
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Superb! Dead Space controls have returned. However, there are several improvements:
- The circle button actually acts as a shortcut for healing. No more struggling to heal yourself in the middle of a battle by frantically searching your RIG.
- There is a new hacking routine built in to the game, which requires Isaac to hack into consoles/systems in order to gain access to areas/items. It's a rudimentary system of navigating your analog stick and hitting the "x" button at the appropriate times, but the animation showing Isaac trying various things to hotwire a console as you're doing it is quite cool and gives you something quite new to do.
- New weapons! In addition to the Javelin gun which can impale and, in turn, electrify your enemies with its secondary fire mode, there is also the Rivet gun which you could get if you pre-ordered with GameStop OR if you download one of the several available equipment packs that are available online for $[...]/per pack.
Graphics/Sound
Dead Space was originally so effective because it utilized a color palette and lighting along with a sound ambience that constantly had you jumping at shadows, the clattering of a pipe, the skittering of "something" moving through the vents, etc. Every corner and vent fan was a potential threat and the occasional outburst of sound, including the detonation of metal-clad windows in a long hallway, was enough to scare you out of your wits. The original game took place on the USG Ishimura and even the environment of a wide open bridge was as frightening as a dimly lit hallway.
Dead Space 2 wisely ratchets up the scares. This game takes place on the "Sprawl", a city-like environment located on the Titan moon. There, the seemingly mundane environments of a hospital (ok, granted, it was used in the 1st game, but this hospital is for civilians - seems a lot different with "Get Well" balloons!), a laundromat, an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, etc. become horrifying places to traverse. Early on in the game as citizens are told to evacuate, you sense the chaos going on around you and it seems more action packed at first, but then the scares become ever so much worse as you become more and more isolated.
Dead Space's graphics and sounds were good. The graphics and sound are even better in Dead Space 2. Isaac moves a lot more smoothly and seemingly with more purpose and action. Details are incredible and Visceral Games has really done an awesome job of creating a realistic environment where civilians would live, including the aforementioned "Get Well" balloons in the hospital reception area. Not to go into many details, but the Elementary School is by far my favorite and yet devastating to see considering that I, myself, am a father and could not even imagine children being subjected to that hell. Visceral does not hold the punches, however, since hell this is! One minor detraction is that shadows, when viewed close up, are still quite rough, but that's typically the sacrifice you see to have everything else look as good as it does (especially the fire effects...in a word, WOW!).
I will tell you this much. If you have an extremely decent sound/HDTV setup, Dead Space 2 will make full use of what you have available. Bass is quite deep and will punch hard to frighten you quite well. Surround is fully engaging and will have you jumping around to the source of a sound.
Graves' soundtrack is also quite good and complements the scares quite well. It wouldn't be the same without a fully orchestrated soundtrack, but it's so easy to forget this because it's woven so well into the game.
Multiplayer
Ok, this is a "meh" moment for me. Don't get me wrong; it's fun playing a Necromorph or a security guard and running around utilizing your own unique sets of abilities. That said, however, it's not Dead Space for me.
It's fun, but it does not evoke the same kind of fear as the main game because it boils down to a bunch of people on each team. If you're looking for the same kind of visceral fear in the single player campaign, don't look here. If you want to see what it's like to try to dismember someone as a Necromorph, however, welcome to the party!
Dead Space Extraction
I was on the fence for a long time about whether or not I should get the Wii Dead Space Extraction game. Now, I no longer have to worry. Both limited edition and Collector's edition game packages include it for free. Oh, and it supports the Move controller, so it should be quite similar to the Wii experience!
Collector's Goodies
Now for the fun part! I've seen some negative reviews complaining about what they got for an extra $[...]. I, however, don't quite see what the fuss is about. I'm extremely happy with it! Here are the details:
1. PLASMA CUTTER. Ok, there are pros and cons. Pros: it's pretty cool and the LEDs are EXTREMELY bright. It's small and made of plastic, but I didn't expect much being packaged in a container that accommodated the Dead Space game container. It was extremely well packaged and survived a UPS trip quite well. Cons: ok, it has the "Made in China" quite obsequiously stamped on the bottom of the gun handle. Couldn't we have just lived with the small plastic lettering somewhere? The fact that EA didn't include 2 cheap AAA batteries didn't exactly help either. The cover of the gun handle, however, is quite easily removed with a small Philips. Overall, I think it's quite cool despite the cons. I think that some people must have been expecting a full-sized replica, but the product photos showed the game case and cutter in the same shot; the scale was fairly advertised. With the quality of the LEDs and the cool collector factor, it's easily worth $[...].
2. SOUNDTRACK. The 18-track soundtrack is included here and was quite as enjoyable as the first Dead Space game's soundtrack. This fully orchestrated soundtrack is quite cool and also has additional CD-ROM content. I'd say it's easily worth $[...].
3. DOWNLOADS. The Collector's Edition includes the Unitology Suit and a Force Gun via a redeemable code included in package. For 2 items, I would say it's worth about $[...]-$[...].
4. LITHOGRAPH. It's nothing stunning, but it is a postcard sized piece illustrating some Necromorph artwork.
With everything included, an additional $[...] for this edition of the game is a pretty fair price and includes a pretty cool box shell as well. Considering how many $[...] - $[...] overpriced collector's offerings there are out there, I was surprised that EA only asked $[...] for this one. Overall, I give it a 4.5/5 for the Collector's swag.
Dead Space 2, by Visceral Games, has been one of my most anticipated titles to date. The trailers have certainly hyped it quite a bit and, to be perfectly honest, the game has EXCEEDED my expectations - a first for me.
This is a must-have if you own the first game. You will not be disappoined.
Description of Dead Space 2 Collector's EditionEngineer Isaac Clarke returns for another blood-curdling adventure in Dead Space 2, the sequel to the critically acclaimed horror adventure. After waking from a coma on a massive space city known as "The Sprawl," the lone survivor of a horrific alien infestation finds himself confronting a catastrophic new nightmare. Battling dementia, hunted by the government and haunted by visions of his dead girlfriend, Isaac will do whatever it takes to save himself and rid the city of the gruesome, relentless Necromorphs. Equipped with a new arsenal of tools to dismember the Necromorphs, Isaac will face the challenge head-on. Dead Space 2 is a third-person horror survival game in which players must battle an alien infestation straight out of a nightmare. Follow-up game to 2008's original Dead Space, in this new release players explore a whole new terrifying game environment and battle the Necromorph abominations utilizing new weapons and tools such as the powerful javelin gun and a new space suit with built-in booster rockets. Additional game features include: improved telekinesis powers and online multiplayer functionality. This special collector's edition for PlayStation 3 contains additional exclusive features (complete list below), as well as PlayStation Move compatibility. (PlayStation Move components sold separately) Story Engineer Isaac Clarke returns for another bloodcurdling adventure in the sequel to the critically acclaimed Dead Space. After waking from a coma on a massive space city known as "The Sprawl," the lone survivor of a horrific alien infestation finds himself confronting a catastrophic new nightmare. Battling dementia, hunted by the government, and haunted by visions of his dead girlfriend, Isaac will do whatever it takes to save himself and dominate the gruesome onslaught. With an arsenal of tools to dismember Necromorphs and new determination, an engineer will bring the terror to space. The return of engineer Isaac Clarke in a whole new survival-horror adventure. View larger. Gameplay As with the original Dead Space game Dead Space 2 is a survival horror game played from the third-person perspective. Playing as Engineer Isaac Clarke players navigate a new environment, the space city, known as "The Sprawl." Here you must avoid or eliminate enemies including various Necromorph, horrific corpselike creatures reanimated by an alien enemy, as well as solve physics based puzzles. Game features include: improved telekinesis powers, multiplayer support and new weapons and tools, including the javelin gun which can pin an enemy to the wall and a new space suit that contains built-in booster rockets providing for maximum movement in zero-gravity. Game Features - Chaos Hits "The Sprawl":
- Caught in the middle of a horrific infestation that?s decimating a massive space city, Isaac Clarke will dismember, impale, and stomp his way across "The Sprawl"
- Blast through the Church of Unitology, jet across the Solar Array, and infiltrate the CEC facility on the path to survival
- Master the Terror:
- Familiar as well as all-new grotesque creatures lurk around every corner
- Wield a set of devastating tools to bring the terror to space. Impale Necromorphs into the walls with the Javelin, use improved telekinesis to turn limbs into deadly weapons, plant powerful dismembering trip mines, or create a hull-breach to suck a group of monsters out into space
- Tear Through Space In Zero G:
- Fire up Isaac's suit boosters to rocket around in zero gravity like never before. Explore the depths of the Sprawl and encounter new weightless combat and physics-based puzzles with full 360° movement
- Online Multiplayer
- For the first time, experience the horror of a Necromorph outbreak with others as you battle online in skirmishes around the Sprawl and strategically dismember your friends
- PlayStation 3 version of Dead Space 2 Collector's Edition features PlayStation Move compatibility (PlayStation Move components sold separately)
Collector's Edition Includes: View larger. | - Dead Space 2 game for PlayStation 3 (PlayStation Move compatible).
- Isaac Clark's collectible replica Plasma Cutter. Plasma Cutter is modeled from the new design in Dead Space 2 and features trigger activated LED lights.
- The Dead Space 2 Original Soundtrack. Soundtrack features an hour of music compiled from the score of Dead Space 2 and a scoring of the Dead Space 2 featurette.
- Rare lithograph depicting Necromorph transformation concept art by Visceral Games artist Brett Marting.
- Isaac Unitology Suit and accompanying Force Gun in-game items. Each offer unique advantages to the player when used in Dead Space 2.
| Additional Screenshots Terrifying Necromorphs. View larger. | New suit abilities & weapons. View larger. | Online multiplayer support. View larger. | New space based environment. View larger. |
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