Sunday, July 22, 2012

Dead Space 2: The game which ruined all the shooters for me

So, the last blog I wrote was about how painfully boring and tiring Crysis 2 was. :(. Since then I tried to play some games which are not in the main stream and I have been successful in fishing out some of the best in the market, though they are not as famous as Call of Duty or Halo, I think they really really are putting milestones in terms of Gameplay mechanics. For example Vanquish, a really fast paced shooter. But, this blog is not about Vanquish its about Dead Space.......... Oh Yes !

I just finished the game. I mean just now, and it was so epic, I really feel that I have accomplished something., and I will like to share this. If I have to rate all the games I have ever played this one will easily make it in top 5 games I have ever played and that is because this one does so many things so right. I tried to explain to some of my friends about it and they just dont get it (You all know who you are if you are reading this blog :) ). There is some satisfaction in strategically dismembering your enemies and then stomping on their head until it gets all bloody mess and then pick up on of the dismembered pointy limb and shoot it on the approaching enemy to pin him on the wall.Yes, you guessed it right, this game is scary and scariest in the recent video game industry i will say. You are never safe, never, just when you think you got the situation under control, there is a necromorph jumping on you from the back. 

The sound design, the lighting effects everything just adds to the experience, and dont even get me started on the enemy types. Goodness gracious i had probably one new enemy type on each levels. and you cant just soot them on their head and kill them like the main stream shooters. you need to keep your cool, and dismember their legs and then arms to kill them and you are always short on ammo and health so yay strategy!! So, you are always always running for your life :). 

Did I mention, there is one enemy type which are just a bunch of toddlers. There is some level of fun attached to shooting bunch of babies. and ok dont get me wrong here I am not a cruel person, who likes to shoot babies LOL just in the game :). 

There is another type of necromorph call STALKER. I think they are the scariest. for me because you just hear them scream and you dont see them, they just hide from you in the dark and attack on you when you least expect it. Now thats something hearing your enemies, but not being able to see them. I must admit, I was really scared myself few times.
Stalker Source: Gamernode.com
What about the story? I wont say anything very special about the story. Usual space colony sci-fi stuff, earth's colonization has gone wrong, as we meet other species. Anyone with little interest in Ridley Scott's movies can almost predict the story line. But the best part is even though the story is so mundane there is always a sense of urgency to save yourself and your partner who is talking to you and trying to fix things.

So, what makes the game so amazing, is even though i am used to such gory cut scenes and the bloody mess after playing the game for like 10 hours, there are parts, where i found it rather disturbing and messed up. If a game can do that make you feel Ouch! what did I just do, now that's a keeper. I just couldn't keep my controller down and kept on playing. There are sequences, where one needs to operate on his own eye or the player dies because of mental trauma leading to shooting a javelin in his own face. Now, I dont want to say about this too much as probably I will ruin the game if I say too much about it. 

Other than strategic dismemberment, you upgrade your weapons and suits using power nodes and an upgrade tree thus adding some RPG elements and replay value. 

Also, I will conclude with just saying that this game's ending is probably one of the best and will make one feel like a hero. It is just right paced and just when you think its all gone, something more happens. :)

Can't wait for Dead Space 3 to be released NEXT YEAR :) So, anyone who like survival horror and shooters will probably do themselves a favor by picking this just near perfect game. An epic I must say.
Zero-Gravity Boots
AND did I mention you get Space thrusters in your boots. If doesn't motivates you, God knows what will.. :)