I'm looking forward to DA2 as the big release this spring.

Penny Arcade's comic for Dead Space 2 made me chuckle.

Dead Space was okay, though the issue is that after a while you get what I refer to as F.E.A.R. syndrome (because of the game I first experienced it playing) in that after a while you become particularly jaded to its ideas of what should be scary.

I think the tipping point in F.E.A.R. was when I walked into another blood-filled elevator and the first thing I noticed was something mundane, like the background music.

Farked?

I thought the Dead Space 2 demo was awful. Pretty, but awful.

Dead Space 2 was awesome. 9 hour or so single player with good replay value since you can keep all your gear.

I wouldn't spend $60 for 2 play throughs, but then again I don't do multi-payer or online.

http://www.giantbomb.com/dead-space-2-video-review/17-3720/

Giantbomb(created by that guy that got fired for the kayne and lynch review) gave it good reviews.

Bioshock = awesome. Bioshock 2 = meh.
Dead Space = awesome. Dead Space 2 = meh

SmackLT: Heard about it but never played it. Penumbra's also on that list.

Penumbra is excellent.

The problem with Dead Space and F.E.A.R. is that you're too much of a badass to really make the game scary. They'll make you jump when things pop out at you, but it's just a second of surprise followed by you killing the monster.

Games like the early Silent Hill games and Amnesia are far better because the things that want to kill you WILL kill you and all you can do is run away or hide. Amnesia did this so well there were parts I was completely on edge when there was nothing at all that could kill me, just because of how they framed it and set it up.

Dead Space was alright as an action adventure game, but pretty weak as a horror game.

I still have to finish DS1! Loved it, but got stuck, or actually went outside.

That said, I picked up Alan Wake, and it may be promising. $25 from a guy on Craigslist that works at a game shop. It's like new.

I will pick up DS2, but probably not until the price comes down or used copies start showing up.

Just no more asteroid shooting. That was the stupidest, most pointless thing ever.

Twigz221: The problem with Dead Space and F.E.A.R. is that you're too much of a badass to really make the game scary. They'll make you jump when things pop out at you, but it's just a second of surprise followed by you killing the monster.

Games like the early Silent Hill games and Amnesia are far better because the things that want to kill you WILL kill you and all you can do is run away or hide. Amnesia did this so well there were parts I was completely on edge when there was nothing at all that could kill me, just because of how they framed it and set it up.

Dead Space was alright as an action adventure game, but pretty weak as a horror game.

I disagree. For a long time I felt incompetent at killing Necromorphs, to the point I tried running from some. Also at several points in the game you are chased by an invulnerable monster that you just have to flee from. Once I got enough weapons I felt like a badass, so I suppose you're not wrong. They got about half of the game right in that respect, I thought.

I won three copies of the original Dead Space for the Xbox 360 and never played the game. I ended up trading them all for other games.

Godzilla: That said, I picked up Alan Wake, and it may be promising. $25 from a guy on Craigslist that works at a game shop. It's like new.

I Hated deadspace. Slogged through it using WSAD for about an hour or two waiting for things to get scary and the plot to get less cliche then a self insertion fanfic.

The only time I felt surprise when when I found out that Dead Space does not let you re-configure your key bindings, making the game unplayable for my left handed self.

What a farking waste of money, and I certainly will not be buying shiatty Port#2

kwame: SmackLT: I love a game that makes my skin crawl a little bit.

Some day I will find a reasonably priced copy of Fatal Frame and play that.

Fatal Frame 1&2 are two of the scariest games ever made. I recently had an irresistable urge to go back and play them again (it had been quite a while), and found them both together on eBay for about $50. The games are so good an so atmospheric that the last-gen graphics didn't even bother me. So yeah, check eBay... this was a few months back, but there were plenty of them floating around when I checked.

SmackLT: kwame: Some day I will find a reasonably priced copy of Fatal Frame and play that.

Heard about it but never played it. Penumbra's also on that list.

Fatal Frame is a must play horror game.

Twigz221: Dead Space was alright as an action adventure game, but pretty weak as a horror game

What, LOUD NOISES and monsters popping out like RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU over and over again isn't horror?

Twigz221: Dead Space was alright as an action adventure game, but pretty weak as a horror game.

With the shiat they named stuff I thought it was a dark comedy. The kind where you're supposed to be scared of peepants the drunken hobo clown.

Spanky_McFarksalot: Dead Space 2 was awesome. 9 hour or so single player with good replay value since you can keep all your gear.

I wouldn't spend $60 for 2 play throughs, but then again I don't do multi-payer or online.

agreed, I loved it. I was worried that they would dumb it down from the last one (that wasn't scary at all in my opinion). But number 2 does a good job of keeping you on edge. It isn't very "scary" other than jumpy, but it is very suspenseful.

Lumbar Puncture: What, LOUD NOISES and monsters popping out like RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU over and over again isn't horror?

To be fair, the environmental factor was great, for a while. The problem was they didn't innovate enough with it as the game progressed.

Lumbar Puncture:
What, LOUD NOISES and monsters popping out like RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU over and over again isn't horror?

They don't pop up in front of you when you shoot them dead while they're still laying on the ground waiting to 'scare' you

SmackLT: Eh, I'm not too sure about about Dead Space 2 after seeing the trailer. It doesn't look bad, and I like the action elements, but it didn't have that creepy vibe I was hoping for. I love a game that makes my skin crawl a little bit.

Did you play dead space one? It's awesome, and most peoplei know won't play it BECAUSE how scary it is

Langston: Like Silent Hill?

Silent Hill 2 was as good as it gets. Maria dying in the elevator really got to me.

While we're discussing horror games, what SHOULD I be looking at?

propasaurus: Kinda looking forward to L.A. Noire. Anybody have any insight?

This. From what I expect R* will do what Mafia and Mafia 2 failed at.

Played the demo for Dead Space 2 and loved the shiat out of it. Gonna have to rent the first one and complete it before I get into the second.

You know what else came out that no one else seems to be mentioning here?

DC Universe Online.

Got it for my PS3. Finally, an MMO I see myself sticking with.

ALTMAN BE PRAISED


//altman be praised

Dead Space 2 is much better than the first one.

They mixed up the types of necromorphs you fight at once and removed the more obvious choke points so there's less of "back your ass into a corner and chop limbs off adnausium" and more of a "where did that scream come from?" since things will spawn all over the place.

Mind you, the mechanic behind that is easy enough to break, if you look closely you'll see there are multiple spawn points for some bigger encounters and there they spawn is based on proximity. But what really made the fighting more frantic is the mixture of ranged, exploding and melee necromorphs you encounter. Quite a number of encounters are you trying to beat back the melee enemies so you can get a hole to detonate an exploder, before he gets close enough to hurt you.

One nice touch I liked is if you keep stomping at something (like a mostly dead necromorph somewhere in a waist deep pile of bodies) eventually Issac will start screaming. Really a nice little touch, especially in a nearly pitch black room when you're almost dead and out of useful ammo.

There a larger need to carry a range of weapons, no more using only the plasma cutter. The first time you play you need to spend much more time thinking about what weapons will be useful and stay useful as you progress, there are some upgrades you *need* to survive which limits weapon upgrading and spending a few nodes on something that is 'pretty nice but not all that useful' will hurt, a lot. Pick weapons that fill a definitive role.

Visuals are better, some levels are far more atmospheric than others (chapter 10 was really really creep and had a horrific atmosphere).

Zero-g and airless sequences are shorter and used a bit more intelligently. Less of the 'we need to have some timed escape mechanism here' and more of the 'it makes sense to go outside for this'.

And lastly, ps3 version? I can has 3 games for the price of one!?

(If you pre-ordered you got ignition and extraction is included in the first run of discs.)

Dead Space was the first game I ever bothered to stick to and get all the achievements/trophies. It was genuinely fun to play, and beautiful. The sequel does even better.

Ashelth: Dead Space 2 is much better than the first one.

They mixed up the types of necromorphs you fight at once and removed the more obvious choke points so there's less of "back your ass into a corner and chop limbs off adnausium" and more of a "where did that scream come from?" since things will spawn all over the place.

Mind you, the mechanic behind that is easy enough to break, if you look closely you'll see there are multiple spawn points for some bigger encounters and there they spawn is based on proximity. But what really made the fighting more frantic is the mixture of ranged, exploding and melee necromorphs you encounter. Quite a number of encounters are you trying to beat back the melee enemies so you can get a hole to detonate an exploder, before he gets close enough to hurt you.

One nice touch I liked is if you keep stomping at something (like a mostly dead necromorph somewhere in a waist deep pile of bodies) eventually Issac will start screaming. Really a nice little touch, especially in a nearly pitch black room when you're almost dead and out of useful ammo.

There a larger need to carry a range of weapons, no more using only the plasma cutter. The first time you play you need to spend much more time thinking about what weapons will be useful and stay useful as you progress, there are some upgrades you *need* to survive which limits weapon upgrading and spending a few nodes on something that is 'pretty nice but not all that useful' will hurt, a lot. Pick weapons that fill a definitive role.

Visuals are better, some levels are far more atmospheric than others (chapter 10 was really really creep and had a horrific atmosphere).

Zero-g and airless sequences are shorter and used a bit more intelligently. Less of the 'we need to have some timed escape mechanism here' and more of the 'it makes sense to go outside for this'.

And lastly, ps3 version? I can has 3 games for the price of one!?

(If you pre-ordered you got ignition and extraction is included in the first run of discs.)


no... I totally still used it all the time. It is just so damn effective. Then again, I have only played on hard. Used the rivet gun extra from pre-order, pretty funny gun.

Godzilla: That said, I picked up Alan Wake, and it may be promising.

I'm most of the way through it. I like it very much. Only one other game has kept me up at night, needing to know what happens next, and horrified at the prospect. Learn to squeeze the left trigger gently, and you'll do okay.

fluffy2097: I Hated deadspace. Slogged through it using WSAD for about an hour or two waiting for things to get scary and the plot to get less cliche then a self insertion fanfic.

The only time I felt surprise when when I found out that Dead Space does not let you re-configure your key bindings, making the game unplayable for my left handed self.

What a farking waste of money, and I certainly will not be buying shiatty Port#2

Are you sure that's true? I remember redoing all the key bindings.

RonEdwards:

no... I totally still used it all the time. It is just so damn effective. Then again, I have only played on hard. Used the rivet gun extra from pre-order, pretty funny gun.

I don't want to try the final fight without a line cutter and ripper.

MythDragon: Are you farking kidding me? People being impailed right in front of you which turns them into monster .7 seconds later while you have to run while stuck in a frickin straight jacket?

And having to fight a necro thats like 2 stories tall who chases you around while you cry to yourself :"Pleasegoaway!Pleasegoaway!Pleasegoaway!"

Yeah....

Oookie character designs does not make a game scary.

H.R. Giger has been drawing far creepier stuff then this for decades. Having grown up loving the Aliens Series, it's been very rare for me to find any sort of nightmare fuel from the look of monsters in games.

/Not afraid of the dark
//or evil alien monsters
///fark the goddamn Grays though. Those bastards give me the heebeejeebees.

MythDragon: Twigz221:

/totaly not scary.

Add a surround sound system and all those pops and hisses in the background really get shiat going. I'm starting to regret getting it for 360. Not many ppl to co-op with.

SkittlesAreYum: fluffy2097: I Hated deadspace. Slogged through it using WSAD for about an hour or two waiting for things to get scary and the plot to get less cliche then a self insertion fanfic.

The only time I felt surprise when when I found out that Dead Space does not let you re-configure your key bindings, making the game unplayable for my left handed self.

What a farking waste of money, and I certainly will not be buying shiatty Port#2

Are you sure that's true? I remember redoing all the key bindings.

I use the numpad instead of WSAD. Deadspace doesn't support it. at all. Go try configuring numpad8546 to movement instead of WSAD if you don't believe me.

EA went so far as locking and sticking a thread in the forums basically saying "we know and we don't care and no you can't get a refund, you left handed loser."

Ashelth: RonEdwards:

no... I totally still used it all the time. It is just so damn effective. Then again, I have only played on hard. Used the rivet gun extra from pre-order, pretty funny gun.

I don't want to try the final fight without a line cutter and ripper.

Maybe I just have my aiming and timing really fine tuned. I put a lot of time into the first one. It just came naturally this time around. My other friends didn't use it either, so it may just be me. I get clever with the environments too.

That is another thing, being able to blow out windows to help you out of jams (while putting yourself in a shoot straight or die situation) is really freakin' cool. Throw in more dark rooms, crawiling through vents, and farking raptors! yes, dead space 2 was worth it.

propasaurus: Kinda looking forward to L.A. Noire. Anybody have any insight?

Just like Alan Wake, the game had me super intrigued. Then it too damn long to come out and I lost all interest.

I just started playing Red Dead Redemption which is farking awesome X 10, so I'm sure I'll be picking up L.A. Noire.

fluffy2097: SkittlesAreYum: fluffy2097: I Hated deadspace. Slogged through it using WSAD for about an hour or two waiting for things to get scary and the plot to get less cliche then a self insertion fanfic.

The only time I felt surprise when when I found out that Dead Space does not let you re-configure your key bindings, making the game unplayable for my left handed self.

What a farking waste of money, and I certainly will not be buying shiatty Port#2

Are you sure that's true? I remember redoing all the key bindings.

I use the numpad instead of WSAD. Deadspace doesn't support it. at all. Go try configuring numpad8546 to movement instead of WSAD if you don't believe me.

EA went so far as locking and sticking a thread in the forums basically saying "we know and we don't care and no you can't get a refund, you left handed loser."

teehehe, console games are better on consoles.