Support NeoGAF

[Skiptastic]

As a fan of silent protagonists I wasn't too happy about Isaac getting VO in DS2, but it ended up being pretty good. The VA did a good job.

I don't mind silent protagonists for the most part, but holy fuck having Isaac respond to stuff was so much better. Gunner Wright did a really good job and it was nice to have his quips in there. Added a whole new level of attachment to an otherwise vanilla lead character. I mean, there was only the fear in DS1. DS2 needed more of an emotional impact, and we totally got it.

 

[Jex]

Man, that last chunk of game is awful. Wow.

I sure do hate it when games drop off in quality towards the end.

 

[Maxrunner]

Need to get my next game fix, and this might be it, so which version PS3 or PC?

 

[Lafiel]

Man, that last chunk of game is awful. Wow.

I sure do hate it when games drop off in quality towards the end.

For the first 10 chapters i was prepared to say the game was better than dead space. But after experiencing chapters 11-15 I don't know if that was the case at all. Especially disappointing since i recall the last chapters in dead space being the better parts of the game.

 

[TTP]

Need to get my next game fix, and this might be it, so which version PS3 or PC?

PS3 version comes with Dead Space Extraction (great Move compatible game) for free and it's on one disc.

This might help.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-dead-space-2-face-off

 

[Jex]

For the first 10 chapters i was prepared to say the game was better than dead space. But after experiencing chapters 11-15 I don't know if that was the case at all. Especially disappointing since i recall the last chapters in dead space being the better parts of the game.

I would probably have been happier if the game had been a couple of hours shorter, just so that my experience would have been great overall.

Struggling through rooms packed full of enemies isn't my idea of a good time. No amount of stasis-bombs positioned casually along my route made those fights particularly pleasant.

 

[gollumsluvslave]

Based on comparison to my current run through DS (One Gun/Impossible), I think the devs in DS2 tried to change things up a bit, as it's quite easy to distill the mechanics down to 'stasis, dismember, rinse, repeat' - I've very rarely had to change that approach in DS, with the exception of the Regenerator sequences.

Now, I think with DS2 the devs made a bit of a mistake in trying to ratchet up the 'SHIT, RUN!!' vibe that the Regenerator instilled in DS to try and break the 'Rinse/Repeat' flow, and force the player to adopt some other tactics. However there are 2 issues with this:-

1. The core gameplay mechanic works, and works really well - it's much more fun than the running sequences.
2. In DS, the Regenerator sequences were intense, but quite short, and spaced througout the game (and MUCH better integrated into the story). DS2 in comparison suffers, especially as it's the last 3 levels just ramp up and up, and MOST importantly, there are no CUES in the game to tell you to run; the story in DS handled this much better, with Kendra opening doors and telling you to leg it.

I think for DS3 Visceral should have a lot more confidence in their core gameplay, and think up better ways to change up the mechanics and keep the player on their toes.

 

[TTP]

Based on comparison to my current run through DS (One Gun/Impossible), I think the devs in DS2 tried to change things up a bit, as it's quite easy to distill the mechanics down to 'stasis, dismember, rinse, repeat' - I've very rarely had to change that approach in DS, with the exception of the Regenerator sequences.

Now, I think with DS2 the devs made a bit of a mistake in trying to ratchet up the 'SHIT, RUN!!' vibe that the Regenerator instilled in DS to try and break the 'Rinse/Repeat' flow, and force the player to adopt some other tactics. However there are 2 issues with this:-

1. The core gameplay mechanic works, and works really well - it's much more fun than the running sequences.
2. In DS, the Regenerator sequences were intense, but quite short, and spaced througout the game (and MUCH better integrated into the story). DS2 in comparison suffers, especially as it's the last 3 levels just ramp up and up, and MOST importantly, there are no CUES in the game to tell you to run; the story in DS handled this much better, with Kendra opening doors and telling you to leg it.

I think for DS3 Visceral should have a lot more confidence in their core gameplay, and think up better ways to change up the mechanics and keep the player on their toes.

True that. I also wouldn't mind new enemies that really highlight the dismemberment mechanic. There are currently so many weapons in Dead Space you basically don't bother about dismembering the Necros anymore (not to mention using kinesis to impale them). The Plasma Cutter should be all you have throughout the game, while variety should come form enemies/encounters design IMO.

I had a blast playing the first DS with just the Plasma Cutter. Felt like how the game was designed to play like. Before the "MORE WEAPONS!!!" syndrome kicked in.

 

[gollumsluvslave]

I had a blast playing the first DS with just the Plasma Cutter. Felt like how the game was designed to play like. Before the "MORE WEAPONS!!!" syndrome kicked in.

I do think that the Plasma Cutter is the most fun and 'Dead Space' weapon in both games. Once Force Gun and Contact Beam are upgraded, they are so over-powered that all pretense of 'survival horror' really goes out the window IMO.

Weapon Balance is a tricky thing to get right of course, and it depends whether the devs are going for a more Action-oriented approach (DS2 definitely seems more action to me).

I always loved the weapon degradation mechanic in System Shock 2 - maybe something along those lines (where the PC is the only weapon to not degrade or similar) would help add some depth and keep the tension up.

 

[Huggy]

I liked the ending chapters. Lots of enemies to blast from all directions while keeping an eye out for you know who.

 

[badcrumble]

It could be neat to introduce a mechanic whereby enemies drop much less ammo and Plasma Cutter ammunition automatically regenerates over time or something (and maybe have a stop at a store refill all your weapon ammunition for free, but space the stores out some more). That'd likely be too radical a departure, though, even if it'd be a good way to find a nice balance.

I still desperately, desperately want the next Dead Space game to play like a Metroidvania in which you'd open up new areas by making repairs and by acquiring new abilities (oxygen tank, stasis, kinesis, antigrav jump, antigrav thrusters, etc.). It's such a perfect fit

 

[Replicant]

True that. I also wouldn't mind new enemies that really highlight the dismemberment mechanic. There are currently so many weapons in Dead Space you basically don't bother about dismembering the Necros anymore (not to mention using kinesis to impale them). The Plasma Cutter should be all you have throughout the game, while variety should come form enemies/encounters design IMO.

I disagree. If Visceral is planning on continuing this gangbang routine then dismemberment is the last thing on my mind. I think many will find that having to dismember so many body parts while fending off attacks from other fast Necros are close to impossible. Without weapons like Contact Beam's alt or the Force Gun, the whole game would become unbearable nightmare. People already complained as it is now that the game is too hard towards the end. Forcing a plasma cutter only use will just frustrate more people. I think the option to just use plasma if you want to should be there but the game should not force the player to only use plasma cutter.

And I appreciate being able to run from room to room instead of being locked down with the regenerator until you kill of the other types of Necros. At least with the former you get an option to flee or to fight if you want to. Options will always be preferable to forced one way method.

 

[TTP]

I disagree. If Visceral is planning on continuing this gangbang routine then dismemberment is the last thing on my mind. I think many will find that having to dismember so many body parts while fending off attacks from other fast Necros are close to impossible. Without weapons like Contact Beam's alt or the Force Gun, the whole game would become unbearable nightmare. People already complained as it is now that the game is too hard towards the end. Forcing a plasma cutter only use will just frustrate more people. I think the option to just use plasma if you want to should be there but the game should not force the player to only use plasma cutter.

And I appreciate being able to run from room to room instead of being locked down with the regenerator until you kill of the other types of Necros. At least with the former you get an option to flee or to fight if you want to. Options will always be preferable to forced one way method.

I'm not saying they should keep the action as it is in DS2 and only have you use the Plasma Cutter. That would be insane. Of course they would need to tone down the action and focus on the dismemberment. And by that I mean creating new enemies that do actually make good use of the ability to flip Plasma Cutter to 90 degrees. Seriously, how many times do you even need to do that in DS2?

 

[badcrumble]

Personally, I think it'd be nice if the Contact Beam's alt were changed somehow (maybe given a wider radius and/or faster firing time) but its slowing mechanic were moved to the regular stasis function - like just holding the stasis button instead of tapping it would release a localized stasis shockwave with much less range than the regular stasis attack but that'd hit enemies even behind Isaac. It'd really help during a lot of the necromorph gangbangs while still allowing you to pick which weapons you like the most (and helping to push focus back toward the Plasma Cutter).

Well, that, or enemies shouldn't rush toward you as damn fast as they do in DS2 - I feel like their approaches in DS1 weren't nearly as fast.

 

[Adam Prime]

Wow!

I just started the game this morning. This game is amazing. I'm already ranking it up there with MGS4 and Uncharted 2 as games where as I play them I just say out loud "Woah! This is amazing!"

Just hit Chapter 3. Can't say how impressed I am with this game. They REALLY stepped their game up from the first one. I also can't imagine how people do a Hard Core run through this game...

 

[SamuraiX-]

I disagree. If Visceral is planning on continuing this gangbang routine then dismemberment is the last thing on my mind. I think many will find that having to dismember so many body parts while fending off attacks from other fast Necros are close to impossible. Without weapons like Contact Beam's alt or the Force Gun, the whole game would become unbearable nightmare. People already complained as it is now that the game is too hard towards the end. Forcing a plasma cutter only use will just frustrate more people. I think the option to just use plasma if you want to should be there but the game should not force the player to only use plasma cutter.

And I appreciate being able to run from room to room instead of being locked down with the regenerator until you kill of the other types of Necros. At least with the former you get an option to flee or to fight if you want to. Options will always be preferable to forced one way method.

Agreed.

Dead Space 2 isn't the type of game where a Plasma Cutter only run is doable to me (at least not at this point).

Please, please, please, please Visceral, go back to the first Dead Space style where there's less enemies, they're more difficult to take down (having to actually dismember to conserve ammo) and the buildup to the encounters and the encounters themselves are more intense.

To me, the accomplishment I felt when I took down a single stalker in the first game I only feel when I take down a room full of them in the second.

 

[Wiggum2007]

I'm not saying they should keep the action as it is in DS2 and only have you use the Plasma Cutter. That would be insane. Of course they would need to tone down the action and focus on the dismemberment. And by that I mean creating new enemies that do actually make good use of the ability to flip Plasma Cutter to 90 degrees. Seriously, how many times do you even need to do that in DS2?

I've said it before, but they need to focus more on dismemberment in the way they advertised it before DS1, that certain enemies would become more dangerous when dismembered in the wrong place. But Pregnants are about the only enemy this applies to, and I guess the Dividers but there's like two of them in all of DS2. For example, what if there was an enemy that when chopped in half at the waist just turned into two more agile necromorphs? I do have to give props to the Stalkers in DS2, not that there was a whole lot of strategy to their dismemberment, but their encounters changed up the normal necromorph bum rush gameplay in a nice way.

 

[Replicant]

Well, that, or enemies shouldn't rush toward you as damn fast as they do in DS2 - I feel like their approaches in DS1 weren't nearly as fast.

This is such a false belief. Enemies are as fast in DS1 as in DS2. If anything they are less dangerous in DS2. Even the Twitchers in Severed are neutered in comparison Twitchers in DS1. Maybe it's due to weapon improvement in DS2 but when you blow a Twitcher using Force Gun in DS2, it'd get blowed back and it'd break apart if it hits a railing or some hard object. In DS1, you'll just push it away but it's largely unharmed.

 

[corrosivefrost]

Agreed.

Dead Space 2 isn't the type of game where a Plasma Cutter only run is doable to me (at least not at this point).

Please, please, please, please Visceral, go back to the first Dead Space style where there's less enemies, they're more difficult to take down (having to actually dismember to conserve ammo) and the buildup to the encounters and the encounters themselves are more intense.

To me, the accomplishment I felt when I took down a single stalker in the first game I only feel when I take down a room full of them in the second.

I like the game, even with the ending chapters and parallels with the first game.

Not that it's an excuse, but the number of enemies makes sense in a way... they sort of followed the James Cameron Alien > Aliens model... I mean, if an infection takes over a ship in space, there's a limited number of infected to deal with compared to that same infection taking over a city sized colony.

I'll probably eventually go for the platinum here; Next up will be hardcore more because I want the effin' hand cannon.

However, I tend to take extended breaks from games these days (ME2 and DR2 still need more playthroughs, for example) before playing them again. However, I'm sure I'll go back to DS2 eventually.

 

[gollumsluvslave]

I disagree. If Visceral is planning on continuing this gangbang routine then dismemberment is the last thing on my mind. I think many will find that having to dismember so many body parts while fending off attacks from other fast Necros are close to impossible. Without weapons like Contact Beam's alt or the Force Gun, the whole game would become unbearable nightmare. People already complained as it is now that the game is too hard towards the end. Forcing a plasma cutter only use will just frustrate more people. I think the option to just use plasma if you want to should be there but the game should not force the player to only use plasma cutter.

And I appreciate being able to run from room to room instead of being locked down with the regenerator until you kill of the other types of Necros. At least with the former you get an option to flee or to fight if you want to. Options will always be preferable to forced one way method.

I think the point both TTP and myself are trying too make is that extended sections where you are just flooded with Necros actually reduces the tension (by virtue of increasing frustration).

The creepiest, and most intense sections in DS2 (Nursery and

Spoiler

Ishimura

) were actually the sequences with very little Necros!

Obviously there are a few sequences in DS with copious amounts of Necros, but they were standout memorable instances (and I can only think of 3 or 4).

However, getting back to a point I made before - if the story had integrated the ramp up in respawning Necros better, and clearly indicating to you that you shouldn't linger in a section, I wouldn't have had very little issues - in comparison with the way DS handled it, it just felt a bit cheap and (due to it being at the end) a bit lazy on the part of Visceral.

Of course all of this is tempered by that fact that DS2 is so fantastic up until the last 3-4 chapters, they stick out a bit in comparison.

Not that it's an excuse, but the number of enemies makes sense in a way... they sort of followed the James Cameron Alien > Aliens model... I mean, if an infection takes over a ship in space, there's a limited number of infected to deal with compared to that same infection taking over a city sized colony.

A couple of good points there, but if that was the intention, Visceral didn't really communicate as well in the story; I think that is due to the fact that DS had WAY more Audio (especially) and Text logs.

 

[Always-honest]

yep, loving this game. In fact.. i've given up playing a certain shooter online and i'm now just playing this marvelous game. Too bad the sp doesn't support move, but luckaly i'm still fine with the Dual shock.

 

[Wiggum2007]

A couple of good points there, but if that was the intention, Visceral didn't really communicate as well in the story; I think that is due to the fact that DS had WAY more Audio (especially) and Text logs.

I miss Video logs, such as the ones in DS1 showing what happened to the captain of the Ishimura. Seems they were completely dropped in 2.

 

[corrosivefrost]

A couple of good points there, but if that was the intention, Visceral didn't really communicate as well in the story; I think that is due to the fact that DS had WAY more Audio (especially) and Text logs.

This is what I come up with, thinking about it for a minute:

Toward the end, there seemed to be a ton of audio logs (I'd thought it was odd that the audio logs were sparse and text logs were heavy, but this is probably a result of the fact that there's probably more human interaction)...

But if you logically look at it, at least if my impression of the Sprawl being a sort of "flash" outbreak is correct, the general public wouldn't have a lot of time to create logs before the outbreak was upon them. The military, however, seemed to produce a lot of logs, which makes sense, since once you're in the facility, there'd be a lot of research and such regarding the marker and what was happening as they tried to create one.

The outbreak on the Ishimura was sort of slow and contained according to the story. Also the marker was much smaller in comparison, so it'd be likely that the rate at which the marker affected and converted people to necromorphs would be slower, also backing the contained vs flash outbreak arguments.

 

[badcrumble]

I'm seriously looking forward to DS3, though, since I think Visceral's likely to learn a lot of good lessons about what does and doesn't work between DS1 and DS2.

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

The Solar Array level would have been one that I think would have been even more awesome if there were no Necromorphs. Just make it feel really claustrophobic and hallucinatory and stuff.

But it's still awesome, but it could have been more awesome. One of the very few things I would've changed.

Also, at the end

Spoiler

did anyone else think that when Nicole drags Isaac into his mind, the Marker makes the 'Inception' BRWROOOOOOOOOM' noise? That was funny. I think it was done on purpose though... shout-out maybe?

 

[Adam Prime]

Just started this morning and now up to Chapter 7....

Still really loving the game. The story is a bit of a letdown though. There really isn't much happening. All the way from start to Ch. 6 it's just trying to get to a location, and once you get there

Spoiler

TWIST! That you could see coming a mile away

. Now I'm just trying to reach another location...

Granted the first game just had you doing missions around the ship for most of the game, I felt like that game had a better over-arching goal to the story: let's GTFO, and oh yeah WTF is going on here?!. I know what my goal is in DS2, but it feels so abstract at this point in the game

Spoiler

We gotta destroy The Marker, somehow

. I almost wish the story would've been more of a dreadful, where-do-we-go-from-here, and feeling hopeless kind of tone. It'd be very interesting for the game to be more "open" in the Hell World it has created.


Also one last thing: the game feels VERY Silent Hill-ish, I love it! From the locations:

Spoiler

school, hospital, church

to the "You think there's something there, but there really ISN'T. Until there IS!" It feels very natural in the Dead Space setting.

 

[Roscoe]

Okay where are those people who said the gangbang in DS1 was nothing in comparison to DS2? You all need some refresher course in gangbang moments!!! It was worse! Far, far worse than DS2 on Hardcore can come up with.

I'd like you all to enjoy Chapter 9 - The Barrack on Impossible setting. 4 Twitchers + 6 Lurkers + 3 Crawlers + 4 Exploders + 1 pregnant. ALL IN ONE ROOM LOCKED WITH YOU. That is stupid, cruel and just not fun to play.

Is that on the Valor? The military ship which crashes into the Ishimura?

That part is insane when the quarantine starts and all those enemies come pouring out.

 

[Kazzy]

Just started this morning and now up to Chapter 7....

Still really loving the game. The story is a bit of a letdown though. There really isn't much happening. All the way from start to Ch. 6 it's just trying to get to a location, and once you get there

Spoiler

TWIST! That you could see coming a mile away

. Now I'm just trying to reach another location...

Granted the first game just had you doing missions around the ship for most of the game, I felt like that game had a better over-arching goal to the story: let's GTFO, and oh yeah WTF is going on here?!. I know what my goal is in DS2, but it feels so abstract at this point in the game

Spoiler

We gotta destroy The Marker, somehow

. I almost wish the story would've been more of a dreadful, where-do-we-go-from-here, and feeling hopeless kind of tone. It'd be very interesting for the game to be more "open" in the Hell World it has created.


Also one last thing: the game feels VERY Silent Hill-ish, I love it! From the locations:

Spoiler

school, hospital, church

to the "You think there's something there, but there really ISN'T. Until there IS!" It feels very natural in the Dead Space setting.

I don't think there is anything abstract about the story of this game, early on Issac's incentive is to escape and destroy the marker. Similarly to the original a ton of obstacles end up inevitably making it more difficult as you go along.

There is a lot of story focus in the later chapters.

 

[Replicant]

Is that on the Valor? The military ship which crashes into the Ishimura?

That part is insane when the quarantine starts and all those enemies come pouring out.

YES YES! Fuck that part.

I don't think many people realize how much better the Necros fight/gangbang on DS2 turned out to be in comparison to DS1. Are there more gangbang scenarios in DS2? Yes, there's no denying that. But these moments are compensated by:

1. Most of the gangbangers in DS2 are usually easy to dealt with. A bunch of small necros who can be killed with one shot using Pulse Riffle or Plasma Cutter. Others are easily dispatched using Force Gun or Contact Beam.

2. Due to the advancement of the weapon systems in DS2, one hit from a particular weapon can sometimes damage multiple enemies at once. This makes gangbang scenarios easier to deal with since you can knock out 2-3 enemies at once with some weapons. You can also auto-refill your stasis easily and kill using stasis objects.

3. With the exception of Chapter 13's redrooms, the type of gangbangers in DS2 usually comprised of lotsa small enemies + 3-4 big ones. There was never 6 big ones + 2 dark ones + 3 small ones variety in DS, which was an absolute fun killer.

4. The arrival of the gangbangers are timed better to give you enough time to reload or refill your stasis. Also in some areas, after the 1st wave, unless you advance a few steps, they won't actually come out so you can take in a breather first. Not so in DS1. And in some cases like in Chapter 13, they give you a couple of seconds before the 2nd wave bursting in. Some of the gangbangers in DS2 even only attack one at a time (ie. The dino-like enemies).

5. You can run away from some of the confrontation, thereby giving a different type of gameplay if you chose to do so. But you can stay and fight too (which I've done in Chapter 13's redrooms) and it's possible to actually eliminate all of them.

6. DS2 is better at preparing you for upcoming gangbang by giving you tons of goods before the area. In DS1, you can get caught in a gangbang and completely unprepared and have to backtrack all the way to the area where you can buy some supplies. It's ridiculous!

 

[Adam Prime]

I don't think there is anything abstract about the story of this game, early on Issac's incentive is to escape and destroy the marker. Similarly to the original a ton of obstacles end up inevitably making it more difficult as you go along.

There is a lot of story focus in the later chapters.

Maybe "abstract" wasn't the proper word... what I mean is that they're going to do go this thing

Spoiler

destroy The Marker

and there's no real plan or anything for how to do it. It kinda feels like playing a RPG where the mission is to go "Save the World", and that's it. You don't know how you're going to do it, or what it is exactly you're saving it from, but you're going to do it!

Couple that with the antagonist is just a texture on the wall and a disembodied voice... not exactly engaging. But I'm only up to Chapter 8, I'm sure I'll be signing a different tune by the time I finish the game. Just wanted to say: halfway through and the story is not the most engaging thing in the world. Not that it was in the first game, but the first game was slowly uncovering more and more about the situation you were in, you were constantly learning new mysteries. In DS2 reading every text and listening to every audio log: I get the feeling that I "know everything" about what's going on and just getting kinda filler info about the world. Nothing like "unfolding the mystery" type of feel that I had with discovering the ship and the logs of the first game.

 

[gollumsluvslave]

YES YES! Fuck that part.

I don't think many people realize how much better the Necros fight/gangbang on DS2 turned out to be in comparison to DS1. Are there more gangbang scenarios in DS2? Yes, there's no denying that. But these moments are compensated by:

1. Most of the gangbangers in DS2 are usually easy to dealt with. A bunch of small necros who can be killed with one shot using Pulse Riffle or Plasma Cutter. Others are easily dispatched using Force Gun or Contact Beam.

2. Due to the advancement of the weapon systems in DS2, one hit from a particular weapon can sometimes damage multiple enemies at once. This makes gangbang scenarios easier to deal with since you can knock out 2-3 enemies at once with some weapons. You can also auto-refill your stasis easily and kill using stasis objects.

3. With the exception of Chapter 13's redrooms, the type of gangbangers in DS2 usually comprised of lotsa small enemies + 3-4 big ones. There was never 6 big ones + 2 dark ones + 3 small ones variety in DS, which was an absolute fun killer.

4. The arrival of the gangbangers are timed better to give you enough time to reload or refill your stasis. Also in some areas, after the 1st wave, unless you advance a few steps, they won't actually come out so you can take in a breather first. Not so in DS1. And in some cases like in Chapter 13, they give you a couple of seconds before the 2nd wave bursting in. Some of the gangbangers in DS2 even only attack one at a time (ie. The dino-like enemies).

5. You can run away from some of the confrontation, thereby giving a different type of gameplay if you chose to do so. But you can stay and fight too (which I've done in Chapter 13's redrooms) and it's possible to actually eliminate all of them.

6. DS2 is better at preparing you for upcoming gangbang by giving you tons of goods before the area. In DS1, you can get caught in a gangbang and completely unprepared and have to backtrack all the way to the area where you can buy some supplies. It's ridiculous!

I just finished my One Gun / Impossible mode run (1000/1000 finally!), and although I agree with point 2 and 5, I have to disagree in general, but it depends on how you are approaching the games (and I need to also qualify that I've still only played DS2 once on Survivalist, vs 3 complete runs through DS).

So far, I have to say I found DS2 much harder, and thats just off the back of the hardest possible run on DS.

That said, I think I will have quite different strategies for DS2 now, most notably much better usage of Statis and Kinesis, and I won't be spreading my credits too thin (I actually think One Gun made Impossible on DS easier, because I had all my credits routed into Plasma Energy, Stasis and Med Packs, all other ammo I sold - by the Hive Mind I had 5x Large Health, 5x Med Health, 5x Stasis and nearly 300 ammo!!)

I'll probably start a Zealot run through today to get most of the other achievements and plan my Hardcore save points. I'll also spend a good amount of time weighing it against DS.

 

[Adam Prime]

... Question for the Topic: how many times did you guys die in Hard Core Mode? What was the most progress you made before you died?


I think that's the reason why I could never play it. I would be too angry about the "wasted" time that I spent playing if I had to die and start all over. For some reason this concept didn't bother me when I was 10 years old playing SNES games, but now as an adult it would be absolutely infuriating to have wasted my time on that.

 

[Raul_Atreides]

... Question for the Topic: how many times did you guys die in Hard Core Mode? What was the most progress you made before you died?


I think that's the reason why I could never play it. I would be too angry about the "wasted" time that I spent playing if I had to die and start all over. For some reason this concept didn't bother me when I was 10 years old playing SNES games, but now as an adult it would be absolutely infuriating to have wasted my time on that.

From the beginning to my first save(chapter 5): 2 times

From 1st save(ch. 5) to second save(ch. 10): 3 times(made it to the end of ch. 9 once before dying, ugh)

From 2nd save(ch. 10) to last save(ch. 13): 1 time

Last save to the end of the game: 0 times

All of my deaths except the last one were from "instant death" scenarios like the decompression windows, missing shots while being dragged around, etc. These scenarios are way more frequent in the beginning of the game than the end. I usually lost no more than an hour of progress, as I was less careless the further I got from my previous save.

 

[gollumsluvslave]

All of my deaths except the last one were from "instant death" scenarios like the decompression windows, missing shots while being dragged around, etc. These scenarios are way more frequent in the beginning of the game than the end. I usually lost no more than an hour of progress, as I was less careless the further I got from my previous save.

I'll definitely be marking all the instant death spots before doing Hardcore. I can see some of them being very frustrating!

 

[Adam Prime]

Finished the game today, the very final scene of was literally LOL! Well done Visceral.

I really enjoyed the game a lot! I'll try the DLC when it goes on EA Sale.

 

[XxSlasherMcGirkxX]

Hardcore mode is kicking my ass and I'm loving every second of it.

I've died like 6 times now.

Twice in the gym.

Once by a baby necro.

Once by a brute (C'mon insta death while he's stasis'd)

Once by a door hugger. (WTF man I died at full health from one shot of the smaller spawn!?)

Once by being sucked out a window. (I thought and could just avoid it but stupid necromorphs run into the stupid trip mine kamikaze style and kill us both. Next time Im shooting that shit from afar.)

God it's so much more atmospheric and tense. What will DS3 bring?

 

[Replicant]

Tips to beat Dead Space 2 Hardcore:

* Take the following weapons: Plasma Cutter - for small enemies, Infectors, and those blooming Necro plants in zero-G, Force Gun (Zealot if you have it, if you don't, put upgrades on this baby for at least 5 nodes) - useful for everything but Brutes, Pulse riffles - for necro kids and babies, and Contact Beam (upgrade all the way to its SPEC node) - will freeze and destroy anything in the radius of your path).

* Do not bother buying ammo for any weapon other than Force Gun. Do buy a lot of Force Gun ammo (15 x 2 slots every chapter at least) and spend the rest of the money on nodes and health.

* Towards the end of Chapter 2 inside the train station, you'll save yourself from a heart attack, stress, and time-wasting by stomping/dismembering the 5 dead bodies on the station. If you do, all you have to fight is 1 Infector + 1 Dark Slasher and later on after you dispatch the two 1 normal Slasher. If you don't, prepare to fight at least 2 more Dark Slashers on top of the 1 that comes out of the train.

* After you jump to the 2nd train car, immediately blow up the Exploder so it'll kill everything behind him. Then quickly turn around and move backwards while pointing a weapon/stasis object towards the open door. You'll see a Slasher crawling from a window. Give him a blowjob from the Force Gun.

* When you're hanging upside down from the train like Clarke Pinata, the Force Gun (especially Zealot) is the most efficient way of dispatching the enemies below. After they all die, quickly switch to Plasma Cutter and cut the LEFT area (your side not the Brute's actual left arm) of the Brute's body up above. It's best to position your Cutter vertically.

* During the 1st gangbang scene on the entrance of the Church (where everything will be locked), immediately run to the area where an infector can be seen trying to spread its joyful seeds to a dead body. Stasis him then kill him with Plasma Cutter. Make sure he's dead (you can tell if you see him dropping an item) then RUN! Don't bother getting the item dropped by the infector. Just run towards the stage on the elevated platform and stands on the left hand area. If you're good, you can kill the two pukers from this angle by decapitating their heads/arms. If not, don't worry, just blow them away with Force Gun when they try to approach the stairs. Pay attention to the Exploder coming from your front and later your side. After they're all dead, there'll be one lone Infector trying to have its way with you but you need to be firm and tell it that NO means NO and put an end to that sucker.

* The slamming door inside the Church (the one you need to stasis) can kill Isaac if you don't time your stasis correctly.

* The giant thing that attacks Isaac with its tentacle can be incapacitated by aiming your plasma cutter TWICE on the TOP area and TWICE on the LEFT TOP area. That's where the weak points always idly stands.

* The tormentor's weak side will always be located TWICE on RIGHT area then TWICE on LEFT area. After you do this, DO NOT PANIC when trying to kinesis the door open. Otherwise, you'll mess it up and the Tormentor will catch up with you.

* In chapter 7, ALWAYS shoot the decompression window first when you're still inside another room (the one with all of the lasers). If you do that, you can shoot the safety button from the safety of the other room without getting sucked into the window. Then just bring a body with you and slam it to the lasers when it gets activated and immediately run to the door in front of you and deal with the babies/crawlers from there.

* You can just run around in circles at the end of Chapter 7 when all of the Necros break into the room if you want to preserve ammo. Just watch out where the Necros are coming out especially the puker since it can slow you down. Then when Ellie tells you to run to the CEC door, sprint for your life there.

* In chapter 9, there are 2 ways of dealing with the decompression window. The first is to run to the left hand area (the one without the power node box) and stand way way back and shoot the window yourself. Then when you get sucked, shoot the safety. Warning: sometimes the location of your pointer is not obvious by doing it this way but you have more time to shoot the safety button. The other way is to shoot the window while you're inside the lift. It's far more dangerous because you're closer to the window but your weapon's pointer for some reason is far closer to the safety latch so it's your choice.

* Chapter 13's redrooms. In the first room, just shoot the 3 babies with plasma/riffles then walk to the right hand side and when the first Necro pops out of the vent, use Contact Beam's alt to freeze him and the other Necros. Keep running near the door and deal with the rest of the enemies from there. A combination of Force Gun + Contact Beam is necessary here. My rec is to finish what you have here before moving to the hallway because otherwise, they'll follow you through the vent. In the 2nd room, you can just run and shoot the exploder then run to the hallway and all the way to the Brute's room. They won't follow you once you get inside the Brute's room.

* Chapter 14/15. What can I say? Contact Beam's alt'd / Stasis'd / Force Gun'd / Run your way through these two levels.

* Last flying sequence. It's best to follow the ship for direction. But on the 2nd debris, make sure you stay in the middle until you see the next debris then steer immediately to right to avoid both debris.

 

[todahawk]

Tips to beat Dead Space 2 Hardcore:
*snip

Awesome, sounds like good info and tips. I'm almost done with my Zealot run and hope to start my hardcore run soon after.

 

[Frester]

Made my last save on Hardcore at the beginning of Chapter 13, gonna see if I can finish it tomorrow.

Has Visceral ever said if they originally intended for sequels? Or was it just after the success of DS1?

 

[todahawk]

Made my last save on Hardcore at the beginning of Chapter 13, gonna see if I can finish it tomorrow.

Has Visceral ever said if they originally intended for sequels? Or was it just after the success of DS1?

There was a slip awhile back from someone that sounds like we're getting DS3.

 

[Frester]

There was a slip awhile back from someone that sounds like we're getting DS3.

Right,

Spoiler

pretty obvious after the credits that there will be

. But I'm talking about while DS1 was in development. Had they planned to have sequels before DS1 was even released?

 

[Skullkid]

... Question for the Topic: how many times did you guys die in Hard Core Mode? What was the most progress you made before you died?

1st save, Ch. 5 before the dragging sequence. I died twice before this. The first was a lame death against the Tripod at the end of Ch. 1. The second was in Ch. 3 during the first necro kid assault.

2nd save, Ch. 9 after repairing the tram. Also two deaths, one at the end of Ch. 7 while waiting for Ellie to open the door. I just ran out of health packs while fighting off the waves of necros. It's probably better just to run around in circles like was suggested above. The second death was in Ch. 9 after calling the tram from a necro that came from behind. Could not react fast enough to heal.

3rd save, Ch. 13 before the spinning blades. Only died once in Ch. 10 from running around at mid health. I came really close to dying in Ch. 13 in the room with the wrecked bulldozer from getting sniped too much. From the 3rd save to the end only took about 40 min to run through with the Contact beam.

Near the end I had fully upgraded health, stasis, and at least 80% of upgrades in the Plasma cutter, Ripper, and Contact beam. The times I lost ~2 hours from dying I said I was done but I was back playing the next night. If you really liked the game give it a shot; I thought I wouldn't like it either but ending up having a lot of fun. To avoid losing a lot of time stay well stocked with health packs and plan ahead for the parts you have difficulty with.

 

[Adam Prime]

The end credits makes it definitely open for more sequels...

Spoiler

There's The Man who's in charge of everything it seems and needs to be stopped

 

[Replicant]

Dangerous areas in DS2 Hardcore for me:

1. The first tripod fight in Chapter 1. Before I figured out how to deal with this beast, I died at least 3 times. My rec: if you can (and it's very easy to do in this chapter - all you have to do is be careful and be fast with kinesis object), do not use any of the health items you get before this fight. I stock up to 8 health items at least in case I need it for this fight. Eventually though, I learned how to run around the pillar to avoid its jump and just tease him a little bit so it'll jump then quickly move away so it doesn't hurt me.

2. The upside down Pinata against the Brute. The enemies below are easy to defeat using Force Gun. But if you fail to sever the Brute's arm, you'll get smashed by the train wreck. So frustrating. That's why, make sure you sever the Brute's arm quickly. And oh, make sure you have enough Ammo to defeat the enemies below and enough plasma to sever the brute.

3. Died once on the slamming door. I didn't know that if you stasis the door too early (like when it's still close to the floor), by the time it goes up, it'll slam down on Isaac. So make sure you stasis when the door is already halfway up.

4. I once died against the Tormentor because I panicked and kinesis the door up instead of to the left. HAR HAR. Not funny back then though.

5. Died a few times randomly against the Elevator tripod fights. This is random. If I'm not paying enough attention I'd die. I recommend bringing LOTS of Force Gun ammo because it can kill them in 2 shots. Also, always stay in the window where you last killed a tripod because you are less likely to get molested again from the same window where a tripod once appeared. So kill a Tripod, stay on that window, kill another tripod on another window, stay on that window, etc.

6. Died due to the decompression window in Chapter 7 before figuring out that I can shoot it from the next room without getting sucked. HA!

7. Died due to decompression window in Chapter 9 because I shot the Exploder. The next time I shot the window first from inside the lift before facing against the Exploder.

8. Died against the 2nd Brute in the Ishimura open area battle. Didn't have enough health items. Oh yeah, since there's no shop from the time before you fight the Tripod's nest until after the open area fight in Chapter 10, I recommend you bring the MAX amount combination of stasis/ammo/health items. Do not skimp or you'll regret it.

9. Died once on the fire blast area in Zero-G in Chapter 14. Do not stay too long in the area. Think fast. Watch where the last fire blast happened (ie. bottom and middle) and use that area to go through that part. Do it quickly or you'll get bombarded with bombs from the Necro plants.

10. Died 3 times at the final flying scene. FML. I was playing on small SDTV and couldn't see the debris that well. Went well when I played it on HDTV the next day.

 

[Adam Prime]

Damn, you guys with the Hardcore Achievement really deserve it. I could never go through that level of dedication and skill. You have my highest respect among Achievement hunters!

 

[Massa]

Wow, this game is fantastic. A huge improvement from the original IMO, which I already thought was quite good. But this is on a whole new level.

First half of the game was really interesting, I really love when games establish the world they take place in and this one did that fantastically. The last half was really tense, and I did bump down the difficulty for the final half of the last chapter as I just wanted to enjoy the story at that point.

I also didn't get sound for the credits, had to go to youtube to check that out.

 

[todahawk]

The end credits makes it definitely open for more sequels...

Spoiler

There's The Man who's in charge of everything it seems and needs to be stopped

Shit, forgot about that, i was thinking of the EA exec that mentioned their plans for the Dead Space trilogy/series.

 

[StunandStab]

Dangerous areas in DS2 Hardcore for me:

1. The first tripod fight in Chapter 1. Before I figured out how to deal with this beast, I died at least 3 times. My rec: if you can (and it's very easy to do in this chapter - all you have to do is be careful and be fast with kinesis object), do not use any of the health items you get before this fight. I stock up to 8 health items at least in case I need it for this fight. Eventually though, I learned how to run around the pillar to avoid its jump and just tease him a little bit so it'll jump then quickly move away so it doesn't hurt me.

2. The upside down Pinata against the Brute. The enemies below are easy to defeat using Force Gun. But if you fail to sever the Brute's arm, you'll get smashed by the train wreck. So frustrating. That's why, make sure you sever the Brute's arm quickly. And oh, make sure you have enough Ammo to defeat the enemies below and enough plasma to sever the brute.

3. Died once on the slamming door. I didn't know that if you stasis the door too early (like when it's still close to the floor), by the time it goes up, it'll slam down on Isaac. So make sure you stasis when the door is already halfway up.

4. I once died against the Tormentor because I panicked and kinesis the door up instead of to the left. HAR HAR. Not funny back then though.

5. Died a few times randomly against the Elevator tripod fights. This is random. If I'm not paying enough attention I'd die. I recommend bringing LOTS of Force Gun ammo because it can kill them in 2 shots. Also, always stay in the window where you last killed a tripod because you are less likely to get molested again from the same window where a tripod once appeared. So kill a Tripod, stay on that window, kill another tripod on another window, stay on that window, etc.

6. Died due to the decompression window in Chapter 7 before figuring out that I can shoot it from the next room without getting sucked. HA!

7. Died due to decompression window in Chapter 9 because I shot the Exploder. The next time I shot the window first from inside the lift before facing against the Exploder.

8. Died against the 2nd Brute in the Ishimura open area battle. Didn't have enough health items. Oh yeah, since there's no shop from the time before you fight the Tripod's nest until after the open area fight in Chapter 10, I recommend you bring the MAX amount combination of stasis/ammo/health items. Do not skimp or you'll regret it.

9. Died once on the fire blast area in Zero-G in Chapter 14. Do not stay too long in the area. Think fast. Watch where the last fire blast happened (ie. bottom and middle) and use that area to go through that part. Do it quickly or you'll get bombarded with bombs from the Necro plants.

10. Died 3 times at the final flying scene. FML. I was playing on small SDTV and couldn't see the debris that well. Went well when I played it on HDTV the next day.

Wow, I can't imagine dying so many times... Hardcore must have been hell for you. I am very lucky in that I only died ONCE in Hardcore, and it was early in the game (exploders right before the tram -_-) and before my first save too, so I actually went a whole play through with no deaths. (played in 3 sittings)

 

[Replicant]

Wow, I can't imagine dying so many times... Hardcore must have been hell for you. I am very lucky in that I only died ONCE in Hardcore, and it was early in the game (exploders right before the tram -_-) and before my first save too, so I actually went a whole play through with no deaths. (played in 3 sittings)

It's a nightmare. The problem is that since I work full-time and go to the gym during weekdays, I can't play Hardcore unless it's on the weekend (due to the amount of time I have to spend before saving). There were moments when I died after playing for 2-3+ hours. When that happened, I had this traumatized look on my face. I couldn't see it but I knew I was traumatized because otherwise I would have screamed "FFFFFFFUUUU!!!".

But I really like this game and Isaac and wanted to see him going "Bang, Bang! Pew, Pew, Pew!" (not to mention getting my 4th platinum would be nice). So I persevered and managed to reach Chapter 5 and made my first save. Later on, however, I realized it may not be the best 1st save position so I replayed it all over again from the start and managed to get all the way to the beginning of Chapter 7 (before the Tripod elevator fight). After that, 7-10 went off relatively easy. Ditto 10-13, much to my surprise. I think I died most often during the first few chapters and the last few chapters. The in between ones are surprisingly easy even the dreaded solar array escape and the rotating blades.

And even after all of that, I still think DS2 is easier in comparison to DS1.

 

[scitek]

For those who have beaten the game, I just made this montage. It totally ruins the game, so really, don't watch it unless you've beaten it.

http://tinyurl.com/4joloxg