Summary
Last year’sDead Spaceremake managed to successfully capture the spirit and gameplay fundamentals of the original game, and EA may choose to follow it up with a remake ofDead Space 2. While the idea of arevamped and modernizedDead Space 2has a lot of potential, there are aspects of the original game’s narrative that could pose a challenge.
Dead Space 2is an evolution of the first game in just about every way. Looking at the original releases of both titles,Dead Space 2took several risky steps, including giving protagonist Isaac Clarke a voice and placing a greater emphasis on the action side of the series' formula. The sequel also offers a brutal, heart-wrenching continuation of the first game’s narrative, showing how Isaac is dealing with his guilt and trauma. Ultimately, the gameplay, narrative, and presentation decisions Visceral Games made inDead Space 2paid off, with many fans considering the sequel as good, if not better, than its predecessor.
In a way,Dead Space 2is a must-play for fans of the first game, serving up expanded gameplay, exciting level design and setpieces, and a crushing, well-written narrative.
EA Motive’s well-craftedDead Spaceremakeoffers more realistic graphics, enhanced sound design, and brand-new features like the Intensity Director, all of which help elevate the terror that was so present in the original. These sorts of enhancements could work wonders in aDead Space 2remake, but the nature of that game’s content could make a tasteful adaptation a bit more challenging.
Dead Space 2contains many dark and disturbing moments, with levels like the Titan Station Elementary School standing out as some of the most troubling. These edgier parts of the game attracted some controversy upon release, though this didn’t do much to hamperthe success ofDead Space 2, especially as EA embraced the dark side of the game with marketing tactics like the Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2 ad campaign. However, adapting them in a current-generation remake, with graphics that border on photorealistic, might be tough to pull off without coming across as crass or over-the-top.
Pitting players against rabid necromorph children and infants is bad enough, but EA could run into real problems when it comes to depictions of self-harm and suicide.InDead Space 2, Isaac is tormented by visions of Nicole, his girlfriend whocommitted suicide in the firstDead Space. Wracked by guilt and mentally shattered by the influence of the Marker, Isaac hallucinates Nicole saying hurtful things to him.
At a few points, the visions seem to tempt Isaac toward killing himself, saying things like “you can’t handle the pain forever, soon you’ll be begging for a way to end it all” and “you’re trying to kill yourself, Isaac. Why do you think that is?” One particularly memorable hallucination, which incidentally occurs during the aforementioned elementary school level, has Nicole taunting Issac, saying “What’s the matter, Isaac? Afraid you’ll slit your wrists if you listen to me?”
These moments are shocking by design, and EA may be tempted to either remove or alter them in a remake, making them less impactful. Changing these key moments could be thewrong choice for aDead Space 2remake, though, as they are important manifestations of Isaac’s guilt and emphasize the brutal cunning of the Marker. At the same time, the hallucinations walk a fine line between upsetting and narratively significant in the originalDead Space 2, and striking this perfect balance might prove difficult in a remake, especially one that prioritizes realism and immersion.
Dead Space 2
WHERE TO PLAY
In Dead Space™ 2, you join Isaac Clarke, the Systems Engineer from Dead Space, as he wakes up three years after the horrific events on the USG Ishimura. The Ishimura was a Planetcracker-class starship besieged by grotesque reanimations of its dead crew, known as “Necromorphs.”After unearthing a strange artifact known as the Marker, Isaac finds himself on the Sprawl, a giant space station in orbit around Saturn. Unable to remember how he got here and plagued with demented visions of his dead girlfriend Nicole, he must survive another nightmarish outbreak of Necromorphs as he fights his way towards an answer he hopes will end all the chaos.
