Dead Space 2 is Still Terrifying All These Years Later

Descending Into Madness Alongside Isaac | Dead Space 2 Gameplay [Xbox Series X]

Dead Space 2 is a game that came out back in 2011 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

I was extremely nostalgic replaying Dead Space 2 again, mainly because it reminded me that Electronic Arts (EA) used to make exceedingly good single-player experiences.

Dead Space 2 is no exception; released in the hay-day and still holding up all these years later.

There were some stumbles in the following years after its release, but lately, it looks like they are coming back around with games like Jedi Fallen Order for example.

Dead Space 2 TimeStamps

Isaac and the Necromorphs (0:00)
Zero Gravity and You (3:04)
Darkness, My Only Friend (5:40)
Losing Our Minds in the Apartments (9:08)
The Church of Unitology (15:10)
Surviving the Ambush in the Cathedral (28:00)
Is Dead Space 2 Amazing? (25:10)

Pick up those Plasma Cutters and put on your bravest face! It is time to cut down some Necromorphs!

Isaac and the Necromorphs

Hunter Armada Surprised by Necromorph — Jumpscare got me good, we’re gonna need a bigger gun

Dead Space 2 is my personal favorite in the series, it enhances and perfects everything we all knew and loved from its predecessor.

I am so glad to have replayed it on the Xbox Series X, as it feels like a recent release with the graphics and crazy fast loading.

(If you’re curious about the Xbox Series X be sure to check out the unboxing I did! If you want, you can also read all about my first thoughts on the console by clicking here!)

It’s like playing an entirely new game. It has been so long since I last played so I forgot a lot, which made it so much more fun to revisit.

Dead Space 2 Reflections and Lighting — You can read the sign in crisp clear wording and Isaac’s helmet is incredibly well lit

Getting right into the action, we get ambushed by some Necromorphs after leaving the small safe room I was hunkered in.

What ensues is a crazy fast shooting spree of taking out the Necromorphs that want Issac dead.

Using the trusty Plasma Cutter we can cut off their limbs and blow up a few in the process. The name of the game is to dismember the Necromorphs to stop them from attacking.

Cutting off their head doesn’t do much of anything; you need to take out their arms and legs to bring them to a full stop. Even then they will find some way to crawl towards you; their only goal is to kill you.
Your only goal is to survive and press onward.

Hunter Armada taking a breather — After an ambush like that I needed a few seconds to compose myself

After taking a breather we pick up all the drops and move forward into zero gravity.

Zero Gravity and You

Dead Space 2 Inventory Screen — You have to manage everything in the game, in real-time while being at risk of attack at any moment

The thing that made the Dead Space series so unique is that you cannot pause the game to change your loadout.

There is a pause screen (which I open far too often because of wrong button presses), but you can only change game settings.

Accessing your inventory, audio/text logs, and making weapon changes must be done in real-time.

No saving face and preparing while the game is frozen; you have to manage all this smack-dab in the action.

Zero Gravity Floating Cam — Oh no! If I’m not careful, I’m going to float away!

The zero gravity aspect of the Dead Space series was also another standout and super fun to float around in.

It is used in some very creative ways throughout the game, but since this is the first introduction it is fairly basic.

We float over to a door to gather some supplies like a Power Node, which you use to upgrade weapons and Isaac’s suits.

Next, we float around to open a giant fan with some fun body bags floating around. Gathering all my courage, we hop into the windy fan and struggle to burst through.

It’s so Windy — MUST USE ALL THE THRUSTERS

We land and can call this a successful trip through zero gravity.

Darkness, My Only Friend

Dead Space 2 Atmosphere in Darkness — The lighting is so good that every inch of darkness is beyond creepy

From intense to just plain creepy, the lights go out and we are stuck trudging through the darkness with only the light of the Plasma Cutter.

We get attacked but take down the enemy without much effort.

Grabbing a nearby power block we pick it up with Kinesis and plug it back in to relight our path.

Hunter Armada getting Stomped — Wait Isaac let’s talk about this, nooooooooooooooooooooo

One of the most satisfying parts of the game is The Stomp. It has a weight that feels good and everything squishes under Isaacs’s boot.

You need to utilize this to get the drops from defeated Necromorphs and you can do so without wasting ammo. It can also be an attack, but it is not very helpful when you’re being swarmed.

We run into a door that can only be opened by using a Power Node. The key is to always have at least one power node on hand to open these doors. That way you are never stumped and locked out.

From schematics to money, and everything in between, these doors are the most important part of the game in terms of keeping Isaac fully equipped.

Isaac showing the way to a save station — I like the save station direction because it’s green. I’m a simple person

You get directions that help guide you to save stations, the next objective, the store, and even the bench to upgrade your gear. Again, it is all in realtime, so even in this aspect, one is never truly safe.

Gathering up the supplies, we take the elevator up to our next objective.

Losing Our Minds in the Apartments

Walking into the apartment complex, we see that there are candles and Necromorphs everywhere trying to put a stop to us moving forward

We take down a number of them and start to notice the look and feel of the room. Almost like this is a place of worship.

Walking into a super creepy room, we see Isaac struggle with the loss of his wife: Nicole Brennan.

The entirety of the first Dead Space was all about trying to find Nicole while its sequel is about coming to terms with losing her on the Ishimura.

Isaac, Nicole and Hunter Armada Insanity — I have no idea what’s going on, but we’re all losing our minds

This was a pretty tame one out of all the moments like these scattered throughout the game. They get more and more violent as the game progresses.

Moving forward, we cross a walkway and take down another Necromorph that jumps through a door for a super cheesy jumpscare.

We move onto the next section of apartments and take a breath by saving our progress.

Entering a giant room, several Necromorphs try to take us out, including a new breed that flies and creates new Necromorphs–which is as exciting as it sounds!

Thanks to the version that Game Pass provides, I did start with one of the best suits in the game. It has lots of health and defense so it is not too much trouble taking them all down.

After grabbing some supplies, it’s time to go to Church.

The Church of Unitology

Church of Unitology Entrance — Ahhh yes, very informative and inviting

Entering the church, we are immediately greeted by several audio recordings that will give us more backstory into why this place was created.

I don’t have time to listen to them so I beeline right through this hallway. Which does not go too well as a ship outside breaks the windows and starts firing at me from every direction.

Showing us the oxygen levels, again, I have an endgame suit equipped so it’s no big deal to survive this obstacle.

Dodging the gunfire, we run through the room and close the airlock to regain our oxygen.

We get a bit of advice over the intercom and enter this area’s safe room with a bench, store, and save station.

Dead Space 2 Upgrade Bench — The bench is the hub or upgrading everything from suits to weapons

Opening up the bench we take inventory of everything that needs to be upgraded by using the Power Nodes collected from our journey.

I decide to add a capacity for the ammo of the Plasma Cutter and then jump into the store to purchase some health kits using credits.

I sell some conductors, which are used to get you more money, make a quick save, and we are on our way!

Nolan Stross reaches out and we learn that he is slowly losing his mind.

Nolan Stross Losing his Mind — That is the face of someone keeping their cool

After a quick chat, we stomp some bodies for some items and climb the stairs to go further into the Church of Unitology.

Entering a giant library forces us to take down a few more Necromorphs but run into some trouble with some very clingy ones.

Hunter Armada Smashing the A Button — The more A’s you get the more likely you are to not die

If a Necromorph attaches to you then you have to smash the “A” button to get them off. Failure in doing so results in Isaac’s death.

Smashing the A button to victory, we kill all the Necromorphs and take an elevator ride that was well earned.

Cutting a fuse provides a fast way to get back to the safe area, but we’re looking to press onward not go backward.

Glass Wall to Space — If you’ve played Dead Space 2 you know that you don’t break this glass

A small room with a scenic view is before us and we discover that we need to open up a locked door. It brings us to a room to the right and power it back up.

The door moves fast but that’s no problem since we have stasis.

We get ambushed and I decide to smash the window and blow everything out of the airlock.

Being Blown out the Airlock — Yep, I just shot the window and nearly got blown out into SPACE!

Thankfully, I hit the emergency close button and survived, close call though.

Going through the door, Nicole comes back to haunt us over the monitor, showing just how insane Isaac is becoming.

We hop through an air vent–which is the game’s way of showing your moving into a new area–and then immediately have Nicole trying to gouge our eyes out.

Isaac being attacked by Nicole — JUST KEEP PRESSING “A” TO SAVE OUR EYEBALLS!

Nicole may be strong but our ability to smash “A” prevails! We discover that Isaac was just trying to put a screwdriver into his eye.

I personally never understand why Isaac takes off his helmet… ever, but you know, his call and all that.

Surviving the Ambush in the Cathedral

This section starts by entering into a big Cathedral with an elevator that takes us to a small room.

The worst enemy so far faces us. This thing can destroy a no-death run and make you lose hours of progress.

I take a minute to rave about the Xbox Series X, lighting, and graphics. How could I not? For as old as it is, it looks phenomenal and adds to the experience.

The door ahead gets destroyed and the worst Necromorphs come out to play.

The Stalkers are exactly what they sound like, they creep around and then run right at you to try and take you down.

The only defense is to cut down their legs or get them while hiding and hunting you.

Stalker Crawling Towards Isaac — OH GOD GO AWAY

I get overwhelmed very fast and die, forcing me to try again with hopefully a better tactic in place.

I compose myself and dive right back in and save my medium health kit in hopes of surviving this ordeal.

Taking it slow and steady, I can take them down one by one until the room is cleared. We can hack the elevator to get the hell outta here. The hacking is really simple and I’m glad for that.

Dead Space 2 Hacking — Turn the dial until blue, then confirm. Simple, easy, and elegant

You move the left stick around until it turns blue and then press “A” to confirm, do that three times and you’re in business.

We take the elevator up and get out of this truly terrible room.

Running back to the safe room we can take a breath and compile our thoughts to call this an episode!

Is Dead Space 2 Amazing?

Hunter Armada Giving Final Gameplay Thoughts on Dead Space 2 — Dead Space 2 is the best in the series and It was so much fun to replay

Dead Space 2 is a look at survival horror done right; it is atmospheric and truly creepy.

It holds up all these years later and I remember when I originally played it I had to unlock everything and play through it every which way.

I did the no death run, I unlocked all the gear, and it is awesome to remember that and relive the horror.

The Xbox Series X is the best way to play this classic game and it looks and feels like it could come out today with no issues.

Horror games should look to Dead Space 2 as an example of doing survival horror right.