Dead Space 2 Tidbits + My mini-review

I just LOL'd at the title of this post! How appropriate that tidbits and Dead Space 2 be used in the same sentence? Ok so I have two posts today. This one just for EA's hit title. First up is my mini-review of the game's single player component. Click here for Destructoid's review including multi-player. 

GZ Review of Dead Space 2
by Beegzz

As some of you may already know, Dead Space 2 is the sequel to the beloved original that launched back in Oct 2008. It was well received by critics and gamers, however the latter group did not jump on the bandwagon of sales that was much deserved. Dead Space 2 has every bit of the original's mojo and the game's troubled hero Issac Clarke is very much in the center of it all. (Minor spoilers ahead) The necromorphs are back and badder than ever and dismembering them is the fastest way to dispatch them. The game even starts with one breathing down your neck, literally, in one of the best beginning cut-scenes in a survival horror game I have seen. You see Issac is a going a bit mad and wakes up in a straight jacket and necromorphs are wreaking havoc around him. When you finally get to the first store where you can buy your engineering suit its an epic moment as Issac dons the famous duds once again. Eventually you learn that this part of the saga is taking place on a space station called The Sprawl. This game world is filled with memorable new levels and challenges for you to make your way through. The whole campaign is a fantastic 10+ hour journey with Issac fighting his inner demons while trying to figure what he must do to save the day. Gameplay is largely the same as in the first title but improvements have been made all-around. Perhaps the best one is the ability to move around freely in the zero gravity portions of the game by utilizing the thrusters on Issac's suit. There are new weapons and suits for Issac this time around. The reliable plasma cutter, line gun, and pulse rifle all make a return as do others. The new weapons are extremely pleasing with the Javelin Gun being an early favorite and they can all be upgraded. Issac gets to try on cool new suits and some of them provide bonuses like armor, stasis regeneration, and more weapon damage. The floating menu/inventory screen is still one of the slickest interfaces I have seen yet. Dead Space 2 amps up the scare factor with ominous music and clever lighting and level design. You WILL whip around and check your six when you hear a noise. With a great story, the uber-disgusting necromorphs chasing you and popping out of the ceilings and, not to mention all the heat-thumping thrilling moments, you will be party to one of the most epic single-player experiences around. Plus your mom will hate it!

9 out of 10 - Game Zombie Editors Choice

Yup that picture above is of a life-size replica of the plasma cutter. Got money to blow? Go for it!

If you beat Dead Space 2 you will unlock Hardcore mode that only allows you 3 game saves for the entire campaign but if you invest the time you will get one of the coolest unlocks this side of the galaxy. Peep the video below to watch Issac's new toy go 'BANG BANG, PEW PEW PEW'



Dead Space movie? I vote yes. Rumors start here.

This is how you will die in Dead Space 2

It the thought that goes into the death animations that I appreciate the most. What a fun part of the development process! Ahhh yes...its the little things.

Now Playing: Dead Space 2

Dead Space 2 is every bit as entertaining as I hoped it would be. I am roughly 5 hours in and already I am looking forward to my next play through with my upgraded weapons and suit. Fighting these frightening monstrosities never gets old. I already have a handful of water cooler stories to tell you. I only wish I could show you instead of typing it out here in a post. I very much need a video capture device! My review of Dead Space 2 is forthcoming once I finish the campaign and give multi-player a whirl. Stay tuned!

-beegzz

Homefront Multi-player Previews and Opinion

Remember last week I mentioned in my post that some new Homefront previews and such were coming? Well today I re-post it to you my loyal readers and give you my take on it. I also want to touch on the whole opinion piece of Homefront stemming from its story line and in-game world.

First thing is first. Two, count 'em, two videos showing off Homefront's multi-player gameplay and new features. My thoughts after the jump.

Ok so what did you think of the two videos? At first glance you might think this was a video of CoD or BF2. I must admit that I was thinking the same thing. Then the guy starts showing off all of this cool stuff like enemy players getting bounties placed on their head and the cool class/loadout screen which can be customized in the middle of a match. The two features introduced in the video are the Battle Commander system, which gives you missions on the fly (marking enemies) based on how the match is going, and the Battle Points system that is just flat out awesome. While the developers haven't re-invented the wheel here it seems, at least on the surface, that they have successfully combined all the aspects of what made other games great and added their own flair to it which looks to be adding up to ALOT of fun. After a few minutes of footage I saw what makes Homefront different and all-together awesome. I will post my full impressions once I have a copy in my hands. These devs have some huge competition that this game will be released in the shadow of, but the gaming landscape is ripe for a show stealer. This could be it people. Stay tuned and pick up your copy come March 8th. 

Now for the opinion piece of the post. First I want to reference IGN's coverage from 1/21 as my inspiration to post these next few lines. After reading the IGN piece, the comments, and some other articles from last week I have to say that the controversy is building in the media over Homefront's premise and chosen background for the story. The authors of the articles and a lot of readers are "concerned" about the game's message. They are worried that the message will be "America is awesome" or that it will fan the fires of American patriotism. There is also the North Korea card getting played that some take offense to, and not to mention the supposed 'improbability' of America being invaded. 

Opinion? 

I think they are all stupid. Who are they kidding? Worrying about a game's message of patriotism? Really? What kind of audience do you think you are catering too? The men and women playing this game are not going to all of a sudden start going bat-shit insane toting American flags on their body and treat foreigners with extreme prejudice because of the events in Homefront. Games are forms of art in my mind. Much like a movie or book. All forms of art are at their greatest when they make people begin to question the things they represent. Good or bad, happy or sad. Take it or leave it, admire it or hate it. That's art.

That being said....Homefront's singleplayer mode is meant to draw the emotions out of you. What would you do in that situation? You think it is improbable or unlikely that America would be invaded, which gives you an air of ignorance, yet you think it is OK to portray a poorer country in this light? Get over yourself. 

OK I said my piece. I expect that once the mainstream media gets a hold of this, and they will, the controversy will just get bigger. Which should translate to more sales and more n00bs to blast online! Comments welcome!

Game News & Media Morsels

So Black Ops on Xbox360 is currently where I spend my gaming time. It won't hold my attention for too much longer though. Why? Well that's easy. On March 8, 2011 THQ will release the new FPS game Homefront for 360/PS3/PC. I will be getting a copy for my 360. This game isn't in the limelight as much as a CoD game would be or even Battlefield for that matter, but it caught my attention mainly for the reasons outlined in the video below. I think the single-player campaign is going to be great. I will be posting my thoughts on this Friday's coverage by IGN on the multi-player in Homefront. Here is the vid.



Ok so for all of you CoD junkies out there who are counting down to the first map pack release on Feb 1st (360 only) here is Treyarch's sneak peak of what to expect on the multi-player maps.



Zip lines! Yikes! Should be loads of fun for all. Speaking of fun have you seen the commercial dubbed "Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2" yet? No? Well feast your eyes on the vid below. GREAT marketing gimmick. Give EA kudos on that idea.



I love the gore and the scares. Bring it. Alright so on to the next tasty morsel. Last summer a video teaser of a gritty remake of the movie Mortal Kombat was released on YouTube. It starred movie actor Michael Jai-White of Spawn, Dark Knight, and Sucker Punch fame playing Jax as a detective. Some of you may have seen this already, but I just watched it for the first time ever and I was highly entertained by it. I can't wait for the webisodes. Any MK fan old & new should watch this. Comment below.



All of us want better control right? Those guys on the MLG circuit make it look so easy. I am constantly running into uber-CoD players when casually gaming at night. Maybe if I had one of these I could at least stay alive longer right? Maybe? One point for dialing in your resistance on the analog sticks, two points taken away for not being wireless. Click the pic. The jury is out on this one.

Ok so in the lighter side of the news, I wanted to share this fan-friggin-tastic video of a Nintendo inspired Scion xB complete with game console and a projector built into the headlight. I want one.



Lastly, this dope decided it would be cool to tunnel into a game stop after hours and make off with some loot. He was wrong....it is hilarious! I laughed out loud! See ya next time!