Last year we were given a rather spectacular survival horror title that had all the scares, gore, and strategic dismemberment gamers could handle.  That little gem was Dead Space, and after its critical and commercial success we are guaranteed to see a follow-up.  As an avid gamer I look forward to returning to the dark and gruesome Dead Space universe, as a survival horror fan I look forward to seeing what the game does to innovate the genre, as a game critic I look forward to being able to take it apart, examining and critiquing each bloody piece, and as an aspiring Game Designer I look forward to all of the above.  But because no game is perfect, and since Visceral Games has a lot to live up to here are a few things I would like to see in the next one.  So read on dear reader, for what I want changed, added, and what I think needs to stay the same in Dead Space 2 (or whatever it ends up being called).

The similarities between Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 are obvious; the most noticeable feature the game’s share would be the third person over-the-shoulder perspective RE4 made popular.  However, I think DS2 should take a few more pages out of Capcom’s book.  In Resident Evil you can combine herbs to make them more potent, and you can also combine treasures to make them more valuable.  I think both of these features would translate well in the Dead Space sequel.  For example, you can combine the three sizes of the health items (small, medium, and large); Small + Small = Medium, Medium + Small = Large, etc.   The ability to combine treasures (called Semiconductors) would add another level of strategy to the game (do you want to sell the item now or wait until you find the other half so you can get extra money?), and you could even make a minigame out of it (like the hacking in BioShock).  Maybe the lead characer is tech savvy so he can use his skills to mess with the conductors in a short minigame?  Maybe if the player fails the minigame, the semiconductor’s value drops, but if they succeed the value doubles?  I think this could be a great addition to the game and this feature could be added to the already existing Work Benches scattered throughout the game.

Give me a reason to care.  Isaac Clarke, Dead Space’s protagonist, went through Hell before being stabbed in the back at the end of the game (belated spoiler).  The only problem is, I never cared.  I never felt sympathetic, and the fact that I would never shed a tear for the guy I just spent twelve hours controlling is kinda sad.  I think this problem comes in two parts: the first part of this problem is that I only saw his face once.  By the end of the game I had completely forgotten what Isaac looked like?  Did he have a mustache?  What color was his hair?  If I was given a quiz with those questions on it I have no doubt I would fail.  Miserably.  The other part of this problem is that he never talks.  This worked for Gordon Freeman because of the way other characters in the game interacted with him, but Isaac only interacts with two characters, an imaginary specter of his dead girlfriend (another belated spoiler), and an ton of aliens.  Hopefully, Visceral Games will give us more of a reason to care about the lead in Dead Space 2.

My next set of additions and revisions are all about the character you control.  Obviously, the lead needs to be easy to control, if he feels like a tank you’ve done something wrong.  Dead Space didn’t have this problem, though some vary basic skills were missing like the ability to dodge and the absence of a 180 degree quick turnaround.  I would love to have the ability to take a quick step in any direction when something I thought was dead just leapt to life in front of me, and I would also appreciate the ability to turn around quickly (turning Isaac could be a chore, especially in the more intense situations).  The melee combat (including the stomping) could also use some help.  Sometimes I would have to stomp a box three times before Isaac’s foot actually connected to the box.  A cool new addition to the combat could be the addition of an execution kill (kind of like when you can punt the baby alien things that latch on to you).  The developers had plenty of great and gruesome death scenes for Isaac, but I would’ve loved to be able to really pound the crap out of an alien that really pissed me off.  Oh, and please let me block in DS2, the Necromorphs can block so why can’t I?

For Dead Space, the developers focused on the single player campaign, making sure it was long and memorable, but in Dead Space 2 I expect some sort of online functionality.  BioShock is doing it, Condemned 2 did it (somewhat successfully), and Resident Evil 5 did it (albeit less successfully), so I know Dead Space can pull it off.  In fact, I already have some ideas for what type of multiplayer modes DS2 could include.  The first is a rip-off of Gears of War 2’s Horde mode (or Left 4 Dead’s Survival Mode) where several miners (controlled by up to 4 players) try and survive against an endless onslaught of enemies.  Another interesting concept is again, from Left 4 Dead (what can I say, that game is spectacular) where 4 humans, playing as miners, fight against 4 other humans who play as the Necromorphs.  With some twists to already existing enemies (you have the Pregnant, which is similar to the Boomer, and that Tank-like Necromorph which is very similar to L4D’s Tank), this could work.  Obviously, something else would need to be added to keep this from becoming a Left 4 Dead clone, perhaps the Miners need to mine as much of the asteroid while they’re defending against the Necromorphs?  Something along those lines could make this more than just a spin-off.

Let’s talk about blood.  Blood, gore, and strategic dismemberment (a term I will never tire of using).  The animated film Dead Space: Downfall had very little that made it interesting, but it did have one shining moment: when the Energy Saw made its debut.  This weapon better make it to the sequel, because I would love to shred some Necromorphs up close and personal (this weapon could even be used for the execution moves I discussed earlier).  Also, I would like to see someone transformed in front of my eyes.  In Dead Space we got a taste of what it’s like to be turned into a Necromorph in the form of audio/video files and seeing corpses transform.  That’s not enough.  I want to see a living, breathing person (preferably someone I’ve become connected with through the course of the game) transform in front of me.  And please, leave nothing out.  I want screams, cracking bones, and squishy body parts.  Yes, I am in sire need of a serious psychiatric evaluation, but this is what I would like to see.  Seeing that would strengthen my uneasiness the player feels towards the Necromorph, now that they know what it’s like to become them.  Plus, if it’s done right, it could be scary as hell.

On the weapons front, I would like to see more variety.  The mining weapons were all excellent, but the military arsenal could be expanded (since all we had was the Pulse Rifle).  A Pulse Pistol?  Pulse Rocket Launcher?  Those could be fun.  Of the existing weapons, the flamethrower is the only weapons I want changed.  Look at the flamethrower in Gears of War 2, which is fun and satisfying to use.   Since Dead Space is a game that’s meant to be played more than once (what else is there to do?) I would’ve liked to be able to equip any of the armors I’ve purchased throughout the game.  Once I beat the game maybe I want to re-equip the level 3 armor?  Maybe I don’t like the way the level 5 armor accentuates my character’s large behind?  Give me the chance to switch between the armors, and I’ll be happy.

Side quests.  In Dead Space you have a singular goal, and everything you do takes you one step closer to accomplishing that goal.  There is very little to do other then your main mission, and while I’m not saying that I want a sandbox style game I’d like to have some side quests that aren’t required to complete the game.  There were some entertaining distractions like the Shooting Gallery, and Zero G Basketball.  I’d like to see more of these.  These sports could be added to the multiplayer too, wouldn’t it be fun to play some Zero G Basketball online with other players? Add some leaderboards and Dead Space 2 could be infinitely more replayable.

Some things I want to stay the same?  Because I loved Dead Space there’s a lot I want to see in its sequel, but I’ll separate into three parts: the music, the gore, and the interface.  The music and sound effects in Dead Space are rather spectacular, rarely are sounds used so brilliantly to mirror the scariest moments in a game.  Many a time I found myself happily stomping a slain enemy before getting surprised from behind (stop giggling).  When the creature in front of me showed its ugly face the crescendo moment in the music covered the sounds of the second Necromorph sneaking up behind me.  The second element I want to see again is the gore.  Dead Space was and still is one of the goriesty, most brutal titles I’ve ever played.  The strategic dismemberment, Necromorphs, and decaying environments were all gruesome.  The third element DS2 better have is the original’s interface.  I loved not having a Head-Up Display (HUD), the video/audio files were unobtrusive, and the inventory and map were clever and extremely cool.

So please, Visceral Games, I’ve given you some ideas because I care.  I care as a gamer, a game critic, and as a horror fanatic.  I love Dead Space, and I think its sequel could blow the genre out of the water.  I have a feeling we’ll see some minor improvements and new features/enemies in the upcoming Wii title, Dead Space: Extraction, the true sequel is what really matters (at least to me).  So do you agree with my ideas, or more importantly, do you have some of your own ideas you’d like to see added or changed in Dead Space 2?  Let me know.

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