Dead Space 2 vs 1?

M33X7

Limp Gawd
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Nov 20, 2012
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Dead Space 2 is currently on sale on Steam, and though I liked the gore and atmosphere of the first, I hated all the backtracking, the inventory system and the general controls.

I've heard the second iteration is a bit more action-oriented and better than the first... opinions? What's better/worse than the first?

Considering picking it up.

Note: how is the "only three save system" is DS2? Seems a bit harsh.
 
DS2 is definitely worth getting, especially on sale. That being said, they made it more "action-y" rather than a slower-paced horror game that I felt the first one was. DS2 was very good, IMO, one of the few games in quite a while that I almost played straight through on a weekend, didn't want to get up. But the first game is slightly superior, particularly in its atmosphere.
 
its all personal preference.

dead space 1 was significantly scarier then 2. dead space 2 is more like a 3rd person shooter

dead space 1 is a horror 3rd person shooter.


personally i thought DS1 was way better.
 
Thanks for the feedback, guys. I'll finally pick it up, then.

However, question:

But the first game is slightly superior, particularly in its atmosphere.

its all personal preference.

dead space 1 was significantly scarier then 2. dead space 2 is more like a 3rd person shooter

dead space 1 is a horror 3rd person shooter.


personally i thought DS1 was way better.

How large of a difference in atmosphere is there between the DS1/DS2?

The atmosphere was the greatest things of DS1, so I'm hoping it's still there relatively strongly.

Wondering also if it's worth picking up the first one again for PC.
 
The atmosphere is still good. However enemy counts are increased, as is ammo. What I remember most from DS1 is creeping around, often without shooting anything, but if anything it was scarier as the anticipation really got to you. DS2 doesn't have as much as that, but is still a very good game and creepy. Highly recommended.
 
I like them both. I'd agree 1 is more creepy, but 2 has better sound effects. I firedt it up on my htpc with a nice 5.1 setup and really enjoyed it.
 
How large of a difference in atmosphere is there between the DS1/DS2?

The atmosphere was the greatest things of DS1, so I'm hoping it's still there relatively strongly.

Wondering also if it's worth picking up the first one again for PC.

Atmosphere in games is largely generated during the downtime between action sequences where ambient noise and the right music come to the forefront. Dead Space 2 has a lot more enemies to kill, so there is less opportunity for the atmosphere to develop.

It is possibly also less scary due to it being a sequel, so you already know what Necromorphs are, what monster-vent tricks they can get upto, and how to defeat them efficiently.
 
Again, thanks for the feedback!

I understand and agree with the point about atmosphere developing between action, as it's that way with most games in most situations, with very select exceptions (Silent Hill is an example of the atmosphere becoming almost more intense with creepy things in your face).

Still, sounds like a resounding thumbs-up for DS2, so I'll snag it today and give it a shot.

Any tweaks suggested for DS2? Or is the FOV, controls etc already decent?
 
Again, thanks for the feedback!

I understand and agree with the point about atmosphere developing between action, as it's that way with most games in most situations, with very select exceptions (Silent Hill is an example of the atmosphere becoming almost more intense with creepy things in your face).

Still, sounds like a resounding thumbs-up for DS2, so I'll snag it today and give it a shot.

Any tweaks suggested for DS2? Or is the FOV, controls etc already decent?

beware of joysticks hahah

i had one plugged in and installed and dead space 2 flipped out. couldnt get the screen to center. otherwise all was well for me
 
beware of joysticks hahah

i had one plugged in and installed and dead space 2 flipped out. couldnt get the screen to center. otherwise all was well for me

Ha ha, well, I've absolutely not intention of using a game pad. KB/M only, which is why I asked if there are any tweaks needed.
 
Don't remember if 2 had better keyboard remapping than 1. I remember that when changing nodes on a bench, if you remapped "r" you couldn't respec the gun, you would have to remap to default, reset the nodes on the gun, then remap your keys once again. PITA.
 
2 was pretty intense but not as scary as 1. I would get both but get whatever is on sale right now.
 
I loved DS, despite all that awful camera and fov situation. The sequel just felt wrong to me and stopped after 15 minutes or so.
 
I own and finished both. I'd say Dead Space 2 was better. It also had better optimized controls and the keyboard and mouse.
 
Again, thanks to everyone for the feedback. I snagged DS2 and will be getting into it probably tomorrow.

Sounds like the atmosphere is still there, maybe just not quite as tense as the first, and with more action, so I actually like the mix of both.
 
its all personal preference.

dead space 1 was significantly scarier then 2. dead space 2 is more like a 3rd person shooter

dead space 1 is a horror 3rd person shooter.


personally i thought DS1 was way better.

I'm with you on that. Dead Space 2 was good, but it wasn't the same as DS1 because it wasn't new anymore.
 
If you think you would actually complete 2 games I'd pick them both up as they are both great games. If however you know you will only play 1 of them then I'd pick up Dead Space 2 for sure.

Dead Space 2 has better graphics, controls, cinematic moments, and sound. From a technical perspective it's just a more polished experience. Also since DS2 is on a space station the environments are more varied.
 
I'm only about an hour or two into Dead Space 2. To be honest I lost interest pretty quickly with all the recycled enemies and bosses from part one. This one didn't feel very creative.
 
I'm only about an hour or two into Dead Space 2. To be honest I lost interest pretty quickly with all the recycled enemies and bosses from part one. This one didn't feel very creative.

I had some issues getting into the game, too. I ended up enjoying it more than I thought after I stuck with it. It took me about 4 false starts.
 
I liked 1 a bit more; it was longer and had more 'surprises'. Two was very good and overall I could see how some would prefer it (better controls; tighter story) but imho it was also a bit duller than 1.
 
I'm about two hours in, and it's actually damn good. Controls and combat are tight, atmosphere is actually very strong and tense, visuals are excellent, solid story and acting so far... definitely glad I picked it up, so thanks to those who recommended it!
 
The scarcity of resources and relatively weaker melee, I think, made DS1 that much more engaging and terrifying when you were in a pinch.
 
If you haven't finished DS2, I would highly recommend it. The ending is great, IMO.

Well, I'm sure I'll get there soon enough, as the game has totally drawn me in... seriously good shit.

The scarcity of resources and relatively weaker melee, I think, made DS1 that much more engaging and terrifying when you were in a pinch.

Yeah, I remember the first has nowhere near as much ammo, but I'm finding it a good balance, actually. It still takes a few shots to dismember something completely in order to kill it, and I'm not running across so much ammo that I've not run out, which I have, and had to quickly smash bodies etc in the middle of a fight to grab more.

So far, I wouldn't say it's "too much", as when you're running around with only 24 rounds in the cutter, for example, but it takes at least three or four shots (if you miss once) to kill the three or four enemies in front of you, while you do get ammo back from smashing bodies, in the middle of a fight, it's still tense as it's possible to run out.

I remember the first one, and I'd say that even though there's more action in DS2, the the ammo vs creature killing ratio is about even, there's just more of both. Though you can stock up on ammo at the store, but I'm not sure how much you can really buy yet.
 
I enjoyed the first one better.

To me, the second one was too much of what made the first one great.
 
I enjoyed the first one better.

To me, the second one was too much of what made the first one great.

It's "too much" of what made the first one great?

I never see "too much" of a great thing as being "too much", personally. ;)
 
both games are good

DS 1 I feel is more scarier but a lot of it has to do with once you've seen it, it's no longer a surprise
 
Both DS1 and DS2 are wonderful games. Fully worth it's price. Highly recommend you.
 
Nice to see DS2 is better than 1. I still have one or two levels left on DS1 and I've been playing it for months now here and there. I hate all the back tracking you have to do.
 
I cant really pick a favorite but if I did Id have to go with 2. 1 had the superb atmosphere and very creepy game play. Loved playing it and have a couple hundred hours logged in on it. 2 was a little different and was a little more role playing than horror action. There was still plenty of action and monsters and shit but you had a lot more interaction with other characters and Isaac actually gets to talk now. There is a lot more story going on with 2. The controls are a lot smoother in 2 as well and the combat is more fluid and a lot better.

So yeah if I could only play just one it would be 2 but youre really doing yourself a disservice if you dont play 1. It really is an outstanding game.
 
The flashbacks inside the Ishimura in DS2 had me going. I was always a sucker for revisiting previous locations in games and I was expecting something to pop out at any moment (and so was Isaac!)

I wish DS1 would have had better mouse support - the acceleration was terrible. Or was there ever a fix released? Regardless, they both are great games.

I think I ended up doing full Cutter upgrades for both games - a bit repetitive but effective.
 
I got used to the mouse after a while. I turned the sensitivity in-game up quite a bit and was able to control it better as the acceleration wasnt as apparent and easier to manage.

I do wish they had better weapons though. The pulse rifle and plasma cutter are really the only ones to have. The others arent that great or that much fun to play with. Granted the plasma cutter is the most satisfying weapon Ive ever played in a game aside from possibly Doom's shotgun but I hope that DS3 has a bunch of all new weapons to play with.
 
I got used to the mouse after a while. I turned the sensitivity in-game up quite a bit and was able to control it better as the acceleration wasnt as apparent and easier to manage.

I do wish they had better weapons though. The pulse rifle and plasma cutter are really the only ones to have. The others arent that great or that much fun to play with. Granted the plasma cutter is the most satisfying weapon Ive ever played in a game aside from possibly Doom's shotgun but I hope that DS3 has a bunch of all new weapons to play with.

I love the reaper.
 
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