Dead Space 2, the story so far

By Ryan Fleming December 22, 2010

The world of the Dead Space franchise continues to grow and expand. Beyond just the games, there are comics and a pair of animated movies that help to expand the mythology of the world that engineer Isaac Clarke finds himself trapped in. The history of the universe that Dead Space exists in is big, and it continues to grow.

In preparation for the upcoming sequel, EA and Visceral have released a trailer that explains the history that led up to Dead Space 2, including the events of the first game. If you have not played the first game, but are planning to before the release of Dead Space 2, then be warned- thar be spoilers here.

Look for Dead Space 2 on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on January 25.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

Gaming

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 ending, explained: What happens to Senua?

Senua stares ahead wearing war paint.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 was released on PC and Xbox Series X/S last week and stood out as a captivating narrative-driven adventure starring a character with psychosis. It’s a tale about Senua getting revenge on the slavers who destroyed her village and killed her partner, Dillion, prior to the events of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. After a shipwreck, though, she’s swept up on a quest to defeat the giants plaguing Midgard while continuing to learn how to live with her condition.

Because of how Hellblade 2 aims to portray Senua’s psychosis realistically, the game is intentionally a bit disorienting to play. You might have come away a bit confused by what exactly happened over the course of this seven-hour adventure. That’s why we're laying out what exactly happened over the course of Hellblade 2 and how the game literally and thematically wraps up.
How does Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 begin
Hellblade 2 starts an undisclosed amount of time after Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. After defeating Hela, accepting the death of Dillion, and conquering the inner darkness represented by her father, Senua decides to take the fight back to Midgard and the raiders who destroyed Dillion’s village and sacrificed him. She got herself caught as a slave, The Northman-style, but at the start of the game, a fierce storm causes a shipwreck. Emerging from that, Senua slowly climbs and fights her way out of a rocky beach.

Gaming

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 shows the limits of photorealistic graphics

Senua stares ahead wearing war paint.

Out of all the photorealistic visuals in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, there’s one that genuinely left my jaw hanging. It’s a simple shot. Deep in the sequel’s back half, I find myself trotting up a hill toward an enormous tornado. While I’d seen plenty of detailed images throughout my adventure, those few seconds made me feel like I was watching real footage, not an intricate animation. I watched in awe as a fierce storm whirred, debris flying in the distance as Senua’s rough skin was dimly illuminated by the cloudy skies above.

Minutes later, my eyes were glazing over again as I ran through yet another rocky landscape.

Gaming

Hellblade 2 struggles to balance a serious message and video game tropes

Senua stares at a burning tree in Hellblade 2.

For the first two hours of Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, I was fully transported into Senua's headspace. Every aspect of the sequel's design was working in concert to pull me into her mind and never let me go. And then I found my first collectible.

I missed out on the first Hellblade, but was familiar enough to know what the general consensus was regarding its strengths and weaknesses. I knew it was a narrative-driven game about a very serious mental health condition. What I never heard about, and thus didn't know to expect until I came across it, was something as "gamey" as collectibles. In most games, collectibles can be a way to reward exploration, add lore to the world, or simply be an added objective for those who want to do and see it all. In the case of Hellblade 2, however, it's one small piece of a larger issue: The series' video game instincts betraying the serious tone and subject matter that the rest of the subversive experience is so committed to.
Wall hugging
At first, Hellblade 2 gripped me like few games have. You already know just how impressive this game is from a visual standpoint from trailers and screenshots, but it's the 3D audio that pushes it into a league of its own. That first scene of Senua nearly drowning in the ocean while competing voices attempt to encourage and demoralize her instantly established an empathetic link between us. The tight perspective of the camera, the framing of Senua and her detailed facial animations, and the lack of a head-up display (HUD) all made sure that link remained unbroken.