EA Reveals Details of Dead Space 2

By Dena Cassella Published December 7, 2009

Video game publisher Electronic Arts will be busting out a sequel to the 2008 action-packed game Dead Space for PC, PlayStation and Xbox 360. The sequel, Dead Space 2, will once again feature engineer Isaac Clarke battling the mysterious Necromorphs. Steve Papoutsis, Executive Producer of Dead Space 2, also promises future Dead Space 2 gamers there will be several plot twists, fantastically horrifying monsters and a whole lot of surprises in this follow-up game. And developers at Visceral Games say they will introduce some new tools for destroying and dismembering enemies. Always nice to hear.

“We’re thrilled to jump back into the series, making the next chapter in Isaac’s journey,” says Papoutsis in a statement. “The infection continues to spread throughout space and our hero Isaac Clarke is the only person able to contain it. There are still loads of necromorphs that need killing!”

In 2009, EA launched Dead Space Extraction, a prequel to the original Dead Space that expanded the fiction and brought the franchise to a new audience base. Dead Space 2 is being developed for the PlayStation3, the Xbox 360 and on PC. The game has not yet been rated and no official release date has been disclosed.

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Gaming

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 reminds me of Exoprimal — in the best ways

Key art for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 featuring Titus holding a sword and ready for battle in blue armor.

I grew up slightly after the heyday of demo discs, but the one game I most closely associate with it was Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. The third-person shooter was the main game featured on an Official Xbox Magazine demo disc, and I remember having tons of fun playing its short demo again and again, mowing down tons of Orks with my guns and Chainsword in the process. There was something simple and satisfying about its demo that I couldn’t get enough of at 12 years old. While I never actually played the whole game, it’s a somewhat formative gaming experience I’ve remembered for over a decade.

Those positive feelings all resurfaced when I played an hour-long demo of Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment's Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 ahead of its appearance at Gamescom, which captured the same frenetic energy I loved about that demo. More surprising, though, is how much it's reminding me of the much more recent Exoprimal from Capcom. It’s dumb fun, and I mean that in the best possible way.
Power trip
My preview began with Ultramarine Lieutenant Titus, who players will recognize from the first game, and new characters Chairon and Gadriel landing on the Planet of Kadaku. Their goal is to help turn the tide of a nasty intergalactic fight and take back an orbital canon facility. This level of Space Marine 2 swaps out the original’s Orks for Tyranids, which are more bug-like enemies; regardless, they’re just as quickly torn apart by a shred of bullets or a chainsaw sword.

Gaming

Steam launches new trial service featuring a free 90-minute Dead Space demo

Isaac Clarke aims at a necromorph in Dead Space.

Steam is rolling out a new feature that allows developers and publishers to offer limited-time free trials for their games. The first title to have one is EA Motive's Dead Space remake.

Motive released its remake of Dead Space in January to critical acclaim. Now, almost four months after launch, EA announced it is running a 20% off sale for Dead Space on Steam and is offering a free trial through May 29. Over the next two weeks, anyone with a Steam account can try out Dead Space for an hour and a half for free. Players do have to download the full game before starting the free trial and can then choose to purchase the full game once their 90 minutes are up.

Gaming

The best weapon mods and perks in Dead Island 2

Dead Island 2 zombie

Ever since Dead Rising came onto the scene, it is almost mandatory for zombie games to include some kind of weapon-crafting system. The first Dead Island had it, and now Dead Island 2 does as well. This system lets you turn any ordinary bat or blade into an electrified powerhouse, flaming flurry, and much more. Aside from needing the materials to actually construct these mods on your weapon of choice, you also need to find their respective blueprint in order to craft it. Considering there are more 30 mods -- and even more perks -- in Dead Island 2, we don't expect you to go find them all and figure out which ones are best. You've got too many zombies to kill for that, so we've done the homework and listed all the best weapon mods and perks in Dead Island 2, plus where you can get them if you haven't found them yet.
Best weapon mods

Superior Melee Liquidator Mod
Any mod that applies the Liquidator effect to your weapon means it will start inflicting Caustic damage. While every element is useful, Caustic in particular is the top choice because there are very few zombies that are immune to this damage type. Because status effects build up based on continuous hits, this mod works best when attached to a weapon with a high rate of attack like a dagger or brass knuckles.