Dead Space 2

RIP Visceral Games.
You will be missed.

The Plasma Cutter is the best weapon and you can't change my damn mind.

*Ignore my hours, I owned this game on the 360*
In short, this game itself is a great, instant classic that is thoroughly enjoyable throughout and easily the strongest of the trilogy. However, there are some minor issues with this PC release.
Gameplay-wise, this is a great title. Every mechanic from the original is present, but it feels like each of them has been polished and reworked to create a more smooth experience for the player. The controls have been reworked to be much closer to a standard shooter. The stomping, punching, reloading, stasis and kinesis animations that were somewhat janky in the original feel much better now.
On top of this rework, many new weapons and gameplay elements have been added to give the player a more varied and interesting arsenal to work with. There are great new additions like shooting a window to flush all of the enemies around you into the vacuum of space like a badass, a new hacking minigame which is simple but can put pressure on you when necromorphs are near, and completely reworked zero gravity manuevering.
With all this, Dead Space 2 captures the rewarding, unique gameplay of the original while expanding upon it with even more variety and bad-assery than the original offered. It really stands out as the pinnacle of the Dead Space trilogy.
However, as great as the game itself is, the PC port of this title has some issues. Firstly, the puzzling DLC released by EA which unlocks all weapons and suits from the start of the game has been integrated into this port. This severely inhibits the grind and resource management aspect of the game and shatters immersion. Thankfully, you may still ignore these items in the shop and scavenge for the schematics throughout the game if you want to play the right way, but the DLC's inclusion is still an annoyance.
Additionally, this game was clearly not intended for PCs. Using a mouse and keyboard feels janky and not well-tuned like it did on the original 360 release. I'd strongly recommend getting a 360 controller adapter and using a controller to get a proper, smooth gameplay experience.
Overall, I'd highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoyed the original or the third-person shooter / survival horror genres in general. You will not be disappointed.

Very BRUTAL game in every aspect, it's not for everyone.
I have to admit, I haven't use the headphones when i started to play. On half playthrough i decided to take them. I'm coward i know...
6.5/10, but 10/10 compared to the other games that type.

I remember telling my college professor I wanted to study xenoarchaeology. He laughed right in my face. There’s nothing to study, he said. It’s all dead space. - Dr. Earl Serrano
Once again, you find yourself playing Isaac Clarke, the rugged and well-meaning engineer(rawr) who is unlucky in the relationship department(which will make more sense in Dead Space 3).
Apparently, since saving the world, EarthGov has decided to slap you in a handy-dandy 'I love myself' jacket and keep you well fed with memory erasing happy pills. Reality remains fragmented as you find yourself blasting a path through countless necromorphs in order to follow the pretty little breadcrumbs that lead you to victory. Or the marker. Why not both!?
You will make friends... and enemies. Who do you trust? That's up to you. Just make sure you keep a nice warm gun at your side and everything will be just fine. Saddle up, cowboys. Humanity needs saving. Again. <3

I differ from many people who believe that the Dead Space series started as Survival Horror and went on to become — and perhaps devolve into a much more action focused game. I believe it was always an action game first — with horror elements on top.
Overlooked for being derivative.
Back when Dead Space was released, it wasn't that long ago that RE4 and Gears of War were introduced to the world. These horror/action games, where this over-the-right-shoulder camera was very newly being introduced. Not to mention they were horror games, lots of blood and guts and slightly monochromatic. It was easy to write off looking at screenshots.
Mechanically, they're all similar, RE4 being a bit more strident in its restriction of movement. (adding to fear *see below). But, zombie aliens you shoot in the face — same for the Locust, as they're anthropomorphic. However, the notion that in Dead Space, shooting necromoprhs in the face is almost completely ineffectual. You can even cut their heads off and the body will still come after you. The notion that limbs need to be quickly removed for survival, however trivial that difference may seem, completely shifts the paradigm of the sort of weaponry you'd need to acquire and use.
Now, games like Prey (2017) didn't exist at that time. Dead Space had this shift in weaponry and introduced Zero-G sections. You were floating out in space, around an infested space station orbiting a foreign moon. It was unheard of at the time.
The Dead Space series remains a unique entry into the horror/action genre.
Convergence.
Dead Space is centered around a faction of cultists that believe that the alien Marker found on Aegis VII in the first Dead Space will unite the galaxy as one. Issac Clarke plays a unique role regarding these markers. Coincidentally, these cultists believe allowing themselves to become a necromorph will save them.
One thing that Dead Space allows the player to infer is that due to the hallucinations that the Markers cause, (we know Issac sees his dead girlfriend Nicole quite often) it begs the question of what is real or not. Is seeing the world through Issac's eyes allowing him to be a 'reliable narrator'?
Gameplay.
It's a standard third person shooter, really. You'll be able to upgrade weapons as well as your suit. Use stasis and kinesis modules to solve some puzzles or use to impale necromorphs to a wall in low ammo situations. Issac's suit feels really heavy, it has this sort of lumbering weight that he carries with each step. Largely a 'hallway' shooter with a few jump scares. As well as some more open areas with waves of enemies. I may sound dismissive here, but that is what the game is, what makes it stand out is the limb removal mechanic and the overall tone and severity of the situation.
Horror Theory.
Why isn't Dead Space that scary? Aside from tonality or the initial premise, as those things can be subjective (some people just don't find aliens/zombies/ghosts scary but find sharks terrifying for example) — I believe it can be attributed to a few things.
Issac is a formidable combatant. You have too much control over him. Zombie-aliens just aren't that scary when you have a metal suit and numerous devices designed to cut things much harder than flesh in half. (Conversely, too little control also removes fear as well. In Outlast for example, you've no option to fight – ever – so you run or hide. You become a slave to the game removing almost all apprehension about the decisions of your actions. There needs to be a balance, being able to fight, but perhaps the fear of being overwhelmed easily could suffice. Higher difficulties aid in this matter.)
Resource and inventory management/solace in save locations — Not knowing what is ahead and possibly losing progress can be anxiety inducing, but Issac is pretty resilient and has a pretty nifty GPS to boot.
THE GIST:
I've likely played the game about 3 times over now, if you include my days on peasant boxes. And I can say succinctly that it continues to be better than many modern horror games. There are also some animated movies and novels regarding the series as well. “Dead Space: Martyr” is one I can recommend. The story of Michael Altman and the origin of the Black Marker.
If you've read this far, consider following my curation — Station Argus
Why did EA kill Visceral games? Well, money most likely. Will Dead Space ever see the light of a distant star again? TBA.
“Death is only the beginning.”

I will always love these games, and absolutely adore and miss visceral games, you were a gem.