I started playing Dead Space 2 at 9:00 PM with the lights off, and the surround sound turned way up. By the time I was finished, the lights were back on - and not because of its scary moments, but because I had become so enthralled in the game that I had played all the way through until morning. It's not hard to do, as Dead Space 2 has quickly and easily become one of, if not the best survival horror games in recent memory.

Taking place in 2511, a mere three years after the events of the original Dead Space, the sequel finds protagonist Isaac Clarke once again dealing with the threat of the necromorphs, but this time on the densely populated space station, the Sprawl, located on Saturn's Titan moon. The new setting works well for the game, as now you've got a lot more to deal with. Whereas in the first game you only had to worry about the small crew becoming infected, here the threat is much larger, as the Sprawl is literally a bustling Mecca of life, complete with shopping districts, schools and yes, even nurseries. It also lends itself to a bit of phenomenal level design.

As you explore the Sprawl, literally every one of your senses (well, maybe not taste you weirdo) is assaulted with pitch perfect synchronicity that creates one hell of a horror experience. You see an empty room, and you approach it cautiously, as you enter you begin to hear screams in the distance, and an odd scratching sound above you. BAM! Out of nowhere, a hideous, chum spewing necromorph comes out of the wall and tries to devour you. This is an average occurrence in Dead Space 2, and it feels surprisingly fresh each time. The team at EA and Visceral Games did a great job crafting a horrifying experience that never seems to get old.

"...no longer the quiet, frightened scientist from the original..."

A major part of Dead Space 2's fresh appeal comes from its protagonist Isaac Clarke. Much has changed in Clarke, as he's no longer the quiet, frightened scientist from the original, but he's also not your average action hero. Those who played through the original Dead Space (if you haven't finished the first game, be warned, there's a minor spoiler ahead) will remember that Isaac has also been infected with the virus that took out many of the characters from the original game. He hallucinates, has fits of rage, and in truth makes him a much more interesting flawed character. In essence, doing this takes control and security away from the player. Now, not only are you second guessing the world around you, but the actions of your own character as well.

Many of Dead Space 2's best moments come in the form of suspenseful events that turn into huge action scenes that require you to take down either a multitude of enemies or huge bosses that make scale whores like myself drool. As awesome as some of these fights are, they're also some of the worst examples of the game's cheap nature. As mentioned above, the boss fights are huge, and you're going to have to devote a lot of attention to them if you want to be successful, but more often than not you're going to have to deal with a slew of bad guys who seemingly pop up out of nowhere and take cheap shots at you. As a result you're going to have to keep switching around and fighting off an unfriendly amount of enemies. Look, the game is tough enough as it is, why the cheap tactics?

"...although it's disappointingly uninspired, it's also incredibly fun."

Dead Space 2 also introduces multiplayer to the franchise, and although it's disappointingly uninspired, it's also incredibly fun. In a fashion similar to that of Left 4 Dead and the upcoming Beast Mode in Gears of War 3, one team plays as the humans while the other as the enemies, in this case, the necromorphs. While I had more fun playing as the necromorphs for obvious reasons (come on, you get to munch on guys heads), both were surprisingly fun and offered a ton of rewarding gameplay value thanks to a leveling up system that goes slower than most. While it may not sit right with some gamers, it's sure to keep gamers coming back.

Dead Space 2 is to its predecessor what The Empire Strikes Back was to Star Wars. Not only does it do everything the original does better; it's a pitch-perfect step forward for the survival horror genre. Yes, you're going to jump out of your seat, but you're also going to have a blast ripping apart necromorphs. And what's best, there's a rather interesting tease for a possible third game.