Good thing I’m wearing my Iron Boots, otherwise I would be blown away by this shocking announcement.

Ahem. Sorry, that was my sardonic side. He likes to rear his nasty little head every so often, which makes me look like an absolute prick in the process. I thought about having him removed from my being, but got cold feet after the witch doctor pulled out a skinless alligator and started flogging it to Lil’ Kim’s Magic Stick. I decided it would be far better to keep him around. Plus, the bitter bastard does toss out some pretty sweet Zelda references, and you just can’t put a price on that.

Ahem. I apologize, yet again. I added too much Raisin Bran to my sugar this morning.

Get Electronic Art’s official position on Dead Space 2, after the jump.

It’s legit. That’s the company line.

“We’re thrilled to jump back into the series, making the next chapter in Isaac’s journey,” said executive producer Steve Papoutsis. “The infection continues to spread throughout space and our hero Isaac Clarke is the only person able to contain it.”

Isaac refers to Isaac Clarke, the protagonist from the original Dead Space. Here’s what the redesigned Clarke will look like in Dead Space 2, courtesy of Game Informer.

Last we left Isaac, his survival seemed to be somewhat in doubt. Was his familiar assailant a figment of his imagination, or was he able to fight her off? No matter the answer, it will be good to see him back in action, armed with his trusty Plasma Cutter, as well as some new armaments.

This time though, it sounds like Isaac will actively hunt Necromorphs, or at least search for an answer to the burgeoning infection.

“Survival isn’t the only thing on Isaac’s mind in Dead Space 2 – this time, he calls the shots,” reads the press release.

Perhaps I’m jumping the gun, but that statement worries me a bit. To me, it indicates that Visceral Games wants to turn its resourceful engineer into some lauded superhero, or worse, a hotshot space cowboy. Ugh. I just got a little sick.

In Dead Space, Isaac wasn’t a brutish, muscle-bound freak with a lust for destruction. He was the antithesis of that stereotypical industry archetype, and that’s what made him so appealing. He was a normal guy who used the tools of his trade to escape a dire situation. The character felt genuine, instead of coming across as a ridiculous caricature of a human being. I am certainly interested to see where Visceral takes the character, but hope the studio doesn’t deviate from the personage that developed aboard the USG Ishimura.

As for the gameplay, it doesn’t look like Visceral will deviate much from the established formula, with dismemberment and Zero-G environments still essential to the experience.

Dead Space 2 is currently being developed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, with no specific release date announced. I am sure EA will be happy to let us know, once the inevitable promotional blitz begins. Bring it on. I’m ready for some Necromorph-flavored media.

Source: Electronic Arts

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