It pains me to say this, but I like it less than the first one. I think the shift and greater focus on action elements make this game worse than the first.

Yes, controlling Isaac is more enjoyable overall than the first game, and the game has good narrative construction (Isaac is such a sick fuck in this game, I love it), but I think the focus on action ultimately makes this game a less special and memorable final product than the first game. I also don't like the supporting characters in general; I think they take away some of the feeling of isolation from the first game.

The first game handled moments of horror so well, and maybe because Isaac is harder to control, the tension was much higher overall in the first game compared to this one.

When these games take on this idea of being more action-oriented, they often repeat various "generic" gauntlet scenarios like other games of this type. In the first game, the experience felt more unique to me, while in the second game, these moments always ended up reminding me of a gauntlet in one game or another. This makes the game feel a bit dragged out. I even thought that in the last third would be more horror oriented because of the place Isaac was going to explore, but the game practically doubled down on combat and action, unfortunately.

And this loss of identity compared to the first one is my biggest criticism of Dead Space 2. That said, it's still a good sequel; the game still executes the UI brilliantly like the first one, the weapons are enjoyable to use, and the game as a whole is still worthy of some playthroughs. And of course, pukers and stalkers will always be the bane of my existence.

Competent old-school survival horror overall. Its gameplay system draws more from Silent Hill than the old Resident Evil games, which is nice to see. I think the thematic choice of an Amusement Park is quite interesting as well, and going for a more chibi, cute visual style for a survival horror game is quite a creative move.

Many ideas are used interestingly here, such as the files, puzzles, plot twists, and upgrades.

In the end, it's not a game that's groundbreaking in any sense (nor does it try to be), but it's a very competent game in everything it sets out to do, a great homage to the formula of horror games from the 90s. And I judge its pacing to be perfect; it's a game that lasts practically the right amount of time.

Probably the most "deceptive" 6/10 I've ever given to a game.

I wanted to like Mass Effect more. The universe is very well crafted, the codex texts are fun to read, and the lore as a whole is very interesting. Sometimes the desolate atmosphere of exploring a planet is all I need to switch off my brain, and I find the party interesting enough for the game, with all the characters undergoing some kind of development (and in some cases, like Wrex, their arc ends up having a direct impact on the directions your choices can take).

But I think the game fails too much in certain aspects as a game. The menus are not intuitive to navigate, the amount of places to explore ends up being excessive and extremely repetitive with little variation, and I don't find the integration of sidequests good.

Moreover, the main planets and especially the Citadel are horrible to explore. The Citadel, in particular, is all confusing and has a very strange layout. I genuinely had less trouble exploring and memorizing the layout of certain dungeons in Shin Megami Tensei than navigating the Citadel.

A universe as rich as this one would probably fit better as a TV series or a book, something like that, although the interactive part of Mass Effect 1 isn't all that bad either. And all the mystery behind the Reapers (and THAT cutscene on top of Virmire) makes everything worthwhile and quite interesting in the end.