After EA’s Motive Studio blew gamers away like a Force Gun with the release of its acclaimed Dead Space remake earlier this year, some fans immediately began clamoring for the franchise's sequels to receive a similar treatment. Spurred on by teases of a Dead Space 2 remake hidden in EA Motive’s recent hit, fans of the 2011 title have already begun to speculate about what a reimagined version of the spooky sequel would contain. If EA does proceed with a Dead Space 2 remake, though, it will have to decide if one cult classic game mode is worth the effort to update.
Moving the action from the ill-fated USG Ishimura to the labyrinthine Titan Station, referred to as The Sprawl in Dead Space 2, the story mode in Visceral Games’ survival horror sequel remained a solidly single-player experience when it was released in 2011. Although players had to fend for themselves when making their way through the campaign, the survival horror sequel also offered a unique competitive multiplayer mode. Letting gamers team up with friends to play as either humans or Necromorphs in objective-based rounds, Dead Space 2’s Outbreak mode quickly became a hit with some players.
Dead Space 2’s Outbreak Mode Offered a Unique Spin on Team-Based Multiplayer
Taking inspiration from the Versus mode in Valve’s Left 4 Dead series, Outbreak mode in Dead Space 2 pits humans against Necromorphs in objective-based multiplayer matches. Featuring multiple different maps, each with its own objectives, Outbreak’s human players must complete a set number of tasks before a timer runs out while using weapons and special abilities to defend themselves from the Necromorphs.
Players on the Necromorph team choose from one of four different creature types with abilities ranging from powerful melee attacks to acid-spitting, with a goal of wiping out the human players. With its unique take on multiplayer combat, Dead Space 2’s Outbreak mode gained a cult following among some players.
The fast-paced mode proved to be noticeably unbalanced—with well-coordinated human teams able to dominate matches thanks to their ability to heal allies and unleash useful abilities like Stasis—but Outbreak’s frantic and blood-soaked matches could also be incredibly fun. With EA reportedly considering the possibility of a Dead Space 2 remake, it will have to decide if updating Outbreak mode is worth it in a market already crowded with team-based multiplayer titles.
Including Outbreak Mode in a Dead Space 2 Remake May Prove Hard to Justify
While Dead Space 2’s Outbreak mode undoubtedly had its fans, its inclusion in a potential Dead Space 2 remake may be hard to justify. The gaming landscape has changed drastically since Dead Space 2 was originally released, and the industry is now littered with co-op multiplayer experiences ranging from Nintendo’s kid-friendly Splatoon series to the Resident Evil 4 remake’s Mercenaries mode. In a market already crowded with quality co-op titles, the expense required to design an updated version of Outbreak may prove to be a poor value proposition for a mode likely to have limited appeal.
Despite the challenge of moving into an already crowded multiplayer market, though, adding an updated Outbreak mode to an EA Motive remake of Dead Space 2 could help differentiate the sequel from the spate of recent and upcoming survival horror remakes. Rather, the gameplay loop in Outbreak is still unique enough that it could draw in some players looking for a change of pace from standard multiplayer modes.
It remains to be seen if Dead Space's sequel will receive a remake like its predecessor, and if it does EA will have some tough choices to make when it comes to a potential Outbreak mode. Bringing back Outbreak would surely be welcome news to fans of the cult-classic mode, but the time and resources required to do so may mean that this unique multiplayer mode may have to forever remain a relic of Dead Space’s past.
Dead Space is out now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.