Dead Space 2

Dead Space 2

Developers
	Visceral Games
Publishers
	Electronic Arts
Release dates
Windows	January 25, 2011

Dead Space

Dead Space	2008
Dead Space 2	2011
Dead Space 3	2013

Key points

In-game V-Sync option caps frame rate at 30 FPS.

General information

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		All retail versions require signing into your EA account ingame. This unlocks a copy of the game on Origin for that EA account.
Amazon.com
Gamesplanet
Green Man Gaming
Origin		The Origin version requires signing into your EA account in-game.
Steam		The Steam version does not require signing into your EA account in-game. It will ask you to sign in, but you can simply decline the agreement and enjoy playing the singleplayer perfectly fine. The multiplayer however, does require signing in.

All versions activate on Origin.

Activation limits

EA limits Dead Space 2 to being authorized on a maximum of 5 computers at a time. The games must be authorized on a computer before you can play it. De-authorizing the game on a computer does not uninstall it.

To de-authorize the games on a computer, simply uninstall it, or follow these instructions:

De-authorize game (Windows Vista and later)[citation needed] Click on the Windows button on the Windows Taskbar. Select All Programs. Click on Games. Click on Games Explorer. Right-click on the Dead Space 2 icon. Click on Dead Space 2 - Deauthorize this machine.

De-authorize game (Windows XP)[citation needed] Click on the Start menu on the Windows Taskbar. Select All Programs Find the EA Games folder. Roll over the Dead Space 2 folder. Click on the Dead Space 2 - Deauthorize this machine option.

To reauthorize the game on a given computer, simply launch the game on that computer while being connected to the Internet.

Activation Problems (Lucid Virtu conflict)

Some versions of Dead Space 2 may conflict with LucidLogix Virtu graphics switching software which may appear to be an activation error. Removing the lucid virtu software or disabling it when running Deadspace 2 can resolve the issue.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%LOCALAPPDATA%\EA Games\Dead Space 2\

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\EA Games\Dead Space 2\

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Origin
Steam Cloud

Video settings

Visuals settings.

Custom Render Settings

Graphics option	Option	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)		Use Widescreen Fixer.
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Vertical sync (Vsync)		In-game Vsync limits frame rate to 30 FPS for all refresh rates.
60 FPS
120+ FPS		Disable in-game Vsync to allow 120 FPS; force externally if desired.

Input settings

Control settings.

Keyboard and mouse	Native	Notes
Remapping		Unable to assign "Aim Mod (Toggle)" function to any mouse button.
Mouse acceleration		Negative acceleration that can't be disabled.
Mouse sensitivity		Horizontal sensitivity is much higher than vertical sensitivity.
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller remapping
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Additional information
Button prompts
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback

Audio settings

Audio options	Native	Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound		Up to 5.0 output.
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	CC	Notes
English
French
German
Italian
Polish				Fan translation available here.
Russian
Spanish
Turkish				A Turkish fan patch is available here.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Players	Notes
LAN play
Online play		8

VR support

3D modes	Native	Notes
Native 3D
Nvidia 3D Vision		Very poor native support; see Nvidia 3D Vision to fix.
TriDef 3D
iZ3D
Devices	Native	Notes
3RD Space Gaming Vest

Nvidia 3D Vision

Dead Space 2 has mediocre Nvidia 3D Vision support out of the box.

It has however been modded by HeliX to the point where it can be considered a 3D Vision showcase game. You can play with any convergence and depth.

Use Helix Mod[citation needed] Download the fix from here HeliX 3D Vision Fix. Place all the files and folders (DX9Settings.ini, d3d9.dll and ShaderOverride) in the installation folder. If you're playing through Steam or Origin, disable the overlay.

Issues fixed

Weapons/Armor Unlocked At Start

The latest updates of Dead Space 2 includes a piece of DLC that unlocks better armor and all the weapons at the start, thereby negating the need to find schematics and decreasing the difficulty. It's recommended to play through the first run without this DLC.

Remove the DLC[citation needed] Download the original executable here. Make a backup copy of the currently installed executable and copy the downloaded .exe into the Dead Space 2 folder. Reset the keybindings to default. It recommended that you use the newer .exe for subsequent play-throughs, as it properly unlocks some bonus items that you normally get for completing the game.

The Origin version includes the DLC, and the above fix no longer works.

Unlock Conduit Rooms

There are four special rooms in the game that are unlocked by completing the Dead Space Ignition tie-in which is not available for Windows. With a few files these rooms can be made available.

Unlock Conduit Rooms Follow the instructions here.

No Suit Unlocks for Higher Difficulty Completion

Normally upon completing the game on Hardcore or Zealot difficulty, you would unlock a special suit. Unfortunately these suits don't unlock properly, unless you happen to complete the game in a single play through. Details on unlocking each suit can be found here.

Mouse Flings to Side of Screen

Mouse Flings to Side of Screen[citation needed] Occasionally with certain USB controllers or devices, the mouse will fling to the far edges of the screen, preventing proper aiming. To solve this, try: Unplugging all USB controllers Disabling virtual mouse settings Selectively disabling HID compliant devices in the device manager.

Could not initialize display hardware

Could not initialize display hardware[citation needed] Go to %LOCALAPPDATA%\EA Games\Dead Space 2 Delete settings.txt Notes In other cases, where deleting settings.txt did not work, some users with multiple monitors found that disabling their second monitor fixed this issue.

BSOD on some AMD Radeon cards

Game falls into BSOD on different occasions, either randomly or at some particular point in the game.

Workaround Rollback to older driver version (Such as Catalyst 12.6)

Game minimizes at launch

Game minimizes at launch[citation needed] Occasionally, when starting the game on a newer system, the main window will minimize itself and will not let the user restore it. To solve this, do the following: Go to %LOCALAPPDATA%\EA Games\Dead Space 2 Create a file named settings.txt Open the file and add the following lines: Window.Fullscreen = true Window.Height = 1200 Window.Width = 1920 where Window.Height is your desired height and Window.Width is your desired width.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9
64-bit executable

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	XP (SP2), Vista, 7
Processor (CPU)	2.8 GHz or equivalent, any Pentium 4 2.8 GHz, Athlon64 3000+ or better	AMD Athlon64 X2 or Core Duo
System memory (RAM)	1 GB (XP)	2 GB (Vista, 7)
Hard disk drive (HDD)	10 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 6800 or better, ATI X1600 Pro or better