Good news for you survival horror fans (jeez, is that ever a trite opening line): EA has officially announced Dead Space 2 for you to speculate over until they release more information. According to the press release, the game will star Issac Clarke from the original game as he continues to kill more horrifically deformed Necromorphs, frolic in zero gravity, and generally do more of what you loved from the stellar first installment. It’s being developed by Visceral Games, the folks behind the first game, and will hopefully feature the same amazing audio as before.

Anyways, all the pictures I could find from the first game were terribly violent, and as you know, my first and only concern is the children; So, enjoy this picture of an upside-down dog from upsidedowndogs.com. Fuzzy wuzzy!

Hit the jump for the full release and some high hopes.

EA Brings The Terror To Space In Dead Space 2
Dec 07, 2009
Sequel to Award-Winning Horror Game Delivers Intense, Personal Saga that Sends Chills through Deep Space
Visceral Games, an EA studio announced today that the award-winning Dead Space franchise will continue to frighten gamers with its stunning sequel, Dead Space 2. Isaac Clarke returns for another heart-pounding adventure, taking the fight to the Necromorphs in this thrilling action-horror experience. New tools to gruesomely slice and dismember the Necromorphs complement Isaac’s signature Plasma Cutter, empowering him as he meets new characters, explores epic Zero-G environments, and fights against a relentless necromorph onslaught. Survival isn’t the only thing on Isaac’s mind in Dead Space 2 - this time, he calls the shots.

“Like so many gamers worldwide, we love the Dead Space franchise and are very excited to announce a new game in the series,” said Nick Earl, Senior VP and Group General Manager at EA. “Visceral Games is quickly becoming known for delivering high-quality, action-packed games. Dead Space 2 is on target to deliver a jaw-dropping experience gamers won’t soon forget.”

“We’re thrilled to jump back into the series, making the next chapter in Isaac’s journey. The infection continues to spread throughout space and our hero Isaac Clarke is the only person able to contain it. There are still loads of necromorphs that need killing!” said Steve Papoutsis, Executive Producer of Dead Space 2. “In Dead Space 2, not everything is exactly as it seems. Expect plot twists that will surprise you and a huge cast of twisted, disgusting monsters that are sure to scare the daylights out of you.”

Originally launched in 2008, Dead Space quickly became one of EA’s top rated wholly-owned intellectual properties. With close to 100 industry awards and an average critic score of 89*, Dead Space became a hit with horror and videogame fans worldwide. In 2009, EA launched Dead Space Extraction, a prequel to the original Dead Space that expanded the fiction and brought the franchise to a new audience base.

Dead Space 2 is being developed for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and on PC. This product has not yet rated by ESRB or PEGI. Follow us on twitter at isaacclarke and join the Facebook Dead Space Fan Page. For additional information and news, visit the Official Website.

* According to Gamerankings.com and Metacritic.com

Well, the first game was fantastic in terms of gameplay, atmosphere, and sound, so let’s just cross our fingers and hope things work in our favor. Then again, the character development was poor to the point that I was able to write an industry narrative dissection on it, so let’s hope they fixed that, at least.