8 Video Game Bosses Who Were Dead When You Arrived
1. Nicole Brennan - Dead Space 2
One of the most intriguing twists in the Dead Space species is the revelation that Nicole Brennan, the girlfriend of protagonist Isaac Clarke, has been dead the entire time.
All the times Isaac saw her, communicated with her and even ran into her aboard the USG Ishimura were nothing but illusions - by-products of his exposure to the mysterious alien monument, the Marker.
In Dead Space 2, Isaac's dementia is now profound, and a ghostly apparition of Nicole appears to him throughout the entire game, tormenting him with reminders of his guilt, horrifying visions and the repeated plea of, "Make us whole."
Despite knowing this time around that Nicole isn't really there, the threat she poses seems far more tangible, as Isaac is constantly shaken by the hallucinations which only grow more serious the closer he gets to the Marker.
As he reaches the end, the player is pulled into Isaac's mind, where a fierce battle forces him to accept his guilt and defeat his inner demons once and for all.
In a way, Isaac's final opponent in Dead Space 2 is himself. But the shape it takes; that bloodied, light-spewing spectre of his lost love...that's not something we're ever going to be able to forget.