Some of you who have already tackled Impossible mode from the previous game, or have already given Zealot or Hardcore a bash will already know that it's very important to use every advantage possible to you when trying to complete either of the two top difficulty modes on Dead Space 2, particularly Hardcore - if you are unaware of how this difficulty mode works, you are only allowed 3 game saves throughout the whole story. And if you die, you go back to where you've last saved (meaning if you've gone through 4 or 5 chapters without saving it, you'll have to restart).

What will benefit you hugely is, running through this game two or three times on Normal difficulty, and upgrading your 4 favourite weapons (I suggest that your Plasma Cutter should definitely be a part of this as ammo is scarce - you will find the most Plasma Cutter ammo of all ammo types), your Stasis and your RIG to their highest level. This way, when you go to New Game+ to tackle Zealot/Hardcore, after reaching your first store you will have all of the absolute essentials you'll need to tackle this game. Without any upgraded weapons or suits, you're just going to get absolutely annihilated.

Since you only have 3 saves throughout the whole story, I suggest you don't save it until you have to insert disc 2 - which is at the end of chapter 6. I suggest this because the game only starts to become a major challenge when you've gotten onto chapter 9/10. So your first save should be chapter 7 or 8 if you can make it that far without dying, and your second should be around 12 or 13. That way, you can save it once more towards the end, giving you the greatest advantage when taking on the last couple of difficult chapters.

My last bit of advice is to use Stasis very often - it's there for a reason. Because of the difficulty modes, any hit from a Necromorph could be crucial to your health. So stasis, shoot their legs off, and hope for the best. Good luck!

(Note: this must be done in chapter 14, and you must have 1 power node to do it)

If you've gotten as far as chapter 14, used the eye needle machine successfully and spawned the Necromorph whose limbs continue to grow back after you've dismembered them, you're not far off of this section. After you've finished the anti-gravity section, this glitch is just ahead.

Ahead, you'll find a room that you can only unlock using one of your power nodes. The room's title above the door is "6: Secure Storage, Power Node Access Only" - you won't miss it. After unlocking the door with a power node, go left and continue on until you reach your next save point (there should be a power node bench and a store beside this save point). Save your game and exit. Now load the game back up, walk back to the room where you used your power node to unlock, and there should be one or two power nodes (it can vary each time) as well as a semiconductor available to pick up. Pick them up, return to the save point and save once again. Quit, reload and repeat the process as many times as you wish and you can have as many power nodes as you may need. This can also be a huge help when tackling the tougher difficulty settings.