User Review : Dead Space

Ups

• Atmosphere!{Intense action with creative weapons{Constantly disturbing

Downs

• Some will feel the huge fights are cheap{You feel like an errand boy after awhile{Some puzzles give no clues

Say Hello to your new favorite horror franchise

As a long time fan of the horror genre one thing has been abundantly clear over the years: horror just isn't that scary anymore. Maybe it's the flooding of Hollywood with poorly made PG-13 "horror" movies that has dulled my senses and almost made me lose faith in one of my favorite genres. Maybe it's the almost complete lack of horror in the videogame world, but if there is one thing I know, Dead Space crushed all my pre-play worries and has re-established the horror franchise in videogames. This is - for the most part - what horror games should be, and all developers who attempt one after this have a new standard to live up to.

That may be saying alot, but Dead Space has lived up to my hopeful expectations and given me a rush of emotions that not alot of other games even come close to. From paranoia, to disturbing imagery, frightening creatures, to dangerous environments Dead Space gives you your money's worth. There were moments that I almost didn't want to continue playing because I didn't want to see what horrendous creature was around the corner - and that was an awesome feeling I have never experienced before.

Dead Space throws you into the engineering boots of Isaac Clarke as you head to the Ishimura to find out why their communications have been shut off. Of course, if you've seen anything about this game, you know the answer isn't something simple - or pretty.
Early on you get a taste of what the game has to offer and it certainly doesn't let up any time soon.

Without giving too much away, you'll be fighting creatures called "Necromorphs" which aren't just aliens, they're aliens infesting human bodies. They certainly aren't nice to look at and they certainly aren't easy to kill.

As most games have you foaming for a headshot, Dead Space asks you to throw that instinct aside and aim for the limbs of the disturbing creatures. You take off the legs, but you better take off the arms / wings as well, because these beasts just keep coming. Headshots don't do a damn thing and if you think they will, you'll get killed pretty quickly.
While that may sound "easy" it really isn't. I finished the campaign on Normal and can say I got my ass handed to me pretty regularly after Chapter 3 (I originally thought the game was a little easy). Some enemies bounce off walls, some are frighteningly fast and some... well.. some just don't die at all. I was astounded by the variety of enemies Dead Space provided, and each and every one wasn't pretty to look at. And by the time you're done, you'll have some enemies who when you hear or see them make you a little pissed off because they're difficult to defeat. As much as that sounds bad, it makes the game good having tough enemies.

To fight these creatures you'll have the option to buy a wide assortment of weapons, if you have the cash and have the blueprint for it. The in game store is where your safe, inventory and purchases (also where suits are located) are located and it fits nicely into the game. It doesn't look out of place, and seems like it could actually be on the ship. The screens are easy to navigate and quick to find what you want.

You can also upgrade your weapons so they kill faster and take more limbs off in bigger chunks. These will cost you power nodes that are placed throughout the ship, but be warned - you simply cannot upgrade one aspect without using nodes on another. It adds an interesting twist to what you think is important for your weapons - here's a hint: damage. Level it up quickly.

For the weapons, there is a nice variety from the soon-to-be-famous Plasma Cutter, Flamethrower, Line Gun (personal second favorite), and the Ripper, which spits out tiny saw-like projectiles that you direct to cut through limbs and body parts. There is also other weapons, but these were just the few that I purchased and upgraded my first time through.

Of course, the game isn't just about shooting, there are also puzzles. For most puzzles you'll be using stasis and kenesis, which you can also upgrade. Stasis you will need to have stasis packs for, lucky kenesis never runs out. But these powers are also helpful in defeating enemies, so remember you have that luxury.

As for how the game handles, it handles nicely. Movements aren't sloppy, and reflect the heaviness of your suit. Most levels have you playing "errand boy" as you go get something and return it to someone or a certain area to power something on, but you won't really notice this until the end. And all the action in between will certainly not have you be bored by this.
The environments are also wildly designed and sometimes creepy. Creaks and groans of the ship, whispers from god knows where all add to the amazing atmosphere Dead Space delivers. After awhile areas may look the same color and size, but it never fully damages the experience.

As for length, I was surprised that it took about 10 hours on Normal and can only imagine how long it will take on Impossible. Sure, it could've been longer, but I feel that it was very satisfying at 10 or so hours. Every minute was quite enjoyable.

The only downside is the difficulty at some points. It seemed like every level had an area where you were locked in a room till you killed what was inside of it. If you run out of ammo (even though dead creatures drop items) it can be frustrating. Whereas other games give you the option to flee the area instead of fight, Dead Space doesn't give you that option. Same thing with boss fights. I had to redo one boss fight 3 times and just keep buying more ammo before starting it again. Small, but minor flaws, and hell, maybe I just sucked at aiming?

What I personally believe is the best part of Dead Space is the constant threat of danger. You never once feel safe, and you're never really given that option. What the developers have done is taken things that used to be safe places (a separate, pause-like menu screen) and placed it in game. What that means in simple terms is when you stop to look at your inventory, the action continues. You can still see and move, because it's a hologram, but that also means enemies can attack you. The only issue was trying to refill my stasis and getting lost in the screen while evading getting killed, but otherwise this is a smart new feature that keeps the tension high.
Additionally, the "guide" is a separate button that quickly shows you a route to where your destination is. So there is no constant arrow guiding you. If you get lost, click the right joystick and see where it leads. Some of the paths it shows are a little odd (angles) but it does what it should and never got me lost.

Saves are generally pretty often so make sure you use them. Even once you die you usually aren't thrown all the way back to your last save point, which is nice. The only odd issue I had was why it took so long to load a level I was just in, but these load times were no longer than 30 seconds.

All in all, Dead Space is a fantastic ride that horror fans should all experience. To me, it sets a new standard in action-horror that all future games must live up to. Sure, the game isn't perfect, and some will simply find it to be going from point A to point B over and over again, but those people are missing the point. Dead Space is all about atmosphere and it delivers spendidly in that department, as well as many others.

Easily my favorite horror game, and easily a damn good game in general. Hopefully this is the start to a great new franchise by EA.

Score

8.5

Graphics

Controls at first feel awkward but become second nature. Movement feels correct.

9.0

Sound

Incredibly detailed creatures and bright colors and dark corridors.

10.0

Gameplay

With a good pair of headphones, some might not sleep for days after hearing this.

9.5

Fun Factor

Loved the atmosphere, the intense action and the solid story Dead Space delivered. If you like horror, you'll love this.

Overall

9.5