OK, so after the credits roll, you get a big stack of unlocked gear, logs, and other goodies. The two most gameplay-relevant ones are the level 6 "military" suit--better than anything available the first time you play through the game--and 50,000 credits to spend at the store. Would help soften the challenge of the "impossible" difficulty level that also unlocks, no?
No, actually, because you can only access the new gear by loading your game-completed save from your previous run, which forces you to play again on the same difficulty. But what's the point of getting a better suit and only using it on a difficulty level you already proved you could beat without the suit? Dead Space is so good I actually want to play through it again--a rare occasion for a game you've reviewed, let me tell you--but not being able to simultaneously amp up the challenge level and also use the unlocked goodies is really putting a damper on my desire to to restart the game. Why not include the option for people who want it? People who don't want it could certainly still start a fresh game on impossible mode without using the enhancements. But not giving the option at all just seems silly.
Giant Bomb friendly user SonicFire has posted a guide detailing how you can use a glitch to access the military suit in the impossible mode, but it requires you to play through the entire game a second time on your initial difficulty before you can do it. Hardly ideal.
The issue bugged me when I polished off the game, but with all the other reviews that need writing around here, I hadn't had a chance to return to Dead Space. But I've seen enough complaints on various forums that I know I'm not alone in being frustrated with this seemingly minor design call. Hey EA, any chance of a post-release fix for this unfortunate oddity?