HOLD ON THERE, BUCKEYE:
Early Dead Space spoilers to follow. Read at your own risk.
Well, I’ve literally just put the controller down after slicing my way through the first chapter of Dead Space. Set aboard the mining vessel USG Ishimura, Dead Space seems to be going for a cross between Alien and Doom in its premise, and does so fairly well. You play as silent protagonist Isaac Clarke, an engineer aboard the repair ship
Now, the necromorphs are by no means attractive: most have exposed organs, severed jaws, hideously mutated limbs and other such physical phenomena. That’s why it seems strange to me that the crew of the Ishimura (or at least some of them) had the reaction they did: upon seeing the monsters through what I assume to be distress calls from the colony, they thought that the transformations were the work of god, that everyone should undergo such “blessed” procedures and that a specimen must therefore be brought onboard immediately. Right. Needless to say, it was quite a leap of faith for the rational mind in me, especially since the term “necromorph” could easily be replaced by “space zombies.”
Dead Space plays well, and its claustrophobic camera often works to its advantage, despite seeming a little forced at times. From an over-the-shoulder view, you lead Clarke through the Ishimura, repairing vital systems and slicing up space zombies (via your plasma cutter) as you go. The scares (at least in the first chapter) seem to be few and far between, with obvious ambushes and easily put down enemies; a more-than-fair amount of backtracking further serves to knock the scare factor down a few pegs, as the same environments can only make you squirm once or twice before becoming too familiar. In fact, the spookiest thing about Dead Space isn’t what you see, but rather what you don’t see. The music and atmosphere aboard the Ishimura is fantastic, and the tension caused by it nigh palpable; from the sound of clattering equipment off in the distance to the fervent skittering in the pipes and passageways that surround you, the game seems intent on keeping its players on their toes.
All-in-all, I’m really enjoying Dead Space, and unless it does something along the way to shoot itself in the foot, I can’t see it scoring anywhere near the bottom half of the scale. Review forthcoming.
Thanks for reading,
End Boss.
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