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    Dead Space

    Game » consists of 13 releases. Released Oct 14, 2008

    Engineer Isaac Clarke battles a polymorphic virus-like alien infestation that turns human corpses into grotesque undead alien monsters called "Necromorphs" while trying to survive on board an infested interstellar mining ship named the USG Ishimura.

    deactivated-6109c8479bb3d's Dead Space (PlayStation 3) review

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    The modern horror game.

     Synopsis:

    Dead Space is one of the most successful horror games to come in recent memory, because it lives-up to its horror heritage. This is achieved through a satisfying and quite interesting combat mechanic, but more importantly, an excellent audio and visual design that greatly compliments the setting. Although far from being innovative, not devoid of flaw, and suffers from some repetition, it is a successful amalgamation of solid mechanics that uplift it into an experience that is simply some satisfyingly creepy fun.

    *In order to effectively review this game, I will be mentioning spoilers.

    Review:

    Dead Space is a good reminder of what makes scary games awesome. It trades in creepiness through nuanced, scripted set-ups that is combined with some top-notch lighting and aural implementation. Though its mechanics and some design choices  are borrowed from many influences, it holds its ground. Its deliberate, restrained pacing and excellent design prevents it from just being a most bloated and over-the-top compilation of borrowed mechanics. This makes Dead Space one of the most enjoyable horror games I have played to date.

    Dead Space sets a few things straight from the very beginning. The first thing the game does is to have you unarmed and helplessly running your ass off to the elevator as half a dozen Necromorphs drop from the ceiling. Then, the game arms you with, of all things, mining implements (save for one rifle, which is actually one of the least effective weapons). This is an interesting thematic choice that creates a sense of helplessness amidst improvised empowerment. A complete lack of any HUD (Heads-Up-Display) also immerses the player into the game. This is mostly achieved through the innovations of RIG technology, which justifies all of your character’s vitals on his back. Other accouterments like weapons have their ammo displayed on a small holographic window. Your item inventory and video and audio dialogue is projected in front of your character even as the action takes place. This entire design keeps you constantly immersed in the experience as you wade through the bowels of the USG Ishimura.

    The “strategic dismemberment” feature has been touted since the early days of the game’s announcement. As contrived as that sounds, it works surprisingly well as an interesting mechanic that adds a layer of strategic abstraction to dealing with your undead-alien-zombie foes. It’s a welcomed and interesting mechanic that had me “unlearn” the headshot and learn more interesting and efficient ways to dispatch enemies. Logically, it doesn’t make any sense why severing a limb causes more damage, but I found it strangely satisfying. You will probably be too busy either snickering in delight as you shoot off limbs or screaming in terror at the onslaught to truly question the logic. This becomes crucial with limited ammo on the higher difficulties, which forces you to make your shots count.

    You will be spending a lot of time slogging through the decks of the USG Ishimura. Therefore, good navigation is essential. But here there is a dichotomy of systems: one flawed, and the other brilliant. The 3D map is very limited, because it is locked on Isaac’s current position. Any zooming you do is still fixated on Isaac’s location, and you cannot pan around the 3D map or highlight other rooms. This only makes me appreciate how indispensible and intuitive Metroid Prime’s 3D maps were.

    On the other hand, clicking on the right stick causes a holographic projection of the most efficient line-route to your destination. It is quick, simple, brilliant, and effective. I ended up using the 3D map to see what to expect in the upcoming rooms (how big the room is, if it has a shop, an upgrade bench, etc…) and using the holographic pointer to tell me where to go.

    The gameplay, however, is not without flaws. The staple of Dead Space is, obviously, shooting Necromorphs. That is mechanically functional and justified, but it is about 95% of the game, which is all wrapped around fetch quests and objectives. Although they make contextual sense to what you’re trying to do and satisfying in its own way, you start to notice the formulaic procedure and lack of variety. I eventually found myself rolling my eyes as I finished one objective (read: fix a part of the ship), only to have the next chapter have me scurry on another fetch-quest, wade through Necromorphs, to fix another part of the ship. Granted, that’s the whole initial point of the plot: an emergency repair mission for the USG Ishimura. Still, it does not justify making the player run through the formula again.

    In all fairness, there are several breaks in monotony that vary things up a little. However, they are met with limited success. Strangely, they also come in pairs.

    First, the game has only two “traditional” boss fights. This means: you are locked up in an area to fight a significantly sized and unique enemy. Unfortunately, they are not complex with simple attack patterns. This makes beating them very simple, because it only requires  you to go through the motions. This is unfortunate, because it makes these encounters feel like a page out of My First Boss Encounter design philosophy. *For those who have played the game: I am not counting the Brute, because it becomes a normal enemy.

    Second, the game has two “chase scenes” which has you running away from an immortal monster called the Hunter. The problem is: that it’s not actually a “chase” per-se. For the most part, the Hunter will appear in a room you are in, and most likely, you simply need to survive long enough for the door to be unlocked. In most cases, you may be dealing with other Necromorphs, which is the actual problem of being locked-in with the Hunter. The Hunter will not chase you through the next room either. There is one case where he will bust through a vent into the next room after you, but not actually through the door. After that, you are completely safe as you tread back into the common areas. The Hunter also looks disappointingly boiler-plate compared to the other Necromorphs, which further makes him not scary. My significant disappointment is brought about with an inevitable comparison with a much superior “immortal-monster-chase-scene” in Resident Evil 4. That is how you do it.

    Third, and most noticeable, is the ADS (Asteroid Defense System) sequences. These sequences have you jumping into a turret seat and blasting away at targets. This is problematic in a few ways. First, it does diversify the game, but it feels way too jarringly different. It is almost goofy in an arcade game sort-of-way. Second, it is actually a bit too challenging as a mandatory diversion, and some even find it frustrating. This is caused by a significant travel time delay between when you fire your shot and when it hits your target. Third, they do this sequence twice, which I found to be unnecessary recycling. Sure, you have two different objectives, but the experience is still essentially the same and all the same still a bit unwelcome as the first two reasons state. The game could have probably done with just one sequence.

    There is not much to be said about Dead Space’s presentation and aural design, because these are things that really need to be experienced to be truly appreciated.

    Visually, the game sports a very “rib-cagey” and boney look that is apparent in everything from Isaac’s armor to the USG Ishimura itself. This is effective in regards to the architecture and level design, which creates interesting light & shadow play. This allows for neat lighting effects, like light bleeding between metal slots and casting strange shadows. But, it is the lighting effects and how it is implemented that takes the cake. A great example: you arise from an elevator to see a Necromorph across the hall. As it runs towards you, the light flickers out. Another: you enter a room, and you are immediately hit by the shadow of something scurrying in the ceiling crawl space as the light flickers. Lastly: you enter a hallway and the door at the end has a dead corpse and busted ceiling vent above the door. As you approach the door, the power goes down, the door won’t open, it is pitch black, and you wait for something to happen. But nothing, then the power comes back. These set-piece lighting effects compliment the tense nature and are what give the game’s scares a lot of visual impact.

    Aurally, the game’s creepy atmosphere is fundamentally successful because it does great job of having you not trust your ears. Even if I logically and mechanically knew that this room will not spawn any enemies, my headphones were making me think otherwise, which casts serious doubt over that assessment. This is done through simple and subtle blend of background noises, such as: playing the muffled growls of Necromorphs with sounds of something scurrying through the vents. Sometimes all it needs is the groaning of the ship or the sound of a loud and distant, metallic clang in the background to keep the player on the edge. It definitely kept me on the edge. Killing the audio significantly cripples the experience. You can still play the game visually and still have some surprises, but the atmospheric effect is gone. This made me approach the game and perceive it in a more mechanical fashion: a game with programmed triggers with actions and reactions. Being the gigantic wuss that I am, I had to do this in some spots just to get through the game.

    These two combined, created an experience that creeped me out enough to make me adamant about going forward with the game. I want to know what happens next, but I do not want to see what’s beyond the next corner. This effect is at its greatest with your first venture through the game, when you still do not have any expectations. I still find the hairs at the back of my head stand even the second time around, simply by immersing myself in the sound. I may be more affected than you will ever be, but it is a testament of how well the game creates atmosphere.

    Also on a positive note, Dead Space also sports a fairly amusing story. It makes no bones about being a direct prod against Scientology, which I thought was pretty awesome. Even though the story is basic and acts as a paperweight that grounds your actions and an excuse to keep you going, I found the twists interesting enough to want to know the full picture. It certainly justifies a sequel, which is a good thing in this case.

    Dead Space was released in a post-Resident Evil 4 world. As that titanic name in horror games takes a shift towards something that is more action-oriented, Dead Space is a nice reminder that proper action-horror games still do have a place. It is an excellent reminder, which establishes a lot of fundamentals right, with enough polish that modernizes the genre. Whether you are a long-time fan of the genre, or somebody who is even remotely interested, I think we can expect good things from what may come next.

    Other reviews for Dead Space (PlayStation 3)

      Has everything you’d want in a survival horror game 0

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      In space nobody can hear you scream, in Dead Space however... 0

      Dead Space, one of the most surprisingly succesful games of 2008. Virtually no hype was centered around Isaac Clarke's perils among the Ishimura and when it finally came to be, it blew the critics and survival horror fanatics away in a giant stream of blood n dismembered limps.Dead Space is far from revolutionary and in fact isn't all that unique either, but it still manages to give players an incredibly horrorific journey with its gameplay managing to hit perfection with how its all executed.It...

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