Dead Space

Oh no! Space is dead. And no, I don't mean that as you stare into the vacant skies of the night and see no movement, that the seemingly static quality of the galaxy is greeting you, even though there's always a black hole or red dwarf lurking in the distance that your fiendish eyes may not perceive without the aid of a telescope. It appears that there's death in space, but Death in Space wasn't as catchy a title, so they canned it and went for something less literal and more snazzy. But oh yes, there is death, and as Issac Clarke and his ephemeral crew members soon find out, they may very well be at deaths disposal just like the dismembered and disfigured ship habitants that they stumble upon.

Survival-horror is a tricky genre. But it's also a hell of a experience when it's executed to perfection. I don't feel bold in saying that Dead Space is one of those games. Remember all those restless nights after playing Resident Evil and Silent Hill that you spent in your childhood, hoping that Nemesis wouldn't get you and that poorly textured, polygon dogs wouldn't attack you as you were acting as a police officer in a secluded, creepy town? Those nights are going to return, and the only horror that will be on your mind is that of the Necromorph.

Dead Space is a brilliant game. When you break it down, it does have its flaws, but they're remarkably easy to overlook, and nothing in the grand scheme of the game. The textures aren't as high-res as they could be, but the graphics are dazzling due to the environmental shifts, unique monsters and fantastic character design. Issac Clarke, the protagonist, has one of the best futuristic suits I've ever seen. And fighting Necro's that look equally good because of their scare-factor is the perfect clash of good and evil being represented in a futuristic format.

The environments are always changing. Whether you're in Zero-gravity or dashing across a giant, glass encased command centre being laced with asteroids, there's always something magnificent on screen to look at. Granted, there will be times where you're squeezing through the narrow corridors of a lifeless spaceship, but that's the best part. As soon as you start to hit tighter spaces, you're in danger of being attacked by groups of aliens. And when you only have a handful of bullets left, your health is running low, and you're out of stasis packs, that's the last thing you want.

It's moments like this that leave you cutting the tension with a knife. I can't remember a point during my first play through of Dead Space where I wasn't either terrified, desperate or awestruck. The game also has one of the strongest openings I've ever seen in a game, which introduces you to the horrific nature of the ship you're exploring, and the vulnerability that you face. The game literally has you running for your life from the first few moments, allowing your only solace to be a dangerously spontaneous lift-door closing incident.

There are some aspects of the narrative that are also really cool. The idea of Unitology, a fictional religious movement that antagonizes you through your mission to save the rest of humanity from the immanent disaster that the marker has the potential of producing. The Unitologists believe that a divine race of aliens planted the marker to establish the next superior race, and that the deaths of many innocent people is simply a step in evolution. This is an interesting concept, because you're not just fighting Necromorphs, you're also granted with the disadvantage of having a religious space movement against you throughout the plot.

The mechanical workings of the game are also worth noting. Particularly the firearms, upgrade system and stasis mechanic. The guns are big and bad. The line gun produces a line of seamless energy that cuts limbs from your foes, the contact beam produces a BFG effect which allows your unfriendly space monsters to explode in a bloody mist, and finally the plasma cutter, which shoots three streams at a time at multiple angles. The plasma cutter is a pleasure to use, especially when fully upgraded. I'd rank it as one of the greatest default weapons of all time. The upgrade system is a great addition, but it is by no means inexpensive. I spent half of my money in-game on power nodes, which are needed to upgrade your suits, weapons and stasis abilities. The stasis and telekinesis abilities also add another layer to the combat and puzzle-solving. Freezing a hideous beast as it dives at you in mid-air then watching its limbs slowly dismember is as satisfying as it is equally disgusting.

Although it sounds too good to be true thus far, Dead Space does have its technical difficulties. I played it on PC and I could see straight away that there was problems. The first problem is that no matter how much you change your mouse sensitivity settings, it won't really make a difference. The mouse movement feels a little slow, and it isn't too much of a hindrance but you will acknowledge it, nonetheless. V sync does not work. If you can't play games without Vertical Sync, I suggest you invest in a console version of the game, because your frame-rate will lock at 30 fps and causes some gameplay problems. I also noticed a few glitches. There was times in Zero-G where I dived into a spot and found myself suspended in mid-air for around 5 seconds, after that I'd instantly die. This became quite annoying after it happened numerous times. But I counter-acted the problem by saving religiously. I also had a strange save game glitch at some point during my second play through which changed my game mode from "Turn 2" to "Turn 1", so upon the games second completion, I unlocked a bunch of items that I'd already unlocked.

However, regardless of technical issues, Dead Space is a sublime game overall. It may only offer you a single-player campaign with no multi-player but you'll want to replay as soon as you've completed it. Especially when you have the chance to brutally carve through enemies and harness the energy of a fully upgraded Issac. Not only is it one of the best horror games I've ever played, it's also one of the best PC games I've ever played.