Dead Space

Dead Space Review

Dead Space is a survival horror game set in space, or to be more specific, aboard the intergalactic mining ship USG Ishimura. An original intellectual property from Electronic Arts this game draws from previous conventions in the survival horror genre and moulds them into something that is quite frankly a beautiful sight to behold.

Plot

You play as Isaac Clarke a intergalactic ship engineer who is travelling on the shuttle USG Kellion in order to repair the damaged space craft USG Ishimura. You are accompanied on this journey by two AI controlled members of the Kellion who interact with you throughout the game in Kendra Daniels (a technology specialist given the task of repairing communication systems on the USG Ishimura) and Zach Hammond (A security officer aboard the USG Kellion).
    Throughout the game you will find that things are not as they seem aboard the USG Ishimura and you will soon learn that the ship has become infested with a variety of unique and deadly creatures dead set on making sure you fail in your mission to repair the ship.
    The plot may seem very basic, and for a lot of the game it is although throughout the game the plot does unravel to lead the latter chapters to be heavily story driven. These chapters for me personally were extremely enthralling and incredibly enjoyable to play through.

Graphics

The visual style in Dead Space is one of the main factors that really allows it to stand out from similar titles vying for your attention. While many would criticise the game for conforming to the “Green and Brown” spectrum of colours that seemingly dominates today’s game market, I would not. The reason behind this is due to the effect that these grungy colours have on the tone of the game as a whole, these colours really lend themselves to what is an immersive experience and really instil upon the user the magnitude of how gruesome and harrowing the content of this title really is.
    From a character model perspective the game has struck a very welcomed balance when it comes to the depiction of emotion. The characters depict emotion in such a way that it is a little over the top but not in a such a way as to dissuade users from becoming involved the performance they are viewing, which is a problem I personally find in many games of this genre.

Control Scheme

The control scheme used in Dead Space is very intuitive, if you have played practically any shooter from recent times then the controls will feel instantly recognisable to you.
    A great control scheme is crucial to games of this variety and Dead space does not fail to deliver. Throughout the game you will encounter a number of weapons with different attributes from the Plasma Cutter (pretty much your standard pistol, sci-fi style) to the Flamethrower these weapons all feel as you imagine they would if you were the protagonist Isaac using them yourself.
    My only real negative comment in terms of the control scheme is that there is no way to quickly turn your character around, this can be irritating in the heat of battle when you are the victim of a barrage of attacks from every conceivable angle. However that being said this is only a minor complaint and not really that much of an issue in the grand scheme of things.

Gameplay

The gameplay present in Dead Space is very typical of the third person shooter genre although that being said, from a technical standpoint absolutely nails the feel of just a what a shooter should be and that is : exciting, responsive, thrilling…*insert buzzword*.
    The enemies you encounter throughout the campaign are plentiful and are unique enough to keep you interested in what otherwise would be somewhat repetitive combat scenarios. The difficulty of these battles increases throughout the campaign at a pace that allows for new players of the genre to ease into a comfortable understanding of how to handle the various situations that they will encounter.
    The game is structured in a mission based format which focus around different tasks that Isaac must undertake in order to restore the USG Ishimura to be fully operational. This type of structure is very contrasting to games of a similar nature such as the Resident Evil series (which focus on one flowing story and several save points) in a way that I feel lends itself more to a much wider audience and lets the player take their time in completing the campaign whilst still fully understanding what is going on during the game.

Overview

Dead Space is an extremely well made game that is both very fun and also technically sound. I would highly recommend anyone interested in third person shooters or even those who aren’t to give this game a shot.

Pros

• Intuitive control system
• Enthralling story
• Stunning graphics
• Excellent setting and mood

Cons

• Missions can get slightly repetitive as the game goes on.
• Replay value is hindered due to the linear nature of the campaign
• Mission objectives can get boring due to there similar nature