Flawless game design, despite some obvious plot turns.
It says a lot for Dead Space that -- despite the derivative "alien outbreak" sci-fi storyline and cardboard characters -- it's still an incredible achievement. When the game design is this good, and so flawlessly executed, it's easy to forgive Dead Space's less-than-satisfying exposition.
The story snob in me wishes the final "twists" weren't telegraphed so obviously (and then over-explained after the fact). The key relationship between you and your wife is also underdeveloped -- if you cared more about this character, just had a bit more to latch on to, it would heightened the drama that unfolds substantially. This is very much retreading on the ground already mined over and over in the films "Alien" or "The Thing." Dead Space borrows other ideas from System Shock II and Bioshock (stranded in a dangerous location, dubious characters leading you along, who do you trust) ... But the bottom line is, Dead Space is nearly flawless as an action game and that's ultimately all that matters.
Weapons feels weighty and smartly fit the theme of your character as an engineer. Tearing limbs off instead of headshots sounds gimmicky at first, but the underlying strategy pays off throughout the game. Each monster has to be approached a different way, despite the sharing the basic idea of limb destruction. Boss encounters also fit the atmosphere of the game perfectly, and are just challenging enough to make it a nail-biting showdown. Gun turret sections feel a bit unnecessary. At least there's no rail sequence driving a Jeep or tank.
Dead Space is just a very smartly designed game. It's a product that holds together as an experience across the board. Everything from the upgradeable gear, to weapon selection, to enemy AI and strategy -- it all fits together to support the story it's trying to tell.
It's just unfortunate this attention to detail on game design didn't carry over to character development or a more original storyline.
Performance-wise, Dead Space runs great on a 3-year-old PC. Textures are incredibly detailed, animations look fantastic, and lighting effects throughout seep with immersive detail. Floating dust in light beams definitely caught my eye. The camera can be a little wonky when you're backed up against corners or inside elevators, but it doesn't detract from gameplay. Movement is a little slow, in the spirit of survival horror tension, so if you're expecting traditional FPS running around, be ready for a surprise.
