Dead Space

These days, EA is known as the company that does nothing but put out annual rehashes of its profitable franchises, such as Madden and Fifa. However, Electronic Arts has decided it wants to get rid of that image, and the way it wants to do so is to put out a number of new IPs. Dead Space is one of those new games that will likely turn into franchises, and it hits home. It's a sci-fi horror game that reaches unbelieveable heights.

Dead Space puts you in control of Isaac Clarke. He's an engineer that gets sent on a mission to the USG Ishimura, a huge “planetcracker” spaceship that has gone completely dark. Isaac is supposed to go find out what's the problem along with four others. As you enter the Ishimura in a decidely bumpy manner, you are quickly forced to watch two members of your team get slaughtered by the Ishimura's crew members that seem to have mutated into something vicious. After that, you get cut off from the others and start making your way through the ship.

The game's script won't win any awards, but it's definitely acceptable. Isaac also has a personal motivation to find out what's going on there, as his lover, Nicole, was a crewmember of the ship. The story itself is pretty basic, but the writers did a good job making you guess what's at work behind all this madness. It's not horribly convoluted, and you'll likely think you've got it all figured out a few times, only to be proven wrong completely a few moments later. The story ends in a cliffhanger that pretty much confirms a sequel right there, but it provides enough closure to appease. I'd say it also isn't possible not to jump when the final scene occurs. The game definitely goes out with a bang.

But probably the biggest player in horror games is the atmosphere, and Dead Space has that in spades. The game consists mostly of jump scares though, so don't expect to be genuinely frightened. The game is pretty much a one-trick pony when it comes to scares, as even on your first time through the game, it's pretty easy to predict when a Necromorph will jump out. Your fellow crew members even spell it out for you; vents pretty much always contain some kind of monster.

Despite this fact though, Dead Space's air is still thick with dread. It's impossible not to tense up when you are walking down a hallway with nothing but the clank of Isaac's boots on the steel grating to accompany you. Then, the lights go out, and you hear a familiar ticking noise. You quickly lift your gun to use its flashlight and notice a big Necromorph clawings its way towards you. It'll definitely startle you, and Dead Space is filled with such scenarios.

At that point, you'll be forced to fight. Thankfully, Dead Space gets the combat absolutely right. Key to the combat is what EA likes to call “strategic dismemberment”, which allows you to cut off enemy limbs as you see fit. In fact, forget about going for the headshot. Shooting off an enemy's legs and then taking off the arms is the most effective to take down enemies and conserve ammo. It's a great system that makes the combat much more fun and varied. Another nice touch is the inclusion of zero-gravity sections, that have you jumping from surface to surface, trying to solve the rather easy puzzles and keeping the enemies off you, which can come from all sides. This adds an extra dimension to the combat, and makes it that much more exciting.

You also have a vast array of weaponry at your disposal, from anything like an industrial saw to a gun that uses kinetic energy to blast enemies so forcefully their limbs rip clean off. You're unlikely to run short on ammo either, as this horror game throws plenty your way. If you're looking for a game that requires you to scrounge for ammo every second, you should look elsewhere. There were times where I actually just sold my ammo because I kept stocking up on rounds for the game's most basic weapon, the Plasma Cutter. The game simply recognizes what you need and makes enemies drop that type of item more often. Low on health? Just about every enemy will drop a healthpack until you've stocked up again. This seems like it would make the game too easy, but Dead Space is a pretty challenging game overall. The combat has a very frenetic pace to it, unlike in Resident Evil, where enemies seem like they're still trying to wake up as you're lining up headshot after headshot. Seeing big dudes with even bigger claws run towards you at a surprising speed can be rather terrifying sight, and it can be hard to focus because of that.

However, when all else fails, you can simply slow down the enemies. Isaac has access to a time-freeze ability, called Stasis, and a telekinesis power. He is no superhero though, and the only reason he has such powers is because he has a rather advanced suit of armor that can be upgraded. If there's one thing that could make him feel superhuman, it would have to be his bootstomp. He can actually remove heads, arms and legs simply by giving them a firm kick. You'll quickly learn how to use this power when you find out that dead bodies are quite capable at waking up and killing you if you don't pay attention to stomp off their remaining limbs with Isaac's badass ground pound. All these things combine to make the combat in Dead Space very visceral, kinetic and awesome.

The presentation is another one of this game's strong points. The game features no HUD whatsoever, instead using meters on Isaac's back to indicate health and how much juice he still has left in his Stasis meter, while remaining ammo is displayed on the barrel of the guns themselves. Such a thing really helps immerse you in the world of the Ishimura. The actual environments themselves are meticulously crafted, and they all look great. You'll traverse many a hallway throughout the Ishimura, but they all look quite varied. Some feature only cold steel walls, while others have gone suspiciously organic. The game actually manifests menus and FMVs as holograms that float infront of Isaac, and you can walk around freely whilst using or watching these. I've been startled quite a few times as well, when a Necromorph had sneaked his way up to me while I was absorbed in my inventory.

In the sound department, Dead Space also hits home. The game is low on music, choosing instead to send shivers down your spine with nothing but silence, until a sudden wail is heard and you are brutally attacked. The music then kicks in to further invigorate the adrenaline rush. The voice acting is also quite good. Having a nice HDTV and sound system greatly helps to accentuate these fantastic features.

In the end, I found little to fault in Dead Space. Sure, the game doesn't have a great length to it, clocking in at around 10 hours on Normal mode. The game isn't all that scary either, and any effect the scripted jump scares had the first time through will be completely gone the second time through. But all that's easily forgiven, as Dead Space seems to do everything right and then bring it together in an exceptional way. I highly suggest you play this game.