Dead Space

Dead Space is a video game that consists of 9 releases
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4.6 / 5 avg score
Reviewed on Oct. 20, 2008
The game is much greater than the sum of its familiar parts. It's also one of the best shooters so far this year.
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Engineer Isaac Clarke is sent to investigate a routine communications problem on-board the USG Ishimura. He has no idea what horrors and intrigue wait for him there...

Overview

Isaac Clarke
Isaac Clarke
Dead Space is a third-person science-fiction survival horror game created at EA's Redwood Shores studio.  The story takes place on the USG Ishimura, an enormous planet cracker class ship.  The player controls Isaac Clarke, an engineer sent along with a small maintenance crew to investigate the USG Ishimura, after it becomes stranded in space and all communication is cut off.  However, neither Isaac nor his team have any idea what is waiting for them aboard the ship.  An alien life form known as Necromorphs have taken over the ship and have infected the entire crew.  It is up to Issac and his compatriots to get a grasp of what has happened aboard the ship and more importantly, survive.

Background Information

Isaac Clarke works for a mining company in the distant future called the Concordance Extraction Corporation (C.E.C.). The company uses large ships called Planet Crackers which are used to literally tear planets open by extracting  large sections (called corks) and mine the valuable resources that the corks contain.  The first Planet Crack class ship is the USG Ishimura, and it also happens to be the largest still in service.  At the time of Dead Space, the Ishimura was cracking Aegis 7.  Isaac has an ex-girlfriend who is a crew member onboard the Ishimura named Nicole Brennan.  The story of Dead Space doesn't reveal much about the history of the relationship, but it is revealed that Isaac and Nicole both care deeply about each other.  When the Ishimura transmits a distress signal, a voluntary crew of five is sent onboard the small USG Kellion to fix the problem.  Isaac volunteers (most likely because of Nicole) along with Zach Hammond, two other unnamed members, and Kendra Daniels (who also has a loved one onboard the USG Ishimura) to go to the USG Ishimura.  This is the point that the games starts at.

Another key element to the plot of Dead Space is Unitology.  Unitology is a religion that believes that an ancient, possibly alien artifact called the Marker is the key to an eternal afterlife.  Many of the USG Ishimura's crewmembers are Unitoligists.  It is possible that the Marker has more influence on the USG Ishimura's mining mission than expected.

Story *Contains Spoilers*

Isaac Clarke, Kendra Daniels, Zach Hammond, and two unnamed men are onboard the USG Kellion and are heading to the USG Ishimura to respond to its distress signal.  Isaac is viewing a video log of his ex, Nicole.  As the Kellion is about to dock into the Ishimura, a magnetic field causes it to crash land.  The crewmembers enter, and when Isaac checks the status of the Ishimura, a creature known as a Necromorph immediately kills the two unnamed crewmembers.  Isaac gets separated from Kendra and Hammond as a result.  Isaac repairs the ship tram system (so Hammond and Kendra can go to the bridge for more information) and goes back to the Kellion.  The Kellion abruptly explodes and traps the three onboard.

Isaac begins to do tasks for Hammond and Kendra to improve the condition of the ship.  First, he goes to the Medical Deck to get the deceased captain's R.I.G..  From this the three learn the condition of the ship; overrun by Necromorphs, almost all of the crew were killed and turned into more Necromorphs.  The Necromorphs are revealed by Kendra to be an alien lifeform capable of reanimating corpses.

Later, while the Ishimura is being bombarded by meteors, Hammond seals and releases a Necromorph in an escape pod.  At this point, Isaac starts seeing cryptic messages of Nicole saying "make us whole again." After manning a turret to halt the meteor bombardment, it is revealed somebody or something is preventing the resupply of oxygen on the ship.  Meanwhile, Kendra starts distrusting Hammond and his knowledge of what happened on the ship.

Isaac returns to the Medical Deck to concoct a poison to destroy the oxygen blocker.  Here he encounters the first significant survivor -- Dr. Challus Mercer.  Mercer is a crazed Unitologist who believes that the Necromorphs are the successors to the human race and that the reanimation process is the only way to achieve eternal life.  Mercer attempts to stop Clarke's actions by releasing an unkillable Necromorph on him.

Barely escaping, Isaac goes to the Hydroponics Deck to restore oxygen.  Here Isaac sees Hammond barely able to breathe.  Once Isaac defeats the enemy that was preventing oxygen production, Hammond disappears.  Kendra (who keeps seeing her dead brother in hallucinations) sends Isaac to the Mining Deck to send out an S.O.S. beacon.

Here Isaac encounters Nicole who is apparently alive and well.  The beacon gets received by the military ship, the USM Valor. Unfortunately, the Valor received the escape pod that Hammond sealed.  Apparently the single Necromorph in the pod was enough to cause the Valor to lose control and come crashing into the hull of the USG Ishimura.  The crash causes Hammond to urgently respond in a video message; somebody had jammed his signal before so he couldn't reach Isaac.  Isaac also learns that the USM Valor was actually sent to destroy the Ishimura.

Isaac is sent aboard the Valor to get a part for an intact but unusable shuttle on the Ishimura.  Another survivor from the Ishimura, Dr. Terrance Kyne, contacts Isaac.  Kyne is a Unitologist who previously accidentally killed the captain.  Kyne tells Isaac that an artifact called the Marker is onboard the Ishimura and is responsible for the Necromorph infection.  He urges Clarke to return the Marker to the Aegis 7 colony in a shuttle.  Before leaving the Valor, Hammond is ripped to pieces by a Brute (mini-boss Necromorph) and dies immediately.  Kendra, while in doubt of Hammond earlier, is still greatly affected by this. She tells Isaac to follow Kyne's instructions but to be careful.

Isaac battles a Necromorph
Isaac battles a Necromorph
Kyne meets up with Isaac and tells him that the Marker was unearthed by the colonists on Aegis 7, and that a gigantic creature that controls the Necromorphs called the Hive Mind was also found.  In this chapter Isaac also can discover that the current mining operation is illegal and most likely financed by the Church of Unitology.  Also, Clarke defeats the unkillable Necromorph from earlier, which prompts Dr. Mercer to sacrifice himself.  Isaac then retrieves the Marker and brings it to the shuttle for its return to Aegis 7.  As Clarke is about to leave with Kyne and the Marker on the shuttle, Kendra kills Kyne.  She reveals that she is really an agent sent to retrieve the Marker.  She also reveals that the Marker that was found on Aegis 7 is really an experiment and man-made.  According to her, the Marker was based off of another Marker found on Earth centuries earlier.  The new Marker was a disaster and was buried, only to be unearthed by the Ishimura.  Kendra then takes the shuttle and abandons Isaac on the Ishimura.  Nicole makes another appearance to help return the shuttle (Kendra uses an escape pod on the shuttle to land on the colony).

Isaac takes the shuttle to Aegis 7 to return the Marker to its rightful place.  When Isaac puts the Marker back on it's pedestal, Kendra encounters him once again.  This time she reveals that Nicole has been dead all along and Isaac was just receiving hallucinations from the Hive Mind.  Kendra proceeds to take the Marker back to the shuttle.  As she is about to leave, the Hive Mind emerges and crushes/smears Kendra.  Isaac is able to kill the Hive Mind and quickly flees on the shuttle before the whole colony self-destructs.  On the shuttle, Isaac removes his helmet and views Nicole's message one last time.  As he turns his head, a Necromorph that looks like Nicole lunges at him.  The credits roll.


Gameplay

Dead Space stays relatively close to the conventions of other popular third-person action games, but also sticks to it's horror roots.   
 
Isaac isn't a solider and so he isn't always equipped with proper weaponry, he mostly uses repurposed engineering tools.  The Necromorphs on the Ishimura are both stronger and faster than Issac so he must use his wits to take them out.  The term that EA has coined, strategic dismemberment, plays a big role in the game and is one of Isaacs main defenses against the Necromorphs.   
 
Issac's main weapon, the plasma cutter, presents the player with multiple options
Strategic dismemberment at work.
Strategic dismemberment at work.
for eliminating his foes, depending on the situation.  For example, cutting off an alien's head will cause it to thrash blindly and become an easy target, while going for its appendages might slow it down enough for the player to safely get by without using too much precious ammo.  Early alien encounters are relatively easily dealt with, however dealing with the alien threat becomes increasingly more complex as the player progresses through the game.  Players will eventually encounter pregnant Necromorphs and discover that indiscriminate shooting is not such a wise idea.


No Known Survivors

In August 2008, EA launched NoKnownSurvivors.com, a weekly updated interactive website that filled in story about Dead Space before release.  The site features 3D animations and voice overs that tell stories of fellow crew members aboard the USG Ishimura.

Misplaced Affection


This story tells the story of organ replacement technician, George Greggs who falls in love with an officer named Jane Gauthier.  Gauthier and her squad were helping fight an apartment fire.  As Gauthier was trying to escape the building, the front door closed on her hand, severing her middle, index and ring fingers.  Gauthier is then sent to Greggs for replacements fingers, which is when Greggs falls for Gauthier.  George and Jane are scheduled to go on a date but before they can, the Necromorphs attack the USG Ishimura.

Development

How Dead Space came to be made is not the story of your typical EA game.  
 
The game's executive producer, Glen Schofield, and his long-time co-worker, Brett Robbins, had been dreaming of making a sci-fi horror game for a long time.  They were given a chance to pitch their idea to Paul Lee, the former president of EA.  Lee was extremely impressed and asked what they needed. Schofield responded "Let me hand-pick a team, put me in a corner, and leave us alone."  Lee agreed, as long as they had something to show within six months time.  After the time had elapsed, Schofield and crew had a playable demo ready.  The demo was given to all the higher ups at EA including then COO John Riccitiello.  They were amazed by the game and instantly gave the project the greenlight, and tagged it as a possible trilogy.

Multimedia

Dead Space: Downfall DVD box art
Dead Space: Downfall DVD box art
Dead Space is being turned into a multimedia franchise by EA.  
 
Anybody that wants to learn more about the plot of Dead Space can check out a six issue comic book mini-series published by Image.  The comic is written by Anthony Johnston (Wasteland) and is illustrated by Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night).  All issues are now available in stores.   
 
An animated Dead Space movie, called Dead Space: Downfall is scheduled to be released on October 28 on Blu-Ray and DVD.  

 In July 2009, EA announced that they, in partnership with Temple Hill associates Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey, plan to pitch a Dead Space film to studios once they have chosen a script and creative direction of which they approve.  They have already appointed D.J. Caruso to the position of director.


Developer Diaries

After E3 2008 EA started releasing developer diaries in order to get more information out to the masses and also to show case the unique aspects of Dead Space and its production process.  So far there have been eight developer diaries that have been released.

  • Dev Diary #1 - Getting the Greenlight - YouTube
  • Dev Diary #2 - Developing the Story - YouTube
  • Dev Diary #3 - Audio - YouTube
  • Dev Diary #4 -Strategic Dismemberment - YouTube
  • Dev Diary #5 - Creating Horror - YouTube
  • Dev Diary #6 - Zero G - YouTube
  • Dev Diary #7 - Animation - YouTube
  • Dev Diary #8 - Art and Necromorphs - YouTube

Animated Comics

EA issued an animated version of the Dead Space comic series (6 issues) that has been running since March of 2008.  The animated version was for generating hype as much as it was making it easier for people following the game to see the events leading up to Dead Space.

Weapons

 There are seven weapons in Dead Space. Each weapon's damage, ammo capacity, speed, and reload can be upgraded. Also, every weapon has an alternate fire mode. The weapons are:


Initially a tool used for cutting of rock, and other objects, the Plasma Cutter is essentially Dead Space's pistol. It holds 10 shots to begin with, but can be upgraded to hold 20 shots. It shoots on a vertical plane but its alternate fire mode flips the gun so that it shoots on a horizontal plane, useful for dealing with wider enemies or cutting legs.  After fully upgrading the Plasma Cutter's damage, it easily becomes one of the most powerful and versatile  weapons in the game, as a fully upgraded Plasma Cutter can cut through almost any enemy limb with one shot, ammo is usually fairly abundant, and the ability to switch the firing plane allows easier dismemberment.    

Statistics:  Initial Cost: 0  Shots Per Sec: 1 Damage: 10 Ammo Capacity: 10  Ammo Cost: 1200 (6 shot)


       
The standard assault rifle used by marines and security personnel. Unlike most of the other game's weaponry, the Pulse Rifle is an actual weapon, and not a tool that Isaac uses as a weapon. It initially holds 50 shots, but can be upgraded to hold 200. Its secondary fire is a 360 degree bullet explosion, useful when you're surrounded.

Statistics :  Initial Cost: 7000  Shots Per Sec: 0.20 Damage: 5 Ammo Capacity: 50  Ammo Cost: 1250 (25 shot)



The flamethrower is your standard flamethrower. It is great for torching up the Necromorphs, and works well in close-quarters combat. Since the Necromorph's limbs are so fragile, the flamethrower even has the ability to dismember foes. It's secondary fire is a straight, powerful shot of flame that explodes.

Statistics :  Initial Cost: 11000  Shots Per Sec: N/A Damage: 0.75 Ammo Capacity: 125  Ammo Cost: 1000 (25 unit)



Another tool that Isaac turns into a weapon, the Ripper is essentially the game's chainsaw. It initially carries 8 blades, that when fired, leash onto the gun and can be used to plow through foes. The secondary fire of the Ripper shoots a saw-blade powerfully straight ahead .

Statistics :  Initial Cost: 8000  Shots Per Sec: N/A Damage: 8 Ammo Capacity: 8  Ammo Cost: 1800 (4 shot)


      
The line gun is yet another tool. It is basically a super powered plasma cutter, except it only has a horizontal shooting plane , it also has a wider range than the plasma cutter and is much more powerful. The ammunition has explosive capabilities, and the gun holds five "line racks" when first acquired. It's secondary fire launches a single ball of mines in a straight line, which has a delayed fuse .

Statistics :  Initial Cost: 9000  Shots Per Sec: 0.5 Damage: 16 Ammo Capacity: 5  Ammo Cost: 2000 (2 shot)



The Force Gun is a pushing tool. Likely used by the miners for breaking into rock, the gun can be described as having "shotgun-like" qualities. It is extremely powerful, but only at close range. At longer distances, the gun has no effect on enemies. It holds 8 shots when it is first acquired .

Statistics :  Initial Cost: 11000  Shots Per Sec: 1 Damage: 20 Ammo Capacity: 10  Ammo Cost: 900 (3 shot)


        
The Contact Beam is one of the final two weapons attained by the player, along with the Force Gun, about half way through the story. It has a short charge, but when fired unleashes a hellish beam that destroys most enemies in one blast. The ammo for this weapon is very expensive, and the gun only holds 4 shots. Its secondary fire works sort of like a jackhammer, and it creates a powerful blast of energy that shoots through the ground, damaging all nearby enemies. It is likely that when fully upgraded, the Contact Beam is the most powerful in the game .

Statistics :  Initial Cost: 9000  Shots Per Sec: N/A Damage: 100 Ammo Capacity: 4  Ammo Cost: 2000 (1 shot)

Unitology: Alien Language

The Chapter 6 chart.
The Chapter 6 chart.
The glyphs scratched and written in blood along the walls of the Ishimura are not random, but are in fact a runic alphabet created to enhance the game's ambiance.   There are two locations in the game (Chapter 1 and Chapter 6) that offer a fuzzy glimpse of the rosetta stone for this alphabet.  After completing the game, a few final words dissolve from English to Unitology, giving players a crisp starting point for translating the words.  For interested players without that kind of patience, much of the work has already been done. (Article contains full spoilers!)

Phrases also appear floating among the menu screens before starting the game itself, and there is even a hidden meta-game that directs players to an Electronic Arts webpage to unlock a code that can be entered with the controller.  Fully unlocking the code requires finding a secret symbol in each chapter.

PC Specs

These are the system requirements for Dead Space (found on the back of the box):

  • OS: Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or Vista
  • CPU: 2.8 GHz Processor or better
  • RAM: 1 GB or more for XP (2 GB for Vista)
  • DISC DRIVE: 1x or faster DVD-ROM drive
  • HARD DRIVE: At least 7 GB
  • VIDEO: 256 MB or more memory card (NVIDIA GeForce 6800, ATI X1600 Pro, or better)
  • SOUND: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card

Bonus Suits

EA offered a preorder bonus to players purchasing the game through GameStop.

Scorpion Suit (pre-order suit)

 
GameStop's description: The strongest in the game.  It offers increased toughness and inventory slots above what lower level suits provide.  Hold off the Necromorph onslaught for longer, and hold more items and weapons.  While supplies last.

This suit is also available on the PSN Store and Xbox Live Marketplace.

The Scorpion Suit has 25% Armour, and it has the maximum inventory slots.

Console-associated Suit
Left to right, PS3 exclusive suit and 360 exclusive suit
Left to right, PS3 exclusive suit and 360 exclusive suit


Each console is given one exclusive rig, picture right, to match the associated console themes.

The Obsidian and the Elite Suits both have the maximum inventory slots. The Elite Suit has 10% Armour, and the Obsidian 25% armour

     Playstation 3 - The exclusive suit for PS3 players is the "Obsidian" suit.  It features a full black suit and a blue visor light to match the associated colors of the PlayStation brand.

     Xbox 360 - The exclusive 360 suit is the "Elite" suit.  It features the white-ish color of the stock 360 with a green visor light to match the associated colors of the Xbox brand.

Downloadable content:

"Scorpion" suit
"Scorpion" suit
The following Downloadable content has been released for both Xbox 360 and PS3 in their respective online stores.  It was originally released on the The Xbox 360 Market place and PlayStation Store Europe on Nov 13th, while the US and the world wide PlayStation Store received the content on Nov 20th.

 
  • Astronaut Pack: Adds a new Astronaut Suit and new skins for the Plasma Cutter, Pulse Rifle, and Ripper.
Price: $3.00 / 240 MS points


  •  Big Gun Pack: Adds the Steam Punk Force Gun, the "ultimate in Necromorph-killing destruction" gun.
 Price: $1.00 / 80 MS points

  •  Heavy Damage Pack: Adds increased firepower and new skins for the Plasma Cutter, Contact Beam, Pulse Rifle, and Ripper. 
Price: $3.00 / 240 MS points

  • PS3 Exclusive Dead Space suit
    PS3 Exclusive Dead Space suit
    Hot Rod Pack: Adds flame graphics for the Flamethrower and Pulse Rifle.
Price: $1.00 / 80 MS points

  • Military Pack: Add a new looks and enhanced power for all 7 weapons.
Price: $4.00 /  320 MS points

  • Pedestrian Pack: Adds new looks for the Contact Beam, Plasma Cutter, and Ripper.
Price: $1.50 / 120 MS points

  • Scorpion Pack: Adds an upgraded Level 5 Suit and powered up Plasma Cutter, Line Gun, and Force Gun, all decorated in an new red Scorpion Skin.
Price: $4.00 / 320 MS points
 
  • Scorpion Weapon Pack: Add faster death-dealing Plasma Cutter, Line Gun, and Force Gun in new red Scorpion skins.
Price: $2.25 / 180 MS points

  • Speed Kills Pack: Adds faster-firing Force Gun, Line Gun, and Plasma Cutter.          
    360 exclusive suit
    360 exclusive suit
Price: $2.25 / 180 MS points

  • Tank Pack: Adds an upgraded Level 5 Suit and powered up Flamethrower, Force Gun, and Line Gun, all covered in Unitology script.
Price: $4.00 / 320 MS points


PlayStation 3 Exclusive Packages

  • Obsidian Weapon Skin Pack: Adds weapon skins in jet-black PLAYSTATION 3 colors for the Line Gun, Plasma Cutter, and Pulse Rifle.
Price: $1.50

  • Obsidian Pack: Adds an upgraded Level 5 suit, and weapon skins for the Line Gun, Plasma Cutter, and Pulse Rifle, all in jet-black PLAYSTATION®3 colors.
Price: $3.00
 

Xbox 360 Exclusive Packages

  • Elite Weapon Skin Pack: Adds weapon skins in Xbox 360 colors for the Line Gun, Plasma Cutter, and Pulse Rifle.
Price: 120 MS points

  • Elite Suit and Weapon Skin Pack: Add an upgraded Level 5 suit, and weapon skins for the Line Gun, Plasma Cutter, and Pulse Rifle in Xbox 360 colors.  The suit was originally available as a free download for a limited time.

Xbox 360 Game Installation

Dead Space requires 6.6GB of space to install on an Xbox 360 HDD.
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Dead Space
General Information Edit
Game Name Dead Space
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Original US Release Oct. 14, 2008
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OFLC
OFLC: MA15+
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BBFC: 18
ESRB
ESRB: M
Guides Create
Dead Space - Achievement Road Map
A guide how to fastest optain all achievements in Dead Space.
Printable checklist for the Xbox Achievements
An achievements checklist for Dead Space inthree formats: PNG image, PDF file and OpenDocument spreadsheet
Cheat Codes
These are various cheats for Dead Space.
Weapons Guide
Guide for all the weapons in Dead Space
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