In space, no one can hear you scream.
Dead Space successful does what it sets out to do: It creates an original, atmospheric experience that is built around keeping you on edge through every step of the game.
The pacing in Dead Space runs parallel to its presentation, it's perfect.
At the start of the game you are literally thrust into the clutches of a massive mining shuttle that you are investigating due to a total communications blackout and your ship is pulled in by a seemingly unknown force. Upon the shaky landing, you and your crew members leave your shuttle and enter the giant and seemingly abandoned mining ship; it doesn't take much foresight to see what is coming up next...
Within the first 3 rooms that you experience on the shuttle the shit really hits the fan and the thrills, scares and surprises don't really let up till the credits roll.
In this aforementioned room you are tasked by your superior to check on the computer system, after all you are an engineer, and as you use the computer (which is located in a sub-room within a bigger room) the 2 doors for escape are locked, the lights shut off, and a loud crash comes from the ceiling where a hellish nightmare descends and skewers one of your fellow crew members right before your very eyes in a gruesome and violent way.
You are left helpless and unable to save him. Other crew-members are caught off guard and can not aid him in time. They eliminate the threat, but you are still left divorced from them. It is in this moment that the game really begins as you, unarmed, are attacked out of no where in an extremely dark room. All you can do is run like hell, and run like hell you will.
This setup sets the scene for what Dead Space is. It is a game that is more interested in keeping you on edge and always guessing than being a great game mechanically.
The shooting in Dead Space gets so monotonous. This may be due to the fact I played through the game only once and during that one time I played with only the plasma cutter so I could get the achievement. However I am not so certain that is so because I also used telekinesis quite often to keep things interesting for myself. Basically what I would do is I would see one of the few enemies the game offers, assess which type it was, and react by dismembering them accordingly. This formulaic fighting is what dulled the experience most for me, but it did not impair the experience enough to dock the game's score because this game isn't exactly about its shooting mechanic (which is, at the very least, very responsive.)
SUMMARY: The game has great graphics that benefit it due to the presentation being so important to the game's experience which relies heavily on visual scares and gore to reach its goal of keeping you on edge. The lighting system is focused on heavily(for obvious reasons) and really adds to the experience. A great deal of emphasis is also placed on sound, and in conjunction with the game's visuals really adds up to make this game the amazing experience that it is. The game mechanics are passable for the genre but there is very little replay value as far as I can foresee.
