Everyone knows that in space, no one can hear you scream, at least according to the Alien franchise. Many game developers like this idea and borrowed a lot of their inspiration from the Alien franchise, such as Metroid and Contra. Now, Dead Space is here to bring this idea to it's peak. Can this horror newbie stay frosty? Or is it Game Over?
You play as Isaac Clarke, an unsuspecting engineer that's tasked with boarding the USG Ishimura, a gigantic planet cracker, and restore the ship to working order. Once aboard, Isaac and his team are attacked by strange monsters and they get separated. Isaac then has to fight his way back to his surviving crew members. The story isn't deep in this regard, but the deep backstory and amount of time put into the Unitology religion and the Necromorphs is astounding and a great start to an interesting universe. The dialogue is well written and there are plenty of audio-files and text logs to provide you with an engaging experience.
The gameplay is the next evolution of Resident Evil 4's gameplay style. You control Isaac in a third-person shooter style and plays a lot like Resident Evil 4, just that you can move and shoot. You can also stomp and punch enemies in a pinch. Shooting feels fantastic and the control scheme is mostly perfect for this genre. The biggest change between this game and most other games is that you need to shoot the enemies in their limbs, dismembering them. This both stops them from attacking you and eventually kills them. You can also slow enemies and objects remotely with stasis and you can pick objects up to use them as make-shift ammo.
Outside of combat, you explore the Ishimura and get engaged in one large fetch quest. This might sound dull and boring, but the enemy encounters keep things tense and the ship's design brings memories of the first Alien movie. There aren't any cutscenes and there are quick time events scattered throughout and they don't get in the way of the fun which is a good thing. There are also Zero-G rooms that let you bound from surface to surface and some enemy encounters are fought in these rooms. They are a great addition and make it fell more like you are in space. Dead Space does a perfect job of keeping you engaged and tense.
As with all horror games, Dead Space would be undone without it's sound design. The music is oppressive and quiet, only flaring up when in desperate moments. The voice work is great and the creature sounds are fantastic. The ambient noises and the creaking of the ship paint a realistic sound of the future.
Another important horror aspect is atmosphere and Dead Space has it in droves as well. The atmosphere is very reminiscent of Alien and that makes it top notch. The dimly lit halls and rooms of the Ishimura make exploring the very large ship a engaging and tense time and that's the best praise that can be given to a horror game. On top of that, the visuals are amazing and it has the best Zero-G blood I have ever seen. The monsters look disgusting and they blow apart real nice and the violence is brutal and disturbing. The corridors of the ship are really detailed and there are tons of little details lying around in other rooms. It's a sight to behold and it should hold up for quite a while.
PROs
- Fantastic universe and story
- Well written and deep
- Gameplay is an evolution of Resident Evil 4
- Sound design is top-notch
- Tearing at the limbs makes the game interesting
- Atmosphere is second only to Metroid Prime
- Takes inspiration from Alien
- Zero-G is interesting
- Insanely gruesome and disturbing
CONs
- Not long enough
- Not much variety
Overall, Dead Space is all you wanted from a new horror game. It has an interesting and engaging story, fantastic and intense gameplay, top-notch audio design and amazing visuals and atmosphere. If you are interested in horror games at all, buy Dead Space and that's all that needs to be said.
Story: 10/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Audio: 10/10
Presentation: 10/10
TOTAL: 10/10