A fairly good system shock 2 clone, though not quite reaching the same heights as that classic. Sadly a console port...
Deadspace is played from the 3rd person, just over the right shoulder and features several futuristic mining tools as weapons, from the versatile plasma-cutter to the ripper with its remote controlled saw disks. The combat is very shooter like and your foes are the zombie-alien necromorphs, dead crew members who have been transformed by an apparently alien infection from the planet's surface. Many of the weapons employ cutting or slicing actions and you quickly learn that the otherwise tough necromorphs can be taken down fairly quickly by chopping off heads, limbs and other extremities - the plasma cutter is capable of vertical or horizontal cutting for ease of dismemberment. There are a fairly wide range of horrific necromorphs, each of which can be best tackled via certain tactics and weapons, many of them will use the ships vent system to travel so expect necromorphs to pop out of walls and ceilings frequently. The game is broken into chapters, very quickly on entering the Ishimura you are split from the rest of your team and the ship you arrived on is disabled, the plot progresses as a fight for survival as you try to secure the Ishimura and make an escape. Along the way several plot lines develop and mysteries are unravelled, often via personal or official logs that you find along the way.
The game also features an upgrade system, you can buy ammo, weapons etc from vending machines dotted around the Ishimura and also higher levels of your RIG suit which is basically a utility space suit with its own air supply. The RIG suit also provides you with two other abilities, stasis and kinetic, which basically allow you to slow down or remotely manipulate objects for both puzzle solving and combat. Additionally you can use power nodes at a workbench to upgrade your weapons or your RIG suit.
Deadspace appears to be heavily influenced by system shock two, the space ship, the alien infection/zombies, the mysterious plot, the upgrades... even the plot filling in via logs etc. is all very reminiscent of that classic game. Unfortunately and although a good game it doesn't quite live up to the giant it apes, firstly the 3rd person view is a mistake in a survival horror game IMO, it removes you one step from full immersion, secondly it doesn't really pull off scary as well a SS2 did, it has a few moments to make you jump etc but its really all just a little too comfortable - it fails to keep you on edge. Finally Deadspace is a console port, this make it a bit clunky on the PC and the graphics while passable are certainly nothing special by PC standards.
Deadspace gets a thumbs up from me, 22 hours of immersive gameplay isn't something to be sniffed at, however I'm left feeling slightly disappointed as it narrowly misses opportunities to be something special.