Dead Space: Expectation mutilator!
User Rating: 10 | Dead Space X360
Dead Space completely obliterated (and mutilated)every expectation I had for it prior to release. It is a perfect example of borrowing the best elements from various artistic works, and refining it into something that can stand on its own. My favorite game of all time is probably Resident Evil 4, mainly due to the claustrophobic and urgent nature of the combat system and inventory management (both of which are in this game with a few twists). The combat is a bit more flexible allowing you to run and aim at the same time, and the real time inventory menus are truly fitting for this genre making something as banal as a peak into your inventory a potentially tense or deadly situation. A few other game mechanics like stasis (mass effect-ish) and the tractor beam (half life 2-ish) are used nicely and just differently enough to not seem like shameless intellectual theft. The environments and visual aesthetic of the game are like a perfect marraige of Alien, Event Horizon, with touches of Doom 3. The sound design is literally second to none, and significantly helps ramp up tension when in battle, or turning a corner in ambiant silence. I also really enjoyed all of the anti-gravity sequences and felt that it gave the gameplay and puzzles a lot of versatility. This game is definitely worth your attention, and will have a place in my collection indefinitely. 
