Grab your trusty plasma cutter and hold on tight. We're going for a ride.
The story of Dead Space: Extraction does not revolve around just one character. It starts out with a miner, then jumps to a security officer, and introduces a team of people that will be accompanying you. You'll take on the role of the soldier, and then for a brief chapter play as a doctor. All their parts are interconnected as they band together to fight off wave after wave of necromorphs. You'll start off on Aegis VII and then revisit many familiar parts of the Ishimura. The chronology of the game also places it very close to the animated film Dead Space: Downfall.
Extraction does not play like the other Dead Space games. Rather, it's an on-rails shooter presented in first-person perspective. You'll be guided along an invisible track, with whatever character you're controlling dictating the camera with their head moments. There are brief periods in the game where you'll be given free control to look around and spot ammo crates and items to pick up. It becomes frustrating at times when the camera quickly passes over an item you can pick up, making you wish it was a full blown FPS so you could control the camera yourself. Also, there's an excessive use of shaky cam, which makes it hard to aim most of the time.
The rivet gun is your default gun. It's weak and has a slow rate of fire, but its ammo is unlimited. To get other guns, you'll need to keep an eye out for them in the game's ten chapters. You can grab whatever you need with telekinesis, including upgrades that level up weapons increasing their ammo capacity and damage. The game will only let you carry four guns in addition to the rivet gun, so you'll need to try them all out and learn which ones you like best and stick with them. A cool feature is that each gun has its own targeting reticule, so it's quick visual reference of whatever gun you currently have equipped.
Firing is as easy as pointing with the Move controller and shooting. Rotating the Move controller sideways activates the gun's alternate fire, such as firing a timed mine from the line gun or a three round burst from the P-SEC gun. Extraction has a quick reload feature, and if you press the reload or fire button at the right moment, your gun will instantly reload. It's a skill you'll want to you master right away. You'll also have a melee ability by holding down the circle button and swinging the controller.
You'll be shaking the controller a good deal, so don't think you can just play this lying down. There will be dark areas in the game, and you'll need to shake the controller vigorously to charge up your glow stick. There will be tiny enemies clasping on to you that you'll need to shake off, and it's the only way to break an enemy's hold on you. You'll also need a steady hand in order to get past the game's hacking segments, which has you dragging your pointer along a circuit avoiding obstacles that will shock you if touched.
Combating the necromorphs works the same way in Extraction as does the other Dead Space games. Pumping your rounds into their torsos will do little damage, so you'll want to dismember them one limb at a time. Since this is a rail shooter and there's no way to retreat, shooting their legs off is a priority. You can also use stasis to slow them down to a standstill and blast their limbs off with ease, and it will recharge over time as represented by a meter along the circumference of your reticule.
At the end of each chapter, your performance will be rated from one to five stars. The more stars you earn, the more upgrades you'll be granted. Your RIG will gain more HP and you'll be given access to more chapters for play in Challenge Mode. After you beat the game, which should take roughly 4-5 hours, you'll unlock two extra difficulty modes and open up every stage in Challenge Mode. In Challenge Mode, you'll go up against wave after wave of enemies with the objective of scoring the most points possible. There's no option to upload your score online to a leaderboard, so the importance of this mode has been somewhat diluted.
Although Extraction has been given a high-definition makeover, it's easily discernible that it's a port of a Wii game. The polygon count could have been upped quite a bit more, and just because the game's in HD doesn't meant it's going to have the best looking textures. Even the special effects pale in comparison to Dead Space 2's, especially if you play Extraction right afterward. It would have been nice if Visceral Games has the time to rebuild the game to make it look just as great as Dead Space 2. Still, it looks worlds better than the Wii version, and if you got it for free with Dead Space 2, you can't really complain.
Thankfully, there is very little lost in the quality of the audio. It remains to be a potent ingredient in the game's atmosphere. The sound effects are instantly recognizable as Dead Space, from the sounds of the weapons to the screams and shrills of the necromorphs. Regrettably, the slashing of the rock hammer isn't as satisfying as the curb stomping of Isaac Clarke. The music is just as terrifically composed as it ever was, coming in on cue and heightening the tension with its many string instruments. The voice acting, unfortunately, is the only facet of the audio that isn't as consistent as the other Dead Spaces. Some characters outperform others, while a couple are just plain awful.
Dead Space: Extraction is also available on PSN for 15 dollars but if you're thinking of purchasing this rail shooter, then you should also be considering Dead Space 2 as well. Save yourself the 15, and get the two games together, because Extraction is much more enjoyable as free bonus content for as short as it is. The ride itself is a gripping one, balancing suspense with action, guiding you along an all too familiar nightmare in outer space. For those who never played the first Dead Space, it's a great showing of what's to come. Just remember, though, to turn the shaky cam all the way down to avoid yourself a lot of minor headaches.