DEAD SPACE : Ignition is dead on arrival
THE GOOD : The best thing going for this rather uninspiring package is the 'DEAD SPACE' name. Because let's face it, if it was called anything else, this would have been met with nary a mention and a dull thud. Beyond the name though, the one redeeming factor for players of this tripe, is that upon completion of the game, some extra content for the game it's helping to advertise, DEAD SPACE 2, is unlocked. The most notable of which is a 'Level 4 Suit'. What all this 'Level 4' suit will entitle the player to, or do for the player, is unknown at the present time, but if the quality of the game it's coming from is any indication, I'd have to say : not much. Another semi-redeeming factor for this game is that it's short. Although the first playthrough will likely take around an hour to get the hang of the games contained within, the actual gameplay can be completed in 25-35 minutes on repeat playthroughs. And it does bear at leasta few repeat playthroughs, if for no other reason than to unlock all the extra content possible for DEAD SPACE 2, since there are 4 different endings / paths you can take, as the game is set-up with branching paths through the story at various points. As for the gameplay itself, there are 3 different types of mini-games, one of which is ridiculously easy button mashing and can be accomplished with one hand while making a sandwich with the other no matter the difficulty, the other is a moderate brain-challenger, unless you've looked at the trophy guides (recommended to minimize time spent playing this game) and the final type of game can be a difficult and challenging, though uninspired, skill game. It's good that each of these games starts out relatively easy and ratchet up the difficulty as they go but again, none of them are particularly fun or inspired. The final thing I can say in this games' favor is that, if you pre-ordered DEAD SPACE 2, …… DEAD SPACE : Ignition is free.
THE BAD : To begin with, since this 'game' also charades as a motion comic, let's get that out of the way by saying that this is some terrible comics work. Like I mentioned, I've been collecting comics for most of my life and I collect mainly for the artistic purpose. That is to say, I collect comics with good, top-quality art in them and at least a passable story. If this were an actual comic book, I'd pass this by on the shelf without batting an eyelash at it. The art is laughably bad, the 'animation' (if you can actually call it that) is minimal and the story is paper-thin. Speaking of paper, if this were a paper comic, it would only be cat-box quality. Line the bird cage with it, baby. As for the actual game itself, there's not much to say here. There's no shooting necromorphs, no dealing with aliens, nothing even remotely 'human'. That's all handled by the 'motion comic'. No, it's all hacking control panels, aligning mirrors to direct lasers and warding off computer viruses. Having fun yet? I understand saving the best for the main game itself, but how about something a little more engaging and fun than…….electronics challenges. Yippee.
THE BOTTOM LINE : A short game that's not worth the price you pay for it (unless, as I mentioned earlier you pre-paid for DEAD SPACE 2) DEAD SPACE Ignition is a dull, badly drawn motion comic that contains a bland, relatively boring 3-pack of mini-games. It would almost be better to just pay for the extra content itself and not have to play the game, since the extra content for DEAD SPACE 2 is really the reason to play this at all. When all is said and done, this game, like the necromorphs it's about, should be avoided. DEAD SPACE : Ignition is dead on arrival.