Dead Space

Dead Space is EA Redwood Shores shiny new intellectual property that is taking the survival horror genre by storm. It's been quite some time since a real contender has appeared to take on the big boys at their own game. Seldom do games come close to the survival horror sweetness of the Resident Evil or Silent Hill franchises but Dead Space certainly gives them a run for their money. It manages to accomplish this by taking on a Sci-Fi theme that introduces an assortment of very inventive and intuitive features that are not possible in the other games.

Dead Space takes place on the mining ship USG Ishimura. A massive "Planet Cracker" ship that actually digs up chunks of earth the size of large countries in order to mine for valuable minerals. You catch a glimpse of this in the intro and it's pretty bad ass to say the least. This gives you a general idea of how large the ship you are about to embark on actually is. You play as Isaac Clarke who is an engineer assigned to restore communications to the USG Ishimura. Along for the ride are Kendra Daniels and Zack Hammond. During the early stages they are isolated to an area and when they're not bitching each other out, they're assigning specific tasks for you to accomplish in order to survive the sticky situation you have found yourself in. When attempting to board the Ishimura, you're ship gets damaged and you are all essentially trapped. It becomes apparent early on that things aren't quite as they should be and sooner than later, shit starts goin' down.

As soon as you begin playing Dead Space you are definitely sucked into your surroundings. You never quite know what is up ahead or what to expect once you enter any given area. You're constantly on edge and there are quite a lot of pop outs to get your blood pumping. I found myself slowly creeping around corners with my gun drawn at all times just in case some nasty Necromorphs try to get the drop on me. This game gives you the creeps and it does it very well. Necromorphs are the enemies you will face throughout the majority of the game. They're a sort of re-animated corpse that is hell bent on taking you out and can only be stopped if their limbs are removed. You use an assortment of mining equipment to chop off these limbs. You start out with a Plasma Cutter and work your way through other weapons like the Line Cutter, Ripper (a remotely controlled buzz saw) and a Plasma Rifle amongst others. Luckily the miners that have turned into Necromorphs were messy and left ammo all over the place. Some of them carry it around as well for some reason. Anyways, the only actual real weapon in Dead Space is the Plasma Rifle. The other weapons are mining equipment that you modify along the way by adding power nodes at work benches. Good thing you're an engineer. Some weapons work better on some enemies than others. It's up to you to find out which weapon works best during certain situations. Some you'll use practically the entire time (ammo permitting). There are stores throughout the USG Ishimura as well where you can buy, sell and store some items that are taking up room on your own inventory screen. You can also upgrade your suit by finding schematics and adding them to your store. This will give you more protection and will allow you to carry more items as well.

You also obtain a Kinetics module along with the ability to use your Stasis. Stasis slows objects and enemies down allowing you to progress past certain points and to slow down incoming Necromorphs. Kinetics allows you to grab onto or move large objects and launch them sort of like using 'The Force' in Star Wars. The weapon and suit upgrading is very well done. You'll need to add power nodes to grids in order to upgrade damage, reload speed and the capacity of ammo the weapons can carry. You can also upgrade your suit or R.I.G. in order to hold more oxygen and to give you more Health Points. Find power nodes, collect credits and soup your shit up because you're going to need it. The bad guys come in waves at times and unless you're packing some serious heat, it'll be quite the challenge making your way to the next stage.

Dead Space has 12 stages separated into sections aboard the USG Ishimura. The first half of the game you are sent all over the place trying to get systems back online and to make repairs in order to survive this living nightmare. After the first level is complete, you get access to the TRAM system. It's sort of a subway car that allows you to travel to different sections of the ship. Each level begins and ends with a TRAM ride. Each level is different then the last as you explore the vast areas aboard the ship. There are so many different moments when you just stop and say "wow". At times you have to step out into space and jump from walls in an anti-gravity environment which is very cool. Other components that make up the ship such as a massive centrifuge and a huge beam that is holding onto a gigantic meteorite are incredible and fit perfectly into to the Sci-Fi feel of this game.

Dead Space also comes with a very well designed and thought out HUD. Well, I guess you can't call it that since it doesn't really exist. Seeing as how this game is presented in a 3rd person perspective, your health is clearly visible by a bar meter on your back as a part of your suit. Your ammo is displayed on your weapon like in Halo and your inventory screen pops up as a hologram right out of a compartment from your suits chest. You can walk and turn and it will still display the neat hologram effects as you rotate around. Even video, audio and text files are represented in this manner and it never interrupts your game that much. The story is told by means of video, audio and text logs that you discover as you make your way around the place. It's very similar to the story was told in Bioshock. Seeing as how something incredibly terrible happened in the past and everyone is dead, how else are you going to find out right? These are very creepy and normally contain someone freaking out or screaming at some point.

The graphics in Dead Space kick a lot of ass as well. At times it can be very dirty, bloody and dark but at other times you'll be blown away at the majestic scope of the ship itself or from the breathtaking views of outer space. There's a part when you walk into a large open area enclosed in glass with meteors passing by making shadows on the floor from the nearest stars light shining in. Just incredible, breathtaking stuff. Most of the game is played in small, dark hallways and then all of a sudden you're hit with something so different that it stands out that much more. At times you are thrown into a seamless cut scene that adds a cinematic affect as well. You can still interact during some of the scenes like when a large tentacle type appendage grabs you out of nowhere and starts drawing you in. You have to aim and shoot at a specific area for it to let you go. The enemies are very gruesome looking and move in a very creepy manner swaying from side to side as they come after you. Others can cling to walls and some fly as well. They all have a unique look and are extremely detailed and disgusting as well. They remind me a lot of the flood from the Halo series but done in a much more horrific way. Often times when they get too close, a button mashing sequence occurs and you have to hammer on the X button in order to shake them off or to avoid their attacks.

The last thing I’ll touch on will have to be the sound. Dead Space has some of the best sound effects I’ve heard in a long time. There is always some sound coming from an unknown location that will make you jump or at least stop you in your tracks. The ship is always making noise with its creaks and groans but it’s the cans falling in the air ducts or the fast whispering that you can’t quite make out that really chill your blood. You’ll hear enemies making noises and will swear one is behind you. At times you actually have to work up the nerve to move into the next area because it sounds like there are a bunch of Necromorphs just waiting for you. Once you get there however, you’ll find the room empty and just when you feel relaxed is when they’ll start popping out of nowhere surrounding you. There is every type of conceivable sound from heavy boots walking on steel platforms to the sounds of bubbles in cryogenic tubes. An amazing effect is created when you are in a zero gravity area. Sounds are reduced to mostly a low frequency base and everything sounds like you’re underwater. It's these perfect little touches that make Dead Space so incredible.

All of these elements combined create something that definitely needs to be experienced. That’s why I am highly recommending this game becomes a part of your collection. Dead Space manages to take the survival horror genre into the sci-fi realm with nothing but impressive results. If there is no sequel to this game I will be very disappointed as Dead Space has officially blown my face apart. If you happened to have past this one over during the mad holiday rush of kick ass titles, do yourself a favour and pick this one up once you get the chance. It’s certainly worth every penny and should not be overlooked.