Dead Space is EA Games first attempt at a survival horror game. EA has always aimed at making quality games and this trip into the horror genre is no exception.
Story:
You play as Isaac Clarke, an engineer who is sent with his team to answer a distress call from the mining ship “Ishimura.” The Ishimura is also home to Isaac’s girlfriend, who sent him a message that was cut off just prior to the distress call being sent. This gives our hero a personal interest in finding out just what happened on the ship.
As soon as Isaac and his crew begin searching the ship, they are attacked by strange creatures called “Necromorphs.” They soon realize that the creatures they are encountering are what are left of the crew of the Ishimura. Along with the usual creature fighting that goes on the game, Isaac discovers video and audio logs that piece together what befell the ship. One of which is the ship's captain, who was actually an agent of the "Church of Unitology" — a large and influential religious cult — assigned to retrieve his religion's most deified relic, known as "The Marker", from Aegis VII, under the guise of an illegal mining operation.
Very little is spoon fed to the player. Much of the story is explained in the enviroment in the way of messages left by dead or dying crew members. For anyone who is interested in how deap the story goes, EA also released an animated movies which serves as a prequal to the game, as well as a web site for the Church or Unitology. All these together make for a VERY compelling story.
Game play:
The game play is where Dead Space really shines. Isaac is an engineer on a mining ship, not a soldier. As a result, the weapons you will be using in the game are more or less mining tools. The player doesn’t so much as kill these creatures as he cuts them apart. Unlike most games where the general rule is to shoot the creature in the head, this strategy will get the player killed fast. The game builds tension by making it so the only way to kill these creatures is by cutting their limbs off, thus making close aiming a necessity.
The interface of Dead Space does not feature a traditional head-up display. Instead, all information is relayed to the player via holographic projections and the features on the suit and weapons themselves.One example of this is the map, which does not appear but simply projects a route that the player can follow.
Along with an assortment of weapons to use, Isaac will use a device that slows down time for his enemies. This becomes essential as the creatures begin getting more and more fierce. Just about everything in the game is upgradeable from the suit to gadgets and weapons Isaac has at his disposale.
The one thing that makes the gameplay in Dead Space truly unique is the “zero G” element. At some points in the station you will find that the gravity has bee deactivated. This means that Isaac must use his magnetic boots to move about the area. It’s difficult to describe how this is NOT a gimmic, but I can tell you this, I was on the edge of my seat more than once just jumping from wall to wall trying to get away from creatures coming at me from all four corners of a room. It really works in this game and adds another layer to an already loaded gaming experience.
Overall:
Dead Space is a great game. The story is solid and compelling and the gameplay is addictive. The game is fun but also has the scares to make a must buy if your into survival horror. The scares in Dead Space are genuine and not cheesy. The game relies more on psychological terror than just having something scary jump out at you around the corner. If you want a fun game that has enough scares to make you think twice before playing in the dark, definately pick up Dead Space.
Score: 9
