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Dead Space Review

Graphics:
9.0
Gameplay:
9.4
Sound:
10.0
Control:
9.0
Replay Value:
8.5
Overall Rating:
9.4
Online Gameplay:
Not Rated
Publisher:
EA
Developer:
EA Redwood Shores
Number Of Players:
1 Player
Genre:
Action/Survival Horror


It started out as an announcement that didn't get all that much fanfare, as is common with the revealing of an all new intellectual property in the videogame world. EA's Dead Space billed a horror game that took place in…outer space, and again, people didn't 'oooh' or 'ahhh'. But as soon as we started getting our hands on playable content, Dead Space quickly turned from being thought of as generic, to something much, much more. As press hype began to build for Dead Space, so did anticipation from the gamers…and luckily, the game was pushed up to arrive a week early. As you can see, the final verdict is very strong, and there are more than a number of reasons why…

First off, Dead Space runs on a proprietary engine made by EA, so this is just one of few games that's not running on Unreal Engine III. The reason having your own engine is a good thing is because EA's Redwood Shores studio had complete knowledge and control over their own architecture, translating to less development issues down the road, and a better multiplatform title. So thanks to a proprietary engine Dead Space benefits from being a rather polished game, for the most part.

When revealing the game, EA Redwood stated that Dead Space was inspired by movies such as Event Horizon, The Thing, and Alien; while videogame influences obviously include Resident Evil and Silent Hill. The team has crafted a story which revolves around a character named Isaac Clarke. Clarke is a space engineer for Concurdance Extraction Corporation (C.E.C). The C.E.C. is a mining company that controls enormous mining ships around the galaxy.

When a particular "Planet Cracker" ship (a planet destroyer that extracts remaining ore from a dead planet) calls in a distress call, a group of engineers assemble to go investigate the issue. As you can imagine, Clarke is one of the engineers on duty. Upon arrival, the engineers soon realize that the ship had been taken over by an unknown race of aliens, and so the fight to survive begins.

The Necromorphs are this mysterious alien race, they have the ability to inhabit the body of a regular being, distorting and mutating their original shape. From there on, the alien beings can continue to infect others, and the only way to kill the aliens is to dismember them. Yes, dismembering your enemies is how you kill them. While it may seem a little unusual, it works, and it's actually a solid concept that encourages you to aim well, as opposed to just spraying fire everywhere. Furthermore, the mechanic of shooting limbs works to the gameplay's advantage as it heightens the sense of urgency, fright, and the fight to survive. Again, because you're not shooting aimlessly and you have to concentrate on a kill, you're taking up time while the enemy advances closer. Often times you'll end up killing the enemy right as he's about to strike, and a sigh of relief will follow each and every time that happens. As you can see, the effect this has on you is absolutely brilliant, certainly more so than any other horror game before.

There are a variety of different Necromorph forms, so throughout the game you won't be killing the same enemy over and over again. As mentioned already, gameplay is third-person and utilizes an over-the-shoulder view that is similar to games like Resident Evil 4 and Gears of War. My one complaint with this is that there are times your view of the environment seems very restricted and that can often result in getting blindsided by an enemy you didn't see. A simple solution would've been to center the character on screen, and use the over-the-shoulder perspective only when the weapon is drawn. Additionally, not being able to switch between shoulder perspectives (left or right) is another qualm of mine. But I must say this, though…in some strange way, this limitation actually makes me use my senses more as I'm now more inclined to pay attention to strange sounds, as well as look around my surroundings more often. Again, this only heightens the game's fright level.

The gameplay utilized some solid physics work, and you'll discover a good chunk of it when you enter one of the gravity-free areas of the game. There are a number of environments where gravity is non-existent, so Clarke has to rely on his gravity boots to get around these no gravity zones, and that's another aspect of the game that came out much better than anticipated.

Getting down to action, the game will grant you a number of weapons, abilities, and armor. The primary weapon will be the Plasma Cutter, which is a mining tool used to cut down rocks and such. Instead, you'll use it to sever the heads and limbs of your enemies. As I mentioned earlier, there are more than one kind of Necromorph, so just because one kind dies from getting its head severed, doesn't mean another type will. For example, severing a certain enemy's head may cause a smaller alien life-form to crawl out and jump at you. Firing at a pregnant alien will cause additional, smaller lifeforms to come at you, as well. So while the goal is to dismember, you also have to be prepared for surprises. Now, if things get hairy, the Stasis Gun can be used to slow down targeted enemies, allowing you more time to kick some ass – the gun can also be used on moving objects, as well.

Clarke's suit plays a pivotal role in the game, and its implementation is reminiscent of Nintendo's Metroid games. The suit connects to the network of the ship, and will automatically update you with information of your surroundings, such as item details, nearby computer stations, and will even display video transmissions via hologram. An energy bar on the spine tracks Clarke's health, and air-supply is fed through the suit, as well, when you're in rooms that have been decompressed. Likewise, gravity boots will keep you planted to a panel when things get…lightweight.

Your weapons and suit are upgradeable, as Clarke's engineering knowledge will enable him to perform item modifications to add more power with every shot, or increase defense. Item modification isn't free, though, as you'll be required to scour for nodes, which are required per upgrade. If you're playing the game's harder difficulty and you're fresh out of ammo, you'll be able to use melee attacks to fend off threats by pistol whipping and stomping a fallen enemy. And finally, when you just wish to be Darth Vader-ish, how about a kinetic power that'll allow you to pick up a bunch of different objects and throw them when you're down on ammo? It's certainly a fun power to use, and is highly reminiscent of Midway's Psi-Ops game.

Visually, Dead Space is a gorgeous looking game with an amazing atmosphere that really immerses you into the whole experiences. After spending so much time with Bioshock, I didn't think there'd be another game to immerse me into the whole experience as much as it did, but Dead Space does just that, albeit on another level. As I've mentioned before numerous times, Dead Space's immersion comes from its sense of urgency and fear, unlike Bioshock which enamors you with its unique world. Both games boast an amazing atmosphere, but both do it differently – so neither is better than the other.

On the technical side of things, Dead Space exhibits fantastic polish with a screen that is completely free of aliasing issues, on top of being completely devoid of an on-screen HUD. So how do you tell how much life or ammo you've got left? Simple, as already stated, your life-gauge is displayed on the back of your suit along the spine, as can your Stasis energy, and your ammo can be viewed simply by raising the gun. Texture detail is pretty sharp overall, and I haven't seen anything that I felt inclined to call out, so all is good there. Character detail is well done, as well, as are the character animations. EA Redwood certainly did a fine job with the game's animation, so bravo there. The framerate, while decent for the most part, can exhibit unusual slow-down simply when you're panning the camera around, which is a little annoying. The framerate can suffer a bit too when there's a lot of action, as well, but most of the times it sticks to 30 and keeps everything running fine. As far as resolutions go, you have your pick from 720p, 1080i, and 1080p, but 720p is the game's native resolution and the rest are upscaled.

The audio in Dead Space is nothing short of remarkable, and perhaps some of the best a horror game has ever seen. There is no soundtrack, and the only bits of composition are there solely to build some tension. There is audio all around you, be it noises or sounds, the audio does a fantastic job of contributing to the game's atmosphere. Running the game through a 5.1 setup demonstrated superb use of each and every channel in the corners of the room. And to top it all off, there's also some rather great voice acting here too. There's no denying that Dead Space's audio is truly great, and not playing it on a surround setup would be doing the game a disservice. Brilliant work, EA.

You could argue that Dead Space is perhaps the biggest sleeper hit of the year. While yes it is from a high profile publisher, it was also underestimated by many and few expected such a blockbuster hit. Boasting splendid atmosphere that is superbly woven by the audio, visuals, and the gameplay, Dead Space is also the scariest, most tense game to come out in a long time. If you're looking for an amazing survival horror game, then look no further – Dead Space is your ticket.

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phantom93
phantom93
15 years ago

I agree, this is a great survival horror game. I picked it up as something to tide me over until Fallout 3, but it is quickly becoming my favorite game of the year.

Anonymous
Anonymous
15 years ago

i got this game on the 360 cuz of the exclusive DLC suit. it's a phenominal game on either system though.

bearbobby
bearbobby
15 years ago

Don't know if you were aware, but there's an exclusive DLC suit for the PS3 as well, Obsidian, and it looks like the more appealing of the two.

bamf
bamf
15 years ago

Isn't the suit free on PSN aswell? Don't know about xbl because nothings for free on there


Last edited by bamf on 10/19/2008 5:52:24 PM

QuasarSquirrel
QuasarSquirrel
15 years ago

Yeah, the XBL suit is free too.

www
www
15 years ago

Am tired of splatterin nasty things n aliens.
Resistance 2 n Gears 2 are loaded with them,am waitin for Quantum of Solace,hope it does good.

aaronisbla
aaronisbla
15 years ago

you should really try this game out, its NOTHING like R2 or Gears of War 2, stop lumping them in the same category

LegioN
LegioN
15 years ago

The game truly is amazing, it's even entertaining watching someone play through it! Brilliant brilliant game.

Vivi_Gamer
Vivi_Gamer
15 years ago

I can't wait for this next week, it sounds fantastic. I got the free100 paged Art book from pre-ordered from Gamestation. This for me will be the start of the glorious fall of 2008. I havent bought a game since MGS4 O_o

Smileface
Smileface
15 years ago

Its so frustrating to have so many great games out at once! This seems way better than I thought so I might buy it!
Thanks

im4vivisection
im4vivisection
15 years ago

This game is so friggin' awesome!

Daedusian
Daedusian
15 years ago

Great review! Definitely getting this!

Alienange
Alienange
15 years ago

Arnold, you've upped my desire to buy this game… dang it all! I thought I could skip this one.

Wazomba
Wazomba
15 years ago

Yeah must agree with you deadusian it is a great review n ill definetly will be getting dead space aswell, sounds an awesome game, great work EA my faith in you is returning tenfold .lol.

Advent Child
Advent Child
15 years ago

I can only say that you shouldn't play through it with the downloadable suit unless your on the hard difficulty, it made the game feel a little too easy for most of it.

rjmacready
rjmacready
15 years ago

I bought Dead Space the day it came out because of my love for survival horror and the great early reviews. After playing it for a few days now, I can say it's definitely lived up to the hype. I prefer this 3rd person over the shoulder view to any view also (just like Resident Evil 4).
Just an awesome game and anyone that likes horror or action adventure games should pick it up.

Tim Speed24
Tim Speed24
15 years ago

Sounds Loads better than BioSomething. Can't wait to give Dead Space a try.

QuasarSquirrel
QuasarSquirrel
15 years ago

Playing through it on the 360 as well, (well when I'm not busy changing my underwear) and it really is a phenomenal game. Its really nice seeing something like this come out of EA. The sound is absolutely 15/10 if you don't have surround sound you're missing a BIG part of the game.

tanner1
tanner1
15 years ago

Good review, already purchased awaiting arrival

RebelExtrm02
RebelExtrm02
15 years ago

Agreed. I've been playing Dead Space all yesterday and the day before. I can say though, that choosing to play through it the first time on Hard difficulty is intense. I've never experienced so much fear or need for strategy in a game before. I highly recommend the serious gamers play through on Hard.

tlpn99
tlpn99
15 years ago

Gonna have to buy this now, reviews eveywhere are springing up now and saying you have to get this game. Fable 2 and this gonna be a busy busy busy boy for a while. Life on hold please.

Saints Row 2 is already clocking up loads of my time. God help us when Gears 2 and Resistance 2 and Motorstorm 2 pop up,also cant forget Fallout 3, Bioshock, omg I dunno which game to get next, decisions decisions….sod it thought about it im gonna get them all.

Has it ever been this way with tons of games coming out on the horizon ? Normally your waiting ages for a Metal Gear or GTA game.
It's hard for us gamers but spare a moment for the reviewers besides their own gaming wants they have to play for us to have reviews too whilst trying to complete games off their own collection, granted some of the games they get for free.
Sorry for the long post but this is an exciting time for us all. 🙂

Arkhon
Arkhon
15 years ago

Yes. Most developers release their games in the fall, just before the holiday season and just after the big game expos. MGS4 and GTAIV both released in Spring/Summer.

Knightedrik
Knightedrik
15 years ago

Wow.. I got this from gamefly.. and I havent been able to put it down for days. I even said screw it and bought it last night. And I hate EA. Thats how good this game actually is.. When i started to play it, while putting the game in, I was like "blah, blah, blah, Hype, blah, blah.." But 10 seconds into this game, it bitchslaps your pre-concieved notions, and begins to deliver why I simply cannot believe EA has produced: A good game. And its not only good, I was stunned.. its even on par for game of the year in my book. Coming from someone who has hated EA with a vengence, go BUY this game now.. You will not be sorry. Hell, If Mirror's Edge is this good.. I may even become an EA fan again. Outstanding job EA Redwood.. Keep up the stellar work.. (no pun intended.)

Draguss
Draguss
15 years ago

Dammit, stop tempting me! I really want to get this game, but I can't, I know I'm not gonna finish it, so it would be a waste of money. Oh man, why do I have to be such a coward for horror games?

Minishmaru
Minishmaru
15 years ago

I keep trying to get all these new games at my blockbuster but i'm always too late! Argh, I hope Dead Space will be returned soon…altho Fable 2…well I might as well just find out how good it is through reviews and buy it. I won't be seeing that back at Blockbuster for awhile

Minishmaru
Minishmaru
15 years ago

I keep trying to get all these new games at my blockbuster but i'm always too late! Argh, I hope Dead Space will be returned soon…altho Fable 2…well I might as well just find out how good it is through reviews and buy it. I won't be seeing that back at Blockbuster for awhile

Knightedrik
Knightedrik
15 years ago

Did I mention trophies… Mhahahaha!

tcrosscross
tcrosscross
15 years ago

Does anyone know if this will be included in the <a href="http://www.ecomparison.co.uk/gamestation/">Gamestation sale</a>?

sachin
sachin
13 years ago

When I'm playing dead space, I realize that it's such a fantastic survival horror game. I have spent many more times with dead space, it's also very entertaining watching someone play through it! You should post your favorable comment about dead space through http://www.batchmates.com/bmtimes/content.aspx?contentId=1617! It's really brilliant game!!!

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