"In space no one can hear you scream... Like a little girl... Who just wet herself."
I've played every horror/survival game in existence, as far as I know... I've jumped when the mutant dogs broke through the pane glass windows in the foreboding halls of Resident Evil's Mansion. My heart raced as the fog around Silent Hill became so thick I couldn't tell how big the horror was that was chasing me. I've even run through scientific halls and feeding docks as I was being chased by bio engineered Dinosaurs. That's Dino Crisis to those not familiar. However, even with all that training if you will, nothing, and I mean NOTHING prepared me for the scariest, heart pumping, adrenaline rushing, nail biting, horror-fest that Dead Space provided as I explored it's abandoned halls. Well, not completely abandoned... Trust me folks, this is the scariest game you have ever played.
STORY:In the vastness of space planets are mined and illegally cracked open so giant corporations can get rich on the planet's minerals. The USG Ishimura, the galaxy's largest planet cracking vessel, has been contracted to crack open a mineral rich planet hidden deep in the heart of space known as Aegis VII. However, predictably, something goes horribly wrong. The USG Ishimura puts out a distress call to open space. A small engineering team is dispatched to repair the ailments. Little does the team know, a broken communication array is the absolute least of the worries.
GAME PLAY:You play as Issacc Clarke. Team engineer of the Kellion. The game borrows many pages from the third person masterpiece, Resident Evil 4, in terms of it's presentation. The camera provides a pseudo first person shooter, where it's presented over your shoulder, and works wonderfully for the mechanics presented. It doesn't take long for the terror to begin. Right off the bat you learn that this is not Doom. Head shots and shotguns have been replaced by very specific weapons that are designed to slice off limbs. That's right. Without spoiling too much the horrific monsters you encounter can only be taken down by immobilizing them. Which is absolutely, wonderfully terrifying. No longer do you feel like a god even at the later stages of the game. The terrifying fact is always the knowledge that these monsters need to be taken down by steady aiming and strategic shots. Riddling the creatures full of bullets wont work here. Although this sounds discouraging at first, especially when other franchises that have tackled similar material have had the player successfully use all means necessary to take down their beasts(I'm looking at you Doom). It really does work masterfully and provides game play never before experienced.
In between all the slicing and dicing, the game does break this up with neat areas of the ship that are referred to as "Zero Gravity" locales. These allow the player to jump to any side of the structure within the three dimensions. I.e. Super Mario Galaxy. These always contain interesting puzzle elements and employ the player to think about the environment in creative ways. The game also has the player utilize turrets to protect the ship from incoming asteroids, and even take down a monstrous boss. These segments help break up the game play and never step on the toes of another style. They all mesh harmoniously.
To combat the horror the game implements a rewarding upgrade system. Throughout the game you can upgrade all of your favorite equipment, along with the health of your suit, and other parameters. This is carried out through the collection of Power Nodes. These rare trinkets are always provided after an especially difficult sequence and are a great reward as you can use them to customize your weapon in whatever way you choose through a cleverly designed system.
Dead Space uses a currency system throughout the Ishimura known as Credits. These can be spent at store kiosks scattered throughout each area of the ship. You can buy various ammo and Med Packs, you can even purchase Power Nodes, for a high cost, and tip the upgrading scale in your favor. You can sell any and all unused ammo and other supplies to the store to help strengthen the supplies you do need. This system is a great balancing act throughout the game.
VISUALS/AUDIO:Visually the game is one of the strongest examples of mood and atmosphere in gaming. Although most of the environments are very similar and a lot of 'Deja-Vu' feelings, the game does take you to more visually interesting areas. The Hydroponics division is one that I appreciated a lot to break up the visual similarity. The game is also a righteous gore fest. Characters are absolutely insane throughout the entire game and the developers present this every chance they get. There are blatant suicides performed right in front of the character, and many times poor citizens are ripped apart limb from limb. Even the horrors that run around the ship are monstrously designed. With a key example being an infant that has been mutated to run around on tentacles, screaming bloody murder as it tries to gouge your eyeballs out.
This brings us to the sounds of the game. This game deserves many accolades on it's sound design. I weep for anyone not playing this with a full surround sound system or at least surround headphones. This game was designed to scare the hell out of you utilizing the smallest little scratches on walls, to the blood curdling screaming through the iron halls of the Ishimura. Many times I spun around gun aimed into the darkness because I heard a loud pipe clang somewhere throughout the ship. Amazingly terrifying stuff!
REPLAY VALUE:Once the game is beaten, I'll bet my last dollar that many of you will instantly boot up your second play through. Not only are there appetizing achievements/trophies to obtain, you get to keep all of your equipment from the previous run. Which is incredibly fun to tear your way through the Ishimura again. For those who are looking for the most hardcore challenge available there is "Impossible Mode" that is so ridiculously tough that it will have you thinking of every area in a new strategic way. Kudos to the developers for actually making this insanely difficult.
PARTING THOUGHTS:I enjoyed every minute of my time with Dead Space, and that is countless hours, and multiple runs. Until this horror-fest I'd never played through a game again immediately after I completed it. The story is entertaining, the visuals shine in the most horrific way, and the upgrading system is addicting and you'll find yourself staying up to the wee hours of the morning just to complete 'one more' chapter.
