Dead Space Review (PS3)

Survival horror is a genre of gaming that certainly sees its fair share of new IPs (intellectual properties) each year. Unfortunately, most of them are forgettable or simply go unnoticed because of the lack of marketing dollars behind them. When I first heard that one of my least favorite gaming powerhouses, Electronic Arts, was going to be the brains behind the new science fiction, horror title, Dead Space, I was more than a little skeptical. After months of anticipation and multiple trade show demonstrations that sparked positive buzz, Dead Space has finally hit store shelves and I am sure that most people will be as pleasantly surprised as I was by the final product.

I will begin by getting the obvious comparisons out of the way. There is no question that Dead Space is this year's Bioshock. I say this because the game strives to draw the player into an immersive, haunting environment with its excellent use of atmosphere and sound design. I would not go as far as to say that Dead Space does this better than Bioshock but it certainly does come in at a close second. Bioshock did some things better such as creating a believable world with a rich history. The narrative in Dead Space takes place on the U.S.G. Ishimura, a “planet cracking” spacecraft that is home to hundreds of miners and researchers. The main character, Isaac Clark finds himself on a mission to repair a communication malfunction but discovers that the ship has actually fallen victim to a horde of alien life forms known as “Necromorphs”. The ship is definitely an impressive achievement from a technical and design standpoint but unlike Bioshock’s underwater utopia, the U.S.G. Ishimura is somewhat soulless. The world is believable and the developers did an amazing job of creating high-tension situations within a stunning world. Unfortunately, you never get the sense of reality like you did in Bioshock. Small factors such as the lack of personality and emotion shown by the silent hero or the somewhat repetitive metallic environments keep Dead Space from achieving the same level of greatness as Bioshock. With that said, any personality that the game may have lacked, is made up for in presentation.

Dead Space shines as one of the most beautiful horror games of this console generation. The game was developed on the improved godfather engine and is able to render some pretty impressive things with lighting and texture. Everything from the shiny metallic mining suit to the disfigured bodies of the alien necromorphs is detailed and believable. There are a few things that break up the atmosphere such as the emotionless movements and reactions of the main character. The hero responds to every situation pretty much the same and it acts as a constant reminder that the player is playing a game rather than watching a movie. Most other characters move and act realistically so this slight inconsistency is mostly forgivable. Most other problems with presentation are made up for by the game’s excellent sound design. Much like Doom 3 before it, one of Dead Space’s best qualities is its superb sound effects. What makes the game scary is the use of eerie sound cues to alert the player to what may be lurking in the dark.
Some of the most interesting segments in Dead Space are the zero gravity environments. These segments are beautiful because loose objects and bodies float freely, sound is muffled, and enemies are almost completely silent. This acts as a whole new game play mechanic that adds a whole new dimension to puzzle solving and combat. Isaac can propel himself across to walls or ceilings to escape combat situations or put himself in a more convenient position to solve puzzles. Prior to release, this seemed like a gimmick but turned out to be one of the most rewarding aspects of the game.

The team at EA really went the extra mile to keep the players firmly rooted in the experience. Rather than using the typical pause menu for inventory and character management, the games inventory screen is literally projected in front of the player in real time. The player can move and even be attacked while managing inventory which makes choosing the right time and place of the utmost importance. The games story also takes place in real time as well. Every character you meet or story element you watch will be played out in front of Isaac rather than pulling players out of the experience to view a cut scene. I am personally a fan of cut scenes but I have come to accept that using this method of storytelling is equally as effective if executed as well as it is in Dead Space.
Game play in Dead Space can be described as a mix of survival horror, shooter, and light RPG elements. The actual action plays out in much the same way as Resident Evil 4 did with its over the shoulder camera and fast paced shooting. Emphasis is placed on severing the limbs of the enemies in order to bring them down. Because the aliens are similar to parasites that mutate the shapes of human corpses, the head is not necessarily the most vulnerable target. Rather than using the typical weapon set that is common in shooters, players are given an arsenal of mining tools that can have devastating effects on the enemies. Combat is also complimented by abilities such as Stasis and Kinesis, which allows Isaac to slow fast-moving objects or move large, puzzle related objects. This plus the memorable boss fights makes the shooting in Dead Space something special.

Throughout the course of the game, players will collect credits and nodes that can be used to upgrade your character in a number of ways. Credits can be used at the store to purchase weapons, ammo, items, and suit upgrades. Nodes on the other hand are much harder to find and can be used at upgrade stations to make upgrades to weapons or suits. Every weapon has its own skill tree that upgrades various aspects of each particular weapon. The actual skill tree works much like the sphere grid from Final Fantasy X because one node can’t be satisfied until the empty node next to it is filled. These skill trees make weapon upgrading one of the most satisfying aspects of the game and ensures that a lot of people will be playing through the game more than once.
Of course, Dead Space does have its share of faults. While the environments in the game look amazing, most of them look pretty similar because of the flat, metallic color palette that blankets the game. You will experience your share of cheap deaths, and the old “monster closet” scare tactic might be a bit overused. None of these problems make the game any less enjoyable or worthwhile. The games quality manages to shine through and stand tall as one of the most memorable action games of 2008. While the year is definitely far from over with the biggest months in gaming still ahead of us, Dead Space has earned a place on my list of “Game of the Year” nominees.

Final Score: A

-Nick