I have been looking at EA's Visceral Games third-person-survival-horror-shooter Dead Space ever since it came out in 2008. I originally passed it over, telling myself that I was going to wait for Resident Evil 5 in 5 months. However now that I have finally been able to play through the game, I’m glad I finally got it and didn’t pass up this franchise.
This review is coming from a guy who while doesn’t particularly go out of his way to watch horror movies, but when I saw Paranormal Activity I was un-phased. Yet this game got me to jump a few times. Now whether you think Paranormal Activity was scary or not is your own personal opinion, just that when I played Resident Evil 4 I was a little scared, Resident Evil 5 was a joke and I laughed more then anything. (I love Resident Evil 5 and it’s one of my favorite Co-Op games, there was just no horror in the “Survival-Horror” aspect of the game). To simply put it, it was refreshing to once again be scared by a Survival Horror game.
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| "I said, "I don't want to shake your f*king hand!"" |
Onto the actual game, you play as Isaac Clarke, an engineer who has been sent to the USG Ishimura on an emergency repair mission. However your main incentive to go is to see how your girlfriend Nicole is doing, and to make sure she’s ok. However after you crash land you are attacked by strange alien creatures called Necromorphs and it is up to you to find Nicole, learn what happened, and get the hell out of there alive.
The gameplay encompasses some puzzles while shooting off various necromorphs, basically the standard survival horror elements. The entire game you’re an errand boy running form one end of the ship, to the other while you listen to Hammond and Kendra, two of your comrades sent on the emergency repair mission. The puzzles consist usually of a few things; there are zero-G areas, in which there is no gravity and you can jump from wall to wall, Vaccum areas, in these there is no air so you must run to an area with air before your air timer runs out, Using Stasis which slows down time in a small area, or finally using kinesis to move an object around. None of the puzzles are too challenging as most of the challenges will explain how to get past them, and if your lost there is a feature in the game that we at VGH dubbed, “The Dumbass Light.” Using this handy contraption emits a blue line on the ground, leading you all the way to your current objective. Then once you beat the game, all of your weapons and items carry over so you can still continue playing will all of your hard earned items.
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| "Peek-A-Boo?" |
The combat is great in this game, being almost identical to the Resident Evil series for the exception of being able to move and shoot. Unlike traditional shooters where you aim for the torso or head, in Dead Space it is the opposite and you aim for the limbs. Shooting limbs A. Damages them more and B. Incapacitates them, ie by shooting off a leg the necromorphs hobble and crawl around. However most importantly it conserves ammo, though ammo isn’t as scarce as it is in other Survival Horrors, almost to the point that they give you too much ammo. There is also a melee attack, which involves using your gun as a club. This move is practically useless damage wise, but does allow you to kind of shove back an enemy, letting you get some breathing room to shoot. Also is a stomp move, which once again doesn’t do a lot of damage but id useful for opening crates on the ground.
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| "Sorry, I only kiss on a second date." |
An interesting concept about the guns in the game is that after all you’re an engineer on a mining vessel, so all the weapons except for the pulse rifle are mining tools. While my favorite weapon is the Plasma Cutter, essentially a basic pistol, all the weapons are quite fun and good to use and all have their strengths and weaknesses. In addition to regular fire modes, all guns have an alternate mode; this allows you to get a little more versatility with each of your weapons such as grenades launchers and emitting pulse waves in an area around you.
There are 4 main “Stations” in the game. There are Stores, save points, Stasis rechargers, and benches. Then there is a fifth, air filters, but they are only in vacuum areas. Stores are places where you can buy, sell, and store items and weapons. Interestingly unlike Resident Evil, ammo can be bought at stores. Save points are self-explanatory, so are stasis rechargers, and then benches are where you upgrade your weapons and armor. Scattered throughout the game or for $10,000 credits at a store are power nodes. These power nodes can be used to upgrade your weapons, armor, stasis, and kinesis abilities making all much more powerful, quicker reload, more ammo capacity, more health, etc.One area I didn’t particularly think was needed was buying new armor. I felt was a little un-necessary, throughout the first play through you will find schematics or weapons, armor, and items. There are 6 levels or armor and while the aesthetics of each suit changes and an increase in inventory. This isn’t anything that couldn’t have been done with the bench and power nodes.
This post has been edited like 10x today LOL. Every time I look at it, there are more pictures than the last time XD.
This game is an oldie, but still a goodie. Can't wait for the next installment. Good review!