Previous Next

Does fear have a smell in space?

Gamers and folks who know me, know I enjoy a good scare, scary movie, or anything horror related. (hench my nickname being The Boogeyman) With that being said, horror done in video game form has been very hit and miss over the last decade and a half, with the good coming from classics like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Fatal Frame. In the same turn, the same could be said about the lame ones as well like Ilbleed, Lifeline, and Geist. What's worse is that many games that "claim" to really scare you, only bring you to the edge of fear, but never really pull you over the edge itself.

Now EA has produced Dead Space, a new IP that truly delivers on its promise of scaring you and doing it well. Of course, how much you are scared is how much you let your imagination run away with you and how much you become engulfed in the videogame itself. This is NOT a game where you want to hang out with your buddies, chit chat, and have a night out with. This is the home alone, lights out, pay attention, and live the game kind of videogame. If you follow my advise, I can't see how you couldn't be truly frightened by the events that take place in Dead Space.

You play as Isaac Clarke, an engineer sent off on missions to repair a mining ship called the USG Ishimura as its communication from Earth are mysteriously cut off. When you arrive you find that the ship is a floating bloodbath as the crew is not only mutilated beyond belief, but some have been infected by an alien scourge and have transformed into hideous and lethal creatures. Because your ship has been damaged to the point of no return, it is your job to get the ship operational again, return the artifact to its planet of origin, and save yourself no matter the cost.

The first thing you will note about Dead Space is not only is it very detailed and pretty, but the game steps away from the proto typical by removing the HUD display. Of course everything you need is easily accessible to you, but this style helps you become one with the character and really feel involved in the game. For instance, your health gauge is on the back of your suit along with your status energy and oxygen meters. Your inventory is done in the form of a hologram that can be accessed at any time and you can even move around it too boot. All your objectives are issued via hologram video and audio sequences. Lastly, you are even treated with a futuristic "breadcrumb" effect if you need to know where to go next.

The enemies you encounter are mutated versions of the crew that were aboard the ship. Some are monstrous upper bodies with human legs, some are mutated to the point where it is only the head that has remained human like, and some have grown to enormous concoctions that are indescribably scary and hideous. The premise is that once the humans have been infected, the longer they remain infected, the worse the mutation becomes. What's more, there isn't just one way to kill many of these enemies, as some you need to take out the limbs, some the head, or some will surprise you with very little weakness at all. The kicker is that there isn't a right or wrong way to kill any of them as your typical headshot my open up a cocooned body full of little crawly things that will hug your face! This uncertainty will keep you on your toes and allow you to find creative ways to dismember the creatures who were once possible friends of yours.

Of course, the only way to truly take out a vicious enemy is by the use of some cool weaponry. Dead Space is full of weapons at your disposal to take out even the most vicious enemies in the game. You begin will a pulse cutter that is your basic hand gun. You will find rifles, rippers (saw guns), line guns (explosives), flame throwers, and much much more. A nice thoughtful jester of the developers was to only have the enemies drop behind the ammo of the weapons you are using currently. This will keep you from having to carry around things you don't need. Isaac also will acquire useful techniques such as telekinetic powers and the ability to slow down time on enemies and objects. This not only comes in hand against enemies, but to help solve puzzles as well.

Controls are setup in an over the shoulder 3rd person perspective like RE4. While at first the camera may feel a little too close, but once you play enough of the game, this isn't an issue. The enemy A.I. is smart at times which beyond the obvious logic of how to kill the enemy comes about, now you have to worry about them evading you as well. Some are mindless drones just trying to kill you, while others will leap along the walls, around corners, etc just to get a better bead on you. The game allows for easy accessibility on everything from inventory to weapon selection. I would be lying if I'd say not having a jump button felt awkward, but you only really need it during certain points of the game, so the jumping in the game is more of a technique than an ability in Dead Space.

Dead Space is a single player campaign only, so if you are looking to take this one on with a friend or fight out baddies online, you are looking in the wrong direction. Much like Bioshock, this game doesn't need multiplayer as it is just as satisfying and long enough to make any skeptic happy. With 12 chapters and around 15 to 20 hours of game play (depending on difficulty level and puzzle solving abilities) you will be hard pressed not to say this game is worth the dollars.

In the end, I can say there will only be a handful of gamer types who won't appreciate what Dead Space has to offer. Either you don't like horror games/movies, you want multiplayer action, or you have no inner kid in you that allows you to be scared and let your imagination run away with you. If you meet any of these above criteria, you won't "get" Dead Space. That being said, this is the most fun I've had being scared in a video game since I first encountered the 'dog scene' in Resident Evil. The game is very pretty, draws you in with its sound, atmosphere, and story, plays wonderfully, and is diverse enough from chapter to chapter where you feel like you are not playing similar missions (like Assassin's Creed). I can't recommend Dead Space enough; it is already up for my GOTY vote, and with a crowded line up of games coming soon, that is a bold statement.