Dead Space

"Space horror at its finest"

It all started when the Concordance Corporation receives a distress call from the USG Ishimura, a starship which was mining ore on the planet Aegis 7. In response, the company sends the USG Kellion to fix whatever mechanical problem the ship has and sitting in a seat quietly, Isaac Clarke watches a communication from his ex-girlfriend who is currently on the Ishimura. However, the Ishimura is in a much deadlier situation then a simple mechanical problem and Isaac will soon be thrown into the fight of his life.

The Kellion suddenly experiences mechanical failure and crashes into the landing bay of the Ishimura. After the crew of the ship comes to, you take control of Isaac. Immediately when you begin to take control, you might find that the game is much more different than other games you have played. All the health gauges, air gauges, etc. are directly on the back of Isaac's suit and since you see his back for the whole game it's not a bad place to put it. This removes the HUD completely and adds to the immersion. There are many controls for the game as well and if you are playing his game on the PC as I am, you might find yourself sprawled across the keyboard.

Anyway, as soon as you take control of Isaac you follow the rest of the crew to the inside of the Ishimura. The detail here is amazing. The hangar is in crisp detail and the characters you are with seem very realistic. As you walk further with the crew, you will enter a room with the lights out and the crew starts to become very edgy as there is no contact from anyone else on the ship. This game is really good at setting the mood for a horror game and you can't help but feel edgy throughout the game.

You are then told to activate a computer and from then on, you will be introduced to many strange, bloodthirsty creatures throughout the game who can't help but to leap out from ceilings and walls, and it gets even more startling when these things leap at you in zero gravity environments. Don't worry though, there are many cool weapons you can obtain that will shred these things apart and a unique upgrade system that can make them more powerful as the game progresses.

As you go along, you might find that the game is pretty easy once you get the hang of it since you start know what to expect. However, they still manage to blindside you once in a while and dealing with that is the most fun aspect of the game.

If you like blood, gore, horror, and action, this game is the game to play. If you were wondering why I am being so cryptic about the story, it's just that knowing too much about what to expect in a horror game ends up taking away some of the shock value. Besides, finding out what happened to the Ishimura, Isaac's ex-girlfriend, and Aegis 7 is part of the fun.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/31/08

Game Release: Dead Space (US, 10/20/08)