Dead Space Extraction stands far above its arcade siblings, but that doesn't make it much longer or deeper.
Cons: Extremely short campaign; Some graphical slowdown here and there; Not particularly frightening; Some gimmicky controls; A bit hard to see what's going on at times; Recycles environments a bit too much
The on-rails shooter is a dying experience. Since arcades have been fading and the FPS granted free movement to players there's not been much need for such a genre. The Wii has spurred a sort of mini-revival of the genre within a few series including Dead Space: Extraction. While it may seem odd and backwards to have taken a full horror game and placed it on rails on a weaker system, Extraction is surprisingly faithful to the experience of the original Dead Space, and stands head and shoulders above its peers.
[The following paragraph contains minor spoilers to the original Dead Space. You have been warned]
Set just before the original Dead Space, Extraction starts miners recover the Marker from a mysterious faraway planet. Needless to say (seeing as it is a prequel after all) things start going haywire the moment this artifact leaves its original site. People start going mad, Necromorphs (alien beings formed from dead bodies) start attacking, and of course there is a lot of death. A LOT of death. Your journey follows a group of mixed personalities in their attempts to escape the destruction. It's a pretty basic, but effective, story that doesn't add a terrible lot to the universe, but packs enough twists and turns to stand on its own.
The plot is certainly more than you'd expect from a game of this genre, but nobody will really play the game for its story. Instead they will play it to shoot up hundreds of aliens, and they will not be disappointed. This is largely because the game is extremely faithful to Dead Space's action. Strategic dismemberment is the name of the game and ammo is scarce (aside from a weak infinite ammo gun you almost always have on-hand). Even the text and audio logs (now played through the Wiimote's speakers; one of many ill-thought gimmicks including a particularly irritating glow-stick-esque simulation) are included.
However, it's not all peachy as the game is short and fairly repetitive. Aside from a couple bosses, once you've met all the normal enemy types a couple hours into the game, there are very little in the way of gameplay (or for that matter, horror) surprises. Even the game seems to run out of ideas in a couple of places where it forces you to run back and forth between a few locations. Sure arcade shooters never offered a ton of variety, but they didn't so blatantly recycle environments usually. Regardless, the game is short, so on a first run through it's not a huge issue.
At this point I should note that the game supports co-op through the entire campaign (as well as the challenge modes). And if you have a friend available, this is definitely the way you should play it. With both players capable of shooting enemies and collecting supplies, the game becomes more manageable and fun. And since stats are recorded for each player, it can even become a form of friendly competition.
When Dead Space came out on the HD consoles it was a very impressive game graphically, once again bringing to question the decision to make a Wii entry. Luckily, however, the dev team was more than up to the challenge and have successfully recreated the feel of the first entry complete with gruesome dismemberment. Occasionally the game chugs in a couple of high-action scenes, but otherwise the graphics are a treat and a testament to careful working around the Wii's limitations. Sound is also great, sounding about on par with Extraction's HD cousins (aside from voice acting, it's mostly the same anyway).
Dead Space Extraction tries its best to overcome the limitations of on-rail shooters and does some pretty impressive feats as a result. However, it can't overcome the fact that the genre isn't meant to be a full retail experience to be played for long periods of time. Dead Space Extraction is best enjoyed in one afternoon with a friend along for the ride.
You know, like you used to do at the arcades.