Metroid and BioShock met and had a child. And that child is a prodigy.
It was obvious Dead Space was not your generic shooter ever since it was revealed with gameplay footage and screenshots. Many games which have that excellent quality often fall short of expectations. Dead Space does not.
The only complaint people are likely to have is that there is no multiplayer to this game. Don't get me wrong. Multiplayer---preferably online with no split screen, as split screen would make it tedious---would be amazing for this game. But games of this genre should not be expected to have multiplayer. After all, most games succeed in one or the other---single player or multiplayer---not both, as if they tried both, one of the aspects are likely to end up half-baked.
But anyway, allow me to explain how amazing this game is.
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Story
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The game begins with you, Isaac Clarke, with two squadmates, Hammond and Kendra. The three of you are flying through empty space until you come across the planetcrack-class spaceship, the USG Ishimura. After obtaining no response from the ship, the three of you realize there is something wrong. It seems minor at first, as you are initially on the ship for a repair mission. But it doesn't take much longer for your pilots---the people on your shuttle who were not Hammond or Kendra---get mauled by an unknown alien anomaly right before your eyes. At first, all you can do is run from them. But it doesn't take long for you to pick up a weapon (or, more precisely, something that could be used as a weapon) to fend these creatures off. From here comes a story that will shock you and keep you interested with numerous twists. And the story wraps up nicely with hardly a cliffhanger to hate the game for. Discover the horrific truth of the USG Ishimura. Story: 9.5/10
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Graphics
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Visually, the graphics are a huge success. Almost everything looks real, and everything is as creepy as necessary---the necromorphs will make you jump when you see one, even if it's of the weaker brands. The humans---especially on your RIG projector---look extremely realistic, as if this were a live action film. As for the violence, the game is amazing in this department. Everything is bloody as can be, and when you shoot off a limb of a necromorph, the remaining stub will spurt out rivers of blood---unless it is from an older carcass, in which no blood rushes out, representing that blood dries up. When you curb stomp an enemy, blood will often be seen bright red on the bottom of your shoe, but over time, you can see it dry up and turn brown.
Technically, the game's graphics are wonderful as well. Hardly any visual glitches can be spotted, and you never see limbs mysteriously stick through entirely solid walls, a common visual fault in many games. Graphics: 10/10
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Gameplay
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=-=Controls=-=
At first glance, you may end up thinking "UGH these controls are TERRIBLE", and you have every right to think that. The controls are a tad tedious at times, but you'll get used to them very soon. They are unlike any other control scheme I've seen in any game, and even though they are very much so complex, they flow really well.
=-=Weapons/Items=-=
Surprisingly, there are only about six weapons in the game initially; more if you download the respective packs off the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. You can hold up to four, which is expected as that is the most common number for non-FPS shooters. Most weapons are not even supposed to be weapons, but there is an exception. The Pulse Rifle, or the game's signature automatic weapon, is the only weapon qualified to be called an actual firearm. Everything else has its own respective purpose in the mining profession.
Every weapon has three stats: REL, DMG, and CAP. REL stands for reload, and it speeds the time of reloading the weapon up a notch when upgraded. DMG is obviously damage, and I'm sure you know what that's for. CAP is the stat determining how much overall ammunition your weapon can hold. Other items, such as your Kinesis Module, Stasis Module, and RIG suit can be upgraded in the same fashion, but they have different stats. Stats can be upgraded via an aptly named Upgrade Bench, which can be found throughout the ship. In order to upgrade, you will need a Power Node for each circuit. Each item that can be upgraded has a unique circuit to follow. Certain circuits do in fact upgrade stats; others are useless other than to open new paths to upgrade more. Other items other than the rare Power Nodes that can be found scattered across the ship include ammunition, stasis packs, med-packs (which come in three variations), and air cans. Believe it or not, it is a daunting task to keep up with everything, but it does not hamper your experience in playing the game. Ammunition is especially difficult to keep up with, especially when you run every clip dry of your favorite and likely best weapon.
Schematics are also found throughout the ship as well as semiconductors (coming in three variations, each with a different value). Schematics are used to unlock new items to purchase at the digital store found throughout the ship as well. Semiconductors are entirely useless to you, but keep them anyway because you can sell them for some decent moolah at said store. In the store, you can buy suit upgrades (or you can just spend around 200 Microsoft Points to buy the Elite Suit or Scorpion Suit off the Marketplace, each of which are Level 5 which is the highest level suit until after you complete the game. Once downloaded, you can get these suits at anytime for no in-game credits whatsoever), Power Nodes (at a costly cost), ammo, med-packs, and a bunch of other junk.
You will have access to nearly every weapon in the game by the time you get around half-way through Chapter 5. The Plasma Cutter will be your first weapon no matter what, but you can sell it and switch it out for another gun later (it's free at the store). There's even an achievement for beating the game using nothing but the Plasma Cutter. But anyway, other weapons include the aforementioned automatic Pulse Rifle, the ultra-powerful Line Gun, the limb-cutting master known as the Ripper, and the practically useless Flamethrower (seriously, save some credits for some Power Nodes or suit upgrades and leave the Flamethrower alone).
When upgrading, I suggest you invest in the Pulse Rifle's capabilities, as it will prove to be extremely useful near the end of the game.
=-=Kinesis and Stasis=-=
There are two mechanics in this game that seem oddly familiar but seem to fit in with the game wonderfully: stasis and kinesis. Stasis is used to slow enemies down for a short period of time, leaving them super-vulnerable to being dismembered. It can also be used to briefly slow down certain types of machinery to make certain objectives' goals physically possible. However, use stasis wisely; it runs out. It is the half-ring on Isaac's back to the right of his spine (where his health gauge is). There are stasis packs and stasis recharge stations that replenish your stasis energy to the max, but you should still conserve it and only use it when you feel it is absolutely necessary; or when it IS absolutely necessary. As for kinesis, it is used for moving objects around to allow Isaac to accomplish various goals for his current objective. Unlike stasis, kinesis is infinite. But this is because it isn't used much at first, until later in the game where you use it nearly every other kill.
=-=Combat and Enemies=-=
Remember when I said the controls are complex? Well, they are. The only way to shoot is to aim first. If you pull the right trigger with out holding the left trigger, you will swing your arm in an attempt to attack an enemy at close range. Alternatively, you can also press the right bumper to curb stomp, which will crush any limb or box that is beneath Isaac's foot. If you press the right bumper while holding the aim button down, you will initiate your weapon's unique alternate fire mode---something every weapon has. And each weapon's alternate firing mode is unique to that weapon, as said.
Sometimes, enemies grab you and start mauling you. A solution to this is to rapidly tap the A button to get them off. If you tap fast enough, you will shake the enemy off of you and perform some cruel attack on it; for instance, with the common slasher necromorph, you will punch its head off, and with infant necromorphs, you will throw them down and kick them away with extreme force.
Necromorphs are the only enemies in the game that you actually fight. They were all once human sans a specific type, but they were infected after death and transformed into grotesque monsters with alien-like features. The most common form of necromorph is the slasher---a monster that almost resembles a praying mantis. You will see this type in most representations of Dead Space. The second most common types are the stingers and the infants. Stingers have two legs to walk with and a tail to sting the living crap out of you. These are slightly more annoying, as it takes extra precision to dismember this kind. The infants are tiny necromorphs that are usually unnoticable at first, until they reveal their three nasty red-colored tentacles. The infants are hard to hit due to smaller size, and they often attack by firing organic projectiles at Isaac.
Other forms of necromorphs include, but are not limited to Brutes, which are pretty much highly armored slashers, spiders, which will annoy the hell out of you, and the Regenerator, which is a slasher with the peculiar ability to regenerate all limbs no matter how many times you brutally murder it. There is only one Regenerator, and you could almost treat it as a boss each time you meet it. Near the end, you finally destroy the Regenerator in a very painful manner.
=-=Progression=-=
The game is progressed by performing core objectives in each chapter for twelve chapters. But don't be fooled by the linearity; the game leaves a LOT for you to explore in between goals. In fact, if you don't explore, you will royally screw yourself when you're out of ammo or med-packs, as you can search the area for free items you can't get for very cheap at a store.
=-=Difficulty=-=
The game is lined with many tedious moments and many easy but not-so-complex moments. Highlights for difficult moments are mostly figuring out what to do next or how to get rid of something, but there are some notably frustrating moments; particularly when you are forced to perform manual override on the asteroid defense system and rid of meteors before they destroy the ship's hull. Sounds easy at first, but the hull integrity falls unpleasantly fast, and after forty-five seconds of fending off tiny swarms of puny asteroids, you will find yourself rushing to keep the ship's hull intact. Larger asteroids become smaller ones when destroyed, and soon enough, you will learn that it is impossible to get rid of every asteroid out there, because too many of them swarm at you at once. Thank goodness EA didn't put in an achievement only obtainable through destroying every meteor out there, because such a task is not even possible for the top-ranking player of this game.
You endure this tedious mechanic again near the end of the game, fighting off a tentacly thingy to free the signal for the ship's communications array of any possible anomaly. It is also one of the few bosses the game sports.
=-=Bosses=-=
Visually, the bosses are outstanding in design. But in fighting terms, they really aren't anything new. If you've played any Metroid Prime game, these bosses will feel familiar despite not being close to anything in the Metroid Prime subseries. You kill them simply; most of the time, the bosses are tentacly beasts.
There are three bosses: the plant-poisoner, the communications blocker, and the final boss. Sadly, each of these are very simple, and except for the final boss, require the dismemberment of each tentacle before they are defeated.
If you could count it as a boss, there is always the Regenerator, which haunts you throughout the game until late in the game where it meets its utter demise. Unfortunately, it is the only "boss" to die in a creative way.
=-=Level Design=-=
It's a ship. What do you expect? Just kidding, the level design is wonderful, though many of the concepts are blatant rip-offs of some of BioShock's levels (namely, the Medical Pavilion and Arcadia from BioShock are ripped-off). There are creative puzzles all throughout the ship that will often force you to utilize your various abilities.
=-=Atmosphere=-=
The atmosphere very much feels like a Metroid game while retaining the horrific atmosphere BioShock brought us. You don't have a heads-up display, rather, everything is directly projected from Isaac's RIG suit into the actual game, so you could be surveying your inventory and randomly get pounced on by a necromorph. Your health is displayed as a gauge that runs down Isaac's spine, and his stasis energy is the half-ring next to that. If you want to see how much ammo is left in your clip, simply enter aiming mode and the weapon will project a blue screen displaying your remaining ammunition in the clip.
In Dead Space, there is that wonderful feeling of being alone, an aspect that is key to the overall success to a horror survival game. But at the same time, you know you aren't alone; Hammond and Kendra are just a radio signal away, the terrifying necromorphs are stalking you behind each vent, and there are plenty of times which you walk into a room with a horribly damaged human, be it scientist, mechanic, or soldier, either bleeding out to its death (you can mercy kill them, but it's pointless as they will die in a few seconds anyway) or attempting to put him or herself out of their misery. And there is always the creepy dude with an exotic accent, whom is obsessed with the corrupted religion created that centers around the necromorphs, and Dr. Kyne, perhaps the only sane person on the ship besides Kendra and Hammond, and yourself. You will also get to meet the girl you see in the transmission recording at the beginning of the game later on, but do you really meet her?
Gameplay: 10/10
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Sound
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The music is correctly creepy to fit the atmosphere, sounding off loudly when a necromorph pops up out of nowhere. The sound effects are as real as you'd expect them to be. The necromorphs all have different cries, and if you're of the faint of heart, you will freak out every time you think you hear one. Even veteran survival horror game fans will find themselves startled from when they are attacked when they least expect it. As for voice acting, it is all wonderful and convincing. Each voice actor delivers a fine performance, and none of them stick out more than another.
Of course, as you could expect, Isaac doesn't talk at all, as with many protagonists. But you can hear him cry out in pain or in anger when he's hit or swinging his arm/curb stomping. Sound: 9/10
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Length/Replay Value
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When I completed the game, I clocked just under ten hours. That's a good length for a shooter, so I applaud the game once again for that. Though it does feel pretty short.
I have yet to play through the game a second time, but I can assure you that I will. The game, while lacking in replay value slightly, will leave you wanting to play again and again and again. Well, maybe good for about three playthroughs.
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Downloadable Content
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The game has plenty of this; most content available for the game on the Marketplace is just trailers, but there are weapon packs and beastly suits and such available as well.
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Fun Factor
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If you are a fan of the genre, you will undeniably find Dead Space to be extremely fun through and through. But this game is definitely not for the faint of heart.
Oh, and if you want to enhance the fun experience of the game even more, turn off all the lights and play in a dark room. Hell yeah. Fun Factor: 9.5/10
Overall: 9.9/10, superb. This game is a must-buy for fans of shooters, sci-fi, and survival horror. But as said, if you're of the faint of heart, avoid this game like a plague so you don't accidentally have a heart attack.