"In space, no one can hear you scream."
From the moment you begin the game, its obvious that this is going to be a very story driven game. You play as Isaac Clarke, who has come to the USG Ishimura, a planet cracking mining ship. The USG Ishimura had lost radio contact with the Concordance Extraction Corporation. So originally it was nothing but a simple mission, get there and figure out what was wrong with its signal, and fix it. Isaac also has a personal reason for going to the USG Ishimura, his girlfriend was stationed at the ship, so he was eagar to figure out what is going on. After about five minutes on the ship, things quickly fall into panic. Its obvious something horrifying is attacking the ship. So the mission goes from trying to repair the ship to just trying to survive.
The story is filled with plenty of twist and turns to keep you wondering what will happen next. It keeps the game moving at nice pace. But the best part of the story is its ending. I'm not going to give it away, but I will say its I don't think I've ever been more surprised by a games ending. It will stay in your mind long after you put down the controller.
One thing that makes the game experience so unique, is that there is no heads up display. You health is glowing meter on the back of your suit. Your ammo is displayed whenever you pull up your weapon. And audio and video logs are displayed in front of you in real time using a holographic projector in your suit. So you are kept in the game at all times, and always in danger of being attacked.
The enemies in this game are creatures known as Necromorphs. These creatures are not your average survivor horror monster. For shooting them in the head will do almost no damage. Instead, you have to cut off their limbs to put them down for good. Yes, you have to dismember you foes to kill them. You aim in a over the shoulder view like in Resident Evil 4, and have a laser to make sure your aiming where you need to. This game play mix takes some getting used to, but it didn't take long to discover how much fun it was to dismember my opponents instead of shooting their head, it is a very refreshing experience.
The game play isn't just shooting down different types of Necromorphs. Their are also Zero-G areas where their is no gravity, so now you can jump in a 360-degree range, allowing you go just about anywhere. There is also stasis, where you can slow down time on certain objects. And kinesis allows you to pick up objects and move them without grabbing them. All of these are mostly used to solve puzzles. But kinesis and stasis can also be used in combat against most enemies in the game.
Earlier I mentioned that this game was influenced by Doom 3. That influence is in the games atmosphere. Both games put you in a hostile situation in deep space, surrounded by monsters. So it makes since that their atmosphere's are very similar. But Dead Space puts Doom 3's atmosphere to shame. Unlike Doom 3, Dead Space doesn't stick to using mainly jump scares.
Knowing Necromorphs can attack from any vent, or that one could be hiding in a pile of deceased crew men, waiting to attack, is already terrifying as it is. But what makes Dead Space's atmosphere so remarkable is it's sound design. You can hear the helpless cry of a survivor being mauled from several rooms away. You can hear enemies crawling through the vents above you. And certain areas with no oxygen have very realistic sound. You can only hear whats in your own suit, so if there is a nearby Necromorph that you can't see, you'll be up for quite the surprise when they attack.
If Dead Space has a problem, its that you revisit a lot of the same areas throughout the game. You won't feel like you've covered a lot of ground by the end of the 12-15 hour story. There are a few notable areas that stand out. But for a majority of the game you spend it in about four or five different areas.
So Dead Space is an amazing game. The survivor horror genre finally has a new worthwhile contender. Dead Space stands out with its engaging story, unique game play, and fantastic atmosphere. Dead Space will keep you engaged for hours, you won't want to put down the controller. If you looking for a horror experience that is like no other, than look no further than Dead Space.