An awesome sci-fi experience....that just so happens to be scary as hell!
'Dead Space' is set on the massive 'planet cracking' mining ship the 'Ishimura' and you play as engineer Isaac Clarke who, along with a fellow team of rescuers, is sent to the Ishimura for aide after communications have been lost. Once you arrive it's clear that something has gone seriously wrong and before you know it you and your team are attacked by a pack of blood thirsty, heavily mutilated and visually grotesque monsters. It soon becomes evident that the ship is infested with these creatures leaving the crew slaughtered and what little survivors left beyond insane. Stranded, it is your task to try and fix the ship and determine what the hell happened whilst fighting your way through a plethora of hideous enemies and obstacles.
The game is scary. Plain and simple. From the dark, narrow corridoors to the sudden bursts of steam to the haunting distant roars - it is an unsettling place. The developers do a great job of playing on your anticipation and using simple sound techniques to make the hands sweaty and the heart pump. Its the small details that really sell the immense sense of dread and fear: the blood stained walls, the flashing red lights, the lunacy written on walls, distant groaning and the clanging of metal in the distance. The creatures or 'necromorphs' are visually disgusting things and come in all shapes on sizes, each providing their own challenges that add a bit of variety to the mix. The environments are reminiscent of Scott's sci-fi classic with its harsh metal, corregated piping and militarialistic vibe. The crew living quarters, the medical areas, the engine rooms, the bridge all help to really sell the 'Ishimura' as this huge vessel that housed a bustling population furthuring player immersion into this brilliantly realised future of space travel and planet mining.
The gameplay is similar in many respects to 'Resi 4' with the third person, over the shoulder aiming system and the continual hunting for ammo. There's a decent armoury of weapons. You start with simple but devasting futuristic engineering tools such as the Plasma Cutter, but as you progress you can unlock more convential weaponry such as the Plasma Rifle and Flamethrower. The shooting is entertaining but what stops the game from being a generic sci-fi romp is the 'Dismembering' system. In order to take down these grizzly foes you have to surgically dismember their limbs with carefully placed shots to effectivly take them down. This adds a huge sense of strategy to the mix and demands composure which is challenging during the more frenetic encounters adding to the tension. The game has numerous puzzles to solve involving zero gravity and 'stasis' which allows you to freeze things, including enemies, for a limited period of time. Alot of these puzzles are relatively simple but do get progressively challenging as the game goes on. As you progress you can upgrade you armour and weaponry using credits you find scattered around the ship which adds incentive to explore the various dark rooms and lockers. There were plenty of moments where I had to bite the bullet and search around knowing I was provoking a scare or two just for those extra credits.
The story is simple yet effective. As you progress you slowly begin to unravel what happened on the ship prior to your arrival through audio, text and video clips scattered around the game. There are no cutscenes as everything is played out through a small holographic box that emits from Isaac's arm which serves to amplify the sense of immersion. Whilst Isaac's primary aim is to fix the ship he does have a vested personal interest during his visit to the 'Ishimura'. His girlfriend is on the ship and is in clear need of rescuing. What starts of as a side plot soon develops into an integral and intriguing part of the story as the game progresses.
In terms of negatives I found the lack of a hotkey for items frustrating at times, particularly during intense encounters with numerous enemies. In order to access health or air canisters to boost your oxygen levels you have to bring up a menu in real time whilst running from pursuing enemies. This made for one or two needlessly awkward moments. The zero gravity sections, whilst fun, were a bit clunky. Whilst there are not too many boss fights I found them to be fairly forgettable affairs apart from one particular encounter which highlighted the dullness of the others. As the game progresses the scare factor does begin to wear thin past the halfway mark, primarily because of the enhanced weaponary you accumulate and upgrade. Enemies soon become minor annoyances as you blast through them effortlessly during the later levels. This subsequently made the last chapter a bit flat as the gameplay developed into an all out shooting fest which contrasted with the slower paced early chapters.
Small gripes aside the overall experience was enthralling, fun and at times terrifying. For any sci-fi fan yet alone survival horror horror lover I definitely recommend this game. It took around 11 hours to complete on the normal setting which is a decent run nowadays. There is not too much incentive for multiple run throughs unless you want the achievements. It's cheap three years after its release so it really is a bargain. The story was engaging, the shooting was a blast and I'm very excited about the future of the series because what 'visceral games' have done here is create not just a fantastic game, but a fantastic universe in which to build upon and I for one can't wait to head over to my nearest game store and pick up 'Dead Space 2'.