What is the point of the Dead Space remake?

I just watched the gameplay video released yesterday...

Its more detailed and atmospheric, but like, who is this for? What are they doing? The original dead space is a game I'm playing for the first time right now on steam deck. I'm ten chapters into the game and it's really wonderful. It also has nagging elements, namely the way the camera pivots around Isaac feels imprecise, but that could also be me I suppose. All things considered it's a solid 8/10.

Really though, what strategy is there in remaking a game that doesn't seem to play or look as if it needs one? It feels like yet another developer with no stones to put original ideas into the market so they pulled a Naughty Dog and decided to just not bother to develop new ip.

So, is this game for those who never played it? Or those who have? Can the hobby survive with devs like naughty dog and Motive studios dedicating resources to unnecessary remade experiences? Do remakes bother you? Do you have criteria for what makes a good remake?

I will personally be skipping dead space remake... No other reason than the original game can be purchased for 5 dollars on sale and it still looks and plays great.

Would be ready to bet that they're releasing the remake to see how it does, and if there's still interest in the series. Its much cheaper to release a remake than to create a brand new game. If it does well, i am also expecting a DS2 remake, and then DS4 or a reboot of the series.

But then who are they banking on buying it? I'm ignorant to pricing is it full priced? I just watched that demo I linked after two hours of playing the original and its the same game sans some detail. Are there dead space people out there wanting this? Are they thinking it's been long enough to usher in a new crop of people who may want to jump in? It really is so bizarre what we're seeing.... The behaviors of gamers too! Fascinating... And so weird.

I would probably bet EA wants to revive the series so that's why they decided to remake Dead Space. I do agree that Dead Space does hold up well though am interested to see how the remake compares to the original. I would definitely like to see Dead Space 4 or even EA remaking Dead Space 2 and 3.

There is a lot of fans of the series. The game looks real shiny (visually, which is great for marketing), and many of those fans haven't played it in a long time. This is just like Demon's remake. I played the original for over 1k hours, but haven't touched the game since 2011, so when i was playing the remake, it didn't feel like i spend as much hours as i did, it felt fresh. I beat DS1 4 times, and on all difficulties, but the last time that i booted the game, it was 2009. If i were to play the remake, i am sure it would feel new'ish.

The only issue i am seeing here, something that may hurt their sales, is Callisto.

They should've made a proper dead space 4.... Fresh ideas, made for a new age.... Then included dead space 1,2 and 3 on a 2nd disk for launch window buyers or something. That would've been the way to bring people back in. Have some balls and if YOU REALLY believe in your ip then show it.... Hiding behind the, "we'll dip our toe in the water with a remake" is for the birds.

Just make a good game, right? What's to revive?

I played the original around a decade ago, and I agree it’s amazing on its own. Even if the remake is better, it’s not worth the money being spent on production for it. Perhaps they should have done a remaster to spice up the graphics along with some minor tweaks, rather than a full-blown remake? Not seeing the point to be honest. Too much money for too little gain.

@TheEroica: it's for people like me, people that loved dead space when it came out 14 years ago.

Way more excited for dead space than last of us.

Last of us is horrible. That game came out 9 years ago and already had a remastered PS4 release.

That recent last of us release was way more pointless than dead space remaster.

Well the problem with that is the fact EA fired Visceral games due to how poorly Dead Space 3 sold (even though we all know it was EA who screw up the game with microtransaction from the get-go) so that would probably kill to make Dead Space 4, but then we learn about Callisto Protocol. EA then announces Dead Space Remake of first game…but they literally shut down visceral games so there's no way of getting Dead Space 4...but since Callisto Protocol is technically Dead Space 4 in a way since its the same former team who made Dead Space in the first place. The Remake is being made by a brand new Studio.

I'm super hype for Callisto Protocol as I love the OG Dead Space, and as for the Remake, at least the remake will be $1 on EA Play within a year of release.

Edit: I do agree that OG Dead Space still looks good today's standards...on PC that is when playing high details. (Same goes for TLOU Remastered PS4 really.

For anyone who would like to play it? 🤷‍♂️

I already played the original myself but I’m certainly interested in playing up this spruced up remake as well.

Completely agree.

Remakes and "remasters" are getting fucking stupid now.

In the past remasters were like, a cheap £14 way to play conveniently (rather than emulated) a polished up old game.

Now fuckers are charging a contemporary price, bundling segmented DLC and crap. With worse art-directions and bugs through the wazoo.

Remakes like Resident Evil 2, have such a huge jump and different take, of a very old game that it feels jusified.

This, Last or Of And Or Us.

Blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I'll play anybody's remake as long as they price it right

Just another opportunity to sell the game to that segment of the market willing to buy the same game over and over again for some weird reason.

Kids like creepy s***, YouTubers love to make a lot of reaction videos, they f***ed up their other franchises, they saw Capcom remaking their "horror" games, a lot of new gamers didn't play the original

Why wouldn't they do it?

When you suck at managing projects and blazing new trails for established franchises you simply dust off the blueprints for one of those decade+ old releases, slap a shiny new coat of paint on it, and hope that same magic works again giving the franchise a nice reboot before the inevitable other foot drops and that same shitty management which originally ran the franchise into the ground rears its ugly head again and whole process is done again because why not?

Easier, cheaper, quicker, and it seems like you are giving fans what they want without actually having to do anything creative, risky, or even original. It's literally a rehash.

And just like always suckers will line up, hands out, hoping their support will finally teach the publisher that this is what they want and not the other garbage which already flopped. But the publisher doesn't care. They just want morons to lower their guard so they can be tricked into buy the same shit designs as before. Then when it blows up in their face they stand around looking all surprised like a battered spouse who thought for sure their significant other finally got their temper under control and wouldn't back hand them across the face. Everyone from the outside can see the cycle of abuse but they refuse to see it.

That's who the Dead Space remake is for. That's who everything companies like EA, Ubisoft, Activision, and more make games for.

Enjoy your full priced 360 game with modern graphics. EA will totally learn the right lessons from this.

This thread reminded me that Bioware hasn't released anything in a very long time, and DA4 is still years away. This dev had frequent releases, but now its as if they don't create videos anymore, a Rockstar2.0.

Asked myself the same thing, and I think it boils down to easy money. Take a finished game and just polish it up a bit and sell for (probably) full new game price. Could also be EA's safe and cowardly way of seeing if there's still any Dead Space interest left. It might be something they still could milk, and if not, a remake is still a very safe way to make profits.

From a gamers perspective, I guess the remake could be for those who have never played the game and want it to be updated before playing. Otherwise, it's for people who have too much money and too little brain. Unless they play it without paying, of course.

The original Dead Space still looks and plays good. It also frequently goes on sale for 5 bucks. This remake is about 100% unnecessary and I can think of many other EA games that would be better to remake. It's not as dumb as yet another TLOU remake, but almost.

Yeah I agree, I really enjoyed Dead Space (1 and 2, definitley not 3) but this remake doesnt look that much better than the originals PC version, I guess its mostly for newer gamers that missed it last time. 🤷‍♂️

I've never played the original and I love these sorts of games. This is gonna look AMAZING on my OLED C2!!!

@Bond007uk: the original is 5 bucks on sale on steam and it literally looks the same with the exception of some finer details. Just out of curiosity, are u planning to buy on day 1 and pay top price? Or is this a sale game for you?

The original is pretty old, came out in 2008. Doesn’t bother me at all that they’re remastering/remaking it. If anything, it may actually help. The series has been dead for a while. Dead Space 3 was a disappointment. Hopefully it breathes new life into it.

@TheEroica I've not decided yet. But since I've I bought my LG C2 I'm very interested in games that are dark and foreboding. Those true inky OLED blacks, infinite contrast and generally superior HDR performance really get me excited now. Playing this in a dark room in the evening is going to be truly awesome.

A few months ago, Digital Foundry did a retrospective video on the first Dead Space game between the 360 and the PC and I agree it still looks good, but I don't want to spoil it by playing the older inferior game. I'm sure DF will do a full rundown for this version, so I'll make my decision then.

@Bond007uk: so for you the allure is purely performance based? As in, you want to flex your killer rig and nice screen so getting a more expensive souped up version makes the juice worth the squeeze... Where as up to this point the base game has never been a priority?

I've only become interested in Sci-fi and horror based games recently. They didn't massively bother me before, but now they do. I think OLED will make this particular game even more immersive/scary. That with true HDR support completes the package. Then I only need to decide to buy it for Series X or my PC. Both of which are connected to the same TV.

@SolidGame_basic: 14 years is old enough for a remake you think? Maybe on some experiences. I feel like after the world class 2007, the 3rd person atmospheric action/survival game had been firmly established. The modern control schemes, the set pieces, the pacing and player choice systems are all there.... In that sense Dead Space could be made new today as it was in 08 and you'd not notice anything different about it compared to modern games of the same genre. 14 years and no significant progress from a gameplay perspective in the remake (unless you count awkward float controls in zero-g).

To that point, shouldn't the improvement and overall fluidity of gameplay be the chief need of a well conceived remake? Take kotor for example. I can still play it and appreciate it's gameplay for the time, but I'd also understand if the remake (if it's still even a thing) wanted to scrap it entirely and bring the combat system to a new age of enjoyment. That game feels prime for a remake, where dead space is showing me the exact same game I'm playing currently with more detail.

I guess you can argue either way. Some people just want the same game, but shinier/prettier. I see this game as an attempt to bring the franchise back to relevance. The first two games are classics. To your point, wouldn’t pay full price if graphics is the only thing that has changed. Hopefully there is more to it.

Less work, easy money- EA

Money. Anyways, I'm looking forward to it as long as the game is finished. Sick of these AAA companies pumping out glitchy poorly optimized games.

I'm with you, I played it on PS3 when it came out and it was a solid game. Maybe I'll get the Steam version someday if I get a steam deck, but I have no need for any remake.

@Heil68: they're trying to "get us back into the series" by asking us to play the exact same game. Lol. Huh?

Heil, old timers like us need more pedal to the metal... Awwwwwwww yeah!

I am a fan of the series and will definitely be playing the remake. It has also been long enough where the game will benefit from a new engine. This will allow for people that missed out on the original game to play it without technical shortcomings and they can tweak the design/gameplay to modern standards for a better experience.

One thing I should've mention is that I to think it needs to be updated to a new engine as the previous engine to Dead Space has one major flaw, the limbs to the necros is tied to the framerates whenever you cut the limbs off. I tried to play it in 165hz and the limbs just goes everywhere. Even in 60fps, its a hit or a miss. That's one thing I'll say the Remake needs a new engine.

I won't buy the game, but I'll play it through EA Play. (I sure hope MS can try and get it for GP if possible) Other than that, I'm more excited for Callisto Protocol and I'm also a fan of Dead Space series. (There's also Negative Atmosphere but I don't know when that game will come out)

@davillain: EA Play is part of Game Pass, so it will be on GP by default. Just have to wait for it to hit the EA Play vault or have EA Play Pro if u want to play it at release. Anyway, we will be spoiled with a lot of good sci-fi horror games coming out in the next little while. :)

Good question. What is the point of The Last of Us remake? Or Resident Evil 4 remake? or Splinter Cell remake? Or....

I don't think its old enough (Like RE2, RE3, FF7, etc.) to warrant a remake, nor is it a masterpiece enough (like TLOU or fucking Bloodborne pls Sony) to warrant a remake to be honest.

But I did enjoy it on PS3 back in the day, so sure why not. I love remakes. I'll probably get it on its first sale.

The original still holds up well,another cash grab,not on the TLOU level but a pocket tickler none the less

I'm noticing a lot of these remakes are just graphical remakes with barely, or no changes to gameplay:

• GTA: DE
• TLOU Part 1
• Dead Space

What's the point if the gameplay still holds up, and if you're only focussing on visuals?

I have a thing for that: it's called mods.

Because gamers are f**king stupid and have shown that they go and buy these remasters/remakes in droves. So why create something new when you can re-release it indefinitely.

The original games are 32bit executables and can only address 4GB max. I like mods but with these really old games mods will only take you so far.

@pc_rocks: that's the most depressing implosion of the industry I've ever heard....

plus it's not true. We've seen no evidence whatsoever that TLOU Part 1 is being bought in droves, or that it could be considered more succesful than the original or the remaster.

I mean when the price is right I'll surely buy them. But 59.99 for GTA DE? 69.99 for TLOU part 1?

No thank you

I tend to say that over most remakes, but then I realize maybe they're not made for me and I'm all for carrying games to newer generations to enjoy, so be it.

I'm interested in the Dead Space remake. I enjoyed the first and second game, they were very scary. I'd imagine the remake will have a lot of quality of life changes, like Demon Souls remake did. Though I suppose the key difference between the Demon Souls remake and Dead Space is just how well Bluepoint studios did with their game both graphically and gameplay wise. And as another poster pointed out, the Demon Souls remake felt fresh! If they're going to be asking full new gen price, I don't see myself buying it until it's heavily discounted. It'll be interesting to see which is more successful, Calisto or the Dead Space remake. If Dead Space does better than Calisto, I think that's telling to publishers like EA.

YouTube video was heavily compressed will look better playing on local hardware.

I think any time a hot-shot developer sexually harasses a coworker, they get exiled to the Land of Remakes. There, they are forced to manage a bunch of interns and new hires and are forced to remake old games for all eternity!

I think it's punishment for naughty developers.

@jaydan: I can appreciate that they're not made "for me". Every year a new crop of gamers is introducing themselves to M rated/T rated games and so ushering new consumers into an ip is ideal.

That said, the most confusing part for me is that exactly nobody is clamoring for dead space to be remade. Who is crying so loud for it that they dumped millions of dollars, resources and time into slightly upgrading a game that could've just been re-released in its original form and had the same impact? The game itself, from everything they've shown doesn't look like a better game. It looks to be exactly the same.

i remember playing it on pc a couple of years ago thinking this has aged really well

@TheEroica: “Exactly nobody”? Really? I’m certain that I’ve seen some people here expressing interest in a Dead Space remake prior to its announcement. And this is on a practically dead forum. Also a lot of the time most people don’t necessarily realize they wanted something until they actually see that it’s being made. This would be especially true for those didn’t play a game when it originally came out but now see a remake for it is being made. It’s obvious that EA has gauged that there was enough of a possible interest to justify making this. I mean this is EA after all.

Indeed! I vividly remember playing Dead Space, I played it on Halloween with the lights out. It was a great game and many little touches that stand out. Like something as simple as the health bar being on the Suit. I also felt the weapons were very satisfying.