Dead Space: a review

As a first foray I thought I would re-post what I wrote on facebook about my new favorite game, Dead Space.

As I enter into the new and exciting world of console gaming with the first console I have ever owned, a PS3, I thought it might be prudent to extend my love of reviewing movies into reviewing games. Also, I just finished the much lauded horror shooter Dead Space and want to share my love of it with the world.

You play through the game as Isaac Clarke, a man with a mysterious past whose face you don't even get to see until the end as it is covered with a metal helmet for most of the game. We start off listening to a sorrowful message from his girlfriend wishing they could be together, and as it turns out, Isaac is on his way. He's part of a crew that's been assembled to check on a "planet cracker" ship called the Ishimura which has been mysteriously out of contact, and his girlfriend is aboard. After trying to dock with the Ishimura, there's a malfunction and the ship you're on goes crashing into the shuttle bay. And things only go downhill from here. After a few tutorial instructions you and the crew are thrust right into the action, fleeing from some kind of monster with claws for arms and an appetite for blood. You soon realize the ship is flooded with these creatures, and it's up to you to slice and dice your way through them while repairing the ship and trying your damndest to get rescued.

Sounds pretty typical and a little cliche, right? Wrong. As you weave your way through various sections of the ship, plot twist after plot twist is thrown your way to keep you on your toes up until the very end. Audio logs spread throughout the ship only contribute to the sense of dread and despair that is pervasive in this game. Sometimes you will happen across former crew members, but they are far from sane, and do some pretty disturbing things.

That's another thing about this game. It is bloody. Pretty much the key way to kill the monsters is to cut off their limbs with a variety of unique weapons, but sometimes a slap with your weapon or a bone crushing stomp to the face (with matching sound effects) is necessary. There's also a handy stasis feature which allows you to slow down enemies, and a kinesis feature which is used to hurl objects at enemies and solve some puzzles. Basically by the end of a battle, if you survive it, there are always copious amounts of blood and limbs everywhere, but that doesn't stop you from continuing to desecrate the fallen bodies by stomping what's left of them to pieces from the pure satisfaction of having survived. There's even achievements for it.

Perhaps the most distinguishing thing about this game, however, is the innovative interface. Your health bar is represented by a blue line on Isaac's back. The map, inventory, and any other "screen" you come across opens up as a small display from the suit, meaning the action doesn't stop if you need to quickly check how many health packs you have or figure out where the door is. However, most of the quick things you need to do are well assigned to specific buttons. Need a quick heal? Press square to use a med pack. Want to use a different weapon? Just press one of the 4 directions on the arrows. Don't know where you need to go for an objective? Hit R3 and a handy blue line will go from your hand to the floor and trace the direction you need to go. It's an extremely immersive and well thought out system that makes you spend more time involved in what's going on in front of you instead of dealing with layers of menus. Buying new stuff and upgrading your weapons are also easily managed through store terminals and benches respectively.

And here we get to what I consider possibly the best selling point: replayability. It is literally impossible to fully upgrade every weapon and your suit in a single playthrough. So by beating the game you are provided with extra money, more power nodes, a more powerful suit, and a chance to replay through the game with all of the upgrades you already have. An "impossible mode" is also unlocked, which I have yet to try as I can only assume it would kick my humble gaming ass.

With plenty of scares (as the monsters can attack you from any vent you happen to be standing next to), intense action, a unique immersive interface, and great replayability, I can't recommend this game highly enough.

Dead Space gets a 10/10.