Post by Revan Jast on Dec 6, 2008 13:34:42 GMT -5
Rating: M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Intense Violence
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC. I am reviewing the 360 version.
Genre: Action/Survival Horror
Graphics: Well, this was just released a little over a month ago, so you should expect good graphics, and I can tell you this game delivers. I play on an SDTV (27 inch, I think) and the game is gorgeous.
Sound: The haunting sounds of space (I'm serious) and the shrieks and screams of your enemies should keep you on your toes. It does well to keep up the suspense, but depending on who you are, it may or may not scare you.
Entertainment: If you're a horror fan, or a Sci Fi fan, or both, get this.
Controls: For me, perfect. Not once did I find myself pushing the wrong button at the wrong time.
Main Review:
Ok, so is it true that in space, no one can hear you scream? Well, I honestly don't know... but my mother screamed once or twice when I got ripped to pieces by a Necromorph!
Dead Space is a fun, scary and gory romp though the bloodstained halls and rooms of the USG Ishimura. You play as Isaac Clarke, the engineer in his small crew crew sent to repair the planetcracker ship. Planetcracking? Basically the Ishimura (and other ships like it) "crack" open planets and extract valuble ore. Except on this planet, they also extracted something else... and far worse.
Your enemies throughout the game are the alien infected and horribly mutated crew members of this massive ship. How many enemies, you may ask? Well, like Kendra (a member of your crew sent along for the ride (or so you think...) says at the beginning of the game: "A thousand people on board and no one answers the phone." Yikes!
Like any survival horror game, ammo is scarce and you have to use your wits to survive... wait, wrong game. Yes, Dead Space is survival horror, but I could hardly say that ammo is scarce when nearly every enemy drops either: Ammo, Medicine or at least 800-900 credits that you can spend at the store to buy ammo and medicine. Get the idea?
Of course, you only manage to save ammo if you know how to kill the amazing variety of enemies you'll be facing. Whether it be a Stalker, a Lurker (which are disturbing, and when you first meet them you'll see why) or a huge Brute, dismemberment is your friend. I did say this was a gory game, didn't I?
This is not your run-of-the-mill-shoot-the-monster-in-the-head game. In fact, shooting these baddies in the head (with the exception of one creature, which is all head) will only make them madder. Instead, you must shoot off their arms and legs to destroy them. Shooting the central mass (torso) is a waste of ammo. Limbs is where it's at!
With the exception of the Pulse Rifle, all your weapons are more or less mining tools, from the Plasma Cutter to the Flamethrower to the Ripjack (a type of gun that shoots saw blades). Hold down the Left Trigger to aim, and a laser will project from your gun, which is your targeting recticle. As a bonus, each gun comes with a built-in flashlight. Take that, Doom!
Shooting is done with the Right Trigger, and hitting the Right Bumper fires your current weapons alternate attack. Your engineer suit also uses Stasis Energy (limited) to slow things down (attacking enemies, malfunctioning doors, etc) and it also has Kinesis Energy (unlimited) that you use to pick up crates and explosive cans and even enemy body parts to toss about. These are used by pushing either X or B, respectively.
All in all, I believe Dead Space is a magnificent game, only hindered by it's somewhat straightforwardness and (for some) short length. I beat it in just over 10 and a 1/2 hours, on Medium. Upon beating the game you'll unlock an Impossible mode, which brings the diffculty levels up to 4 (Easy, Medium, Hard and Impossible). There's also a New Game+ feature, where you can load your previously played game from the beginning with all the weapons and suits you've upgraded. Besides Impossible Mode, you unlock a few other nice goodies for beating the game, although I won't say what.
The Final Score:
With all the Pro's (alot) and Con's (almost none) listed, I give Dead Space a 9 out of 10. If you seem let down by the games seemingly short length, I recommend buying it with a couple other games, and playing each one a small piece at a time. That way they all will last longer.
I thank each and every one who reads this review, and I welcome all comments. Just hit the reply button and say what you have to say.
Until next time,
Revan Jast
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