Dead Space is a fantastic horror experience. The game is jam
packed full of intense action and plenty of jump scares that make this a must
own for any horror fan out there. You adopt the role of Isaac Clarke, an
engineer that is part of a repair team on their way to answer a distress call
from the USG Ishimura, a space station used for harvesting planets for their
resources. The opening scene is excellent and sets the tone for the rest of the
game, showing things can go very wrong very fast. After boarding the Ishimura,
Isaac and his companions uncover the truth about the goings on aboard the ship.
The crew have been taken over by a form of alien life that really is the stuff
of nightmares. They have been transformed into necromorphs who stalk you
throughout your journey. Nowhere is safe here. Isaac must go on a series of
missions aided by two of his companions, Kendra and Hammond, to repair the ship
and escape from the situation they find themselves in. Isaac also has an extra
incentive to undertake this mission as his girlfriend is working on the ship.
While the story does all make perfect sense, it is disappointing that there is
a lot of backtracking, making the Ishimura not really feel like a huge space
vessel. There are a few twists and turns along the way, however despite this,
the story is not one of Dead Space's best elements, but it does the job.
Dead Space
was impressive in the way that it replaces the standard formula of going for
head or body shots, by encouraging the player to dismember the creatures you
come across. Isaac has a rather expansive arsenal, ranging from the standard
pistol and assault rifle to more interesting tools such as a flamethrower and a
beam rifle. All of these can be upgraded with power nodes you find about the
ship, or alternatively you can buy these through the Ishimura's store, along
with items such as extra ammo and med packs. Coupled with the weapons Isaac has
at his disposal, are the stasis and kinesis modules that are used to freeze
enemies and launch objects at them respectively. All these elements combined
means enemy encounters are rarely the same. Occasional boss fights are a
welcome change as they are unlike normal enemies. They are massive,
intimidating and tough to beat. It is
fair to say that Dead Space nailed its combat and upgrading system perfectly.
One of the game’s biggest achievements is how well crafted
the ships environments are. They are claustrophobic and you never feel
comfortable walking around. Environmental effects such as flickering lights and
distant sounds add to the atmosphere, and with no one physically accompanying
you, the player feels isolated and vulnerable, which is what any horror game
should do, and Dead Space does this superbly. If you enjoy Dead Space as much
as I did then you too will want to take advantage of its New Game + mode,
meaning you can play through as many more times as you want with all your
upgraded gear and you can keep doing this until you are maxed out if you so
wish. There are also different difficulty settings to give yourself a real
challenge, which can easily extend the play time to upwards of 30 hours, which
is very good for a single player only game. And that really is my only minor
gripe about Dead Space, that there is no co-op. However, with someone by your
side it would be far less scary, so I can understand why they have not included
this.
As you can probably tell I am a huge fan of this game.
Despite it being one of the XBOX 360's earlier games, I believe it remains one
of the best. Everything about it is entertaining and even if you are not a huge
fan of horror games, I would still recommend this to anyone. Despite the lack
of a co-op feature, the game provides a lot of entertainment in its brilliant
combat system, replay ability, and of course seeing how the story unfolds. If
you haven't already, then you simply must take it upon yourself to board the
Ishimura and tackle the horrors within.
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