Dead Space

Like I promised last time I'm reviewing Dead Space so let's get started.

Dead Space

Overall:

Dead Space is a 2008 third person over the shoulder survival horror game that has a higher focus on combat and action then most survival horror games. It released on the Xbox 360, the PS3, and the PC. I played the 360 version but to my knowledge there are few differences between the different versions. You play as Issac Clarke, an engineer, in the 26th century who is tasked to repair a large mining ship called the Ishimura (a planet cracker that literally breaks aparts planets to get at the minerals and ore) that sent out distress signals during a routine operation (and also coincidentally has your girlfriend on it). You'll quickly find that this is no ordinary mission and along with a handful of others sent with you to fix the ship and get you there you'll have to figure out what the hell is going on and more importantly survive as the crew aren't completely dead. The game was published by EA and developed by Visceral Games.

Pros:

The game is designed to be very atmospheric and it does it well. I was reminded of Bioshock in some ways in regards to how well done (and creepy) the location, scenery, and enemies were (+0.75). Even audio wise you can hear the necromorphs (the name for the reanimated mutations that you fight) slithering in the ventilation shafts above you and hear unsettling whispers that are just quiet enough to keep you from completely understanding what they're saying but loud enough to make you know they're there (+0.25). The game did a good job on the mood of the game and you never know when something is gonna jump out and attack you, which is exactly how the developers want you to feel. The audio, video, and text logs you find throughout the game give you additional backstory and give you hints of what you'll face later (+0.25).

The limb severing mechanic was also well implemented (+0.25). Most games with zombie-like creatures have you aim for the head, here the exact opposite is true, you want to aim for their limbs and cut them off. Many of your weapons fire in a horizontal or vertical plane and depending on the type of necromorph you are facing and which limb you're trying to remove, different weapons should be used. Once you cut off their legs or arms they develop new fighting strategies to use against you so even cutting their legs off doesn't mean you can relax.

Speaking of weapons, many of them (though not all) are useful and fairly unique compared the guns you normally see (+0.50). The flamethrower and pulse rifle aren't new to sci-fi games but the line gun, the ripper, the plasma cutter, and the force gun are all pretty neat. The Contact beam is basically a Spartan Laser from Halo 3 but it's still pretty cool. All of the guns have a secondary fire to give you some more options in a fight (+0.25) and you get to carry four around which lets you have some variety while not giving you every gun at the same time (+0.25). Ammo is often scarce enough that you never feel completely secure in how much you have left but plentiful enough that as long as you don't fire wildly or use the wrong weapons in a certain situation you should make it through (+0.25).

Another positive aspect of the game is the upgrade system. Every gun and your suit (as well as your stasis and kinetic abilities that I'll go into below) can be upgraded with power nodes that you find or buy at the stores located throughout the game (+0.50). Each item basically has a tiny little sphere grid like in FFX and you use the power nodes to unlock and upgrade your equipment to hold more ammo, do more damage, ect. It's all a big balancing act as you might need the money for ammo or health kits as well as purchasing the weapons and new suits (the upgrades to the suit stay when you get a new one) in addition to buying power nodes. I managed to find most of the ammo and health I needed in chests and dropped from enemies but there were a lot of times when I came damn close to running out so keeping some money on hand to buy what you need is a good idea.



The game has a kinetic and stasis module you get that give you some extra abilities in-game. Kinesis is basically the gravity gun in Half Life 2 and you can do it as much as you want. You will use it for a handful of simple puzzles (if you could even call them that) and to pick up explosive canisters and saw blades to shoot at the enemies (+0.25). It isn't as powerful as the gravity gun of HL2 fame so I didn't rely on it too much but it's a nice touch. The stasis ability is limited to so many uses but can be recharged for free at different stations throughout the ship. It allows you to slow down enemies or parts of your environment and is used to greater effect in combat and for puzzles where you have to slow down moving machinery to get something done (+0.50). Both add a little zazz to the game and increase your combat options.

Another neat little feature are the Zero gravity segments. First introduced in a special room inside the ship and then used more often when you go outside the ship, there are parts where you have to fight in or solve puzzles in zero-gravity (+0.25). You have some kind of special charge boots that keep you magnetically attached to the ship surface but you can jump across vast expanses in zero gee to other parts of the room or ship, and even walk around upside down on the ceiling or walls. You have to be a little careful though cause if you jump and there is nothing to land on but space you'll float away and net yourself a game over. You fight enemies in zero gravity as well and that is a bit of a thrill and a challenge since you can't hear them and they can attack you from any direction (+0.25).

The game features a New Game + that lets you keep all your money, weapons, upgrades, and items and I'm almost always a fan of New Game + though it is especially nice here since you can't upgrade everything on your first play through and if you want to see what all your weapons can do maxed out you'll need to play it a second time (+0.25). The experience doesn't seem to be much different but they do give you a couple of long logs giving you some extra back story if you want it (+0.25).

The game also makes an effort to get rid of any menus that your character isn't seeing himself, all your health and stasis energy is displayed on your suit and you ammo is displayed on the gun. The menu opens up a holographic image thing your character looks at, but it's done in real time and you can be attacked while looking at it. Not exactly a "pro" or a "con" just something sorta neat I noticed.

There are two mini games you find late in the game and they're neat to try a couple of times for extra ammo and items but nothing to write home about. Well, there is a part where you take control of a turret that would sort of count as a mini game and actually that was better then the other two so if you count that (and you do it twice) then the mini game department isn't doing too bad (+0.25).

+5.25

Cons:

The game does in its early chapters tend to have a "Oh no this broke, go fix it Isaac." to the point where I wondered if the coffee machine or their oven was going to be the next thing I had to fix. They need a reason to introduce you to the various areas of the ship and most of the stuff you fix would need to be fixed to help keep you alive so this is a small gripe but if they could have had more of the plot stuff happen a little earlier and distribute the "Fix a critical part of the ship" chapters more evenly it would have helped (-0.50).

The bosses you do fight are huge and impressive and look awesome but there are only 3 of them and one of them isn't a traditional fight really and more of a mini game. There are things that could qualify as mid-bosses perhaps but real boss fights are far and few between (-0.50).

Some of the weapons are sorta useless or notably underpowered. The flamethrower for example is just so incredibly crappy you have to wonder if it's a glitch (-0.25). Since the ammo you find is based on the weapons you're carrying, carrying the flamethrower with you means some of the ammo you'll find is flamethrower ammo, but since it's so weak and you'll use 50-75 units of fuel (you find them 25 at a time) to kill an enemy carrying it around will mean hurt you in the ammo department. The pulse rifle is also sorta weak, but not at bad as the flamethrower is (-0.25). The other weapons are fine, just those two seem to not be worth the ammo. You have a melee attack as well, but it is also pretty weak and if you don't kill an enemy when you hit them they'll probably hit you a couple of times so melee is best used as a last resort if you're out of ammo and nothing can be thrown at them (-0.25).

Another problem I have with the game is that you can't go back to previous areas unless the story calls for it. You use a tram to move to different areas of the ship but for some reason can't go back even when the chapter doesn't have you having to do something cause the ship is in danger of falling to the planet or whatever. Granted if the enemies respawned you could farm items and money and get too powerful or have enough ammo to not make things scary and if they didn't respawn it would be boring, but sometimes there are rooms you missed or you couldn't hold all the stuff and had to leave stuff behind. Again I can sort of see why they did it so this is a fairly small concern (-0.25).

I don't want to spoil anything, but the way they set up a possible sequel didn't really make much sense (though it did scare the shit out of me) (-0.50).

Lastly, they have segments where the "gravity panels" have been broken and some parts of the floor will send you violently into the ceiling and kill you. They're clearly marked, but that is just a dumb concept. They have a centrifuge thingie you have to fix at one point for gravitation stuff, why do they have "gravity panels"? Just feels like a random gimmick they threw in at the last minute (-0.25).

-2.75

Overall Rating: 9.5/10