Dead Space [Review]
November 29th, 2008
Over the years we’ve learnt many things courtesy of the film industry; chief among them is the fact that space is certainly not a safe place for humanity to explore. And we’ve also learnt that when contact, be it with a colony, vessel, or even a town has suddenly and inexplicably been lost it’s not because of something simple like a communications malfunction, or due to static interference, it’s usually because the crew/colonists/residents have all been horribly slaughtered.
Alarm bells should be ringing loudly in the ears of whichever bright spark has decided to lead an expeditionary mission to determine the cause of the silence, but instead they will wander unconcerned (mostly) into danger like the proverbial lamb to the slaughter. This blasé attitude, although not good for promoting a long and prosperous life, does however provide the perfect setup for horror films, or alternatively in our case a Sci-Fi survival horror game.
The reason I’m making such a tenuous link to the film industry is that in some respects Dead Space feels like it’s borrowing aspects from some of the great Sci-Fi flicks of the last 30 years. However, instead of just being a carbon copy of something like Aliens, Event Horizon, or even Solaris there’s enough originality here, and delivered with such panache and polish that makes it a game that is worthy of your attention.
Playing as Isaac Clarke, an engineer aboard the USG Kellion, you and your crewmates are dispatched to the USG Ishimura – a “planet cracker” class mining vessel that rips planets apart in search of valuable minerals and ores. As you may have surmised contact with the Ishimura has been lost after an initial distress signal was received, and on rendezvousing with the stricken vessel above the planet Aegis 7 a decision is made to dock with the ship and provide any help required. It is however, only a matter of time before things go completely pear shaped leaving you to repair various systems on the Ishimura so that you can escape the nightmare.
Personally I think the story lurking within Dead Space is pretty decent, featuring hostile almost parasitic like aliens, religious fundamentalism, and an ancient artefact. The story may not be entirely original in concept, but it’s presented well and delivered in byte sized snippets via the audio, video and text logs which are scattered throughout the Ishimura. On the whole it’s quite entertaining and although there aren’t any major surprises that can’t be guessed beforehand (even though I’m sure the script was written as such) it kept me sufficiently interested and ensured that I took the time and effort to read, watch, and listen to each log and cut-scene.
Isaac is not the only human aboard the Ishimura and there’s a small cast of supporting characters which you’ll bump into from time to time which help piece together the story arc. Character interaction is unfortunately all scripted, but the voice actors have certainly given there all to try and put some feeling behind their delivery. The weakest part of the whole characterisation of Dead Space is unfortunately that of our lead character Isaac Clarke himself. Taking into consideration the amount of dialog in Dead Space, it’s quite unusual that our protagonist never utters a single word or shows any signs of physical or mental emotion – especially as from the outset we learn that Isaac has a vested interest in the Ishimura due to the fact that his love, Nicole Brennan, was serving aboard the ship at the time of crisis and her fate is unknown. Even as this story thread unfolds there’s no emotion witnessed from Isaac who will continue to plod ever onward, thus leaving the player feeling also slightly detached from the events that occur within the game.
As the story progresses you discover your foes are Necromorphs, creatures animated from the dead tissue and bone of the deceased crew of the Ishimura. As a result of their unnatural creation these alien “undead” can’t be felled with just a few shots to the body or head but instead need to be dissected limb from limb to ensure they’re put down permanently. Fortunately a variety of weapons have been provided to aid in your surgery, and all bar the “Pulse Rifle” have some sort of grounding as practical tools: like the “Plasma Cutter” - which, by the way, is the only weapon you’re gifted, the others will need to be purchased. Not only does Isaac have an array of weapons to keep the Necromorphs at bay but he also has a couple of additional tricks up his sleeve. The “Stasis” module allows you to directly slow down time on an object or enemy which helps in those tricky situations when precise limb severing is needed. And the “Kinesis” module acts in a similar fashion to the “Gravity Gun” from Half Life 2, although it isn’t quite integrated as successfully in terms of puzzle design.
Dead Space has a comprehensive item and weapon collection system, and throughout you’ll frequently come across store kiosks which will enable you to purchase additional weapons, items or ammunition, or alternatively sell any excess items you’ve collected or rare elements you’ve found. In addition the store acts like a “magic chest” allowing you to horde a vast number of collectibles and retrieve them from any other store within the game - the canny pack rat will never be without health packs or ammunition whenever the need arises. As-well as store kiosks you will also stumble upon work benches that allow your weapons, environmental suit (known as a rig), and the stasis and kenesis modules to be upgraded using “power nodes”. These are placed in empty slots on an upgrade map for each object joining up pathways to access specific attributes, for example “damage”, or “capacity” for weapons.
Dead Space looks nothing less than stunning. Visually impressive from the outset during the opening cinematic as the sun flares past the orbiting planet as the Kellion approaches the Ishimura you’re left marvelling at this rich tapestry when really you should be paying attention to the conversation between the crew. This high standard is maintained throughout the game with well crafted character and enemy models, and a ship interior that is not only feels expertly designed but varies enough between decks (levels) so as to not to feel like you’re walking through just another “corridor”. Although at times Dead Space can sometimes seem like it’s a never ending fetch-quest as Isaac goes from one end of the Ishimura and back again in order to fix systems, there are some interesting environmental puzzles inter-spaced throughout that nicely act to mix-up and change the games pace.
Taking the third person perspective to the next logical step the graphic prowess in Dead Space is used to an excellent degree with the HUD design, or rather the lack of a HUD. Instead of the usual gauges and figures plastered around the screen indicating health, ammunition and the like we’re instead given the interface as Isaac would view it. Inventory screens, maps, and video messages are projected in front of our hero, ammunition gauges are displayed on the back of weapons, and a health meter is integrated into back of his environmental suit positioned just over the spinal chord. In general this interface works extremely well, but I did find the map awkward to use at times and couldn’t always rotate or zoom to give me the view I required.
The atmosphere in Dead Space has to be especially commended and makes great use of both light and sound to evoke feelings of fear and panic. The game constantly keeps you on your toes throughout with intentionally unnerving music and environmental sound effects as Necromorphs crawl around the venting making unearthly sounds.On occasion you may catch sight of some horror moving around or casting its silhouette against a wall – and these scripted events are sometimes a prelude to an attack, but at other times are used as a method of misdirection and nothing will happen. The net result is that you’re frequently on the edge of your seat, jumping at any slight noise or movement, with adrenalin coursing through your bloodstream in a typical “fight or flight” bodily response.
Overall, Dead Space is a thrilling game to play. You may recognise elements or mechanics from other stand out games you may have played, or movies you’ve seen, but Dead Space takes each element and successfully weaves them together in one hell of an intense, frightening, and scintillating experience. Highly recommended!
Dead Space was played to completion on “Medium” difficulty using the default starting equipment and then played again to 90% completion using the unlocked “Military Suit” and upgraded weapons on the Xbox 360.
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