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With so many long established survival horror franchises dominating holiday releases, Dead Space is a killer original IP that capitalizes on the best the genre has to offer. That said, Dead Space walks the fine line between capitalizing on our cliché fears of space and becoming cliché itself. Luckily, top notch sound, enemy and environment design make the game unsettling even after you turn off the console.

My God, What The Hell Happened Here?

The story of Dead Space is the quintessential story of space horror that we know and love. A ship is in distress, no one appears to be home and…there is something else on board. Isaac Clarke, recipient of the “Worst Job in the Universe” award, is tasked with a mission of salvage, and then, of course, survival aboard the USG Ishimura. For those anxious to compare the experience to something they know, think Bioshock set in a hybrid of Alien, John Carpenter’s The Thing and Event Horizon. Does that sound awesome? It is, but it’s still a pretty standard plot with few surprises, even down to the end game. But it succeeds at capturing the point of the survival horror genre by making you think if you’re prepared before you enter a room: if you have enough ammo, if you’ve reloaded everything and how you can preserve your resources to progress. There’s no doubt the team behind Dead Space knows what they’re doing.

We Can Fight Back…With Technology

Dead Space features the most seamless integration of no heads-up-display, period. Health, stasis (the power that allows you to freeze machinery and enemies) and your oxygen tank are visible on the back of your upgradeable space suit, while communications with your crew are carried out on a holographic (I’ll use this term to explain space technology I don’t understand) monitor. And forget removing yourself from the game to check the map, a handy beam of light extending from your palm guides you through the ship and comes in handy when navigating large zero-gravity rooms.

Now, if you’ve ever accidentally shot someone with a nail gun, you might already be aware that tools can make pretty awesome weapons, and the arsenal in Dead Space is no exception. I don’t know what mining job needs a glorified laser gun than can blow the torso off a space zombie from 30 feet, but I’m not registering any complaints. The hands down coolest weapon is the Ripper, a table saw blade that extends a short range in front of you, mangling the appendages of any necromorph in your path. As you should know by now, the best way to incapacitate your enemies is called “strategic dismemberment”. Each weapon is not only upgradeable but offers secondary fire, some of which are extremely powerful or alter your fire to area and projectile attacks.  If all else fails, the upper melee punch is effective for knocking necromorphs back and delivers a satisfying heavy attack.

You’re also gifted with two puzzle solving and combat applicable powers. Stasis and kinesis allow you, respectively, to freeze and throw objects and both powers are extremely useful in combat. A thrown gas canister can save several precious clips of ammo, and stasis, despite not always hitting where you think you’re aiming, can grant you some valuable time for a reload…or to systematically sever the limbs off an advancing attacker frozen in midair. 

While we’re on the subject of pesky necromorphs, there are a great and disturbing variety of them on the ship all with unique ways of killin’ em quick. And you’d better hope you kill them. At close range attacks will trigger some quick button tapping sequences…loser gets humiliated by dying in the most gruesome way possible. 

Have You Ever Seen Fire in Zero Gravity?

When given the potential to expand gameplay beyond just walking around on the ground, there’s always the potential to create something horribly frustrating (3D water levels, I’m talking to you). However, Dead Space integrates zero-gravity and airless vacuums perfectly, without beating you over the head with them and making you resent their appearance in the game. They appear sparsely throughout and help vary the gameplay greatly. The first moment you step into in space and realize you can barely hear more than your own breathing, much less the aliens bearing down on you…it’s love. Navigating zero-gravity is simple as you’re still secured to a surface by your boots in between jumping from wall-to-wall and the handy navigation tool guides you along the right path. Alien encounters are also way more disturbing, as Alien vs Predator 2 long ago proved, when you’re not sure what plane your attackers are coming from.

In Space No One Can Hear You Scream (At Your Foot As It Misses Something’s Head)

While Dead Space is certainly a, if not the, must-play horror game this year, it has its flaws. The relative effectiveness of the high melee attack makes the lower, kicking attack that much more frustrating. When hordes of limbless enemies swarm at your feet you’d like nothing more than to dispatch them with a Gears of War-style curb stomp, but the kick can be hard to land and lacks the satisfaction of the alternate melee blow. Additionally, the camera tends to pull in extremely close during combat, meaning you can’t always see the necromorphs surrounding you, or ON you, which is incredibly frustrating when you find yourself overwhelmed. But the downfall for a horror fan devotee is the spontaneity that’s lost when you’re killed and start again at a checkpoint.  You’ll tend to not fail the same encounter twice because you know what to expect and the necromorph spawns never change. It’s a constant snap back to “Oh, I am just playing a video game” reality.  Dead Space tries to curb predictability by having the necromorphs use the ventilation systems, but the game partially loses the sickening anticipation of not knowing whats around the corner.

Game Over, Man, Game Over

Despite lacking some tweaks that could have made the most horror-jaded gamers wet themselves, Dead Space delivers scares, gore and a truly disturbing gem of a game. If you’re up to a second go at the USG Ishimura, a completed playthrough will net you, a la Resident Evil 4, money and weapons upgrades that should have you staving off the infected at least one more time. Dead Space is a must buy for all fans of survival horror.

Article written by: Abbie Heppe