Dead Space Review

H

Hachi the Fallen

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So some of you may or may not know of this little game called Dead Space. I was reluctant to get it as there is a lot of games coming out with a strong backing of previous games, (Fable 2, Far Cry 2, Fallout 3) however, I decided to not get all the typical games and go for sometime different. I am very happy with my choice.

For starters, its a new and unique universe, something we've not seen in sometime, made by a new development team making a game they want, not something just to make money. Included in the package is some nice back story, with little to no cheese, which I really miss (Halo 3).

I've spent very little time with the game, as I intend to stretch out my first play through over more then a week, I want to enjoy it. What time I have spent with it, has been great, the game play is more then solid, in fact, it’s really strong, this is as good of a shooter as it is a horror game, already more scares then I encounter in most games. And these are scares you can see, it’s not some unlit game, like say Doom 3 in which you can’t see anything. It’s not so typical, as you have to immobilize your enemies rather then kill them, which is really quite fun. Do you take off their legs and stomp on them as they craw towards you, or do you blow off their arms so they can't hurt you? Don't get too carried away as you have a limited supply of ammo. However keep in mind, it is a sci-fi game, which does make it perhaps less scary then say Condemned. For example, in Condemned, you fight homeless people, so if you’re walking down the street one night after playing Condemned your likely to freak out when you see a bum following you with a stick. So in that sense, Dead Space can’t really give you that lasting fear, but when you are immersed in the game, keep an extra pair of pants handy.

(As a note, do your self a favor and play at night. Why do you think I'm writing this now instead of playing the game?) Graphics are solid, and unlike most horror games, you can see and enjoy them, which is great as the style is really unique and well, it just looks damn good. There is no HUD or anything on the screen; it all shows up as holographs, which really immerses you in the experience. The atmosphere and music are up to par with the graphics, and as is fairly rare in games these days, great voice acting as well. There is even a bit of RPG elements to the game as you can upgrade more then just getting new guns. Don't think you'll end up a maxed out space-zombie killing machine in the end, you need to choose how you want to improve. Do you want to upgrade your armor and walk around taking massive amounts of damage and shooting with a pea shooter, or do you want to kill dudes quickly before they can touch you? Or somewhere in between? You also can do more "magical" things such as slow down enemies or throw stuff at them, buts its technology based, no fantasy. Due to my limited play time, I don't really feel I should comment on replay value, but with what time I have, I can tell you not to miss this, should you have in your library or just rent it is up to you, but you should experience it nonetheless.

Like I said, this isn't a complete review, as much as I want to inform you guys, I also want to enjoy myself and savor the sweet flavors of Dead Space. I'd also recommended you guys to check out the comics, should you choose to play the game or (mistakenly) not, the comics are really well done.
 
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