Dead Space

Download Dead Space and survive a terrifying journey through a spaceship filled with nightmarish creatures! Battle horrifying necromorphs, uncover a chilling mystery, and experience the ultimate survival horror game. The fear never ends – play now!
a game by Electronic Arts, and Electronic Arts Redwood Shores Studio
Platforms: XBox 360, Wii, PC (2008), Playstation 3 (2008)
Editor Rating: 9/10, based on 1 review, 2 reviews are shown
User Rating: 9.3/10 - 3 votes
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See also: Third-Person Shooter Games, Space Games, Games Like Bioshock, Games Like Resident Evil 4, Dead Space Series
Dead Space
Dead Space
Dead Space
Dead Space

A gigantic space ship that excavates dead planets for minerals and its crew of 1,000 souls, are silent. Even before Isaac Clarke steps onto the ship to investigate what's happened, the situation's grim.

Once he arrives things are already knee-deep in shit The planet cracker ship has excavated something genuinely evil, that mutates human beings into disgusting, shambling necromorphs, and has the potential to infect passing spaceships. And from there, the rest of the human race.

"When you're creating sci-fi, you've got the big guys like Alien, and you don't want to look like them. The idea was to not be like them, and the inspiration was to try and make the scariest game possible," intones Glen Schofield, executive producer of Dead Space."

"What I really wanted to make was a sci-fi/horror game. We've had horror games, we've had sci-fi games, but nobody's put the two together. The closest I can think of - as far as sci-fi/horror even goes - was the original Alien, and that scared the crap out of me."

Dead Space definitely has the feeling of Alien - the horrible claustrophobia, Isaac's low-level, hoarse breathing as he tramps around the corridors of the planet cracker with no enemies in sight, but listening to the sounds of their existence echoing along the metal corridors of the ship.

Dead And Lovely

The big feature of Dead Space is dismembering the disgusting-looking necromorphs, effectively - and in some cases literally - disarming them. The key is that each creature reacts very differently to losing a limb, and, worse still, doesn't give up even if it loses a major part of its anatomy.

For example, slicers have gigantic claws coming out of their abdomens that they swing at you with a degree of sensibility. As I stepped forward and shot off one of their heads, the monster became a whirling dervish of anger, swinging wildly, the Al still having a rough idea of where I was.

I came close to panic - I'd been trained that the headshot was the coup de grace, but now it was a tactical faux pas that nearly gave me a fatal haircut.

"When we said dismemberment was a big key, we mean it adds another dimension to the game. All of a sudden, you cut off a thing's legs, and now you need a whole animation set for crawling. What if you cut off one leg and one arm? Now you need one for that, too. When we integrated it, it was a huge technological and aesthetic challenge - if we were gonna bite this off, we were gonna do it right," nods an enthusiastic Schofield.

Redwood have done this bit right -the most horrifying experience in the game being to find yourself cornered by monstrosities from hell's most repugnant orifices, and then watching these creatures continue to advance towards you, even as you slice limbs and heads from their cadaverous forms.

"For some enemies we say Try and dismember him, see what happens,' but there are some that we say 'You better dismember him, or you're going to be in real trouble," adds Schofield.

"You'll even find some that you'll dismember and say 'Oh shit, I shouldn't have done that,' because you don't have the right weapon to deal with the new Al routine."

Scare Tactics

Dead Space is looking like it could be a horror classic, as even in the early build we've played, the game has a frightening, claustrophobic and almost realistic feel to it The setting is believable with excellent use of ambient sound effects, such as the muffling of noise when Isaac has to use earplugs near an otherwise deafeningly loud reactor.

"We've studied a lot of the science behind what we're doing here, stuff like what happens with fire and liquid in zero-G," explains Schofield. "Everything that we try and do is really gritty and realistic - we wanted to create what the future would actually be like. Our tagline, the one that the team has been working under and still works under, is 'real space, real terror.'"

You're even trapped alone in Isaac's world, without so much as an inventory menu to hide behind - every option you usually find on a typical third-person HUD is part of Isaac's suit, with even his health being shown as series of columns along his spine.

The game's developers have done a great job of thoroughly shitting up the player, taking what you're expecting and cleverly subverting it. Dead Space is on course for release this Halloween, and is more polished and slick every time we see it. So you'd be right to be afraid. Very, very afraid.

Inspiration Station

Where the Dead Space team got their groove...

While there're obvious comparisons on looking at Dead Space to John Carpenter's The Thing and other horror classics, Glen Schofield is adamant that there's not one key filmic spark.

"The truth of the matter is that I've been a sci-fi fan for a long time and a sci-fi artist - I've watched them all. We didn't want one as an inspiration. When you're making a sci-fi/horror game, you want to make something different."

The Dead Space team want to scare the player, not gross them out: "We're different to the stuff that people like Eli Roth have made - I look at that like torture porn - I like movies that are scarier, more psychological."

Download Dead Space

XBox 360

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
Wii

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
PC

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
Playstation 3

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

Dead Space is a third-person, sci-fi horror game that puts players in the isolated vastness of space, hunted by monsters known as Necromorphs. Playing as engineer Isaac Clarke, you'll explore the seemingly abandoned Ishimura mining ship, searching for clues about the missing crew. As you delve deeper into the mechanical belly of the Ishimura, unspeakable horrors await. With incredible tension, grotesque characters, and truly terrifying sequences, Dead Space has established itself as one of the most suspenseful horror games of all time. For fans of both horror and sci-fi, Dead Space delivers an unforgettable adventure.

Main Game Features

  • Effective sci-fi narrative and scares
  • Intense third-person shooting action
  • Unique dismemberment combat system

Story

In Dead Space, players step into the shoes of Isaac Clarke, an engineer working on the Kellion maintenance shuttle in the far future. When a nearby mining vessel called the Ishimura has an unexplained communications black-out, the Kellion is sent to investigate. After crash landing in the Ishimura's docking bay, the Kellion crew is attacked by morbid creatures known as Necromorphs, leaving only Isaac and a few other crew members alive. As one of the only able-bodied personnel left, Isaac is forced to search through the derelict Ishimura for a way to repair the Kellion and escape the Necromorphs. As he learns more about the Necromorphs and the fate of the Ishimura, Isaac uncovers a vast conspiracy that calls his own sanity into question.

Gameplay

At first, Dead Space might seem like your average third-person horror shooter, but things get crazy quick once you encounter the Necromorphs. These deformed, freakish creatures have multiple deadly appendages, which are easily able to decapitate and mutilate Isaac. To take down the Necromorphs, Isaac must cut off their limbs, using futuristic weapons like his Line Cutter. Necromorphs mutate throughout the game, becoming more and more disfigured and disgusting, requiring new strategies to efficiently eliminate them. Ammo and health items are often scarce, so surviving requires a bit of forward-thinking.

Luckily, exploration also plays a big part in Dead Space, as you scavenge the demolished Ishimura for new weapons, powers, and valuables. You can sell any valuables at shop stations, trading them in for currency to purchase new guns and ammo. Isaac's suit and weapons can also be enhanced by finding or purchasing upgrade tokens, allowing you to bolster health, weapon damage, ammo capacity, and more. To shake up the constantly stressful shooting, there are often environmental puzzles to solve along the way. There are also some interesting segments that take place in low-gravity areas, providing even more variety.

Conclusion

Dead Space strikes an impressive balance between suspenseful sci-fi and outright gruesome horror, both in its story and gameplay. The story is equally as impressive, with an effective, strong, but silent lead character.

9

Every step of the way, Dead Space throws something new at you, whether it's a new enemy type, puzzle, or gameplay mechanic. It all blends together into a fantastic combo of RPG-style upgrades and bloody third-person shooting. As long as you're in the mood for a significant scare, Dead Space is worth playing again and again.

Pros:

  • Inventive enemies
  • Super creepy tone
  • Fun upgrade system

Cons:

  • Some fights can be very tough
  • A bit of backtracking

Snapshots and Media

XBox 360 Screenshots

Wii Screenshots

PC Screenshots

Playstation 3 Screenshots

See Also

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