Dead Space (Xbox 360)

Dead Space has some fine controls, but the game also excels graphically. It is a dark forbidding place that oozes atmosphere and the Ishimura almost feels like the Event Horizon at times. The interiors can go from cavernous Zero-G areas to sparse, cramped corridors where the shadows thrown from Issac’s flash-light seem to come alive as dust particles float around the claustrophobic environments. It makes great use of dynamic lighting and design to provide an immersive atmosphere that stands toe to toe with Doom 3 (only not as dark in places) and in some cases leaves Doom 3 standing with its jaw on the floor.

The attention to detail extends from the actual ship design, levels and corridors, to the textures and layouts. The controls look fantastic and the various elements of the science fiction setting feel as real as they can be. Issac’s suits are various masterpieces of design that bring to mind some of the old Deep Sea Diving suits that were used back in the day with a rich palette of rusty browns and gold colours against the steel of the Ishimura’s hull. Also, unlike Doom and other games of its ilk, Dead Space isn’t just about the browns and the murky colour schemes. There are some clinically bright areas that are just as disturbing (if not more so) because they are so clean and untouched by horror.

The weapons look realistic as well; they are beautifully animated and have a lot of moving parts that change and morph when you activate the secondary fire. The plasma cutter is my firm favourite as you alter the weapon’s configuration with a touch of a button. The animations in the game are highly polished, the lip synch on the characters is excellent and the enemy designs are truly disturbing. I won’t tell you what I’ve encountered but some of it has left me with nightmares for weeks. I don’t scare easily, and in truth, Dead Space doesn’t scare me: it disturbs me, which is more terrifying than being actually scared.

EA have excelled in the use of sound as well, from ghostly whispers and metallic clunks, rattles, creaks and ambience to the fact that sound propagates differently in a vacuum. You hear only what the suit picks up when it’s in contact with a surface and it’s a truly immersive effect. Voice acting in the game is excellent with some truly well delivered lines and performances. The enemy AI varies and some of them are just rushers who’ll charge you regardless; others will make use of vents and the like to get the drop on you. Some are adept at Zero-G navigation. There were some AI problems with pathfinding and one or two glitches that caught my eye, nothing major however.

All in all, I can’t fault Dead Space really. It is a little shorter than I’d like, but you can begin a new game with the same gear and stats as before, building up your weapons and RIG as you play through another round of the game. It’s not one of those games that I’d let leave my collection and for a limited time only EA are offering the Elite suit on the XBL marketplace absolutely free. There a lot of story packed in here and I have a feeling we’re on the tip of the iceberg in regards to what we’ve seen from the developer, I’m just hoping that they don’t fall prey to the inevitable sequel-it-is where the 2nd game is a cash in on the name of the first and they try to mess with the established gameplay system too much.

We shall have to wait and see.