Dead Space (PS3)

Dead Space is a brave first entry in what is now one of the best franchises to come out in the 7th generation. The graphics are amazing for its time, the gameplay is cool and a lot of fun, the atmosphere is amazing, and the pacing is just about perfect.PRESENTATIONImagine having Resident Evil 4's gameplay style, tweaked a little to make it its own, and ut it in System Shock 2's setting. Then you would more or less have Dead Space. Aesthetically, Dead Space is a pure masterpiece, since its graphics still hold up relatively well. There is a certain sense of suspense and mystery surrounding the space station that Isaac and his crew are stranded on. You quickly find out that things are not as they should be, and from there on, it's up to you, playing as Isaac, to get away from the station alive. There is a fine twist in the end, which I will not give away. It is not a particularly original or mind-blowing twist, but it works just fine for this story.As for the story itself, Dead Space takes a lot of inspiration from the Alien franchise, with its highly aggressive alien creatures attacking you and your crew. And the death scenes in those games are some of the most brutally violent stuff you will find in a video game.SOUND & GRAPHICS:As I said, the graphics are still pretty impressive, though better graphics are very easy to come by today. It is easier to see that the graphics have dated a bit when you meet other humans in the game, as their facial expressions are more familiar with what we usually see in other games. But since Isaac almost never takes his helmet off, those flaws are easy to forgive. The game itself also has a lot of great lightning effects that help increase the level of atmosphere. The lightning effects from the sun especially hold up well by today's standards.All this is only further highlighted by its amazing sound design. The sound of floors bursting open or ventilation shafts breaking gives a lot of tension at all the right times. The sounds coming from the aliens themselves are also impressive, as they all sound creepy enough to make you uncomfortable when being chased. Isaac's sound effects (whether from being low on oxygen or health) gives yet another layer of tension and immersion to make the player unsettled.GAMEPLAY:Dead Space takes a more unique approach to the entire cncept of modern shooters. Usually, a head-shot does the job just fine. In Dead Space, however, shooting off a creature's limbs is what gets the job done most efficiently. You get plenty of weapons to deal with the aliens, and you always need to approach specific enemy types more carefully than others. There is a great variety in guns and weapons to give it a sense of variety without feeling repetitive. There will also be a few different game modes. Sometimes, you will enter vacuum areas, where you need to hurry due to a limited oxygen capability, or zero-gravity areas, where you have to manipulate gravity to get from point A to B. There is also the kinesis module, which allows you to remotely control objects. This can be used in a lot of different ways to make you survive tougher encounters. You can also use stasis, which slows down certain objects and creatures, which is also going o be crucial more than once in the game. These modes are fleshed out well and gives the game enough variety. Boss battles are also to be found, and while they are not exactly amazing, they still are a lot of fun. You can also upgrade all your kit at the store, and scavenging the environment is the key to finding the upgrade codecs you need. Collect power nodes to upgrade damage, speed, reload time etc on guns and gear. Open crates and lockers to find ammo and data logs. You can carry 4 different guns at the time, and the more you upgrade the suit, the bigger your inventory gets. Although you do a lot of the same stuff over and over, it is varied enough, and coupled with its originality and fitting length, it is a game which is sure to thrill a lot of players.Things aren't perfect though. The melee combat mechanics are really clunky and annoying, as they are really fast quick-time events. One mispressed button, and you swing, which locks any other movement for some time, which can be frustrating when hordes of angry necromorphs are after you.Dead Space also suffers from a lot of backtracking. It makes the ship feel a bit more authentic, but it also gets tedious to keep returning to the same areas over and over again.PROS:+ Great setting+ Sound desig is superb+ Legitimately creepy+ Inventive combat+ Well paced+ Great alternate game modesCONS:- Backtracking- Clunky melee combatFinal Verdict:9.3/10

Be sure not to start playing this game when you're on a deadline because not only will you miss your deadline, you'll also start fighting with your wife on account that you haven't taken a shower in three days!Seriously though, this is one of the best game I've ever played.The best thing about it is the good balance between the hours of silence you'll spend repairing the spaceship and the sudden screams of terrifying aliens and ensuing combat. I prefer games where you fight aliens/monsters to those against humans, especially if the aliens are really scary. I like it when your number one priority is keep your panic in check during the fight.Combat is also quite imaginative because shooting the aliens in the body or head just won't do. You have to cut their limbs. (No spoilers here - you're told this at the very beginning of the game). This paves the way for a highly original set of weapons, the Line Cutter being my absolute favorite.You also have Kinesis (the ability to move certain objects, even very large ones) and Stasis (the ability to slow down the motion of fast-moving objects and enemies). And you'll have to learn how to incorporate these into your puzzle-solving, which will sometimes require some out-of-the-box thinking. I loved it!You'll also work and fight in zero-gravity conditions and in outer space where air management becomes paramount.In a nutshell, this game has it all for me: sci-fi environment, compelling storyline, long hours of silence, puzzle-solving, super duper scary aliens, originality in weaponry and inventory.I believe this game gives you a very realistic idea of what would have been like to be the actual Ripley from the Alien(s) movie series.

horror game. classic.

This game is an excellent example of what a survival horror should be. A lot of people think that Doom, Rage etc etc are the best survival games out there but if you want a true survival horror or if you are contemplating getting this game get it.EA pulled out all the stops on the creation of this game, and they did an excellent job.You Play Isaac Clarke going to help get the USG Isumura back online but quickly realise something is terribly wrong. Throughout the game the atmosphere is tense, the ammo severely limited, and the enemies are plentyIt's a 3rd person shooter and a lack of HUD with all the elements of health, ammo and other things built into the suit and weapons. However if you are viewing you're inventory it is done in real time so if there is something running at you don't look at it.It is terribly immersing as you are shooting at the enemies the aiming lights and the visualisation of the ammo on screen draws you in very well, there is little to no in game music, only in some levels the groaning of the ship, a spanner being dropped in the distance, singing of a crew member who has lost it and whispers and the ghostly tune of `twinkle, twinkle little star' with enemies jumping out at you is more than enough to keep you on the edge of your seatYou can only carry 4 guns which can makes things pretty interesting but with a store being well placed through the levels you can easily store one and pick up the other.If you are now to 3rd person shooters or are a veteran and want something that will make you jump and scare the pant off you than dead space is for you.5/5 if you don't believe me look up the reviews

Reasonable game but got bored of it.