Dead Space Review
Link: http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/918/918859p2.html
In fact, the atmospherics of the game play a large role in adding and
heightening the tension that players experience as they move through the
Ishimura. Although there are plenty of jump moments, the game isn't simply about
the cheap scare as it is tossing you into an area that descends from bad to
worse. As soon as you step on board the ship, you automatically get the sense
that something is wrong. Everything from suitcases and books to work suits and
tools are scattered around. As you go further in, you realize how violent and
horrible the situation on board the Ishimura must have been, with limbs,
blood-spattered walls and other gory scenes that are directly out of an
abattoir. It only gets stranger as you move into more Necromorph-infested areas,
with sections of the ship completely engulfed in a flesh-like material that
pulses and quivers with a life of its own.
The unsettling nature of the world is heightened by the fact that there is no specific HUD to speak of -- Isaac's health is presented on his back, his ammunition is holographically projected above the gun, and incoming transmissions that he receives pop up in front of his face. Even checking his inventory is pulled up via holograms, and it is done in real time, meaning that a Necromorph can come crawling through the floor or leap from a vent behind you and strike you at any time. Because you're never removed from the action, you feel much more immersed in the world, which is only added to with the environmental items scattered around the ship. Messages scrawled in blood, text and audio messages that detail what happened on board the ship, and even Isaac's notes to himself in his personal journal add to a sense that this is a ship that no one should be on or even near if they value their life, which is an impressive way to balance the story with the action of the game presented in front of them.
Along with these startling sights,
horror fans will pick up on influences from a wide variety of horror movies that
are scattered through the game. Obvious connections of elements found in Dead Space
can be tied to Event Horizon, the Alien Quadrilogy, John Carpenter's The Thing,
Night of the Living Dead and more. But even more impressive than the large
pedigree of game influences is the fact that it manages to weave a carefully
balanced narrative that uses the best elements of these films with a lot
plausible twists and turns within the story. Not only does the game lay down the
foundation of why things went wrong on the Ishimura, it sets up the game to be
the launching point for a franchise, and the universe of Dead Space is
definitely large enough to support a vast series after this title.
Although the atmospherics add a lot to the game, Dead Space isn't without issues that hamper some elements of play. The zero gravity areas are a bit strange because even though you can see legitimate areas that you could propel yourself to, you can't always leap there. Frequently, you'll need to make a shorter jump that's closer and then hop to the original target. While that seems a bit nonsensical, the other problem that occurs within the zero gravity space is that in these spaces, the camera can sometimes be restricted to show a specific perspective, particularly if you happen to be on a wall or a ceiling. Unfortunately, when the camera locks up during these moments, you can sometimes get attacked by some creature outside of your peripheral vision, which sucks. It can be extremely frustrating, especially when you're trying to dodge one monster only to get hit from behind by something that you could have seen if you'd only move one or two steps to the side, which suddenly releases the camera from being stuck.
Another issue within the title is
that there's a lot of backtracking within the game. It all makes sense in the
context of the gameplay, especially when you're going through each situation;
instead of being a meaningless fetch quest, it's completely plausible that you'd
have to return to one area you've previously moved through once you discover
that one vital piece of equipment you need to fix something is stored there.
However, it does have a way of making the ship feel much smaller than a massive
capital ship. That's not to say that you get this sense throughout the entire
game, because there are plenty of spaces like the medical, engineering and
mining decks where you'll move through large areas, but the repetition can be a
bit disappointing. This is particularly heightened with the sometimes flawed nav
icon. By pressing in on the right analog stick, a holographic line moves out
from Isaac and points him in the right direction to go, even turning him to face
the right way. The problem that comes up with this system is that every now and
then, the game will spin Isaac in a circle, projecting a line that goes forward
a few feet before doubling back on itself and pointing the opposite way. That's
just bad navigation logic.
As an aside, another strange feature that isn't a horribly bad or major issue is the fact that your foot stomp can be surprisingly powerful, destroying boxes or other items from a rather large distance. Typically, you'd expect that you'd only be able to crush something that was below your boot, but for some reason, you can crush a box suspended on a bench above you or floating in zero gravity. It's an odd choice, and a minor gripe that's humorous when you see it, but it does stand out as an oddity.
The unsettling nature of the world is heightened by the fact that there is no specific HUD to speak of -- Isaac's health is presented on his back, his ammunition is holographically projected above the gun, and incoming transmissions that he receives pop up in front of his face. Even checking his inventory is pulled up via holograms, and it is done in real time, meaning that a Necromorph can come crawling through the floor or leap from a vent behind you and strike you at any time. Because you're never removed from the action, you feel much more immersed in the world, which is only added to with the environmental items scattered around the ship. Messages scrawled in blood, text and audio messages that detail what happened on board the ship, and even Isaac's notes to himself in his personal journal add to a sense that this is a ship that no one should be on or even near if they value their life, which is an impressive way to balance the story with the action of the game presented in front of them.
Brains and guts, corner
pocket.
Although the atmospherics add a lot to the game, Dead Space isn't without issues that hamper some elements of play. The zero gravity areas are a bit strange because even though you can see legitimate areas that you could propel yourself to, you can't always leap there. Frequently, you'll need to make a shorter jump that's closer and then hop to the original target. While that seems a bit nonsensical, the other problem that occurs within the zero gravity space is that in these spaces, the camera can sometimes be restricted to show a specific perspective, particularly if you happen to be on a wall or a ceiling. Unfortunately, when the camera locks up during these moments, you can sometimes get attacked by some creature outside of your peripheral vision, which sucks. It can be extremely frustrating, especially when you're trying to dodge one monster only to get hit from behind by something that you could have seen if you'd only move one or two steps to the side, which suddenly releases the camera from being stuck.
Hey, you got something on you
right there.
As an aside, another strange feature that isn't a horribly bad or major issue is the fact that your foot stomp can be surprisingly powerful, destroying boxes or other items from a rather large distance. Typically, you'd expect that you'd only be able to crush something that was below your boot, but for some reason, you can crush a box suspended on a bench above you or floating in zero gravity. It's an odd choice, and a minor gripe that's humorous when you see it, but it does stand out as an oddity.
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