Colored lighting.

I went with the setting, but that only applies to the first game.

When do you think Dead Space 3 will come out?

@Spoonman671: Huh... You don't like The Sprawl? But I agree, I loved going through the Ishimura.

I really REALLY loved the tension in the first game. I was sad that it seemed to have taken a back step in the second in favour of a more action orientated set up. While that may have its place i feel that so few franchises do tension well it is a pitty to see one that can do it choose not to.

@CptChiken: I think you have to look at both the first and second differently and not expect to feel the same way when playing them, you may feel better about playing the second. I think what they were trying to do with both games came across perfectly, but I know what you mean.

you forgot to put the immersion as an option!

I'm a sucker for gun-upgrading.

The setting. I love how well realized it is.

@Jeust: Yeah, and if you read the wiki, you'll get even more out of it. It's probably my favorite gaming universe.

I like rocking the same starter gun the entire game (plasma cutter).

What hooked me most about the first Dead Space was the sense of dread that accumulated for me as I progressed through the story. It just goes from bad to worse for Issac and about two-thirds of the way through I had the thought that if I was in this situation (if I even survived that long) I would just kill myself. The world was so well realized that I could imagine myself there and how mentally exhausting it would be waiting for the attacks to come. The second one, as everyone else has said, doesn't have that same feel about it. I didn't feel the dread. I felt powerful. Maybe it's having him voiced that does it. I don't mind cursing, but there's something about the way he always curses when he's shocked that bugged me about DS2's Issac. It wasn't used well. That said, DS2 had some pretty awesome set piece moments that they just did not have the tech or the time for in the first.

The masterful use of audio.

I like most the atmosphere given and the action that takes place within that atmosphere. The games were kind of scary every now and then but never anything to keep me awake at night. Still, they managed to keep me engaged throughout.

Props also go to the settings of both games, more so the Sprawl but the Ishimura had its moments, and the sound design. If you buy a new home theater and are looking for a game to test it on, you can't get much better than these two games. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that you can't get any better than these two games for auditory experiences.

The story is where I carry my biggest complaints with the entire series. The first games' is respectable, but nothing great. Interesting, yes, and it does its job better than most video games. All of that is skullfucked with the second game. The Marker is never fully explained throughout either game, the ending sequence of DS2 doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and what the hell is up with that eye thing? Several other things aren't quite clear to me, and I think that any story whose wiki I must visit in order to have major questions answered isn't a good story at all.

Despite my complaints with the plot, the way the story is told and the characters involved are also better than most games. Ellie Langford in DS2, in particular, was an interesting character. I found a surprising care for her when her life was threatened. Isaac himself, after some characterization in 2, is pretty generic but not bad at all.

The part where I shoot not-The Many with my laser cutter and then stomp on them a bunch.

I love almost everything about Dead Space, my only real gripe with the series is how un-scary the games have been so far but I'm no designer so hell if I know how they can improve on that without making the game frustrating like the last stage of DS2.

Everything in Dead Space 2.

@Jeust: Yeah, and if you read the wiki, you'll get even more out of it. It's probably my favorite gaming universe.

@NTM: I by no means think that Dead space 2 was a bad game. I just think i would have enjoyed it more if it had been more like the first in some of the game play aspects. While some changes were great, like the fact i can actually stamp on chest accurately. I just missed the down right terror of creeping down a tight corridor hearing all these sounds and knowing that at some point something is going to make my jump out of my skin, but not have a clue when that was. That was an exhausting and exhilarating gaming experience which very few games have given me.

The atmosphere had me hooked during the first one.

I love the horror/space motifs of the game. It's the closest thing I have to a good Alien (the movie) game.

I liked the variety of areas in the second one, the first I just got bored of looking at inside of spaceship area 1, area 2, etc. It did lose some of the tension from the original but I found it a much better game overall. Hopefully if they can bring back more of the tension of the original but have the unique environments and set pieces similar to 2, then they would make me very happy.

@DaemonBlack said:

I'm a sucker for gun-upgrading.

Peng. But then again, who doesn't?

@Spek said:

What hooked me most about the first Dead Space was the sense of dread that accumulated for me as I progressed through the story. It just goes from bad to worse for Issac and about two-thirds of the way through I had the thought that if I was in this situation (if I even survived that long) I would just kill myself. The world was so well realized that I could imagine myself there and how mentally exhausting it would be waiting for the attacks to come. The second one, as everyone else has said, doesn't have that same feel about it. I didn't feel the dread. I felt powerful. Maybe it's having him voiced that does it. I don't mind cursing, but there's something about the way he always curses when he's shocked that bugged me about DS2's Issac. It wasn't used well. That said, DS2 had some pretty awesome set piece moments that they just did not have the tech or the time for in the first.

Really? I loved the way Gunner Wright acted for Isaac. As long as you don't just keep stomping and making him say fuck and stuff. I can agree about the whole thing with Dead Space's immersion though. At the end of Dead Space 2 when Isaac yells at the Marker, I kind of got a chill down my spine. I was really amazed how well they did with his voice and I don't think they could have got a better actor for him. I guess the one thing I didn't care for much is that after about every sentence he said shit, dammit, or fuck. It wasn't so much the swearing, but how repetitive that got, but that's a really small complaint and I don't think it's even enough for them to change it.

@Hector: Exactly. I feel like Dead Space is to games as Alien/Aliens is to film.

All of the above and:

• Its wonderful execution of atmospheric space horror.
• Makeshift use of space-mining-equipment-turned-weapons.
• Puzzles; I like puzzles. I actually wish there were more of them and that some of them were actually more challenging.

• The great use of colour and lighting, especially in 2

  

• Inspired enemy designs

  

• The well-thought-out environmental details/posters/fake-in-game-advertising

  

• The environment, set pieces and locations

  

• The sheer variety of (gruesome) death animations are great to watch and ease the frustration of dying (this actually contains spoilers...)

• And last, but not least: it's the closest there will probably be to a System Shock 3 (or 4...).

One thing I think that could greatly improve the franchise is less combat, to me it seems way too frequent, which feels like it undermines the game's sense of tension.

Anyway, now I can't wait to play #3 This thread makes me realise just how much I like Dead Space =|

Also, you know, it's actually really nice to see a positive thread for once (rather than "franchise x sucks" or "game y is disappointing" etc...)

Nothing. I've never played a Dead Space game.

@BeachThunder: I love Dead Space, and I'm not too much into complaining about things unless it's needed. By the way, it's great to see you pointing out some of the great qualities of Dead Space, especially the music. If the rumors were correct about Dead Space 3 taking place on an icy planet, then all I can do is imagine it. It's been snowing here in Seattle for a few days, and there'll be more in the upcoming days, so it kind of made me start thinking about Dead Space 3, and my excitement of exploring the next Dead Space location.

Pretty much everything. Its probably my favorite 3rd person action horror series. And dont forget sound, which i think is on par with DICE, in different ways of course, but both excellent.

@me3639: Agreed. Just so everyone knows though, just because I didn't add something for an individual choice, I'm not forgetting it. The sound in Dead Space 2 is fantastic and to me it stands out among many other great titles with spectacular sound.

Had to vote for the setting, story, and characters. I will be honest I am a sucker for well thought out worlds with their own rules and laws and Dead Space hits all the right notes. It's hard to articulate exactly what I mean which really annoys me: but as best as I can put it they fully realize their world and have checks and balances and seem to always play by the rules of that setting. I know that seems somewhat vague or odd but similar to Assassin's Creed and Kingdom Hearts (which I think are very similar to Dead Space for the same reasons) it is what really draws me into the game. The universe feels very different from our own but feels like a living breathing universe (as opposed to say Mass Effect, which while it has a very developed setting it seems like something our real universe could achieve some day).
 
Yeah I suck at explaining that, but whatever.

it reminds me of those science fiction horror short-stories they don't seem to make anymore. that and pandorum/event horizon

I like how solid the game was built as well as the pacing of the game, as well as the tactical combat and how it rewards you for mastering your weapons and exploiting as many world objects as possible to save ammo. Also the overall story though pretty straight-forward is something I love going through as it just seems to suit the setting well.

I'm likely in the minority when I say that I was fine with Dead Space 2 being a bit more action-oriented than the first, but only because usually after the first of a horror series I hardly get as scared of any sequels, simply because I am already anticipating the 'horror' moments too much that they hardly impact me. Then again, I didn't find the first scary at all but I loved its atmosphere more than anything else. Amnesia was the last game to truly give me that tingling feeling of fear personally.

I love the setting, the excellent controls and the really impressive atmosphere and sound design (particularly in the first game, the Ishimura is definitely one of my favourite videogame locations).

@Zenaxzd said:

Had to vote for the setting, story, and characters. I will be honest I am a sucker for well thought out worlds with their own rules and laws and Dead Space hits all the right notes. It's hard to articulate exactly what I mean which really annoys me: but as best as I can put it they fully realize their world and have checks and balances and seem to always play by the rules of that setting. I know that seems somewhat vague or odd but similar to Assassin's Creed and Kingdom Hearts (which I think are very similar to Dead Space for the same reasons) it is what really draws me into the game. The universe feels very different from our own but feels like a living breathing universe (as opposed to say Mass Effect, which while it has a very developed setting it seems like something our real universe could achieve some day). Yeah I suck at explaining that, but whatever.

Huh, I'd have to disagree. I know what you're saying, but I like Dead Space because of the influence science fiction has on our own views on the future and where our future is headed, and I feel that Dead Space is more plausible than Mass Effect. You have to take into account what year they occur. I don't think we'll be as far ahead as Mass Effect projects for the year it takes place in, but I think we could possibly be further into technology when it comes to Dead Space's technology and what have you by the 25th century. I say if we progress further in space travel and technology at a somewhat faster rate than we are now, we'll be able to see some of the stuff that happens in Dead Space by the year 2200. I'm not saying it's what will happen or what I think will happen, but I'm saying when it comes to possibilities, the stuff in Dead Space is more possible than Mass Effect.

Great atmosphere, sounddesign, and gameplay.

Honestly, I can see why people enjoy e.g. Amnesia so much for what it is. But I personally myself still want fun and rewarding gameplay, even in an horror action game or whatever you want to call Dead Space. And while I'm not big of a shooter fan I love the "cut of their limbs" gunplay.

Well if we're not talking about time, then I can see both Dead Space's take of a future and Mass Effect's take on a future plausible in ways. The reason you feel this way is probably because you're only imagining what you see when it comes to a human appearance, and you see in Mass Effect areas of people talking and doing their own business, while in Dead Space you go to areas that were filled with people but are dead or had left by the time you get there. One area in Dead Space 2 that may be a good example, though you'd have to imagine what it was like with people living there, is on the Sprawl at the shopping area.

Plus, Mass Effect's universe is littered with a bunch of aliens, and while I'd love to believe that aliens exist, we don't yet know if they're real or not, and that's also something you have to factor into what can and can't happen. If we're only talking about the future of humanity and where we're headed, I can see both as somewhat plausible, but factoring in every aspect of the two worlds, I just see Dead Space as the one to more likely happen. You'll have to approach them differently next time you play one of them. By the way, I think the GameStop joke they put in is a bad example. You're not wrong to believe what you think, but I think Dead Space is more plausible, and plausibility is what we're talking about.

Oh, and I take it you prefer Mass Effect's somewhat more pristine future look to Dead Space's?

I've had Dead Space 1 sitting under my PS3 for years....

And now I just bought Dead Space 2 for 5 bucks. I really have to bust through these games.

I just love their setting so goddamn much.

The little I played of Dead Space 1 the action was alright and it actually wasn't scary. But man that setting and little bit of story was more than enough.

I don't like Dead Space. I bought the second one and can not for the life of me finish it. I think its mostly the controls and the fact that I personally don't give a shit about what's at stake in those games.

Oh, and I take it you prefer Mass Effect's somewhat more pristine future look to Dead Space's?

Pretty much everything.

@DaemonBlack said:

I'm a sucker for gun-upgrading.

I'm a sucker for good gun upgrading which what DS1 had. It actually made you think hard before you upgraded anything.

Personally, I like how the first one perfectly blends all of the above to deliver a horror title not seen since the OG Silent Hill. The second one got just a ~tad~ more action-y, but still delivered on the rest of the list.

@Doctorchimp: You really have to immerse yourself into Dead Space to actually get scared, which I did for my second playthrough on Impossible. You should get through them both sometime soon.

@Zenaxzd: The point is, you said that Dead Space doesn't have a universe that seems like it could be possible for our future, while Mass Effect does, and all I'm saying is I don't see it that way.

@Zenaxzd: The point is, you said that Dead Space doesn't have a universe that seems like it could be possible for our future, while Mass Effect does, and all I'm saying is I don't see it that way.

@NTM said:

@Doctorchimp: You really have to immerse yourself into Dead Space to actually get scared, which I did for my second playthrough on Impossible. You should get through them both sometime soon.

Dude I really tried, lights off. I actually waited for my room mates to leave so I can play it by myself.

It didn't do it. Movies and games haven't scared me since I was like 13. Dead Space honestly doesn't have to be scary though, that goddamn universe is so gorgeous to look at.

But man...Amnesia scared the shit out of me...Not just jump scared me a couple of times, I was filled with dread the entire time I played that game.