Dead Space was one hell of a thrill rideIt's been quite a while since I last wrote a Discovering Gaming Greatness blog. The last instance was back in March, when I shared my thoughts on Rockstar's Canis Canem Edit. I thought about writing one for Metal Gear Solid 4, but instead opted to focus on the theme of closure for that. So, the first Discovering Gaming Greatness in over two months is instead awarded to Dead Space. Developed by EA Redwood Studios (now Visceral Games) and released towards the end of last year, I picked it up on a whim (and very cheaply) from Amazon over my Easter break. Upon my return to Colchester, I decided to crack open the game and start playing it. What followed was a twelve-hour white-knuckle thrill ride, and easily the scariest game I've ever played. Those of you who read my blogs regularly may already be somewhat aware of my experience with the sci-fi action horror game. I promise not to re-iterate too much of what I've already said elsewhere, although I'll inevitably repeat myself to a certain degree. I also promise to keep this blog relatively spoiler-free, on the off-chance that anybody reading this hasn't played the game yet (and trust me, if you haven't, you should). With all that said, let's get this show on the road.

The combat in Dead Space is very satisfyingAny analysis of Dead Space is inevitably going to start with the game mechanics, and most specifically the combat. I personally found the gunplay in Dead Space to be incredibly satisfying, utilising the now-standard third-person shooting mechanics and combining it with the novel concept of strategic dismemberment. Being required to aim for the spindly limbs of the Necromorph enemies really put an interesting spin on the combat and made a welcome change from constantly aiming for headshots. The arsenal of different weapons on offer and the variation between different types of enemies really helped to keep the game feeling fresh, too. The weapons you're using all feel powerful, and the sound of a severed limb is incredibly satisfying. The apparent power of your weaponry also helps to make the enemies seem even more of a threat. Taking out a Necromorph's legs only to witness it start crawling towards you using its forelimbs is a pretty harrowing experience the first time round, and it doesn't get any less tense as the game goes on. Simply put, the combat in Dead Space feels like a breath of fresh air compared to other third-person shooters, with enough variation from the norm to keep someone like me coming back for more.

Inventory management is important in Dead SpaceAnother commendable aspect of Dead Space's combat system is the emphasis placed on weapons upgrades and inventory management. As is often the case with horror games, Dead Space provides you with a limited amount of inventory space and it's down to you to manage it effectively. Your protagonist, Isaac, can only carry up to four weapons with him at any one time, so it's up to you which ones you carry and which ones get left behind in the safe. Your inventory also limits what you can carry, offering you a certain number of slots which are yours to fill with health packs, stasis refills and ammunition as you wish. Throughout the game, you'll find yourself trying to achieve a decent balance between health packs and ammunition within your inventory. Of course, things get easier as the game progresses and offers you new suits with more inventory slots. The system isn't without its flaws - the game does tend to overload you with ammunition for weapons you're not using, often resulting in unnecessary ammo cluttering up your inventory. For the most part, though, the game deals with inventory management fairly well. You can also upgrade Isaac's weapons at workbenches, using power nodes to fill in grids reminiscent of the Sphere Grid system in Final Fantasy X. Attaching nodes to certain spots on the grid will improve that weapon's damage, ammo capacity, and reload speed, among other things. If you're like me and tend to favour different weapons in different situations, you may find yourself spending a lot of time debating where to place your nodes. It's a neat little system that adds a nice extra dimension to the inventory management.

The Zero-G parts of Dead Space can only be described as uniqueOutside of combat, I really liked the way Dead Space used its setting to its advantage. The other gameplay mechanics in effect really help to set Dead Space apart from the competition, both thematically and in terms of quality. One such mechanic is the incorporation of a stasis module which Isaac can use to slow stuff down. In this case, 'stuff' covers both enemies and environmental objects. This means that stasis can be used to Isaac's advantage in combat, but it can also be used in conjunction with the kinesis module to solve some of the game's pretty well-designed puzzle segments. There's also the Zero-G portions of the game, which are really unlike anything else I've ever seen in an action game before. It's really well-implemented, making for some of the game's most interesting set-pieces and opening up some really memorable combat sequences (the boss in Chapter Six springs to mind).

Dead Space is a genuinely scary gameThe thing that really caught my attention with Dead Space, though, was just how atmospheric and genuinely scary the game is. Long-time readers may or may not recall my experience with Resident Evil 4 last year. I really enjoyed the game, for most of the same reasons that I loved Dead Space (the combat, the inventory management, the intrigue and suspense), but for whatever reason I just didn't find Resident Evil 4 very scary. Suspenseful, yes, but not scary at all. Dead Space, on the other hand... I think Dead Space scared me more in the first half-hour than Resident Evil 4 did in all the twenty-something hours I poured into it. A lot of this is down to Dead Space's audio-visual design, which is nothing short of incredible. Visually, the game looks amazing, which really helps in creating an immersive experience. This immersion is maintained thanks to the complete lack of an invasive HUD, instead opting to convey all that important information using the in-game graphics. Isaac's health bar is on the back of his suit, remaining ammunition is shown on the weapon's interface, and the inventory menu and briefing information are all accessed through holographic projections from Isaac's helmet. The sound design is also very impressive, utilising a lot of incredible sound effects to really put the shivers up the spine of the player.

If anything disappointed me at all about Dead Space, it was the game's closing moments. After the suspenseful, frightening campaign and the countless memorable moments it threw up, the final boss can only be described as something of an anti-climax. I was expecting something a little bit more threatening and robust, and instead got something that could be taken apart in five minutes with a few well-placed shots from the Plasma Cutter. Maybe I was expecting too much, but it did feel like a let down after the incredible thrill ride offered by the rest of the campaign. Despite that one quibble, though, I really enjoyed Dead Space. I found it to be an incredible sum of its well-implemented parts, and I'm already looking forward to the inevitable release of a sequel.

So, there you have it. My two cents on Dead Space. Thanks very much for reading, guys. As always, I'd really like to hear your thoughts, so please take the time to leave a comment. Also, while writing this blog, I've also been digging through my own blog archives and I've noticed that I'm rapidly approaching the fiftieth blog post milestone (this is my forty-seventh). While I haven't decided what I'm going to do by way of celebration yet, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all my long-time readers in advance. I've never maintained a blog before, and if it weren't for the support of you guys, there's no way I would ever have kept this one going for so long. So yeah, thanks a ton for your readership. In the meantime, I guess I'll see you around.


DanK

---

Currently playing - Final Fantasy V (PS1)