Dead Space Extraction Review: Die Necromorphs
Dead Space Extraction for the Wii follows after the hugely successful Dead Space and serves as a prequel to the 2008 survival horror video game. Built for the Nintendo Wii, the first question that comes to mind is ‘How am I supposed to move about using the Wii’s control scheme?’ Well, the game is an on-the-rail shooter. And this means you don’t have to worry about movement. Just the pointing and shooting. This has its advantages and disadvantages.
The beginning of the game gives you a small peek at what is going on aboard the mining colony in space. Just people living out their lives on the colony built in deep space. But all hell breaks lose when they discover what they believe to be some kind of marker. And it seems as if there is an inexplicable infection which has overrun the colony in a short period. People start going crazy, and begin hallucinating and hearing voices.
The story of Dead Space: Extraction is played out by alternating between a few characters in the game, giving you the chance to experience the horrifying events through the eyes of people from different backgrounds. And as a strong story leads to a great experience, be it in a game, in a book, or at the movies, Dead Space: Extraction comes alive thanks to its story, complete with mystery, suspense, horror and treachery. A gripping story portrayed in a horrifying package, deserves its 9.0 score out of 10.
The game graphics are rather impressive, considering it runs on the Nintendo Wii. So many Wii games have been criticized for their lacking graphics. But not this game! Although the graphics are far from what you might expect on consoles like the PS3 and the Xbox 360, it seems as if the game gets the best out of the Wii. And the eerie plot is brought to life with scary images and ghastly and monstrous creatures. The game’s beings are actually capable of giving someone quite a scare, with their ugly looks and the manner in which they move about, which is almost zombie-like. Graphics get a fair 7.8 score out of a possible 10.
The game’s many weapons come in handy while battling waves and waves of the infected Necromorphs. You have your trusty Rivet Gun which has infinite ammo, and can get you out of many a sticky situation. Reloading at the right time is crucial. The best weapons are probably the Line Gun and the Flame Thrower. The Line Gun can clear an entire bevy of attacking enemies, while the Flame Thrower is perfect to stop, or at least slow down, fast moving creatures, but has a limited range. You also have Stasis, a tool which allows you to greatly slow down enemies, almost freezing anything you fire the technology at. Three of these ‘Stasis’ shots are available, and they recharge at a good enough rate for you to use them semi-often. Another power in the game is Kinesis, which allows you to grab objects, and pick up ammo and other items. This technology also serves as a powerful Necromorph deterrent, if you use it to throw objects at them.
The game is a unique one in the fact that you cannot take down an enemy by shooting it in its mid-section. Most other games train you to shoot at the torso, while a headshot should bring down opponents instantly. But in Dead Space: Extraction, Necromorphs are impervious to body shots, and not even a headshot will take them down. The trick is to aim for the limbs. And limb by agonizing limb, reduce a Necromorph into a pile of gooey biomass.
Being a rail shooter, the violent movements of the camera serve as a perfect way to add the element of fear into the game. But you have no control over this finicky camera, and it does get a little straining on the eyes. At times the world seems as if it is completely out of your control. And before you can pick up something from the environment you want or need, the camera has shifted and you have lost the opportunity. The game does allow you to control your view and the camera, but only at certain times, for most of which your character is stationary. This is to allow you enough time to grab the ammo or other items strewn about in the environment. And most of the time, it pays to keep blindly pressing the ‘A’ button, which is used to pick up objects, during gameplay. Doing so, somewhat guarantees you get a good deal of items and health packs. Gameplay is not all that deep, but does command you to be on edge all the time, and hence warrants an 8.0 score out of 10.
Played out from the first person perspective, Dead Space: Extraction throws in that fear factor, and at times the game gets really scary. But once you are used to the various types of Necromorphs, you will hardly be startled by them. All that is left is to calmly shoot out their limbs, and presto! Down they go. That’s easier said than done though. After you’ve completed the Story Mode in the game you can go for glory and the fastest times in each level in the Challenge Mode. But still its replay value is poor, only keeping its head above water due to a few choices, regarding the paths, which the player is allowed to make in the game. Replayability gets a 6.5 out of 10.
Environments in the game are well constructed, and contain items essential for survival, spread across them. Varying from well-lit places to dark as hell passageways, to tunnel-like routes lined with, what can only be described as alien matter, the environments add to the feel of being trapped and constantly watched by someone or something. Environments receive 8.5 out of 10.
The Final Word: Dead Space: Extraction is a fairly good game, and has a gripping enough storyline to not only draw you in, but also keep you playing till you get to the bottom of the strange and mysterious happenings. With great graphics for a Wii title, gamers should be more than satisfied in that department. But lacking in the area of replay value, the game might leave a slightly bitter aftertaste. All things considered, Dead Space: Extraction is a really great game for the Nintendo Wii.
Graphics: 7.8/10.
Gameplay: 8.0/10.
Story: 9.0/10.
Environments: 8.5/10.
Replayability: 6.5/10.
Overall (not an average): 8.0/10.
