1. Story: The game’s emphasis on space could not be more exaggerated. The entire story revolves around an engineer called Isaac Clarke, his journey through a ship called the USG Ishimura, and his subsequent battle with “Necromorphs” a dreaded race of alien species that feed on dead flesh to keep them alive.
The plot of Dead Space may sound straight out of a Sigourney Weaver’s Alien flicks, but it’s the manner in which the entire game has been patterned is what makes it interesting. The missions which Clarke engages in are interconnected to the story and make sense in progressing the story forward.
2. Atmosphere: A decent survival horror game has been long over due for this generation. Alone in the Dark was announced with seemingly high expectations but faltered in almost every mechanic that it ludicrously indulged in. Dead Space takes the genre of survival horror to its origins i.e. closed spaces, the game consists of a series of corridors with dim lights and eerie sounds setting the ideal atmosphere for a video game that tests the principles of survival.
Players/potential players are advised to buy color altering sunglasses since they will puke at the sight of red after a point of time. Dead Space has been designed in such a way that the environment tells the story of the brutal nature of the species and their carnivorous desire. This is an “M” rated version of Aliens where you have these terrible creatures lurking in the shadows waiting to gobble the first homosapien that dares to traverse through.
3. Gameplay: Dead Space takes cue from numerous other videogames to give it a “feeling at home” look. Isaac aims like Leon from Resident Evil 4, struts and runs like him as well. His weapons can be customized and powered up utilizing nodes scattered throughout the game.
His arsenal is perfectly attuned for blasting the huge alien right out the vault door. Mr. Clarke is also endowed with bullet time (Stasis Module) which becomes quintessential in the later parts of the game where the “necro-horde” starts to flow out from practically every corner of the ship.
The gameplay changes the traditional shooting and scavenging to strategically chipping off each necromorph to its basic constituent parts that never seem to become a chore. Certain segments in the game place the player loomed in the vacuum of space and battling against time to get behind a closed door. If the player gets lost in the vortex of corridors follow the “Army of Two-ish” arrow system which only Clarke can view with his laser vision embedded in his arms.
4. Cutscenes: Loathed Metal Gear Solid 4 for its barrage of cutscenes, Dead Space offers more by rendering the player in real time cutscenes which transit into smooth gameplay. A minor instance which proved entertaining, returning back to the docked ship which Isaac lands in after the first act causes it to blow up, Dead Space requires the player to run and get out of the ship before it explodes in real-time. Player controlled action requires fewer pee breaks and more clutching of the controller tightly.
The game offers objectives and menus 3D real-time scenario, which eliminates the irksome process of shifting from a wide variety of screens adding to the level of immersion.
Dead Space is the first must have game of the season post Grand Theft Auto IV, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Soul Calibur IV. Survival horror fans and Electronic Arts haters will actually find the game a welcome change from the plethora of overhyped titles that have failed to deliver this year.
- By Neelesh Mukherjee