There are two truths when it comes to gamers: They love innovative games, and they devour sequels. You might ask, “Then why do titles like Okami fail when it comes to overall sales?”
Well, this is often due to the fact that certain titles are marketed poorly or misunderstood. People may also not appreciate the complex content within those titles.
For example, most North American gamers can relate to a green elf-looking boy who’s out to save the world, but few can understand Japan’s complex mythological hierarchy. An understanding of Japanese lore isn’t necessary to enjoy Okami, but sadly, few people are willing to delve into something new.
While Okami may have performed poorly at retail, there’s no excuse for titles that feature excellent gameplay and excessive amounts of gore and violence. Games like Resident Evil, Gears of War, and Grand Theft Auto 4 fly off the shelves for these reasons, but that still isn’t enough for some titles.
Games like 2008’s Dead Space had it all–in fact, many would argue that it was a superior title to Resident Evil 5, but it was neglected in part due to its new name and poor marketing.
See, Gears of War had plenty of hype riding behind it, because of Epic’s success in the First-Person Shooter genre, but EA was practically an unknown when it came to Survival Horror.
Gamers knew that EA could create massively successful sports franchises, but they scoffed at the idea of EA producing a decent title in a genre that few Western developers had set foot in.
Well, those gamers should be ashamed of themselves, because Dead Space was not only a fun Survival Horror title–it actually managed to eclipse the Resident Evil series in nearly every way.
We all know that atmosphere is an immensely important component of any Survival Horror title, and in this respect, Dead Space drives a nail into Resident Evil’s coffin. Resident Evil 5 may have shifted to sunny environments on the continent of Africa that wouldn’t scare a restless baby, but Dead Space actually re-injects horror into the genre.
Gamers who had played Resident Evil 4 were already familiar with the Las Plagas virus, so RE5’s similar plot device had little effect on them. Dead Space on the other hand, takes players into dark environments aboard a possessed space vessel.
At the beginning of the game, your main character, Issac Clark, receives a distress call from a spacecraft. This skilled engineer accompanies his captain as they unwilling dock aboard the vessel. They originally planned on investigating what occurred before boarding, but they were pulled in by an unknown force.
After you land, Issac suits up and is tasked with investigating the ship. Shortly after you enter, you’re attacked by hideous creatures that look as if they’re straight out of Hell. Even though they seem to be after you at nearly every turn, they’ll constantly surprise you.
Do you think you’re safe aboard that elevator? Think again. Those vicious beasts sporting deformed limbs will climb through any vent to have the opportunity to decapitate you. In Dead Space, your surroundings are so frightening that your heart rate will constantly elevate.
It’s not just the scary enemies that will get to you. Dead Space also has impressive lighting effects that make you feel like you’re aboard an actual space ship. Forget those low budget sci-fi movies, because this is the real deal.
Each room is meticulously detailed, and features an incredible atmosphere that rivals that of the Metroid Prime games and Bioshock.
If the dark, eerily lit environments don’t scare you, the spine-tingling sound effects likely will. While I haven’t played every Survival Horror game out there, I’ve yet to play a video game with sound effects as chilling as those found in Dead Space.
You’re constantly hearing all sorts of creepy sound effects, from loose metal plates to shrill enemy screams. No matter how you play Dead Space, you’ll likely feel scared, but if you can, you must play in a darkened room with a surround sound system.
Even a low-end 5.1 channel system will do. If you want to show your significant other that video games can be every bit as intense as movies, pop in Dead Space.
Not only is Dead Space the scariest game I’ve ever played, but it also features an amalgamation of gameplay systems. Dead Space may be an original title, but part of what makes it great is the games it draws from and improves upon.
Even during early portions of the game, I could immediately recognize some of Dead Space’s numerous influences. The combat was clearly influenced by Gears of War. Dead Space’s inventory system was inspired by Resident Evil’s.
Its map system and atmosphere was inspired by the Metroid Prime series. And its storyline with dramatic plot twists and video logs was almost certainly influenced by Bioshock. Each of these series of games are phenomenal on their own, but combined into one, their synergy is nearly unrivaled.
Some people may called the combination of these elements stealing, but I’d prefer to think of it as flattery. If Dead Space simply grafted on Bioshock’s plot outline without changing anything, I wouldn’t have been satisfied. Likewise, I wouldn’t want to play another carbon copy of Resident Evil 4. Thankfully EA improved upon those games’ formulas.
What EA borrowed from the Gears of War series was the dual-analog controls. Sure, plenty of games have used dual-analog control before, but Gears was one of the first third-person games to successfully implement such a system. EA decided to use this to their advantage with Dead Space.
A common complaint with Resident Evil 5 was its outdated control system that required you to press multiple buttons to wield a knife. Players were also annoyed with the fact that you couldn’t run and aim at the same time. Thankfully, Dead Space didn’t follow in its footsteps, and instead borrowed from Gears of War.
In Dead Space, you can run and aim at the same time. This makes fighting and running from vicious monsters a much more pleasant experience. Also, you’re able to execute melee attacks simply by pulling the right trigger, and only one button is needed to curb stomp your foe.
These convenient shortcuts provide for a drastically better gameplay experience than that found in Resident Evil.
Also, you’re able to wield a variety of weapons that each have secondary fire modes. Each of these guns has its uses, but you’ll use them in different ways than you would in Resident Evil.
In Resident Evil, you typically want to land headshots to dispose of your foes swiftly. Players new to Dead Space will quickly learn that this tactic won’t get you very far.
The creators of Dead Space decided to give the enemies a variety of targetable limbs, and severing these is often the best way to take out a deadly opponent. The variety of firearms you can wield are perfect for this task.
Your basic weapon, for example, fires three bullets at a time that are directly adjacent to each other. These can be fired vertically or horizontally, so it’s sometimes possible to sever multiple limbs at a time. If you still can’t finish off an opponent with this deadly weapon, it’s best to strike him with your fist, or smash his head in with your boot.
If you’d prefer to use something a little more advanced, you can barbeque your foes with a flame thrower or mow them down with a pulse rifle. Better yet, you can rip them apart with saw blades. The options here are plentiful, and for once, you won’t find a standard issue shotgun or sniper rifle.
So the combat is clearly different from Resident Evil, but does it completely ignore that game? Not really. Dead Space’s inventory and power-up system are similar to what you’d find in RE5, but they’re less clumsy.
You’ll still find credits to purchase equipment, health, and ammo with, but you’ll also find plentiful upgrades as you would in Bioshock. Also, your inventory has been enlarged, which is great, because you’ll still find yourself throwing stuff away. Even better, you now have abilities, which are similar to Bioshock’s plasmids.
There aren’t as many of them, and they’re vastly different, but I felt they were nice to have, especially for solving the game’s environmental puzzles.
Now you’re probably wondering, how was Dead Space influenced by Retro Studios’ amazing Metroid Prime trilogy? Well, it wasn’t influenced much from a gameplay perspective, but some environments you’ll see are reminiscent of what you’d find in Metroid Prime, particularly when you’re on space ships.
Some of Dead Space’s environments may look similar, but they’re taken a step further. Instead of just looking nice, sometimes you’ll actually find yourself in zones with zero gravity, and you’ll have to use special abilities to navigate properly. These segments are a nice change of pace, and actually make you feel like you’re in space.
Also, Dead Space features a familiar map system. Players of Metroid Prime are already aware of the detailed maps present in those games that keep you from getting lost. Dead Space includes a similar system, but this time, there’s a nice navigation arrow that you can access without even having to look at the map, so you’ll rarely have to pause the action.
Those who are avid explorers may cry foul at this device that makes Dead Space feel more linear, but personally, I hate getting lost, so I found the blue arrow to be quite helpful.
Dead Space may have borrowed from Metroid Prime’s map system, but it also drew from Bioshock’s storyline. Bioshock was mostly told through radio chatter, and Dead Space follows suit. Instead of simply listening to audio logs however, much of the in-game dialogue is performed through video logs.
I enjoyed this hi-tech approach, and I also appreciated that the voices were much louder and more articulate than in Bioshock, so you could always hear what was going on.
Fans of Bioshock will also recognize some of Dead Space’s similar plot twists, but I actually felt that the core story was even better. Unfortunately, I can’t say much, as it’d spoil the experience, but its tale involving extra-terrestrial life, corporations, and religions was quite interesting.
Even more interesting than the game’s storyline was the ending that left players guessing. I hadn’t played a game since Tales of the Abyss, where I felt compelled to scour message boards to discover the meaning behind the ending. Dead Space’s conclusion was spectacular, and a great way to end the experience.
Really, there isn’t enough I can say about Dead Space. Even though it’s been awhile since I completed this Survival Horror title, I can remember much of the experience vividly.
I wouldn’t say that it’s the most innovative title, but it’s a great example of the synergy that can result when combining the greatest elements of several high quality games.
It’s a shame that most people ignored Dead Space, but hopefully they’ve learned their lesson, and will now give games that break boundaries within a genre a shot.
If you want companies to innovate, get out there and support titles like Dead Space.
Score: 9.5
Pros:
- Show me a game that has better sound effects
- Superb sense of atmosphere
- Features amazing lighting effects
- Includes several different types of hideous foes
- Features several unique weapons that are fun to use
- Solid voice acting
- Its story gives Bioshock a run for its money
- Features a thought-provoking ending
- It’s easy to navigate with the wonderful map system
- Proves that dual-analog controls can work with a Survival Horror title
- Dead Space is one of the scariest games you’ll ever play
Cons:
- There isn’t much replay value, unless you want to keep upgrading your equipment
- No co-op multiplayer
- It’s unlikely that we’ll ever see a true sequel