Dead Space

Dead Space is a great survival horror video game that clearly has strong inspiration from the cult classic Resident Evil 4, but it also manages to set itself apart with its unique cosmic horror approach.
 
Visually, Dead Space did age noticeably, but it did so in its favor since that provides a more classic, raw atmosphere and still remains appealing besides its flaws. The main setting of Dead Space is the USG Ishimura space station that fell due to an unknown alien infestation. The environment is mostly cold, industrial, and claustrophobic corridors of the station that are at times spiced up with it being covered with bio-infestation and damaged by meteors, areas that give a look at the beautiful cold darkness of space; overall, it gets repetitive by the end, but it works well as a survival-horror setting. Necromorph design is brutal and memorable body horror goodness, shockingly more disturbing than any zombie you can see in video games. Enemy type variety could have been better with mostly three types being used in standard encounters that have the same way of dispatching them, but a few unique types that get gradually introduced later make up to it. Played it on PS3; the resolution and detail still hold up, but performance is annoyingly unstable at 30 fps during enemy-heavy sections.
 
Narrative of Dead Space I found rather compelling, but only at times, the main plotline on of Isaac's wife being stranded on Ishimura reminded me of Silent Hill 2 set up and because of it I found it enjoyable, same as the lore of Ishimura space station, the slow revelation of the cause of the outbreak and grim stories you can discover both in the enviroment and audio logs scattered around the station. What is amiss is the fact that Isaac is mute, and his interactions with the rest of the cast sum up with them giving orders to Isaac and him, without a word, agreeing to go an extra mile into the most horrifying location possible, but how side characters stories ended and the plot twists that got revealed by the end are worthwhile, especially the main one. Personally, the lore behind the Marker is the most exciting aspect in Dead Space, and they make it be worth it from the start.
 
Gameplay is pretty similar to RE4 but without stiff controls and with a new enemy limb dismemberment mechanic that is the best way to quickly dispatch of the enemies, even though eventually it seems to be a gimmick, but they make it a main staple of the series and prove it to be worthwhile. Ammunition and health kits are sparse, enemies are plentiful and agile, and together with limited inventory and save points, make Dead Space an enjoyable classic survival horror experience. Weaponry is varied, and most have two fire options that each can prove useful in different situations and for different enemy types. Puzzles are present but are mostly environmental and highly simplistic. Stasis allows you to slow down enemies and proves to be useful in puzzles as well. Kinesis sadly doesn't have the combat effectiveness sequels provide but is still useful to pick up items from afar and is also used in puzzles. Nods are used for upgrading weapons, stasis, and other attributes but also allow access to locked rooms potentially full of resources, a risk-and-reward mechanic I wish horror titles were used more often. What is an issue is the zero-gravity sections; sequels let you glide around and make them be a fun shakeup, but in this entry you can only traverse the environment by just jumping to other platforms, which is clunky and exposes you to enemies for far too long. Also, a meteor/turret section can be frustrating, but once you figure out how it ticks, it isn't as bad as some say.
 
To sum up, Dead Space is a great and compelling survival horror experience I rather enjoyed, but its age doesn't allow it to be as good as it can be. Luckily, a remake of this entry is available, and I am looking forward to experiencing and reviewing it in the future to see if it makes the original entry obsolete.

This was my first horror game and it slaps. The only part that annoyed me was the asteroid shooting. Ending scared tf outta me. Can't wait to play the sequels!

13yrs late but, better late than never I will say. Dead Space is one of the best horror sci fi games I have ever played. I was really deep into the story, gameplay, enemy types, and creepy atmosphere. And I can't wait to dive into the other games. This was an absolute treat to play.

Deadspace is a well crafted game. The story and world-building are top-notch, the pacing is perfect, and the combat is aggressive and unpredictable, yet strategic and fun. The developers have put so much effort into making this game as immersive as possible. This game is a beautiful example of how games should be made. It's not groundbreaking and it's not trying to be, but it's very WELL made. I wish developers would stop pushing themselves in terms of graphics and try to innovate in other aspects of their games, truly great game design doesn't age and Dead Space is proof of that. A truly great and terrifying expirience. One of my favourite horror games of all time.

Pretty cool game, so much fun while playing it.

This Game is really amazing!
Fuck I got really scared!
So excited to play the other ones.