Played on:
Xbox 360
Attending Nintendo’s NYC media tour earlier this week, I had the opportunity to participate in a Wii Music demo. Ironically, while witnessing a group of cutesy Miis strumming guitars, shaking maracas and tapping piano keys to “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”, I couldn’t get the thought of blood-thirsting beasties out of my head; even as my own adorable avatar struggled to keep up on the steel drums, my brain matter was taxed with horrific images of bloody appendages floating through zero gravity. You see, the oh-so-innocent jingle my Mii band was performing is also the very same tune, albeit used to much creepier affect, playing over the gruesome trailer for EA’s new sci-fi survival horror masterpiece Dead Space.
Just a day prior to my Wii Music lesson, I’d been glued to my TV and pinned to the edge of my couch for more hours than I care to admit (okay, it was like 12 consecutive hours), playing what’s easily the best title in the genre since Resident Evil 4. Comparing any game's quality to Capcom’s crowning achievement, let alone tossing around the word “masterpiece”, probably has you thinking that too much time on tour with my Wii Music mates has turned my mind to mush. But I assure you, Dead Space’s engaging plot, gorgeous visuals, oozing atmosphere, and notable gameplay innovations easily earn it a spot among the year's best titles, never mind the growing-stale survival horror genre.
The set-up may sound familiar—you travel to a ghost ship to check out a communications problem, and all hell breaks loose. And sure, cribbing from cinematic sci-fi staples such as Alien, The Thing and even the more cult-ish Event Horizon is in full effect. But how Dead Space uses these influences, while injecting plenty of originality into the mix, culminates in a benchmark experience that other game developers will surely take note of. The highly-produced visual design, for one, far outshines the familiar cramped corridors, darkened hallways and winding air ducts we’ve seen in so many other creepy sci-fi shooters. Not unlike last year’s artistic bar-raiser BioShock, Dead Space manages to offer engaging variety at every step. From zero gravity chambers and crew quarters, to a medical ward that makes Dr. Steinman’s blood-smeared facility look like a place you’d be happy to have an appendectomy, it will keep your eyes peeled at every turn. Also similar to last year's Big Daddy blockbuster is Dead Space's ability to make you feel as though you're wandering a facility that once pulsed with normal human life. The evidence that this ship, the Ishimura, was once a safe place, ratchets the tension to a spine tingling degree. You'll feel it every time you listen to a crew member's audio log, or find one of their desperate messages scrawled in blood.
The powerful sense of dread is multiplied by the fact you’re entering this terrifying adventure as Isaac, a protagonist more reminiscent of geek-turned-ass-kicker Gordon Freeman than a war-hardened hero. As an engineer, though, Isaac quickly adapts to his unfortunate situation; most of his weapons are mining tools he tweaks to great baddie-blasting effect. In fact, upgrading his arsenal is one of the game's cooler features, as not being able to fully upgrade every piece in a single playthrough yields a nice strategic perk, not to mention an incentive to replay the game. Upgrades aren't just background buffs, either; whether you're increasing ammo capacity, reload speed, or damage output, every enhancement boasts a graphical boost that gives it a new, distinct visual upgrade as well.
In addition to Isaac's upgradeable arsenal of laser and pulse-based alien annihilators, he possesses stasis and kinesis powers allowing him to slow the action with the former, and toss objects with the latter. Both abilities saved my ass more times than I can remember, and propelling enemies' own bloody limbs back at them offered plenty of satisfyingly macabre moments. And believe me, they’ll be plenty of limbs to throw around; Dead Space encourages “strategic dismemberment”, meaning headshots are a lot less effective than literally separating an alien limb-from-limb. The title’s uber-gory, mutated baddies, Necromorphs, will not be stopped until you learn to closely follow this limb-lopping technique. Of course, if one crawls too close on that one appendage you failed to remove, Isaac can unleash a skull-crushing curb-stomp to regain the upper hand. I won’t spoil all the gruesome fun for you, but understand Dead Space ratchets up the gore to a sickening level, and the many baddies—especially the bosses—complement the blood bath perfectly.
One of my absolute favorite aspects of Dead Space is its strict no-HUD approach. Sure, plenty of other titles have attempted this cinematic trick, but this game sets the gold standard for how the clutter-free screen should be implemented. Isaac’s health is indicated by a glowing bar on his back, his ammunition count hovers holographically above his “guns”, and his menus and inventories pop up, real-time and hover right in front of him. So, he’s seeing these holographic help screens the same way you are. Additionally, the immersion is never tainted by having to pause the action. Of course, this also means Isaac can be attacked while he’s fiddling with his high tech toys, so keep your eyes and ears open even while spying the cool holo-effects.
Another great feature—one I’m sure will soon be standard in all third-person games—is a mapping tool not unlike the optional breadcrumb path Lionhead has added to their upcoming RPG Fable 2. Simply click the right stick and an illuminated trail points you in the right direction. While hardcore players may choose to ignore this helpful feature, as someone who gets lost in his own kitchen I found it invaluable, especially during Dead Space’s potentially confusing backtracking moments. Speaking of retracing your steps, although the backtracking objectives make sense in the context of the story, some may grow impatient with their frequency. Aside from that and the occasional camera wonkiness during the otherwise excellent zero gravity moments, though, I’m hard pressed to find much fault with this highly entertaining, edge-of-your-seat offering.
With the heavy-hitting holiday season just beginning, I didn’t expect to have already experienced something this good. It may be slightly premature, seeing we have so many big titles coming down the pike the next couple of months, but right now Dead Space easily grabs my top spot for game of the season. Amazingly atmospheric visuals and mood-setting sound work are complemented by some of the goriest and original creature creations I’ve seen in a while (and I just recently played through Silent Hill: Homecoming, a title that’s tough to top in the “bizarre monsters” category). All this would be enough to make for a stellar survival horror romp, but toss in a truly engaging, twist-heavy story with some surprising emotional weight, and you’ve got a franchise with a future that all others in the genre should be worried about. In a season relying so heavily on sequels and spin-offs to deliver its hits, EA earns kudos for taking a chance on an original IP that'll no doubt be remembered when it comes time to hand out game-of-the-year awards.
