Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 44

44: Dead Space (360/PS3/PC)
Developer: Electronic Arts (Redwood Shores)
Year: 2008

I like games that can scare the crap out of me and/or keep me on the edge of my seat and afraid of things coming around every corner. I like it even better when the game scares the shit out of me and keeps me interested in the plot, not just shooting monsters. But this type of game is rare… Both Resident Evil 2 and Silent Hill 2 (second reference to SH2 in a row) do this well, crafting engaging narratives while maintaining a high anxiety level. Since those games, fellow scarers have been far and few between. Until the omigodwtf scariness of Dead Space, EA’s out-of-nowhere horror game.

Taking place almost entirely (just up until the end of the game, anyhow) on a “planet cracking” space station, Dead Space digs players into the ever-silent head of Isaac Clarke (yes, his name is made of two different sci-fi writers names. Get over it), an engineer hired to fix the station which has lost all power. And, apparently, life. In all its forms. As you investigate the problem, the lights dim and monsters pop out of every corner of the ship. Monsters you can’t really kill with any ease. As you fight for survival (and the survival of your team), you learn of an alien artifact that was found on the planet surface below, and how removing said artifact caused all these issues in the first damn place, despite the fact that the thing is a freaking “religious object” of some kind. While you repair the ship and kill gianter and gianter (I know its not a real word, thank you) beasts, you learn the dark secrets of the base and those that previously inhabited it. Oh, and what survival horror game would be complete without a “find your lost love” side-quest?

So, while the story is interesting and provides ample opportunities to frighten the player, if the gameplay sucks, what’s the point, right? Thankfully, Dead Space has quality and engaging mechanics that make it fun and interesting, too. An over-the-shoulder third-person view keeps things in perspective at all times, allowing for tight aiming and an ease of navigation aboard the station. You hunt for keys and solve puzzles, pick up ammo and unblock passageways like a space-age Resident Evil game and, while the ship is huge, you never have to leave a section to complete another section, meaning the whole thing can and is split into simple-to-travel “levels”, each with their own agendas and quests to complete. Sometimes its restarting a gravity core, other times its knocking a gelatinous, tentacled monster off the side of the station. The whole time you play without a HUD, with health, ammo, and other aspects of your character being shown on the model and his gun, allowing for greater immersion. And those unkillable monsters I spoke of? In heavy abundance. They can’t simply be shot to death, since blowing their head or leg off simply slows them down. You literally have to take them apart with Isaac’s plasma cutter. And the effects are awesome.

Speaking of the effects, a scary game wouldn’t really work well if it didn’t look (and sound!) great, right? Well, here EA steps it up again, presenting a gorgeous HD game. The environments you’ll guide Isaac through are heavily detailed, with some great effects coming through. Just go into your first zero-g location and see the particles and things floating around. Its awesome. And the lack of a serious soundtrack means tons of times where Silent Hill-type bangs-and-clangs make up for the silence, as monsters pour out of walls and try to eat your head. The monsters also look great, being both grotesque and interesting to look at, each type being unique enough to know which one you’re about to face based on possible shadows on walls. The voice work in this game, too, is awesome, providing some of the best in any horror game I’ve had yet to play.

All in all, Dead Space is one of the best in recent survival horror games, a genre which is fading away from greatness (caused by over saturation, caused by popularity…), providing a great, 10ish hour game length, bonus things to collect and go back for, a great deal of upgrading and customization, and a cool story. Play with the lights off and the sound up, headphones if you can. Its a real treat for the senses, which you may just get scared out of. With a sequel on the way early next year, an on-rails shooter on Wii (coming to PS3 for Move, too, I think), graphic novels, animated films, etc., the series is going to be around for a while. Get invested. It’s worth it.

Classic Moment:
Each monster kills you in a different way. Now, I’m not talking about how they attack you, I’m talking about how they end your life. Some things take your head off, some things cut your arms off, etc. But the final boss? It rips your limbs off one at a time and eats you. Its horrifying because of the screams coming from Isaac the whole time. In a game full of scary things, listening to him in such pain is an unnerving experience, something to note upon when considering this for some of the best voice acting in any game.

Why Dead Space > The Sims:
One word, again: Immersion. If you let yourself get into this game, you won’t want to put it down. The game looks realistic enough and the tension is so ever-present that you’ll want to keep moving through until its over, just so you don’t have to crawl through any more dark corridors. While a game like The Sims offers immersion, somewhat, it just doesn’t hold a candle to the great times you’ll have yelling each time a monster pops out. It’s like playing all your favorite sci-fi horror films, rolled into one.

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Added March 10, 2017
Man, what I’d give for an HD Collection of this on PS4. Or on the Switch. HAHA I’LL PLAY ANYTHING ON SWITCH IF I CAN PLAY IT ON MY TV THEN THE TOILET THEN IN BED WITHOUT PAUSING.