The premise of the game is nothing new - contact with a remote ship deep in space is lost & someone has to check out why no one is answering the phone anymore. You know going in that there's not going to be an innocent explanation, at least one that doesn't involve gruesome deaths and a seriously nasty alien race that specializes in finding new ways to take apart a human body. Despite the familiar backstory, Dead Space manages to go far beyond expectations and offers a truly engaging and often frightening gaming experience.
The visuals are amazing, with little noticable difference between cutscenes and gameplay. Since almost everything takes place in some degree of darkness, the use of light shadow is key and it's never looked better than in Dead Space.
Not using a HUD - heads up display - is a bold move for any kind of game and it works well here. Your health shows in your spine, your ammo count shows when you aim a gun, and things like your inventory and map can be pulled up easily. Eliminating the usual distractions from the screen makes it a more immersive experience and creates the feel of "playing" a movie.
Very fews games manage to impress anyone with the way they use sound, but Dead Space has to be at the top of that list. Even when there's nothing really happening - just walking down a hallway, for instance - the sounds of the moaning & creaking of the ship or a distant alarm or random rattling & buzzing of unseen machinery add to the sense of place and general atmosphere. The voice acting is absolutely top-notch and the sounds made by the aliens are fantastically varied and impressive. I played this game late at night wearing headphones with the lights out and it was as scary as any movie I've ever seen.
The game has a reasonable learning curve and it not easy nor impossibly hard. Despite the size of the ship and the sometimes maze-like layout, you can never really get lost because you have the ability to have the path you are supposed to take light up with a button. Dismemberment - as opposed to killing (you'll see) - is strangely satisfying and appropriately gory. Parts that take place in zero gravity are amazing, not just because of the physics but the sound vacuum that somehow manages to make everything even creepier than it already is.
The lack on online play or any kind of multiplayer limits the replay value of Dead Space to attempting higher levels of difficulty or completion of challenges. That means that most people will spend about 10 to 12 hours with the game and then move on. Despite this, Dead Space is most certainly worth the price since it's now part of the Platinum series ($20), and I'm confident that anyone will consider it money well spent. Get more detail about Dead Space.
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