It sounds like the plot of a new Nicholas Sparks novel: A young, hardworking gentleman falls madly in love with a fair beauty and they live happily together ...on an alien-infested spaceship.
While it might not be the next New York Times' Best Seller, it makes the newest survival horror video game to hit shelves, Dead Space, an instant classic.
Diving into the third-person-survival-horror market was a bold move for developer EA Redwood Shores, as the genre has been dominated for years by the Resident Evil and Silent Hill franchises.
In Dead Space, gamers follow a four-man repair crew sent to the spaceship USG Ishimura in response to a distress call. The team finds the hull eerily quiet, and during investigation they are faced with nightmarish and infectious aliens.
As main character Isaac Clarke, gamers escape an impending and gruesome death and begin a hellish adventure to fix the ship and find Clarke's girlfriend Nicole.
The story is very reminiscent of Doom 3 but doesn't offer the same sense of dark fear. Most of the game's cheap thrills and survival woes are disappointing and easily quelled by the overabundance of ammo and med packs.
As the game progresses, the level of tension will increase and the second half of the game rapidly picks up in excitement and fright.
The amount of enemies eventually reaches overwhelming odds and will cause many gamers to panic, tuck tail and run. Sometimes, however, it's just as easy to blast enemies away with Clarke's heavy arsenal.
This emphasis on action is where the game really shines and becomes one of the most complete and well-oiled machines in the industry.
Dead Space has implemented a new system for killing foes: dismemberment. In most video games more firepower usually means a quicker death, but here the focus has shifted on targeting specific body parts and blowing them apart.
Even without arms or legs enemies can still move and attack. It's safe to say that killing bad guys has never before been this satisfying in a video game.
When it comes to graphics and production values, few can hold a candle to the sheer power of Dead Space.
The character animations, environment, voice acting and dialogue are nearly perfect and the zero gravity sections feature the best physics engine since Half-Life 2.
Another obvious distinction in Dead Space is the complete lack of a Heads Up Display (HUD). All the menus, health and ammo information is activated by the character as opposed to fixed statistics in the corner of the screen
This unique decision by developers helps immerse players into the world of the Ishimura and adds a sense of realism that is rarely achieved in gaming.
With a lean towards the action side of things, Dead Space borrows heavily from the customization and power up system in Resident Evil 4.
There are seven weapons and six different suit variants to choose from. Each of the weapons can be upgraded based on a system of faster reloads, increased damage and improved ammo capacity.
A player's oxygen and hit points can also be upgraded by using power nodes that can be either bought or found. There is an in-game store that allows gamers to purchase new weapons, items and suits.
The main story can be completed in about 12 hours, but the best part of Dead Space is that it's a single player experience that actually encourages gamers to sit down for a second play through.
Upon completing the story, a New Game Plus option becomes available. This unlocked mode allows gamers to play the story a second time, while keeping all the weapons and upgrades from their original save file.
This game gives plenty of reasons to keep the disc in the tray; it's impossible to experience all it has to offer in one play.
Dead Space is the kind of game that feels familiar but is too amazing to resist. This is the perfect addition to any game collection, and for those who are disappointed that Halloween is already over, it's a perfect reason to stay in and turn the lights off.
Rating: A-
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
