Posted on: May 13, 2017

SnakeoilSage

Games: 160 Reviews: 1

A Classic Survival Horror

One of my all-time favorite games, Dead Space is a masterpiece of horror/sci-fi homages that creates something 100% unique and enthralling. Dead Space is a great blend of game-play and storytelling elements, improving on the "over the shoulder" slow-paced shooter elements introduced in previous survival horror games like Resident Evil 4. Isaac isn't a soldier, but as an engineer he is protected by a hazardous environment suit and wields a blistering array of both engineering and mining tools re-purposed to destroy the game's enemy "Necromorphs." Instead of simply blasting enemies, the tactic in Dead Space is dismemberment: plasma cutters and tractor-beam buzz saws are ideal instruments to saw off limbs, and fighting the Necromorphs--who attack with their own array of organic blades, claws and teeth--requires Isaac to remove arms to avoid attacks and take out legs to cripple necromorphs for killing shots. As he goes, Isaac can earn both cash, scavenge and "power nodes" that allow him to purchase new equipment, ammo, medpacks, and improve his existing weaponry to carry more ammo, deal more damage, and reload quicker. What really sets Dead Space apart from its survival-horror rivals however, is its atmosphere and attention to detail. From the Ishimura's "lived in" feel to the ominous Unitologist faith that has exploded to prominence in human society, Dead Space doesn't just feel like "the future," where space ships and lasers are mandatory. Everything feels like it has a place in this universe, and that makes the Ishimura all the more dreadful to explore, because you get the sense that people lived here, and now they're all dead. Killed by something that is turning its attention on you... But hey, there's always Peng.

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Posted on: December 20, 2017

Veimangelo

Verified owner

Games: 30 Reviews: 9

The Best Sci-fi Horror game ever

Just play it!

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Posted on: July 17, 2021

robotSpaceGoat

Verified owner

Games: 98 Reviews: 8

remembered it beign a good game

I played this years ago on the xbox. Thought I could relive those days but this simply does not run on modern PC hardware - crashes immediately upon startup. Have tried every fix listed on the support page and still nothing. Will update review if I get it to run, but for the time being it's no dice.

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Posted on: July 30, 2021

parovozov

Verified owner

Games: 81 Reviews: 1

Not great, but not terrible.

I didn't play this game when it was released in 2008. I didn't watch the reviews, guides, or spoilers. My first playthrough was in 2021. And I'm evaluating this game by the standards of 2021. A bad port of the console version of the game. No mouse sensitivity adjustment in aim mode. Unresponsive controls and animations that can't be stopped or interrupted. The character feels like a robot, the movements are very mechanical. By the end of the game you get tired of the monotony of enemies and actions. You are becoming a robot yourself. On the positive side, I will note the great atmosphere, realistic spaceship and its elaborate structure. In conclusion, I will say that for those who have played it in the coming years after its release (2008-2010) and fans of horror this game in 2021 gets a confident 4/5 from me. For everyone else, it's a 3/5.

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Posted on: February 7, 2025

A.G.B.

Games: 825 Reviews: 84

Could be better

I'll start with the positives. Taking the body Horror from 1982's The Thing and having the player literally cut off limbs as an effective strategy is legitimately inspired. Sure you can just try to attack normally but once you face a lot of enemies at once you'll find yourself focusing on taking them apart like this and it is deeply satisfying. You go up against a lot of beings that partially look human but clearly there's something wrong. Our bodies are not supposed to do stuff like that and it really pokes at an anxiety deep inside each of us. The physical isolation adds another layer not to mention the general survival horror with resource management and choices that have consequences. I won't pretend that I particularly cared about the plot but I'm told many others did. Walking on walls and the ceiling in zero gravity is compelling. Some of the weapons do feel like they're there to check a box. They're not at all appropriate for the way you have to play. And I wouldn't rule out that they are literally just there because some people would refuse to give this a chance if they weren't in there. Thankfully you're never forced to use them. The fact that your character takes up half the screen does lead to completely unnecessary and easily avoidable by the developers frustration. The gameplay just isn't that fun, really doesn't offer very much that we haven't seen done better. It's boring and obnoxious. The control scheme is incredibly poorly designed. I get that this was apparently a console port. It's one of the worst when it comes to this area. I managed to get through this whole thing once but I can't imagine ever playing it again. The horror is too driven by jump scares and it lacks the contrasting safe areas that for example Silent Hill, Amnesia, Penumbra and Soma master. This does get points for taking the orb on the ship from Event Horizon and putting it in something that made it feel much more gripping. There's some memorable and even creative level design.

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