The comparisons to Resident Evil are inevitable, however Dead Space is superior to all the REs in two crucial areas: atmosphere and immersion. Dead Space doesn't scare you. It makes you scare yourself. Everyone has different fears. The monster you don't see is worse than the monster you do. Left to their own imagination, most people will think up something worse than you ever could. The designers understand this and set the pacing accordingly. A constant barrage of monsters cheapens the fear and leads to monotony. Instead you can 15 minutes or more without encountering anything except the eerie silence and occasional clanking in the background. You freak yourself out as you're constantly checking around corners, waiting for something to pop out, but rarely does it. Play this in the dark after midnight with good surround headphones if you dare. Extra underwear recommended. In addition, Isaac is not a badass space marine. He's an engineer, a technician. Nearly all the weapons you get are actually construction tools like plasma cutters, saw blades, and modified welders. You don't just shrug off damage. On higher difficulties, you can actually die if a monster severs one of your limbs, regardless how much life you have left. And you're all alone. Separated from your team early on, your only contact is over radio. No help is coming for you. Adding to the ambience is the backstory you uncover through journals and audio logs scattered about the ship, or the scripted scenes happening at the periphery. Like System Shock of old, it all points to something wrong about the Ishimura. Luckily you don't have to fight the camera and controls like many RE games. There are no cheap scares or surprises just because the camera can't move or because you move and shoot at the same time. This is a rich, satisfying story with difficult but fair gameplay, all racing to see whether you run out of time, health, or sanity first.
