If Doom3, Resident Evil 4, Aliens, Half-Life 2, and Prey had a secret baby, Dead Space would be it. This game snuck up on everyone's radar this season. Not only is this game a competitor for Game of the Year, but it raises the bar of the survivor horror genre. EA has really created a game with a suspenseful and downright scary game through such wonderful level design and overall atmosphere of the world.

The game goes beyond cheap "dog crashing through the window" moments and uses every element of video game narrative storytelling and design to create a game that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The audio design is this game is some of the best I've ever heard and adds a whole new dimension of horror and scare.

It's difficult to discuss the game in more specific detail without giving away much of the plot or surprises that's to be had. All I can suggest is that through out skepticism and purchase this game. Don't forget to fire up that 5.1 setup and to play in the dark, if you dare.

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This game is hands down one of the most captivating and thrilling experiences I have had on xbox 360. From the initial cinematic to the amazing graphics and sound direction, this is how a survival horror game should be done. I do agree that in many cases the game is TOO scary, to the point where I had to take a break because the adrenaline was running for too long and I couldn't take it anymore. However, hook this game up to some great surround sound, on a nice big HDTV and sit back in awe at how immersed you are in the game. This is hands down the best use of surround sound I've encountered in a game. At the greatest hits price its a steal and worth a try for anyone.

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I got my little brother Dead Space for his X-Box 360 for Christmas. The game ended up spooking him enough so that he was barely able to get past the 2nd chapter, and so he flew it my way to see what I would make of it. The game took me roughly a week to polish off (between work and sleep) and I found a thoroughly frightening game with beautiful graphics and one of the spookiest atmospheres to be found in any horror/survival shooter game. Beware, a few mild spoilers ahead!

Dead Space takes place in the ever far-flung future around a distant planet called Aegis VII on board a derelict mining ship called the Ishimura. It seems that that CEC (Concordance Extraction Corporation), the company which owns and operates that mammoth ship, has lost contact with it. To make matters worse the ship, populated by 1,000 miners, scientists, and ship command types, is transmitting a distress call. So the CEC sends another ship, the CEC Kellion off to Aegis VII to see what's happening. The Ishimura is an interesting vessel, officially titled a "Planet Cracker". It cuts away a huge portion of the planetary landscape, pulls it up into orbit, and commences to refining these large chunks of rock into ore. And, predictably, a ship with this capability is going to be, by necessity, a rather large vessel by default.

The Kellion carries a small complement of personnel who are there to find out why the ship went silent and are tasked with repairing it. But shortly after arrival the Kellion crashes inside the landing bay of the Ishimura due to a malfunction of the guidance control. Among the personnel on the Kellion is Isaac Clarke, the story's protaganist, and the guy you'll be playing as. Seems Isaac has a girlfriend on the Ishimura named Nicole, and Nicole sent him a strange little video before the ship went offline. Isaac also happens to be an engineer, and he has a real knack for taking existing mining tools and weapons and "upgrading" them to make them very palatable for use as weapons. From the time the Kellion crashes in the Ishimura's landing bay you'll know that something has gone horribly awry because the ship seems to be deserted. By the end of the first hour of play you'll wish it *was* deserted and filled with anything *but* the nasties that now inhabit it. By the time Chapter 8 rolled around (there are 12 total) all I wanted was to go home. I did not want to be on this ship at all and the feeling of constant dread that accompanies the game really amps up the fear factor considerably and in turn makes it that much more viscerally enjoyable.

Dead Space isn't a FPS but rather a Third-Person Shooter (like Tomb Raider). The view the player has is over Isaac's right shoulder, which is a bit unusual in a game of this type. There are numerous weapons for use by the player, starting with the basic Plasma Cutter (a mining tool) to the Pulse Rifle (a military assault rifle) on up to flamethrowers and a nasty little weapon called the Ripper, which teleports a circular sawblade out about 10 feet where it hovers (and in turn shreds) any mutants that happen to be standing there. All weapons have a secondary fire mode. The Plasma Cutter can swivel 90 degrees allowing you better "cutting" angles for severing limbs off of baddies, while the Line Gun can fire off a mine which deals blast damage to any monsters standing in its radius. In addition to this Isaac gets a nifty little item called a Stasis Module, which can dramatically slow down moving objects (including monsters) so that they can be bypassed or taken apart at the player's leisure. Isaac also wears a specialized suit called a RIG, with armor plates and visual aids which let the player know his current health and how much juice he has for his Stasis Module. If all else fails Isaac can use two melee attacks, one in which he stomps his rather large, armored boot on the ground (which destroys little swarming enemies) and one in which he swings a big ol' haymaker at his opponent using his weapon. It's a lot to keep track of, but after the first chapter or two much of it becomes second nature.

From the get go Dead Space makes you feel very alone. The Ishimura is a *huge* ship and it is filled with hundreds of nooks and crannies potentially filled with monsters that want to dismember you piece by piece. And the monsters (named Necromorphs) are actually dead members of the original crew. And since there were originally 1,000+ crew this means a whole pile of monsters. Necromorphs come in several varieties. The most common are former humans whose arms have been transformed into stabbing weapons with long spikes where the hands used to be, while others were transformed from infants who like to crawl on walls and shoot long range barbs at you. Others have been absorbed into the ship itself and blast explosive, sentient tentacle beasts in your direction. Early in the story you're separated from your compatriots and have to work entirely alone to repair the ship and bring its basic systems back online, and Necromorphs will drop in to visit at typically the worst possible times. There were moments in the game where I audibly yelped in surprise at my TV screen as a Necromorph dropped from the air vent above me, depositing a bundle of undead nastiness right in front of me. The game is loaded with moments of this type and I found I was unable to play more than 3-4 hours at a time because it was simply too much for my nerves to handle. This isn't helped by the ambient atmosphere, filled with sounds of metal clanging below you, or air vents hissing above. You're constantly looking around to see where the next attack is going to come, even when none does.

The graphics for the game are really pretty and the Ishimura reminds me a great deal of the Nostromo from the movie Alien with its "used future" look. There's no doubt this is intentional and fans of Alien will probably react with the same degree of paranoia and fear inside the Ishimura. At various points around the ship the player can stock up on supplies from Stores, sort of an electronic vending machine, as well as Power Nodes, which are the critical component used to upgrade weapons and armor for use on the Work Bench. Enemies routinely drop ammunition and money (possibly what their previously living human incarnations were carrying at the time of their...necromorphing). By far the most precious commodity are the Power Nodes, and collecting them becomes a pastime of its own. They don't drop from monsters (except for one or two bosses) and can only be found in power boxes located sporadically throughout the ship, as well as being purchased for hefty sums from the Store. But even the humble Plasma Cutter can be come a customized killing machine if it is upgraded enough (the P.C. became my weapon of choice as a direct result of it).

Dead Space also separates itself from the rest of the horror/shooter genre by including two very unique spins on the basic theme. The first is to be found in Zero-G operations. Newtonian physics, monsters, and loaded guns always make for an interesting experience, and the Zero-G segments tend to come across as a puzzle of sorts loaded with adrenaline. The second nuance is that there are numerous spots on the Ishimura where the hull is exposed to open space and requires that you use a finite source of oxygen in your suit. Once the O2 runs out so does your life. One can carry small oxygen canisters around with them, but they take up valuable space and when one isn't sure when these airless episodes are coming one may be disinclined to carry them. Fortunatley the player can upgrade the amount of air their RIG carries by upgrading it at the Work Bench using the aforementioned Power Nodes.

Deep Space draws from many sources, but at the end of the day I was amazed at how very close in flavor it was to System Shock 2. In fact one can put the plotlines for both games side by side and say they're almost the same game, just with different names, monsters, and a few added bells and whistles to Dead Space. The plot for both involves a lone player tackling on a crew transformed after death and tackling a biological entity which controls the whole collective. Both plots involve a ship that is slowly turning into a biological organism and which have a device of some sort which instigates the whole problem in the first place (Shodan in SS2, the Marker in Dead Space). Both involve betrayal from trusted friends and sometimes even helping your enemies a bit when your purpose temporarily is in line with their goals. And both contain video and audio logs of deceased crewmembers providing hints on how to beat the Great Opponent, as well as backstory. However to say that Dead Space is a remake of System Shock 2 is a bit unfair to it too because many games have given nods to SS2 (Doom 3, Bioshock, and several others) in very similar ways. Dead Space also takes a healthy heap of atmosphere from movies like Event Horizon, the aforementioned Alien, Aliens, and yes, even a pinch from Night of the Living Dead. Thus I would sum up by saying that Dead Space is really a fusion of the best these games and movies have to offer presented to the player in a very cinematic way. It's literally like starring in your own sci-fi/horror film. And there may just be a moment that comes along and makes you soil yourself, as the title of my review indicates. Fortunately this didn't happen to me (like I'd admit it!) but I will say that when my dog came up behind me and put her cold, wet nose on my ankle at 2am I jumped 3 feet in the air. Now that, my friends, is a game!

For the price Dead Space *cannot* be beaten. For a paltry $20 this is a horror/survival game that very much is worth every penny you'll pay for it. If you loved the System Shock series, Bioshock, Doom, Aliens versus Predator (PC games), and the like then you will want this game on your shelf. Now, off to go find a fresh pair of drawers.

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This game provided an experience not often used in games prior to its release. Dead Space is more than a third-person shooter (or TPS). It provides the player with a sense of being on-edge, for the unexpected is always around every corner. The game is naturally dark, and has a horror-type experience. It is not recommended that one plays this in the dark on their first playthrough.

Personally, I have been startled many times over the course of playing this game, even after replaying it twice. As one progresses through the game, rooms are revisited; however, one cannot expect the room to be safe, even if they had walked through 2 minutes before. I even screamed once: I was walking back from a room, through a hallway I'd just been through, and I noticed a dead body which was there before. ...But as I walked past it this time, it jumped up at me and lashed out with a horrifying yell.

The plot is genius--there's even a live-action movie in the making, based on the Dead Space series. The game provides hours upon hours of fun. Replay is encouraged because you keep your armor and weapon upgrades, your credits, and your entire inventory. There are also several achievements to acquire, many of which are fun, others are puzzling. (Keep a sharp, wandering eye out for the elusive Peng treasure!)

I was very satisfied with this product. It was worth the price, and sufficient information was provided on this website before I bought it. The game arrived new, still in its packaging. Upon examination, it was in mint condition and everything was in order. I am fully satisfied and I recommend this product.

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Dead Space is one of better games i've ever played. it's original, challenging, gory, and scifi. i've been waiting for some kind of a space type of game with gravity physics and futureistic weapons. the game is difficult at first but get's easier as your able to upgrade weapons and armor. the only negative i would have for this game would be is the fact that you basically a whipping boy and your doing everything. it's one thing after another and games like that tend to annoy me alot but it's still a great game. it's a buy. 9.5 out of 10.

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This game made me jump like crazy. It was better than a scary movie. it gets you moving and just can't stop playing

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I was a little skeptic about trying this game out, but I am glad I did. Once you start playing you can't stop. It is also fun to play multiple times. The story line, visual and sound effects can be a little creepy when played for the first time. I would highly recommend buying this game.

Update: Be careful with description on Amazon it is inaccurate. This is not the original version as stated on picture, but the Platinum/Greatest Hits version. No change on gameplay just box art and disc states it it part of the Platinum/Greatest Hts Collection.

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I purchased Dead Space on release date. I started playing again last week (a year after purchase) and am hooked all over again. Scary monsters and great pacing are it's biggest strengths.

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To simply put it this game is like bein in a movie, a sci fi horror film dat keeps you jumping after every turn. Big thumbs up to EA!!!

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I rarely give five-star reviews for anything, but DEAD SPACE met and exceeded all my expectations.

IMMERSIVE. I felt a chilling claustrophobia throughout the whole game. I found myself getting tense all over weaving my way through all the closed spaces.

EXPANSIVE. On the other hand, some of the environments were HUGE, especially when I was cruising around outside the spaceship with wide open space floating overhead. Awe-inspiring vistas.

DISTURBING. Some of the monsters were genuinely disturbing to the point of believability. I was truly freaked out by the humanoid things that had the lower jaw missing and an extra arm coming out of the stomach. Plus, the storyline about this fanatical sect really bumps up the urgency and dread.

CINEMATIC. The cut scenes were beautifully rendered, and honestly I felt more like I was playing a movie than a game most of the time.

VISCERAL. Gore, gore, gore. Lots of wonderful, splattery innards.

MUSICAL. The score was well-written and appropriately orchestrated, woven together well with the sound effects and properly placed throughout the whole game. Jason Graves did a brilliant job, and I can't wait to hear what he does next.

FUN. The visuals, gameplay, horror, storyline all added up to one of the top ten games I've ever played.

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No one used this title yet? Seriously? Anyhow, I figured I would write a small review for this game. I don't think I have reviewed many games that would fit under the horror genre and it just seemed overdue. Warning though people, possible spoilers here.

Let me begin by saying that this game is outstanding. It's interesting playing this game along side Resident Evil 5 since they did launch very close to each other. The graphics and controls are just outstanding and though the graphics in Resident Evil 5 may be slightly better, the controls in Dead Space more than make up for the experience.

It starts with a simple blue fuzzy screen where a zoom up of the main character's girl friend's face makes you terrified that the game's graphics are going to be awful. And then, when you think you wasted your cash, you are pleasantly surprised by some truly breathtaking visuals. Time to relax, you made a good choice. The relaxation doesn't last too long because two and a half minutes of talking and continued pretty visuals later the S word hits the fan and you are thrown into danger. It reminded me of Resident Evil 1 back in 1996 where you knew there was nothing good that could come out of your present location, but you felt that false sense of security was justified. Wrong. They not only don't let that feeling last, but they also prove that if you didn't read the instructions and figured out how to run, you'll die quickly (like first instance of seeing an enemy kind of early). At this point you are thrown into the fire, and you have to survive and do things to help your remaining crew. The thing I liked most about this game over others I have played like it is that it really feels like your actions have purpose. The objectives aren't things you could see yourself skipping. For instance, your partner radios you tell you that the engines are offline so the gravitation pull of the planet is pulling the ship in and soon it may start doing things like exploding or starting on fire. Stopping that from happening is a great objective! Never once did I go, "Why" when they asked me to do something. It just felt like a great story playing out.

The ambience in the game was utterly outstanding. They had a ton of scares, some obvious and others not. With the incorporation of realistic physics, a good chunk scares are you just knocking into stuff and then freaking out thinking someone is behind you. Don't get me wrong though, it's done very well. The sound in the game helps a lot with the scare factors. You will be walking down what you assume is an empty hallway but you can hear the aliens crawling around in the vents above you, or in the walls. You will hear something crawling above you and suddenly be attacked from behind. It's not cheap though, they don't spawn out of nowhere, you just need to be aware of your surroundings and take note of vents, etc.

Once again, the graphics are outstanding. The shadows, shading, and bump mapping are done very well and it's not ridiculous. Little effects that they didn't even need to put in are there and this is especially noticed when you go into zero gravity or any place that outer space is involved ("but Garrett your on a space ship!" I know). What I mean by this is when you go into certain halls there is damage to the hull and you get to travel around the debris and look at the insane detail that was put into making the atmosphere realistic. Things float around, planets are in the distance, water flows out of the pipe in super slow motion, and the sound is extremely muted. The muted sound not only creates an awesome ambience but also masks any monster trying to bite your bum off.

Like mentioned earlier, the controls rock. Do not play this game then move to Resident Evil 5 because you will be quite displeased. You walk around and are able to do full 360s with the left analog stick while changing the camera with the right analog stick. They also help speed up your response time to danger by making it so you automatically turn and aim where you are looking. This is handy if you look over your shoulder, see someone and want to shoot them immediately instead of later on. Other aspects of gameplay were mentioned earlier like missions that actually mean something, but there is another thing that makes this game awesome. You have a series of technical abilities used for puzzles and combat that almost makes this game like 1/8th a Zelda title (I lol'ed at that so I kept it in). You can use them to lift and move objects, throw them and even slow down time. It's cool to see something about to impale you only to slow down its movements and blow it away ever so gracefully.

I think I covered everything. We have graphics, gameplay, sound, controls.... Oh yeah I forgot!

MENU and SHOPPING/WORKBENCH: The menu system is exactly what a game like this should have. Resident Evil 5 may have incorporated a real time menu that doesn't pause the game because you wouldn't want that in co-op play, but Dead space does it because it wouldn't make any sense to do otherwise! In space no one waits for your long paused decisions in order to maul you. That might be a bit extreme but this was the first game of this kind that I played that stripped the ability to pause it, pick your weapon carefully and then proceed. You have to think on your feet or die trying. Getting back on point, the actual menus are multi-layered holograms that just pop up wherever you need and actually shed light on the environment which I thought was an awesome detail. Audio and video messages not to mention any ship controls are all holograms as well and it really gives you an idea of how cool the technology is on this ship. The shopping which I mentioned in caps at the beginning of this paragraph is pretty cool too. Picture a robotic version of the merchant from RE4 and you pretty much got the idea of it. Cool thing is you can buy armor upgrades and actually see them applied to your character as well as buy, sell, store and hand in schematics to get upgrades, etc. It's been done before, but it works VERY well in Dead Space. Another interesting thing is the workbench. It's separate than the shopping center so you have to look out for them but you can use the work bench to upgrade such things as your suit's oxygen capacity, gun stats, armor stats, etc. This was very cool and it's also nice because if you don't want to use it, you don't have to. It's possible to beat the game without it, though you'd only be making it harder on yourself seeing its not very complex what so ever (which is a good thing).

I think that is about it. I think this is an amazing title that is completely worth the $20. I would suggest exploring this game's story so you are ready for the next one because it is the same main character.

So are you guys ready for the spoiler? Don't read past till you beat the game.

Seriously,,

The first letter of every mission in the game spells: Nicole is Dead

Enjoy!

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i was playin this game with low expectations because i mean hey Its EA and we all know they aint that great. well anyways i soon discovered that the creators were really psychos. the twisted way you can stomp things (including dead bodies) to secondary (omfg a bullet from the pulse rifle is gonna hit me with this madness)fire. seriously if you wanna see a badazz weapon press LT + RB witht the pulse rifle equipped u wont be dissapointed. anyways the overall game is great lots of little puzzles that are fun and easy. the graphics are to the standard of gears of war. the only real thing that reminds me of bioshock in this game is the audio logs you occasionally pick up , which (by the way sound exactly like the bioshock voice actors) anyways i never right review but i did for this game in order to let you know this game is awesome.

Gameplay: 10

Graphics: 10

Sound: 9

Scariness: 8

Weapons: 200000000000000000000

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Dead Space for the XBOX 360 is the best game I have played of the "survival horror" genre since Resident Evil 4. There is allot to like about this game, though unfortunately it has some shortcomings as well. On the plus side the action is top notch. The "futuristic" weapons are fun to use and offer a bit of fresh air on the traditional "pistol, shot gun, flame thrower" mix that one usually expects in these types of games. Furthermore the enemies are challenging, and to successfully defeat them you have to "strategically" target various body parts to most efficiently put them down, simply put the combat is very very fun. Next the environments are beautiful, the various places you will go are reminiscent of a big budget sci fi movie. On the negative side the story is quite poor and does not develop/conclude in a manner that is at all engaging or satisfiying. Furthermore the game is quite short, it is a 10-12 hour experience. Now even though the story is dissapointing, those 12 hours of gameplay are very challenging and very fun. If this game had a more fully developed/executed story this would be a 5 star game. That not being the case 3 and a half stars.

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Like Zombies? Of course you do. Like Sci-fi? Natch, then this is the game for you. Finding yet another way to make zombies relevant, DEAD SPACE is a chip off the old block.

Unlike standard zombies that need to be dispatched by destroying or removing the head, DS prefers the EVIL DEAD mythos of dismemberment. Yes boys and girls a perfect excuse for even more blood letting. So many ways to take care of those pesky undead too! Many badass weapons at your disposal not to mention telekinesis! I enjoyed this title immensely and unless lots of gore and flying body parts are too much for you then i'm thinking you'll love this as much as I. Four stars!

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If you a want a game that is gory like Gears of War, feels kinda like Resident Evil but more fluid, has a solid story, and is really fun then look no further. And if you are the type of person that would love to be killing hordes of extremely disturbing looking creatures then this is definitely a must buy. Im not gonna write you a book but ill break it down like this:

Graphics-10 (space looks amazing btw)

Sound-10

Story-9 (very engaging)

Controls-8.5

Gore-9.5

All in all great game and you will never need a walkthrough of faq trust me on that.

-Andy

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