Pre-E3 Disclaimer: The format you see in this article will be used for all of our pre-E3 and E3 2008 previews. Kombo’s E3 previews are designed to inform you of what each game at E3 plays like, and what we think of what’s shown. These previews are not reviews, and we reserve final judgment of each game until it is finished and released. These previews offer an honest opinion of what a publisher chose to demo at E3. So, without further ado, read on.
What’s the Game About
Dead Space is a sci-fi survival horror game in development at EA Redwood Shores for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The title is set 500 years in the future, in a galaxy in which mankind has used all of Earth’s resources. In this post-Earth setting, mankind must explore the galaxy for planets that it can harvest resources from. Known as “Planet Crackers,” these ships destroy planets to retrieve ores. You play as a space engineer, Isaac Clarke, who must investigate a distress call from one of these Planet Cracker ships, USG Ishimura. After arriving on the Ishimura, Isaac discovers a hellish reality; something terrible has gone wrong on the vessel.
What’s Hot
Right off the bat, Dead Space is incredibly gory. The game takes place from a third-person perspective, featuring an over-the-shoulder-like view as you explore a creepy space vessel inhabited by alien monsters. These grotesque creatures are absolutely dead set on killing you. You’ll have to really work to take down each enemy you encounter, using precise aiming to pick off specific body parts and limbs until said creature drops dead. Several times, I decapitated an alien only to have it continue charging at me. Later, I shot out both legs of an alien to have it fall over and begin dragging itself towards me using its powerful arms. Adding to the tension, just because an enemy drops doesn’t mean it’s actually dead. They’ll play dead and pop up behind you the moment you turn your back on them. As a result, you’ll have to obliterate each alien you run into before you can rest easy, and even then, the thought that the fiend will attack you again as you walk away is always lingering in your mind. The atmosphere is made even more frightening by the impressive variety of alien designs. EA Redwood has imagined some truly disgusting creatures — ones that can’t help but gross you out.
In our playtime, we were able to play around with three of the game’s weapons: the plasma cutter, line gun and flamethrower. Weapons feel satisfying, thanks to Dead Space’s realistic and immersive sound effects. It feels good to cut through enemy’s flesh with the line gun. Likewise, it’s morbidly entertaining watching the plasma rifle spit plasma at these ugly monsters. And, as you can imagine, the same can be said of the flamethrower, which lights up the game’s dark, infested hallways, every time you decide to burn your way through an alien.
In addition to physical weaponry, you have special powers, such as Stasis and Kinesis. With the former, you can stop an enemy dead in its tracks, allowing you to take aim and dismantle its body one limb at a time with your weapon of choice. Via the Kinesis module, meanwhile, Isaac uses a beam to grab distant objects, which can then be used as airborne projectiles or pieces in an environmental puzzle.
What’s Not
The control scheme is a tad complex. In fact, when the EA rep on hand sat down, he said that it would take him a few minutes to explain the controls because of the complexity. Admittedly, even after hearing a detailed explanation of the control setup, I struggled with the configuration for the first several minutes of playing. By the time my demo ended, I felt like I had a better grasp on the controls. But those first few minutes aren’t easy. Like many other “next-gen” games, Dead Space has abandoned the idea of a HUD. Instead, important data is displayed elsewhere. For example, Isaac’s health meter runs up the back of the character’s suit, in a spine-like fashion.
Although there is a run button, Isaac just moves slowly. EA Redwood probably hoped that this would lend to creating a frightening atmosphere in which you constantly have to keep moving or the aliens will get you. While it does this, the slow movement means it takes a long time to maneuver around the ships’ many rooms and hallways.
Outlook
When it was first announced, I thought Dead Space would be nothing but a generic sci-fi/horror title. After playing the game for myself, I can’t quite shake the impression that there’s something generic about its aesthetics. However, I have to admit that it has some promise. The limb dismemberment system makes shooting at and killing these foul aliens strangely satisfying. Also, the atmosphere is tense and uncomfortable — Dead Space definitely excels at immersing you in its world. In a way, it sort of reminds me of Resident Evil 4, only with aliens and a space theme. That’s not really a bad thing. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how the full game pans out.
