Dead Space-Reveiw

In Dead Space the player takes on the role of Isaac Clarke, an engineer in the distant future sent to investigate the fate of an interstellar mining ship that has gone silent in deep space.

Accompanied by several other equally befuddled would-be rescuers, Isaac soon finds himself marooned on the dark and dilapidated space ship the USG Ishimura after a menacing alien infestation cuts off communication and all routes of escape.

Something grotesque has taken hold of the giant planet cracker. A biological plague has transformed the Ishimura’s crew into monstrous, zombie-like creatures called Necromorphs. Whatever it is, this particular alien virus intends on making sure Isaac doesn’t get home in one piece.

And with that, Dead Space pits the player into an all-too-familiar setting.

Even with the clichéd plot and setting, the developers at EA manage to provide a very visceral and modernized take on the tried and tested space survival premise. In the process, the game offers up some truly memorable scenes.

Some of the best moments in the game come when Isaac is forced to venture outside the confines of the ship into the emptiness of space, with only his suit and canisters of air to keep him alive.

With his struggled breaths the only sound to be heard in the silence of the void, Isaac dismembers the hideous Necromorph creatures with an arsenal of deadly engineering tools (the game strays away from traditional firepower) all the while dancing precariously on the edges of the Ishimura.

Tense, sweat-inducing moments like these evoke a truly primeval sense of fear. The game’s organic shadows and guttural, bass-filled audio only serve to add to this delightfully oppressive atmosphere.