any fans of Dead Space?

[dicemanx]

I recently picked up and played through Dead Space (out for XBOX360, PS3, and PC), a 3rd person survival horror game set in deep space on a ship infested by mutant horrors. I was actually quite stunned by how enjoyable the game was - it was highly reminiscent of possibly on of the greatest FPS of all time - System Shock 2, although without the flaws of SS2 such as gun imbalance, weak PSI powers, and rushed end game. Dead Space contains some role playing elements similar to SS2 - you can purchase and modify your weapons extensively, and the guns are surprisingly well balanced, as even the starting gun can be powered up into a major stopping force. The mutants have to be killed with precision shooting as dismemberment brings them down faster than shooting the head or torso, making the gun battles exciting every time. Such precision is necessary to conserve ammo, as ammo can quickly become scarce and the game transitions into true survival horror where you're maximizing every resource to be able to progress.

Of course the most amazing part of the game is the immersion and the creep factor and you make your way through parts of the ship - the environments and monsters generate dread and unease as you slowly explore each level. The story is also top notch, with much of it conveyed via video, audio, and text logs of the deceased crew, exactly as in SS2. Even the menu screens don't break immersion - the menu screen is something that the in game character brings up as a projection in front of him, and the life meter and stasis power meter (a power that features prominently in combat situations where you can temporarily slow enemies down to make precision shots)  is part of his actual suit instead of meters on display in the corner of the screen. Finally, the game tackles zero gravity and vacuum environments in a very unique and satisfying manner which greatly added to the atmosphere and the enjoyment of the variety of environmental conditions.

This game is phenomenal even though there are some minor flaws (controls aren't too responsive and the game features a single two minute immersion breaking moment that has frustrated many people to date), and I was feeling like I was playing an updated and much superior version of SS2. The total play time clocked in at about 15 hrs, which is pretty good by console FPS/3rd person shooter standards, and equals the average playing time of SS2.

I will be tackling Fallout 3 next, but I'm already very satisfied having played through Dead Space. Any other experiences playing this game?

[Sextiger]

Ironically enough, I am playing Dead Space and Fallout 3 as well.

My biggest complaint so far on Dead Space is that melee combat is so awkward and for most purposes, completely useless.  I started playing on the Hard difficulty, which to my surprise is actually hard.  Almost every encounter I have with an enemy is a life or death situation.  I can not afford to waste a single bullet or health bar or I am pretty much screwed.  I have really tried to use melee combat, but the system is so unintuitive.  They really should have just copied the Resident Evil 4 knife system, which should be the standard for melee as a last resort in the Survival Genre. 

Overall though, the game is really really good.  I'm really glad that Hard mode is actually hard.  Most game are a joke these days, no matter the difficulty level.  The game definitely has an Event Horizon, Aliens and The Thing vibe to it, which are pretty much the gold standards if your gonna make a game setting in space where you fight aliens.  I will absolutely guarantee that a lot of developers for all kinds of games will copy the minimalist interface of Dead Space, it really cranks up the immersion to not have flashing health bars and ammo counters all over your screen. 

[dicemanx]

My biggest complaint so far on Dead Space is that melee combat is so awkward and for most purposes, completely useless.

The wild flail is indeed rather awkward, although it does reflect the fact that the lead character is not a melee combat specialist, but an engineer. The stomp on the other hand is very useful - one tactic to conserve ammo on hard is to cut off a leg with 1-2 well placed shots, and then rush up and stomp them when they fall down. This is a very satisfying tactic in addition to the other approach to conserve ammo - stasis it and then surgically pick of the limbs until death.

[Sextiger]

The stomp is alright but you need Stasis for it honestly, and Stasis is hard to get as is.    Your guy gets like 2-3 shotted by monsters, its very risky to get close to enemies at all.  Monster health is so varied in this game too, sometimes I pop off two limbs and they die and other times I have to remove all their limbs before they croak. 

[Meddling Mike]

This game actually looked pretty interesting, and had it been released about 3 months ago I might have bought it. But with Fallout 3, Gears of War 2 and Wrath of the Lich King imminent I don't think I'm going to bother. Maybe if I see it in a bargain bin in about a year or so...

[Vegeta2711]

Dead Space was alright when I played it, but I kept getting the feeling that they just relied on the 'OMG YOU CAN SHOOT OFF ALL OF THIS GUY' gimmick way too much. First few times were fine, after that I kind of just get sick of not knowing when the other guy is completely and utterly shat upon.

I had a bit more positive outlook than Yathzee on the game, but I agreed with many of his criticisms.

[Dr.KnowMaD]

It sounds cute, basically the same things I read about last year when was working on the side at the printing factory that does GameInformer, GamePro, Play, and tips&tricks. The cool thing was lots of the issues (other than the big game convention months) where printed one to two months prior to shelf release.

The only problem is that its garbage compared to my game (I got pages of patented info).  Unfortunately mine has no one to make it and its hard to get someone to listen if you don't have connections.  So instead I converted it into a board game and its in its final stages of testing.   I have played many games with friends and think people will like it.  I'll let known when the finished product is professionally produced.
 
                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                               Dr.KnowMaD