Dead Space
Preview
Just Try and Scream…
by aHong
previewed on X360
Not to be played alone...in the dark (cntd.)
Dead Space certainly provides the sudden, heart stopping moments that make a great horror game. Grotesque aliens with terrifying screams are always lurking around the corner, and the worst part is that you never know when these creatures will strike. Electronic Arts is experimenting with all sorts of psychological terror being thrown at the player throughout the plot.
Challenges
If Isaac Clarke’s situation didn’t sound depressing enough, he starts out with limited possibilities for defending himself from the alien creatures. The aliens on the other hand, are equipped with razor sharp appendages and mouths ready to devour human flesh, Clarke is forced to be creative and resourceful when encountering his enemies. Keep in mind that Clarke is trapped in a mining ship that was not meant for combat and for that reason guns and ammo are very scarce. Luckily, Isaac is a trained engineer and knowledgeable when it comes to MacGyver-ing technical equipment into weapons and improving existing weapons. His skills allow him to add upgrades to any weapons he comes across.
Utilizing the available resources
Using stasis field technology, you will be able to slow down your enemies so that you can make optimum use of those few rounds that you have available to take the creature down. This is technology is especially useful when you consider that the aliens are lightning fast and you will have very little breathing space when trying to stay alive.
While Isaac is a little underpowered on the weapons side, he does have one edge over his opponents, and that is his suit. Being tracked and integrated into the ship’s network, it provides updates on the ship’s status, gives holographic images of the useable items, and gives details about Isaac’s status. Because of the advanced features that come with the suit, the developers felt vindicated to leave out any form of HUD. Without one, a more immersive experience can be provided, one that is untainted by any clutter on the screen.
As well as adding some interesting gameplay elements, the suit also has an air supply ready for use in the parts of the ship that have been decompressed or otherwise exposed to space. So, while it is noted that the majority of the game will be spent inside the huge ship, gamers will also get to explore sections where gravity has disappeared. Sections with no gravity, little weapons, and life threatening aliens sound like quite an exhilarating experience.
Clarke is not trained for combat and will have very little health, making for a difficult but overall more realistic experience. The pressure of staying alive and the fear of not knowing what could lurk around the next hall of the ship will really push people into utilizing their weapons and health to the best of their ability.
The Scare of the Year
So far, Dead Space is starting to shape up into a title worthy of grabbing the attention of gamers everywhere and scaring the living daylights of them. You have less than five months to prepare for what could be the scare of the year!
