Screaming In Public Isn't Allowed...Apparently.

Whilst being stuck at work (I work away from home) and having no internet again AND leaving my brand spanking WiiU alone in my house with my house mates (I swear to god, if my save file of Windwaker is gone. https://twitter.com/Mr_Lee1990 I will literally chop off your balls) I decided to browse the games installed on my laptop and found this.

Dead Space! I must admit, I am not comfortable playing any type of horror game (just check my review of Home, a pixel game which scared the shit outta me) so for me to actually play this is an achievement in itself. It was released back in 2008 and, although we now have next gen, still a bloody (pun) good looking game. Set on the USG Ishimura, you play as Isaac Clarke, a space engineer who has inadvertently been dropped in the proverbial shit.

GAMEPLAY.

This was during the time where over-the-shoulder camera was being used to full effect and I gotta say... Dead Space does it incredibly well. The fact you can only see the direction which you're facing, increases the atmosphere by ten fold when you're being chased or suspect something is in a room with you. 

The gameplay consists of enemies that weak points are limbs which you cut off with various weapons. If I'm honest I only use the starter weapon because it's upgradable and becomes incredibly powerful. You use nodes to upgrade the suit, weapons and the stasis module. The stasis module helps slow down enemies and there's a kenesis module which let's you pick up items round the environment. The enemies come in different shapes and sizes and all are terrifying. They will crawl out of vents and attempt to rip your face off or try and drag you away into the abyss of the ship. If you are grabbed the game gives you a chance to escape by mashing buttons until Isaac gives it the old boot. The freakiest enemy though, in my opinion, is the babies with tentacles. They look horrifying and crawl on walls. They scream at you and fire fucking projectiles. I never want babies in case this scenario unfolds before me.

NOOOOOOOOOPEEE! 

PRESENTATION.

Dead Space looks amazing. Some of the best parts are in space when you can see all the stars glittering beyond the destruction of the ship. And in these areas all the sounds are muffled to give the player the feeling of being in space, the only accompanying sound is Isaac's increasingly harsh breathing. All the enemies are well drawn but the presentation of the blood on the walls and everywhere else, including body parts, brings the atmospherics of the ship to an eerie high. The only issue I've had is if a corpse is in a lift with me, it glitches into the ground but it's forgivable. The map system, and inventory are done through the suit, so the game doesn't pause, so picking a quiet spot is usually best. The suits can be upgraded in time and 

SOUND.

One of my favourite parts in any game! The sound! Dead Space makes good use of "no sound in space". During the parts where the player has to explore or move on the outside of the ship, all the sounds are muffled to give the player the feeling of being in space; the only accompanying sound is Isaac's increasingly harsh breathing. The music is the first thing to notice on Dead Space. The violins are played off key and make a horrible screeching noise which accompanies Isaac through the ship. This makes the player feel constantly on edge...well it certainly did for me! 

SUMMARY. 

Dead Space certainly knows how to scare the shit out of people and I am no exception. From the terrifying enemies (especially the babies) to the haunting breaths of Isaac in space. A must play for fans of horror and action fans. 

Cheers for reading. To my "fans" sorry for the delay. Work work work!  

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O.E.Gamer. 

@theOEGamer