If Aliens and The Thing were to have a baby......

[Dreddz]

.....It'd probably be Dead Space.

Anyone else managed to pick this game up? I've been playing the game since Thursday and have mixed reactions to the game. The initial 3 hours were awesome but the game becomes way too repetitive later on. This game pretty much throws everything it has at you in the initial first chapters and then tries to stretch it out. I'm only half way through the game and I'm already getting tired of it.

It also seems like they took way too much inspiration from other movies and games. So your wondering around a space station with a group of marines and engineers after something terrible has happened (Aliens) and find out the entire crew had picked up an alien lifeform from a planet which subsequently kills everyone and turns them into the aliens from The Thing. You then slowly wonder around the ship finding audio logs slowly telling you what has happened (Bioshock). Oh and it controls like one other video game you might know (Resident Evil 4)

The game also isn't very scary. Although it does have a great atmosphere. In fact, the visuals and sound are truly excellent. Probably the best part about the game.

[krissy]

yeah it totally looks like re4 control wise

which isn't a bad thing

hey warren ellis wrote the story so i might end up one day getting it just for that reason

[Slothy]

yeah it totally looks like re4 control wise

The simple fact that this game let's you move while aiming, and the laser sights on weapons doesn't dissapear when not pointed at an enemy makes this game control 10x better than RE4.

I am enjoying the game thus far, but I do agree with you Dreddz that it's not very scary. The game never really goes long enough without something jumping out at you to build up any tension. Even worse is that generally, when you hear a noise like something's jumped out behind you, it did and you should turn around and kill it now. In the midst of borrowing from different sources for inspiration I think they should have spent a little more time with the Silent Hill series. They got the dark areas where you can barely see in front of you right, they just missed everything else that made those games truly frightening.

Like I said though, it's still fun.

[Akaria]

There was another topic on this asking if there's a serious threat to the Silent Hill/Resident Evil franchise with this game.

Answer: No.

Like, really? Yeah, it's pretty, and the killing system is pretty cool where you have to cut off their limbs instead of BOOM! headshot, but that's about it. It is kinda creepy, but Resident Evil has the whole virus thing down to a perfectly intricate science (lawl), and I really don't think this can hold a candle to Silent Hill. I've been switching off between Silent Hill Homecoming and Dead Space, and really, I play Silent Hill to get scared. Then, when I wanna build up my courage, I switch over to Dead Space to get the same feeling, but I really don't get scared from it...Then it's back over to Silent Hill.

I think part of it is that Silent Hill has the whole scary ambiance noise thing going on. The industrial music really adds something to it that is truly unique and convincing to the series, and although it's been attempted, it has not yet been duplicated. I just really didn't get any of that in Dead Space, even with my buddy's high tech surround sound thing going on.

Don't get me wrong - It's a fun game, which I can enjoy periodically. Not in long stretches, but periodically. It's just...Not original enough for me.

[Slothy]

I don't know about it not being a threat to the RE series, at least as a serious survival horror game. RE4 was pretty boring to me on the horror front once you get out of the village, and I think Dead Space managed to fix everything I hated about the gameplay in RE4 so far. Honestly, I couldn't give two craps about the next RE, but if they announce a sequel to Dead Space I'll be all over it.

[Dreddz]

Dead Space kind of fits nicely between Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Its scarier than RE4 (because lets be honest, RE4 was an action game through and through) but not as scary as Silent Hill. Its gameplay isn't quite as satisfying as RE4's but still better than Silent Hills. This game is the jack of all trades but master of none. Its a good game but its lack of originality makes it less memorable than other survival horror games.

I think part of it is that Silent Hill has the whole scary ambiance noise thing going on. The industrial music really adds something to it that is truly unique and convincing to the series, and although it's been attempted, it has not yet been duplicated. I just really didn't get any of that in Dead Space, even with my buddy's high tech surround sound thing going on.
I agree that Silent Hill has scarier sound design but in terms of overall quality Dead Space sounds better. I'd go as far to say that its one of the best sounding games ever made. The attention to detail is really impressive, like when your outside the ship and the sound becomes muffled to fit the setting. Really gets you more immersed in the game.

I couldn't give two craps about the next RE, but if they announce a sequel to Dead Space I'll be all over it.
Dead Space doesn't have the legs to be a long running franchise. Its gameplay cannot support a game of its length so trying to pump out 2 more games in this series is a bad idea unless they make serious changes to the gameplay and setting. I am however interested to see what EA Redwood do next. You can tell that Dead Space was made by very talented people so if they gather some original ideas I'm sure we can see great things from them. I think EA are going to start turning heads with their in-house development soon. It'll be nice to see them as strong as a developer as they are a publisher.

[Slothy]

Dead Space doesn't have the legs to be a long running franchise. Its gameplay cannot support a game of its length so trying to pump out 2 more games in this series is a bad idea unless they make serious changes to the gameplay and setting. I am however interested to see what EA Redwood do next. You can tell that Dead Space was made by very talented people so if they gather some original ideas I'm sure we can see great things from them. I think EA are going to start turning heads with their in-house development soon. It'll be nice to see them as strong as a developer as they are a publisher.

I haven't had the chance to play through the whole game yet, so perhaps my opinion will change. But even still, I didn't think RE4 had gameplay that could support it's length, but people drool all over it, so I'm going to feel free to thoroughly enjoy Dead Space for as long as it lasts. Maybe I will find it too long, but I don't think it could ever give me that feeling the way RE4 did (I thought it was too long 1/3rd of the way through).

I wouldn't count out the possibility of a franchise, again with the qualifier that I haven't played the whole thing yet. Dead Space has some strong gameplay design, and all the pieces it needs to be at the top of the horror genre. I think there's plenty of room for them to improve in a sequel. At least I hope so since I wouldn't put it past EA of all companies to pump out a sequel to a game that is obviously becoming a fairly big hit for them. Particularly given their general lack of original IP's. I do hope that with this, and the upcoming Mirror's Edge, however, that we see EA pulling some rabbits out of their hats more often in the future.

[XxSephirothxX]

Dead Space was awesome, and I look forward to having time for a second and third playthrough.

[Quindiana Jones]

I'm literally spazzing out with excitement over Dead Space. I'm not gonna bother comparing it to anything until I've played it, but from what I've read, it's pretty damn good.

Besides, I'm getting this game for peanuts, so I can't really go wrong.