...no, not the Zero-G sequences.
...no, not the hallway tentacle rape sequences.
...no, not the lack of a jetpack.
Okay, I'm going off on a tangent here. The plot begins in the 26th century with Issac Clarke, a systems engineer of the USG Kellion going on a totally routine mission with his crew to investigate the distress signals of the USG Poseidon...err, I mean Ishimura. Also aboard is Issac's girlfriend Nicole, who Issac hasn't seen in roughly two years and is all too happy to see again...never mind how she and the rest of the crew have come up with a nasty case of space zombie madness.
Yes, all jokes aside, the crew of the Ishimura has apparently been subjected to a Voyage of the Damned meets Dawn of the Dead scenario and it's up to Issac and the few survivors from the Kellion to get aboard, figure out what happened, and Issac using all sorts of tasty bits of weaponry - both actual and improvised - to get through and hopefully save the universe from a similarly space zombie fate. And all in all, it's a pretty fun game that has a lot of atmosphere - ironic given the name.
Instead of just going with the usual armaments of a space marine, Issac only gets the some tools of the trade of engineering. After all, everyone remembers that episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where Geordi used a gun that shoots razor blades to repair a transwarp conduit, am I right? Beyond that awesome weapon, Issac also gets his hands on a force gun (shotgun), line gun (mine shooter), and a flamethrower (...no, that one's exactly what it says on the tin) along with other tasty bits of heavy ordinance such as your standard pulse rifle.
Mind you, it makes sense, since Issac isn't a trained mercenary commando. He's an engineer thrown into a crazy situation and has to get out using his wits and sheer dumb luck, not unlike another protagonist in another game with man-eating space aliens.
Actually, if there's anything that Dead Space does remind me of, it's the Alien franchise, particularly the first film. An unknown, terrifying menace who seeks the complete and utter destruction of all humans simply because of a basic, primal need. Not out of some maliciousness towards its prey. The creatures are survivors... unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality. The Necromorphs have no desire for anything other than to eat people and create more of their kind, called by the siren's song of the Marker.
And that's what really helps to make them more terrifying, and makes Issac's ultimate triumph in the end all the better. After so much curbstomping (Issac's melee on fallen enemies, it's probably the most memorable thing about this game), Issac finally does manage to escape from the smoking remains he's created and away as the last of the Necromorphs are burned away, and he's safe at last...
...or is he? Well, we know from Dead Space 2 that Issac's life does not become all ice cream and strippers.
As it happens, I actually prefer Issac in this game than I do in the latter two. Even though I do like his story from the second game, and I even like his voice actor when he comes in, it's far easier to project onto him in this one due to having little personality outside of the player's headcanons and decisions. Which I would mock other games for doing, but here it works due to Issac being a silent protagonist in the events.
One of the biggest problems I had with this game, and one of the problems I had with Dead Space 2 is the shops. I am running for my life from Lovecraftian beasts in space, why in the name of God am I remotely worried about paying fair prices for anything? Why don't I just use my elite engineering skills and make the machines just give me whatever I want, instead seeing to it that the machines only have a limited supply? In a game like this, why is there even a monetary system? This really should have been thought out more.
On the whole, however, I really like this game and I feel way more invested in it than I am when I play either of its sequels (not that I have or ever will play 3 any more). While I do enjoy the over the top hilarity of Dead Space 2, this one really hits the high notes in horror, at least for me. Scary enough to scratch that outer space horror itch, and in a way that doesn't give Randy Pitchford money. What more could you ask for?
Dead Space is now available from Visceral Games and Electronic Arts for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
For the latest from the MadCapMunchkin, be sure to follow him on Twitter @MadCapMunchkin.
No comments:
Post a Comment