Recommended by KB0 as part of this list.
"Libera temet ex inferis."
The USG Ishimura lies abandoned, harnessed in the orbit of Aegis VII, a metal coffin that holds within the full spectrum of life itself: The dead, the soon to be, and the reborn. The rhythmic thud of our hero Isaac's boots fill the vacant air of corpse-strewn halls, the far-off screams of either a victim or a perpetrator ringing just out of earshot. The ear-splitting thump-thump of the heart, the sounds of labored & panicked breathing on the precipice of hyperventilation, the subtle click of Isaac's repurposed-for-war power tool being raised and aimed at an elevator door that seems to descend into eternity.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
The presentation of Dead Space is easily it's biggest strength. It's insistence at making every mechanic and video game genre convention a diegetic part of the world lends it an atmosphere like no other. Nearly every weapon that Isaac gains is a power tool instead of a designated instrument of war. The menus are hologram projections that we can see the back off when the camera is rotated around with the right stick. The health bar is a physical part of Isaac's suit. Posters around the USG Ishimura mention gameplay mechanics like the Stasis or Kinesis Modules. All these little details culminate in one of the most immersive horror games I've played in recent memory, despite it's futuristic setting and high-concept.
Alongside it's phenomenal UI, the suspense of its exploration is another aspect in which Dead Space shines. The somewhat cramped over-the-shoulder camera closing in on Isaac in cramped corridors. The near-silence of the vacuum of space, where enemies are silent and the only feedback you have is the subtle vibration of your controller as Isaac walks and shoots. The minimal cast of human characters which Isaac very rarely (if ever) directly interacts with or sees in any capacity, exacerbated by Isaac's silence in the face of it all. The entirety of Isaac's nightmarish affair trapped in the great starry abyss is permeated by an intensely isolating feeling that had me aiming my trusty Plasma Cutter at every doorway, tensed up at what could potentially be behind the turn of a hallway. It's a masterclass in horror suspense that had me on the edge of my seat dreading most encounters.
While Dead Space's idea of horror is incredibly cheesy, never really advancing beyond its initial arsenal of spooky monsters going "OOGA-BOOGA!" at you while the orchestral score puts it's whole pussy into the horn section, it's in it's encounter design that Dead Space makes the most of its survival horror aspirations. The Necromorphs unique weakness is their limbs, requiring a different skillset than the average third-person shooter since it's all about dismemberment; careful aiming and precise shots at constantly moving targets that love to ambush you from vents both above and below in these incredibly tight spaces, forcing you up close and personal as you try to line up shots with your limited ammo and somewhat clumsy unarmed moveset (aside from the best stomp in the industry bar none). Every encounter is tense, with item drops being somewhat stingy and usually only enough to barely get you by in a pinch, and it's truly sublime. In my first time playthrough where I never used anything aside from the starting Plasma Cutter, there was a section in Chapter 9 where I was neck-deep in the thick of it, with no shops nearby and only 14 shots left to my name. I was just barely scrapping by each encounter, taking care not to let even a single shot run errant, thanking the lord for every measly pickup of 6 bullets I found in a corner somewhere, and even making mad dashes across an arena looking for anything to use when I ran out of ammo, Necromorphs nipping at my heels all the while. It's the most fun I've had in an action game in a long while and it's the sort of thrill I can't get enough of.
Nearing almost 14 years since its initial release, Dead Space still stands tall above its contemporaries as a standout survival horror title, and no doubt one of the best from the 7th generation alone. It's oppressive atmosphere, love for its sci-fi contemporaries and no-frills tense gameplay make it a must play for both survival horror enthusiasts and action game junkies.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
...
"Hazardous Anomaly Detected. Quarantine Activated."
"Libera temet ex inferis."
The USG Ishimura lies abandoned, harnessed in the orbit of Aegis VII, a metal coffin that holds within the full spectrum of life itself: The dead, the soon to be, and the reborn. The rhythmic thud of our hero Isaac's boots fill the vacant air of corpse-strewn halls, the far-off screams of either a victim or a perpetrator ringing just out of earshot. The ear-splitting thump-thump of the heart, the sounds of labored & panicked breathing on the precipice of hyperventilation, the subtle click of Isaac's repurposed-for-war power tool being raised and aimed at an elevator door that seems to descend into eternity.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
The presentation of Dead Space is easily it's biggest strength. It's insistence at making every mechanic and video game genre convention a diegetic part of the world lends it an atmosphere like no other. Nearly every weapon that Isaac gains is a power tool instead of a designated instrument of war. The menus are hologram projections that we can see the back off when the camera is rotated around with the right stick. The health bar is a physical part of Isaac's suit. Posters around the USG Ishimura mention gameplay mechanics like the Stasis or Kinesis Modules. All these little details culminate in one of the most immersive horror games I've played in recent memory, despite it's futuristic setting and high-concept.
Alongside it's phenomenal UI, the suspense of its exploration is another aspect in which Dead Space shines. The somewhat cramped over-the-shoulder camera closing in on Isaac in cramped corridors. The near-silence of the vacuum of space, where enemies are silent and the only feedback you have is the subtle vibration of your controller as Isaac walks and shoots. The minimal cast of human characters which Isaac very rarely (if ever) directly interacts with or sees in any capacity, exacerbated by Isaac's silence in the face of it all. The entirety of Isaac's nightmarish affair trapped in the great starry abyss is permeated by an intensely isolating feeling that had me aiming my trusty Plasma Cutter at every doorway, tensed up at what could potentially be behind the turn of a hallway. It's a masterclass in horror suspense that had me on the edge of my seat dreading most encounters.
While Dead Space's idea of horror is incredibly cheesy, never really advancing beyond its initial arsenal of spooky monsters going "OOGA-BOOGA!" at you while the orchestral score puts it's whole pussy into the horn section, it's in it's encounter design that Dead Space makes the most of its survival horror aspirations. The Necromorphs unique weakness is their limbs, requiring a different skillset than the average third-person shooter since it's all about dismemberment; careful aiming and precise shots at constantly moving targets that love to ambush you from vents both above and below in these incredibly tight spaces, forcing you up close and personal as you try to line up shots with your limited ammo and somewhat clumsy unarmed moveset (aside from the best stomp in the industry bar none). Every encounter is tense, with item drops being somewhat stingy and usually only enough to barely get you by in a pinch, and it's truly sublime. In my first time playthrough where I never used anything aside from the starting Plasma Cutter, there was a section in Chapter 9 where I was neck-deep in the thick of it, with no shops nearby and only 14 shots left to my name. I was just barely scrapping by each encounter, taking care not to let even a single shot run errant, thanking the lord for every measly pickup of 6 bullets I found in a corner somewhere, and even making mad dashes across an arena looking for anything to use when I ran out of ammo, Necromorphs nipping at my heels all the while. It's the most fun I've had in an action game in a long while and it's the sort of thrill I can't get enough of.
Nearing almost 14 years since its initial release, Dead Space still stands tall above its contemporaries as a standout survival horror title, and no doubt one of the best from the 7th generation alone. It's oppressive atmosphere, love for its sci-fi contemporaries and no-frills tense gameplay make it a must play for both survival horror enthusiasts and action game junkies.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
...
"Hazardous Anomaly Detected. Quarantine Activated."