Dead Space

THE GOOD:
- The atmosphere is intense, amplified by the setting and use of audio.
- There is a sensible yet awesome array of weapons.
- You explore literally every inch of the Ishimura; even the outside of the ship.

THE BAD:
- Gameplay can get choppy and confusing in small spaces.
- The story runs through 12 chapter, each being around 30 minutes long.
- For those who haven't done their homework, the plot may seem to be a bit mindboggling.

SUMMARY:
Survival horror is probably one of my favourite genres in gaming, as well as in movies and novels too (minus the survival bit of course). 2008 didn't really produce many games that would have you buried beneath a pile of cushions. Of course there was Left 4 Dead, but it had no atmosphere about it whatsoever, being way too frantic to be a true addition to the horror genre, whereas games such as Condemned 2 hit the nail straight on the head. However, with 2009 drawing closer...

THE GOOD:
- Brilliant, immersive atmosphere
- Great storytelling
- Very tense, and some chilling parts
- A wide variety of weapons, giving the player different ways of killing necromorphs
- Impressive audio design
- Gorgeous graphics

THE BAD:
- Not as scary as you would think
- Repetitive objectives (although by no means boring)
- Final boss fight is very underwhelming

SUMMARY:
Dead Space is a new IP developed by Visceral games, and a refreshing take on the horror genre. I wouldn't call it a traditional survival horror title because it isn't. What it is though, is an action packed title packed with some conventional horror elements and most importantly, brilliant, addictive gameplay.

Dead space puts you in the shoes of Isaac Clarke, an engineer who is dispatched to a space vessel in trouble called the USG Ishimura, which "cracks" planets and extracts their valuable natural resources, bringing them...