Dead Space (2008)

Overall, Dead Space is an extraordinary game with tons of shock value and action to whet any fan's appetite for some time, and with a campaign that lasts a steady 10-12 hours, that’s plenty of time to get lost aboard the Ishimura.

This is a highly recommended game for science fiction and survival horror fans, with its claustrophobic atmosphere and horrible creatures.

Dead Space is one of best Survival Horror releases in years. Tense, violent and incredibly aggressive; playing it at night with a loud 5.1 sound system can provide you the most spectacular scare moments of your life.

An incredibly atmospheric and disturbingly gruesome deep-space adventure that will haunt your dreams and leave you begging for more.

I know that no game is perfect but I can honestly say I had no technical issues with Dead Space at all. It did what it said it would and scared the hell out of me on a regular basis. Dead Space is one of the best survival horror games I have played and I look forward with baited breath to the sequel.

[Issue#13, p.54]

Dead Space feels like an admittedly fetid yet refreshing wind to the old genre of survival horror. I’d certainly not recommend playing it by night or in total darkness unless you are of awesome health and gladly would give Alma a handshake without thinking twice about the consequences. Important advice: Play it to the end! If you dare. [Issue # 16]

The horror genre has a new king: Dead Space excels in all disciplines - whether it’s playability, atmosphere, tension or presentation. An absolute must-have for all horror- and action-fans.

A good example of refinement over innovation.

An excellent new addition to the splinter group of action games centered around horror. I suspect they will make a sequel and I suspect it too will spawn a franchise. Dead Space gets it right when it comes to the scares.

Dead Space brings few innovations and a little too much gore but delivers an atmosphere that has no peer in recent action games. The best EA game in years.

This is what Doom 3 could have been if it were developed by creative designers - a stylish, relentless mix of nightmares, drama and visceral action. Wait until the sundown, turn up your speakers and turn off the lights. You will be impressed.

Call it science fiction survival horror, but Dead Space does the genre proud with an engaging story; action that's tense, fast-paced and extremely violent; as well as atmospheric qualities that will get under your skin and make you jump.

Dead Space is great entertainments for adults, not only because of the amount of gore and horror, but also because of the enthralling story with some nice twists. It's impressive how well pictures, dialogues and sound work together to form a cinema-like atmosphere.

Dead Space is solid, but it's not entirely smooth. [Dec 2008, p.74]

From a technical point of view, Dead Space is alright. It’s not great, but it holds its own, especially for a console port. The framerate is good, and the bugs are negligible.

Dead Space was definitely a risk for EA and it's great to see they were willing to run with it, because it is a fantastic game. It looks and sounds great, is a lot of fun to play and oozes atmosphere.

Dead Space is a pleasant surprise, it takes the best elements of classic terror sci-fi films and combines them with some of the most notorious ideas of games like Bioshock, Condemned, Resident Evil 4 or Doom 3. Instead of an improved but unoriginal copycat, the team managed to give this mix a distinctive personality, making it a great experience on its own.

But Dead Space is a reminder that influence and convention, sharply focused, can become terrifically creepy.

Dead Space is a potentially great game that's hamstrung by an attempt to completely ape a console controller with a mouse and keyboard. [Dec 2008, p.58]

This would have been a much more compelling horror game if not for the bizarrely sluggish mouse movement, which feels strangely slow and floaty. [Holiday 2008, p.68]

Not without epic moments, but even they can't shift the 'lazy console conversion' feeling that permeates the pant-soiling atmosphere. [Christmas 2008, p.90]

Wait for the sunset then try this “Resident Evil of Space”. Soon you will cry for light. An unusual (especially for EA) horror game that stands out in design and atmosphere in permanent fear. [Nov 2008]

Too much repetition and the occasional dip into unoriginality does make it a grind in places, but the story did just enough to pull us through.

Dead Space has enough new elements to make a memorable experience out of it. The lack of a HUD, the use of telekenetic powers and the original weapons all contribute to that. Even the setting, a spaceship, is done so well that there is enough variety in the environments. The controls could have been a bit more direct, but Dead Space is still a perfect way to have a few scary nights.

A fine and very playable horror game, and while the relatively linear story line and straightforwardness of the battles don’t combine to offer much replay value, it’s still worth the price of admission.