Dead Space (2008)

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1937 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,578 out of 1937
  2. Mixed: 243 out of 1937
  3. Negative: 116 out of 1937
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  1. Mikep
    Jan 19, 2010
    7
    Underwhelming. It started out with a lot of potential and slowly leveled out in mediocrity. The way the controls operate is different but highly functional. The angle at which the camera is set above the right shoulder makes it extremely difficult to accurately orient yourself behind objects and usually had me moving about a foot too far to the left. Now usually this isn't a problem, Underwhelming. It started out with a lot of potential and slowly leveled out in mediocrity. The way the controls operate is different but highly functional. The angle at which the camera is set above the right shoulder makes it extremely difficult to accurately orient yourself behind objects and usually had me moving about a foot too far to the left. Now usually this isn't a problem, but when that one foot is say...in front of a meteor shower that kills you instantly or in front of the exhaust from a spaceships main thrusters; it gets to be annoying reloading the game two or three times because the insight that maybe you need perspective to gauge distance effectively to not die didn't occur to the developers. The visuals are very good in this game, it offers some very unique and tense environments you'd be hard pressed to see recreated elsewhere; the Zero-G segments are very cool and very accurate as is the vacuum segments. The sound is stellar in this game, I bring this up next because the vacuum segments are almost completely soundless, you can only hear your own breathing and some of the vibrations from your weapons on the outside of the suit. the rest of the sound production is extremely well done; from the horror orchestration to the scratching of claws behind double thick bulkheads it'll test your surround sound very well. Unfortunately, the worst part of the game is probably the storyline; it consists of a reason to bring you to the "big scary space ship" and the rest is composed of what awful place you have to go to find a computer component to open the next door. Any character development is split between the two bookends on either side of the actual game. I actually forgot why the main character was in this situation by the time I got to the end because it's never mentioned again until practically before the credits roll...and I beat the game in slightly less than eight hours on medium. The one furiously aggravating part about this game is that you are continuously separated from catching the "bad guy" by various windows throughout the game, CONSTANTLY. You will exit a room you just fixed only to the have the door lock and the "bad guy" appear on the inside of the room destroying everything you just did and belittling you while he does it and you just have to play along, criminally annoying.… Expand
  2. ArshadS
    Dec 11, 2009
    7
    Scary at first since you will learn what to expect later on during the game. The game is way too short. Would be worth buying it on budget.
  3. TheMitherer
    Oct 21, 2011
    7
    A triumph of style and gimmicks over substance. There is not much going on here except for shooting monsters repeatedly. An overly generous person would call both the setting and the storyline minimal, that same person would call it predictable and sometimes a little bit scary. Having said that, some of the weapons are good, some of the gimmicks keep you interested and you do actually wantA triumph of style and gimmicks over substance. There is not much going on here except for shooting monsters repeatedly. An overly generous person would call both the setting and the storyline minimal, that same person would call it predictable and sometimes a little bit scary. Having said that, some of the weapons are good, some of the gimmicks keep you interested and you do actually want to escape the damn place. So I managed to finish it and just about got my money's worth. I cannot envisage a scenario whereby I'd ever play it again and would only recommend it to horror maniacs who have no more than £10 to spare and nothing better to do.… Expand
  4. Matseb2611
    May 12, 2012
    7
    I'd start off by saying that Dead Space is nowhere near as scary as Penumbra or Amnesia, and neither is it as good of a third-person shooter as the likes of Mass Effect 2, but it's a pretty fun game nevertheless. The game takes place in outer space, on a derelict spaceship, where savage monsters have overrun it completely. The game definitely has some unexpected moments popping up everyI'd start off by saying that Dead Space is nowhere near as scary as Penumbra or Amnesia, and neither is it as good of a third-person shooter as the likes of Mass Effect 2, but it's a pretty fun game nevertheless. The game takes place in outer space, on a derelict spaceship, where savage monsters have overrun it completely. The game definitely has some unexpected moments popping up every now and again and there is an intense atmosphere present, but I won't say that the game is over the top terrifying or anything. In fact it feels more like an action shooter than a horror game. Perhaps the thing that I liked the most about Dead Space is its very unique weapons which you use to kill the monsters with, weapons such as the Line Gun, that shoots a thin slice of energy to cut monsters' limbs off; the Ripper, that brings out a rapidly spinning saw disk to propel through anyone who comes too close; the Force Gun, that shoots a powerful close-ranged shockwave that knocks everything out of its way, and some others. The game also utilises some RPG elements, in that you get to pick up special power nodes throughout the missions and then you get to use the futuristic work bench to use these nodes to make your weapons and armor suit stronger. So I'd say these are the major strengths of the game - unique guns, some RPG elements, intense atmosphere. There is a bit of a story as well, but it sort of always stays on the background. Lastly I'll just mention that I came across two in-game bugs which forced me to have to reload from a previous save point, and that was only in a single playthrough and was sort of annoying. And another slightly annoying thing was that some of the puzzles were a bit too bland. From what I've heard, Dead Space 2 is supposed to be better, so I hope they've fixed some of this game's shortcomings.… Expand
  5. snowshreder
    Jul 5, 2011
    7
    this game scared the **** out of me and I don't scare easily it really reminded my of the alien anomaly in the movie Thing. The story in this game is short though i still enjoyed it, Graphics are great, Weapons are nothing like I have ever seen, mechanics are simply and did i mention i almost crapped my pants playing this game, its really freaky really, don't play this game if you havethis game scared the **** out of me and I don't scare easily it really reminded my of the alien anomaly in the movie Thing. The story in this game is short though i still enjoyed it, Graphics are great, Weapons are nothing like I have ever seen, mechanics are simply and did i mention i almost crapped my pants playing this game, its really freaky really, don't play this game if you have heart conditions.… Expand
  6. FFStudios
    Jul 25, 2012
    7
    I remember once saying that Amnesia The Dark Descent is probably the scariest horror game ever made; although I do admit that I hadn't actually played any other horror game before. Unfortunately for Dead Space fans, this game hasn't changed my mind. The game takes place in space and follows yet another emotion-less mute Issac Clarke. On a positive note, the game is very well put togetherI remember once saying that Amnesia The Dark Descent is probably the scariest horror game ever made; although I do admit that I hadn't actually played any other horror game before. Unfortunately for Dead Space fans, this game hasn't changed my mind. The game takes place in space and follows yet another emotion-less mute Issac Clarke. On a positive note, the game is very well put together and I'm sure gore-hounds will probably love the frequent dismemberment and violence. The combat is quite satisfying and the upgrade system feels fluid. However, being a console port, Dead Space is not well-optimised for the mouse & keyboard, with a weirdly floaty mouse and disjointed sensitivity. The biggest problem I have with Dead Space though, besides the controls, is that it's not even that scary: gory yes, plenty of it, but only the first 10 minutes were genuinely terrifying for me. Once you get your mittens on the weapons though, the game just becomes a series of action sequences with occasional padding and tedious repetition. The game just lacks any form of subtlety; the monsters will eagerly display themselves at every opportunity, bringing an orchestral jump every time they appear. Even after a glitch making the difficulty to jump from Easy (don't judge me) to Medium, the weapons are quite overpowered and the levels start to stretch themselves. So in conclusion, Dead Space is a Survival Horror game that slipped up over the whole horror aspect, so it's essentially just a survival action game. Just to be clear though, Dead Space is not a bad game at all; it looks great, sounds great and is still quite entertaining. A popcorn game I'd say, if you're looking for proper survival horror then Google "Slender"; if that doesn't scare you, nothing will.… Expand
  7. Professor
    Jan 20, 2012
    7
    I enjoyed this game but not all the gore - too much graphic violence. There were no nice rest periods much to contrast with sudden terror and so wasn't actually as scary as it could have been. Given almost constant terror and you get almost used to it...not as good as System Shock 2 which it copied many ideas from, from the level names, to limited ammo, sci abilities, purchase booths,I enjoyed this game but not all the gore - too much graphic violence. There were no nice rest periods much to contrast with sudden terror and so wasn't actually as scary as it could have been. Given almost constant terror and you get almost used to it...not as good as System Shock 2 which it copied many ideas from, from the level names, to limited ammo, sci abilities, purchase booths, weapon slots and upgrade choices etc etc. They should have had more normal looking areas to contrast with other places covered with blood and guts. Come on, we are not all bloodthirsty animals here..bit over the top for violence but nonetheless well designed and still entertaining. The biggest flaw I felt was the total linear gameplay when given a choice of open tasks and ability to travel freely around levels would have been far better. That bird crumb direction indicator made it too easy actually and should have been some level of respawning to keep it interesting - ie like System Shock 2. Also I didnt appreciate the crap controls with PC on the keyboard - really sucked but with saying all that was worth 75% in my mind. If you dont like too much violence or gore then give it a miss.… Expand
  8. Thrusting
    Jan 7, 2012
    7
    At first I hated it, but then I read on some forums to disable V-sync. Wow, that made a massive difference. Goodbye mouse lag. Overall was a fun game. Was satisfied with the length of it. The story was extremely linear and predictable. I didnt find it scary either. It was mostly just the music blaring when stuffed popped out. No real terror like Silent Hill or Amnesia. I really enjoyed theAt first I hated it, but then I read on some forums to disable V-sync. Wow, that made a massive difference. Goodbye mouse lag. Overall was a fun game. Was satisfied with the length of it. The story was extremely linear and predictable. I didnt find it scary either. It was mostly just the music blaring when stuffed popped out. No real terror like Silent Hill or Amnesia. I really enjoyed the weapons. I would have liked Isaac, the main dude, to have a bit more of a character. He didnt really talk...like....ever. Overall: weak story, not scary, slightly clunky controls, awesome weapons and action, good graphics. Overall, above average, but not amazing. Oh, and would it have killed them to put in a quick turn ability! I hope Im not just a noob and never figured out how to do it.… Expand
  9. Keen
    May 20, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. 'This is not the best FPS horror game ever, but it does have nice atmosphere, weapons and shooting model and graphics. I probably won't forget the moment, when the first corpse surprisingly jumped at me. Sadly enough the scary moments get stereotypical and soon enough you will find yourself expecting most of them before they actually happen. Still, overall feeling of the game is nice and I had a pleasure playing it, which doesn't happen too often lately, at least not with new production.

    Just a note for people, who didn't play yet. You can actually destroy the green boxes on the ground, I have added new level of difficulty to my game by not knowing that leaving me short on ammo most of the game. I found it out pretty close to the end of game when I accidentally shot into one of those. =)    … Expand
  10. suneater
    Dec 11, 2012
    7
    Plays out like Resident Evil 4 in space but with more focus on horror and less QTEs. Scarce ammo, fantastic atmosphere from the amazing sound design & environmental effects, and the isolation & vastness of space fuel this modern survival horror adventure. The most impressive immersion element for me was how they handled the "HUD"; instead of on-screen indicators, your health bar and energyPlays out like Resident Evil 4 in space but with more focus on horror and less QTEs. Scarce ammo, fantastic atmosphere from the amazing sound design & environmental effects, and the isolation & vastness of space fuel this modern survival horror adventure. The most impressive immersion element for me was how they handled the "HUD"; instead of on-screen indicators, your health bar and energy are on your back with ammo on your gun. The only problems with it are port issues (you need to disable v-sync to use a mouse properly), the funneled levels, and a general lack of difficulty.… Expand
  11. sft
    May 22, 2013
    7
    Dead frustrating

    Okay, let’s get the bad out of the way first. The controls for the PC version of this otherwise good game are the worst I have ever encountered. I won’t go into detail but they’re so awkward they almost spoiled the game for me. Almost. (There are also some truly annoying problems with camera and viewpoint angles, but don’t get me started on that!) But what about the    Dead frustrating

    Okay, let’s get the bad out of the way first. The controls for the PC version of this otherwise good game are the worst I have ever encountered. I won’t go into detail but they’re so awkward they almost spoiled the game for me. Almost. (There are also some truly annoying problems with camera and viewpoint angles, but don’t get me started on that!) But what about the good? DEAD SPACE succeeds, despite the aforementioned problems, mainly because it oozes atmosphere. This is a very claustrophobic game that sucks you in and really does induce anxiety. You will jump many times, trust me. The story is okay, within the usual limitations of such games, the voice acting is uniformly convincing, and the graphics are good but not outstanding. Where this game excels is in the way it draws you in; immerses you in it’s dark atmosphere. This is a game that makes your palms sweat, which is exactly what it’s supposed to do.    … Expand
  12. gracjanski
    Jan 2, 2022
    7
    The biggest problem of this game is the controlling, sometimes this game made me even sick while looking around. And sometimes I ran to some walls, so this game cant hide their console origin and there are still technical problems, that EA didnt solve, because they dont care. There is a widescreen fixer, that changes the FOV and a mouse fix, they improve the game a lot. So download it.The biggest problem of this game is the controlling, sometimes this game made me even sick while looking around. And sometimes I ran to some walls, so this game cant hide their console origin and there are still technical problems, that EA didnt solve, because they dont care. There is a widescreen fixer, that changes the FOV and a mouse fix, they improve the game a lot. So download it.
    The dialogues are political correct, made to build up suspense and for teens, so dont expect intelligent characters or difficult gameplay, they even implement a idiot safe navigation system xD. Of course the game is very straight forward also "to avoid,that no one get lost". This game is so political correct, they implement even a female character who is bossing you around all the time and seldom put her life in danger. Do they think I will adapt my opinions to this "reality"?

    But other than that the game is not bad: The introduction into the story is perfect. The graphics still looks great.
    In addition I like that this game is more horror than another shooter, but maybe the ego perspective would have been better. And after few hours the effects are not so impressive anymore.    … Expand
  13. lutteres
    Mar 31, 2014
    7
    Let’s get straight to the point, Dead Space is NOT a good PC port. It suffers from all the symptoms: Low rez textures, Low FOV, frame cap at 30 fps (with v-sync on) and terrible….TERRIBLE controls.
    The Mouse and keyboard controls are half broken: The mouse in particular, if you enable v-sync the mouse will become extremely unresponsive and laggy. However, If you disable v-sync, and crank    Let’s get straight to the point, Dead Space is NOT a good PC port. It suffers from all the symptoms: Low rez textures, Low FOV, frame cap at 30 fps (with v-sync on) and terrible….TERRIBLE controls.
    The Mouse and keyboard controls are half broken: The mouse in particular, if you enable v-sync the mouse will become extremely unresponsive and laggy. However, If you disable v-sync, and crank up the mouse sensitivity and mouse DPI to the max, you might end up with half usable controls, but the caveat is, a bit of screen tearing. But even if you do that, the mouse will still behave in a sluggish manner, especially when switching to aim mode.
    The keyboard controls aren’t better also, sometimes the game will dismiss key inputs for no apparent reason, and the keymaping is also badly conceived.
    In resume, if you don’t have a gamepad, prepare to die… a lot, especially on the Boss fights, or when the game decides to throw hordes of necromorfs, at you, from all sides!
    Don’t get me wrong, this game is NOT difficult, not even on hard mode, what makes it difficult is the terrible controls.
    The other thing about this game is that it’s not a real survival/horror game, It tries to, really hard actually, but the problem is, survival horror is not about jump scares, but about building tension, and playing with your expectation. And this game rarely does that successfully; it overuses jumps scares too much, it’s too predictable at times and a bit cheesy in the gore department, and in the survival department, let’s just say you will rarely die from lack of ammo or med packs.
    However, Visceral did one thing really well: the sound design.
    The Story, is a Cross between Aliens and Resident Evil, in other words, a System Shock clone but without SHODAN :-(. The Story is not bad, but it’s a bit too cliché for my taste.
    The game is also a bit buggy, for example if you play on hard mode and reload a save by pressing continue on the main menu, the game will reset the difficulty to medium.
    So, is it a bad game? In my opinion, If you approach it like an Action/Horror third person shooter game, HELL NO, just don’t play it with mouse and keyboard.    … Expand
  14. WayT101
    Jan 5, 2014
    7
    Beware: this is a great game but it is a bare bones PC port, the graphics are barley improved over the Xbox 360 version and is only playable with a controller. This is a solid third person action-horror game that has its own unique gameplay features that are memorable and fun. If you enjoyed Resident Evil 4 you will most definitely love this and I can give you a definite recommendation ifBeware: this is a great game but it is a bare bones PC port, the graphics are barley improved over the Xbox 360 version and is only playable with a controller. This is a solid third person action-horror game that has its own unique gameplay features that are memorable and fun. If you enjoyed Resident Evil 4 you will most definitely love this and I can give you a definite recommendation if so and that is the best comparison I can draw. This isn't really a survival horror game but it certainly has the atmosphere and enemies of one. If you like third person shooters this is a unique one that is worth your interest. I played this game and its sequel from beginning to end and after completion I was ready to go back through it again on a harder difficulty. If you are concerned that this may be too hard for you don't be it has a decent set of difficulty modes and checkpoint system so will be able to get into it and enjoy it all the way through. However the checkpoint system is also a complaint for me on the harder settings as you never really feel punished for failure which is what a good horror game does.
    It's rare that I start and do not stop playing a game and this was one of them, if you think this game may be for you go for it, it is cheaply available by now and will not disappoint.    … Expand
  15. StarGazer360
    Apr 6, 2014
    7
    It's a pretty good game. Why'd I give it a 7? If you're like me, then i guess you like games that center your character, or have a feature here there's a quick turn. Through out the WHOLE game I struggled with trying to see the enemy. And in the elevators? That was absolutely hell trying to just LOOK OUT THE DOOR.
  16. Hack
    Aug 7, 2017
    7
    First of all I have to comment on the KB+M controls which are just terrible by default, honestly unusable, luckily they can be mostly fixed with config tweaks or you can just use a gamepad which works fine out of the box.

    The game is not so much scary as atmospheric and that's fine, although parts definitely were scary and there were a bunch of jump scares thrown in for good measure. It    First of all I have to comment on the KB+M controls which are just terrible by default, honestly unusable, luckily they can be mostly fixed with config tweaks or you can just use a gamepad which works fine out of the box.

    The game is not so much scary as atmospheric and that's fine, although parts definitely were scary and there were a bunch of jump scares thrown in for good measure. It was just the right level of creepy for me, it kept me on my toes without giving me a heart attack.

    Dead Space is a very linear game, the wrong way is often blocked and it's impossible to get lost with the breadcrumb system which points you in the right direction, this is a scripted experience above all else, and a good one at that. When playing on normal or above ammo is quite scarce and enemies are tough, often killing you in a few hits, however there is an easy difficulty which is very easy, you're basically the Terminator so if you just want to tag along for the ride then there's an option for you.

    The story is interesting and told well, and unlike a lot of games it ends well too. The main character isn't voiced which hurts immersion IMO, this is often a developer choice, just not one I agree with. All the other NPCs you encounter are voiced very well though, no poor performances to speak of.

    Overall it's a well made, story-driven experience with solid gameplay and mechanics that I definitely recommend. EA Access is currently £3.99/month and the entire trilogy is available to you, that's how I played them and you also get access to a bunch of other great games like Titanfall 2 so it's a no brainer if you wish to start the series.    … Expand
  17. marc5477
    May 28, 2014
    7
    I am not a big shooter fan but every now and then I like to take a detour and play a shooter when I don't want to use my brain. Note 1st that I only play the campaign so my review does not cover PvP. Dead Space is a good shooter although somewhat limited in design but then again almost every new shooter is in its first incarnation. I played the game on the PC and had no issues with theI am not a big shooter fan but every now and then I like to take a detour and play a shooter when I don't want to use my brain. Note 1st that I only play the campaign so my review does not cover PvP. Dead Space is a good shooter although somewhat limited in design but then again almost every new shooter is in its first incarnation. I played the game on the PC and had no issues with the install. I didnt even bother to update the game since it was working fine out of the box. Controls are intuitive except for the slow turn speed while aiming your gun. A few in game mouse adjustments and the problem was solved within acceptable tolerance. The only other issue I ran into is when you grab an item with telekinesis and run up to a wall with the item floating in front of you. This causes the camera to spin 90 to 180 degrees, and if you are in combat it can be disorienting. This however, was a very minor issue because once you realize that it only happens on wall collisions you simply stop running into walls... why you would run into a wall during combat is beyond my understanding but as long you stop doing that it is no longer an issue. I played the entire game without the camera spin being a problem after the 1st time I experienced and analyzed the issue. This problem is insanely over dramatized by reviewers here (grow up people).

    The Good :: The game does a lot of basic FPS stuff well like area specific damage, dismemberment as a part of strategy rather than just aesthetics, very interesting weapons each with their own unique advantage and disadvantage, an actual inventory system (not used to seeing this in FPS and I like it), an upgrade system for your guns, armor and abilities (almost like an RPG lite), and decent graphics and sound.

    The Bad :: Game design is good but its repetitive. Then again, shooters are basically all very repetitive and that is why it is not my favorite genre of games. You will quickly note that graphics are re-used in every chapter of the game and the enemy variety is actually fairly low with only about 6 different enemy types and a few bosses. Guns and abilities are also limited to only about 8 total (6 guns and two abilities) and although they are interesting, I would like to have seen even more but then again I am an RPG guy so anything less than 20 would probably be boring to me.

    The So So :: The story is cheesy and has been done to death and back but again, this is coming from a RPG gamer who puts a lot more weight into story than others. The game is supposed to be a horror survival... I personally did not find it scary in the least. They do include a lot of sudden attacks that just surprise you and enemies are designed and animated in a way that makes them awkward (like a horror movie) but at no time was I scared of an enemy once I noticed it. In fact, I found myself running towards enemies fairly often especially the baby aliens. The only time I ran away from enemies is when the small swarming things attacked in large numbers and that is only because I couldnt shoot them fast enough. The game is not that scary. I remember being more on edge playing FEAR although even that was not really all that scary. Then again I think movies like The Grudge are comedies...

    Overall a good game.    … Expand
  18. veganmeat
    Jul 3, 2014
    7
    Pretty good game that screams bad console port. The controls for this game are really bad as many of the reviews here indicate. The issue is that the developers mapped analog stick controls for pc play so when you are moving your mouse it's like using a poorly optimized analog stick. Precise movements are impossible with the mouse. A solution to this is disabling v-sync in game and forcingPretty good game that screams bad console port. The controls for this game are really bad as many of the reviews here indicate. The issue is that the developers mapped analog stick controls for pc play so when you are moving your mouse it's like using a poorly optimized analog stick. Precise movements are impossible with the mouse. A solution to this is disabling v-sync in game and forcing it via your graphics card and jacking up mouse sensitivity. I don't know how effective this is because I gave up on the mouse and decided to use a gamepad. Anyway, with a controller this game functions fine. I recommend anyone who gets this game for the PC to first consider using a controller instead of a mouse and keyboard. Honestly, using the mouse ruined the experience I had in the earlier chapters.

    Now for the game itself. It's pretty good with an interesting story. You play an engineer named Isaac who is trying to escape an infested ship called Ishimura. The atmosphere of the game is great. It's the best aspect of the game. Everything from the music, sound effects, and setting creates this dark and isolated atmosphere. While the game isn't necessarily piss your pants scary it does create some very tense moments. I think people need to keep this in mind before playing the game. Highly recommend if you are into these types of games. 7.5/10    … Expand
  19. Kiljac
    Jul 9, 2014
    7
    I really dont understand why critics like this game so much, its not that good. Controls are awkward until you dont get used to it, shooting is alright but what I really hate is that Isac is moving like a slug when aiming! Storyline is alright, linear, and the graphics are nice. Killing those thins is allot of fun, but the game is not scary for a horror game, its predictable, oh and IfI really dont understand why critics like this game so much, its not that good. Controls are awkward until you dont get used to it, shooting is alright but what I really hate is that Isac is moving like a slug when aiming! Storyline is alright, linear, and the graphics are nice. Killing those thins is allot of fun, but the game is not scary for a horror game, its predictable, oh and If that thing appears behind your back, you are **** you need a century to turn around and scan the area!… Expand
  20. Lonxu
    Aug 10, 2014
    7
    Bought this from Steam Sale. I had no expectations really.

    At first I was very disappointed with the PC version. It was a horrible port with game breaking bugs; like **** up physics when your FPS is unlocked. Or the Vsync locking the FPS at just 30. I needed a 3rd party software to get the FPS stay at 60 just to make the game playable. That also fixed the issues with mouse, which alone    Bought this from Steam Sale. I had no expectations really.

    At first I was very disappointed with the PC version. It was a horrible port with game breaking bugs; like **** up physics when your FPS is unlocked. Or the Vsync locking the FPS at just 30. I needed a 3rd party software to get the FPS stay at 60 just to make the game playable. That also fixed the issues with mouse, which alone were making the game unplayable.

    Once I got actually started with the game I was hooked instantly. Every step felt dangerous and enemies couldn't be stopped with a single bullet to the head. Overall the game play was decent, but controls were a bit clunky. While I kinda dislike quick-time events and **** something could have been done about stomping enemies or punching them, it felt pretty random and frustrating at times.. the lack of control.

    There were some puzzles in this game. Some them were fun, but challenging and some were just bad; simple, but with annoying mechanics. Overall they added some nice variation to the game.

    The game looked decent for a 360 port...there were times though where I wished they would have allowed PC to have much higher shadow resolution for example, but it wasn't too annoying except in a couple of scenes.

    I really liked the Ishimura as a location. It was dark and industrial. I didn't really like how scripted everything was though. There were times you see enemies lurking, but they're flagged as invulnerable. They also always come from the same spot with the same timing, so if you died you just get frustrated to repeat the same scripted stuff.

    I'm not a huge lore-geek, but I thought the writing was of good quality. There were also tapes and notes from the NPCs to be found to add into that, for those who like to find more about the world.

    With all the issues in the rushed PC version I can't really give it more than 7. It was still worth the 4€ or whatever it costed, but at 50€ this game would have been very disappointing.    … Expand
  21. russiangamer
    Mar 16, 2020
    7
    Великолепная графика и физика. Игра атмосферная и разнообразная, но под конец превращается в обыкновенную стрелялку, становится скучно. Сюжет интересный. В целом советую.
  22. touchofheaven
    Jun 22, 2020
    7
    Оочень тяжело далось мне прохождение этой игры на ПК из за ужасного управления, которое я смог наладить, ковыряясь в настройках панели управления NVIDIA, но даже после этого управление было тугое, целиться было очень тяжело.
    Проходил ее впервые, в целом игра средняя, но тут стоит учитывать дату ее выхода. Противники не пугали, а к концу игры стали вызывать лишь раздражение своими резкими    Оочень тяжело далось мне прохождение этой игры на ПК из за ужасного управления, которое я смог наладить, ковыряясь в настройках панели управления NVIDIA, но даже после этого управление было тугое, целиться было очень тяжело.
    Проходил ее впервые, в целом игра средняя, но тут стоит учитывать дату ее выхода. Противники не пугали, а к концу игры стали вызывать лишь раздражение своими резкими и громкими выпрыгиваниями из очередной дыры в стене и напряженной музыкой в время их появления.
    Графически, на удивление, даже сейчас, спустя 12 лет, выглядит достойно.    … Expand
  23. Gelaos
    Sep 19, 2018
    7
    Dead Space was scary for me in first 4-5 missions (mostly just jump scares), then it was "just" a good shooter. Graphics is nice, HUD elements are displayed on protagonist's suit which sucked me more inside the game. Enemies are truly repulsive, agressive and smart. It took me a couple of minutes before I learned how to properly immobilize (not kill) them. Shoot away it's limbs, let itDead Space was scary for me in first 4-5 missions (mostly just jump scares), then it was "just" a good shooter. Graphics is nice, HUD elements are displayed on protagonist's suit which sucked me more inside the game. Enemies are truly repulsive, agressive and smart. It took me a couple of minutes before I learned how to properly immobilize (not kill) them. Shoot away it's limbs, let it crawl and move forward. Customizations of suit and weapons also came in handy. Great game.… Expand
  24. Vanco
    Jun 4, 2019
    7
    Good Horror shooter set in a Sci-Fi enviroment in Space. Combat mechanics take time to get used too but don't hamper gameplay too much.
  25. r03vg
    Apr 17, 2020
    7
    Геймплей напоминает таковой в Resident Evil. Страшно, интересно, хочу еще.
  26. bancandrei
    May 15, 2020
    7
    All the ideas which make this up are good. The thing is it didn't click that well for me, as I am not a big fan of shooters. I prefer the horror games where you are unarmed. It got kind of monotonous.
  27. Luigichief
    Nov 20, 2020
    7
    The gameplay is very good and different, it’s not just headshot everyone. Really bad that the game does not have HUD (and it is not needed). The Plasma Cutter (the 'main' pistol) is really cool. Very cool skill tree, it reminds me of FF X, but less deep.

    The story is below average overall but has 2 twists near the end. For the time that came out the graphics were absurd, nowadays    The gameplay is very good and different, it’s not just headshot everyone. Really bad that the game does not have HUD (and it is not needed). The Plasma Cutter (the 'main' pistol) is really cool. Very cool skill tree, it reminds me of FF X, but less deep.

    The story is below average overall but has 2 twists near the end.

    For the time that came out the graphics were absurd, nowadays it's okay. Some scenarios are repeated.

    The soundtrack adds a lot to the experience, due to the ambience and jumpscares (light by the way), but it's not a big deal.

    I had a very serious bug, which the elevator does not reach and you are obliged to close the game and load your last saved save.    … Expand
  28. rickyjunior
    Jun 28, 2020
    7
    This game isn't scary. It's reasonably intense, startling, and unnerving, but scary it is not. The aim is stiff but okay enough, the atmosphere is completely unoriginal but well done, the chapters are repetitive but decent enough. It's not a bad game, not a great game, I wouldn't recommend it.
  29. Hawkuarien
    Oct 24, 2021
    7
    I've played this game for about 11 hours now and I don't really understand the hype that the critics gave this game. The controls are clunky, the story is mediocre. To be fair, the graphics are decent for their time, but what bugs me most about this game is its linear gameplay and awful clunky gunplay.
  30. The_D4RknesS
    Jul 26, 2022
    7
    I almost didn't like this one, and I only stayed in the game because it had good physics and ran on my PC at the time. felt like playing mass effect mobile and i don't like mass effect
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Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Best PC Game of 2008
8
#8 Most Discussed PC Game of 2008
6
#6 Most Shared PC Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. PTGamers
    90
    This is a highly recommended game for science fiction and survival horror fans, with its claustrophobic atmosphere and horrible creatures.
    Read full review
  2. Gamer 2.0
    91
    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.
    Read full review
  3. PC Zone UK
    81
    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]
See all critic reviews »