Dead Space

 PlayStation 3
User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 790 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 717 out of 790
  2. Mixed: 51 out of 790
  3. Negative: 22 out of 790
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Alex_Pilgrim008
    Jul 23, 2023
    9
    "Dead Space" is a survival horror classic. It's "Bioshock" meets "Resident Evil 4". The use of sound effects, lighting and darkness helps creates major suspense. Waves of deadly xenomorphs will suddenly appear out of shadows or through walls or floors. Graphically, the game is superb. This is a game in need of an HD port. I'd rate it with a 9 out of 10.
  2. FrankCreeper
    Jul 4, 2023
    8
    An Old Classic game of the genre horror...beatiful gameplay and beatiful atmosphere such a good experience....I hope the remake gave me the same vibe
  3. Greenherb
    May 15, 2023
    9
    This was one of the best games of the PS3 and still enjoyable to play! It even has better voice overs than the remake I think.
  4. jonjohn048
    Feb 9, 2023
    8
    Even nowadays this game is still an instant survival horror classic. After hearing about both The Callisto Protocol and the Dead Space Remake get announced, I decided to dust off my PS3 and I bought all of the Dead Space games I could just so I could see what the big deal of this franchise was. The first thing I will say is that I'm shocked on how good this game looks graphically evenEven nowadays this game is still an instant survival horror classic. After hearing about both The Callisto Protocol and the Dead Space Remake get announced, I decided to dust off my PS3 and I bought all of the Dead Space games I could just so I could see what the big deal of this franchise was. The first thing I will say is that I'm shocked on how good this game looks graphically even nowadays, sure it's not shockingly beautiful like most AAA games are nowadays, but the game's art style and level design do more than enough justice in my opinion and I can't give Visceral Games enough praise for accomplishing that on a PS3. Another thing I'm shocked at is how there's legitimately ZERO UI on screen, like no joke, the fact that these developers smartly placed your main character's HP and Stasis module on his back to allow for no UI on screen while also giving the whole "watch each other's backs" a whole new meaning pretty much something to bow down to the developers for. Plus when you're scrolling around the menus, the fact that you can see Isaac's head move according to the direction is one small yet huge way to make this game more alive than it already is. The characters are pretty good with all of them being different and unique, the level design is great with it blending wonderfully with the combat. Speaking of the combat, the combat in this game is so remarkable I'm shocked that the same developers made some of worst combat I've had to deal with in The Callisto Protocol, one small thing I love is how you can still move while you're aiming allowing combat to age better than most horror classics and to prevent it from feeling unfair, basically your weapons are iconic because your main character Isaac Clarke is not a super solider, he's just an every day engineer in a tight suit with no fire-arms and just his mining tools, speaking of those, these tools are iconic because they're generally not the first thing you think of when you're preparing to defend yourself but using them as weapons does make sense like the ripper blades, flamethrower, contact beam, stasis to freeze your enemies temporarily, and probably my favorite weapon: the plasma cutter. The enemies in this game are also iconic since their design is terrifying plus the developers came up with a genius idea to aim for the enemies limbs to cut them off because shooting them in the head just makes them angrier so shooting their limbs off will kill them causing the combat to be more stressful and unique compared to other horror classics. The story and lore for this game is simply brilliant since it showcases what could potentially happen in humanity's future if Earth ran out of resources and the reason it all works is because everything that goes on here makes sense and sounds exactly like something humans would do if they were desperate to survive. But easily without a doubt the best thing about this game is what it tried to excel at: horror; so the main thing to understand on what makes it scary is that it prioritized something that's pretty much the last thing developers usually go to: sound. Because of this, it isn't excessive on jump-scares like The Callisto Protocol is, instead it has a few ones and when they happen, they take you by surprise because the game was never building them up and you're initially scared and confused what's going on and that's ensures you're always on your toes to prepare yourself for another jump-scare that won't happen for a while, sometimes when you're working on something, you'll hear "Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star" softly in your head to make you feel like you're going mad alongside the main character, and the atmosphere is easily the best in the franchise with how dark it is and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. Now while this game is remarkable, this game definitely has some flaws. Like I understand the developers wanted to make Isaac silent is so you can see him as an avatar and you're supposed to be in his shoes allowing you to form your own memories on what Isaac's thinking but this in turn causes him to seem braver than he actually is when scary stuff happens yet he never says anything causing the whole thing to feel stupid, the cannon mini-game is hard for all the wrong reasons since it doesn't move quickly enough to destroy them all, the frame-rate is alright but can fluctuate especially on my PS3, and the zero gravity sections involving you to do a Superman jump to one place to get to another is pretty janky and stiff, and some specific story beats didn't make sense when I thought about them some more. Overall, this game is still remarkable and a brilliant survival horror classic even if I don't think it's the best one in the franchise and if you're planning on picking up this game, firstly: DON'T. The remake is astonishing enough to the point where there's legitimately no reason to pick this up, but if your nostalgia is just that craving for it, it's still decent enough.… Expand
  5. Mastereed
    Jan 24, 2023
    8
    A NORMAL JOURNEY INTO THE SPACE

    BEFORE WE BEGIN: The game has been played on Xbox 360 and completed in every mode it offers, eventually achieving platinum trophy. QUARANTINE PROTOCOL ACTIVATED: The game starts by introducing, thanks to a cutscene, the game world setting. Immediately the player finds himself on the giant planet cracker USG Ishimura, a large spaceship used to dig    A NORMAL JOURNEY INTO THE SPACE

    BEFORE WE BEGIN:
    The game has been played on Xbox 360 and completed in every mode it offers, eventually achieving platinum trophy.

    QUARANTINE PROTOCOL ACTIVATED:
    The game starts by introducing, thanks to a cutscene, the game world setting. Immediately the player finds himself on the giant planet cracker USG Ishimura, a large spaceship used to dig into unknown planets' ground. Apparently no life forms are visible on the ship; this leads shortly thereafter to the player's discovery of the game's main encounter, the Necromorphs, deformed and repulsive creatures that would appear to be generated from the corpses of the former inhabitants of this ship. From there on, the adventure will be divided between uncovering the mystery of these absurd entities and managing to escape this spaceship safely.

    DISMEMBERING NECROMORPHS:
    The gameplay of the first Dead Space is that of a true Horror action, and I place the word horror first intentionally, since the focus of the game is on the horror part, as opposed to the third chapter of the trilogy; the gloomy atmosphere of the environment, the noises and cries produced by the Necromorphs rumbling through the hollowness of the spaceship, the rivers of blood flowing through the floors and those horrific scenes of death that Isaac will unfortunately have to endure in the adventure make the definition of the game genre clear. Right from the start, the player is launched in a chasing sequence, running from these monstrosities and then trying to find a way to succeed in counter attacking them, using various weapons unlockable as the game progresses through collectible schemes. The variety of weapons is quite decent for a game of this genre, and gives a lot of freedom to different styles of play. The game difficulty is neither too exaggerated to make it too horror, nor too easy to make it pure action. There are some environmental puzzles present, but they are quite simple and intuitive enough to become a feature of the game; there are also some rather interesting zero-gravity sections for a 2008 game.

    HOME IS FAR:
    Graphically Dead Space is a gem of the horror genre. This setting in space turns out to be one of the most beautiful seen so far, as well as one of the most inspired. The use of lights and shadows, Necromorphs passing through walls, dislodging cables and walls, and the proper use of color gradations make the game extremely immersive and scary. Let us be clear, this is not a horror game dedicated to jumpscare as it relies heavily on atmosphere, as already pointed out. The aesthetics of the various enemies and corpses also make it more gore and not very reassuring. Finally, there are a lot of death animations present; almost anything in the game that can kill you will delight the player with customized and very distinctive death scenes at times.

    HEARING NOISES:
    Dead Space excels here as well, using sound to add the excitement that the visual side cannot; the fear of approaching footsteps or behind a door, the frightening noises heard in the background, and even the frightening silence of the void give an essential addition to the final composition. The very accuracy of the resonant audio in space is also excellent. Little gem is the use of a very apt song in the game intro and trailer.

    Achievements:
    The achievements point turns out to be rather simple in this chapter of the trilogy, complete the game on normal difficulty, then do it in hardcore (with saves fortunately) and only with the gun. At least personally I found it extremely fun as an achievement. If this is frustrating for you, avoid thinking of getting the platinum trophy for the two sequels, because those will turn out to be hell on earth.

    BUT WHY 8?

    PROS:
    The game boasts numerous merits that defined a branch of the horror genre and in some ways are unmatched to this day; the sublime aesthetics combined with excellent level and audio design creates a near perfect symbiosis. The game is also really long for the genre and provides many diverse hours of gameplay.

    CONS:
    A couple of cons of the game are certainly the absence of special modes besides mere difficulty differences, something added later in the sequels, rightly so. Also, the clunkiness of the game's movements could be a small problem, which, however, is justifiable being the first title. Finally, the extreme difficulty in upgrading the various weapons, several playthroughs being required to complete them, leads to fatigue for those who want to upgrade them all.

    RATING
    Gameplay: 8
    Music:8
    Story: 7
    Horror: 9
    _    … Expand
  6. ZangBang
    Jan 17, 2023
    5
    Sound design, lighting design and a diegetic user interface work together to create an exceptionally unsettling, immersive atmosphere, helping Dead Space be memorable in spite of its simple, bland plot.
    Even if exploring is far from engaging, with monotonous level design and mostly basic puzzles, the experience remains decisively enjoyable thanks to a simple but unique combat system,    Sound design, lighting design and a diegetic user interface work together to create an exceptionally unsettling, immersive atmosphere, helping Dead Space be memorable in spite of its simple, bland plot.
    Even if exploring is far from engaging, with monotonous level design and mostly basic puzzles, the experience remains decisively enjoyable thanks to a simple but unique combat system, rewarding precision aiming with some strategic nuance and a decent variety of weapons and creatures to slay.    … Expand
  7. JrDouble
    Dec 7, 2022
    10
    Amazing game, a true masterpiece only surpassed by the sequel. A must play, even many years later.
  8. Rafa_Vyr
    Dec 3, 2022
    10
    This game is awesome. ONE OF THE BEST HORROR AND SURVIVAL OF ALL TIME. LASER AIM, ENEMIES SUPERB AND A UPGRADE AND INCREDIBLE WEAPON. YOU NEED TO PLAY.
    THE SPACE IS DEAD, AND YOU?
  9. hector_bcn98
    Nov 10, 2022
    10
    Estamos delante de la mayor obra del surivol horror de todos los tiempos. Me alivia saber que lo tenemos todos claro.
  10. KookaburraRT
    Sep 19, 2022
    10
    I believe Dead Space to be one of the most prolific horror experiences out there. The atmosphere is very similar to Alien, for all the right reasons. Despite others being on the same base as you, it feels very claustrophobic, and provides a great sense of tense atmosphere. The enemies are scarily well designed, and the fact you can’t just kill them with a quick headshot provides a greatI believe Dead Space to be one of the most prolific horror experiences out there. The atmosphere is very similar to Alien, for all the right reasons. Despite others being on the same base as you, it feels very claustrophobic, and provides a great sense of tense atmosphere. The enemies are scarily well designed, and the fact you can’t just kill them with a quick headshot provides a great sense of urgency to kill them as quick as you can. The only downside I’d say this game has is some of the bosses are a bit dull and the turret sections are far from my favorites ever but overall, Dead Space is a truly special experience that I believe anyone who enjoys horror should try at least once.… Expand
  11. atyoukha
    Aug 12, 2022
    10
    Great space horror game. Had me on the edge throughout. I loved the variety of weapons and upgrades the game provided.
  12. YokoHugo
    Jul 29, 2022
    7
    Iininininininininihihihihhiihihihhihihihihihihihihihhihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihi
  13. MarcusFord
    Jun 27, 2022
    10
    When I got the CD of Dead Space from a friend of mine I decided to give it a try without knowing that I would've fallen in love with the series. The first game of the Dead Space series is definitely my favourite one because it holds horror elements during the entire game time and it makes you feel like you are completely alone in a ship of monsters without any chances of surviving. TheWhen I got the CD of Dead Space from a friend of mine I decided to give it a try without knowing that I would've fallen in love with the series. The first game of the Dead Space series is definitely my favourite one because it holds horror elements during the entire game time and it makes you feel like you are completely alone in a ship of monsters without any chances of surviving. The story is pretty basic with some cool elements that make Dead Space unique in its genre, all we have to do now is to wait for the already announced remake.… Expand
  14. chrisdan23
    Jun 9, 2022
    9
    Man nehme ein SciFi Setting e la Alien, einen Third Person Shooter e la Mass Effect und das Feel eines Resident Evil 2 und voila - man hat das Survial Horror Genre erfolgreich wiederbelebt. Nachdem Resident Evil spätestens mit Teil Fünf kaum noch Angstgefühle hervorzurufen wusste, und Silent Hill von Konami leider tot produziert wurde, dachte man eigentlich, das Genre sei endgültigMan nehme ein SciFi Setting e la Alien, einen Third Person Shooter e la Mass Effect und das Feel eines Resident Evil 2 und voila - man hat das Survial Horror Genre erfolgreich wiederbelebt. Nachdem Resident Evil spätestens mit Teil Fünf kaum noch Angstgefühle hervorzurufen wusste, und Silent Hill von Konami leider tot produziert wurde, dachte man eigentlich, das Genre sei endgültig gestorben. Mit Dead Space hat Visceral Games es aber geschafft, uns ernsthaft wieder das Fürchten zu lehren. Denn Dead Space macht auf sehr unterschiedlichen Ebenen so einiges richtig, was in der Mischung eben genau jenen, subtilen Horror Cocktail ergibt, den wir gerne als "Survival Horror" wahrnehmen und beschreiben.

    So ist es zu aller erst einmal das "Outer Space" Setting, das uns einen solchen Modus vorgibt. Denn Dead Space bedient sich hier stark an Ridley Scotts Alien Filmen. Hier wird Weltraum nämlich als lebensfeindlicher Raum darstellt, der uns als Spieler immer wieder zeigt, wie klein und verletzbar wir eigentlich sind. Ohne unsere starke Rüstung wären wir direkt verloren. Daraus resultiert auch, dass wir an den engen Lebensraum des Raumfrachters Ishimura gebunden sind, dass heißt auch, an dessen klaustrophobische, "Alien"-verseuchten Gänge und Räume, die wir nun erkunden müssen. Und diese ballern wir nicht einfach frei, sondern Dead Space schafft es hier gekonnt, uns wirklich Angst zu machen. Was ist hinter der nächsten Tür? Was ist am Ende dieser Treppe? Schaff ich es ohne zu ersticken durch diesen luftleeren Korridor? Vor allem durch seine großartige Soundcollage baut Dead Space eine bedrohliche Atmosphäre auf, die uns jede Konfrontation mit den alienartigen Monstern, oder dem offenen All, als Kampf auf Leben und Tod empfinden lässt.

    Gut, im letzten Drittel der Kampagne wird Dead Space dann schon etwas actionreicher und nicht mehr jeder Feindkontakt lässt uns gleich das Blut in den Adern gefrieren. Nervenaufreibende Bossbattles halten uns dennoch bei der Stange. Die Dinger werden am Ende einfach größer und fieser. Gut gelungen ist zudem auch die Hintergrundgeschichte um Parasiten und Necromorphe, die vor allem mit Motiven um Wahnsinn und Irreführung spielt, also die menschliche Dimension von Horror mit einzubinden vermag. Das, teils ganz Resident Evil like, in Textlogs erzählte Setting des Spiels, wie auch die verschiedenen NPCs, denen wir auf der Station begegnen, verstärken die verstörende Atmosphäre dieses Horror Shooters nochmal ungemein.

    Mechanisch spielt sich das Game zudem äußerst flüssig, wird nie unfair, und präsentiert sich auch technisch wie grafisch von seiner besten Seite. Cool ist auch, dass wir unsere Ausrüstung in den vorhandenen "Save Rooms" im Laufe des Spiels immer weiter upgraden können, was auch dringend nötig ist, da die Kämpfe immer härter und fordernder werden mit der Zeit. Was Dead Space so auch gut schafft, ist das, was die ersten Resident Evil Teile damals so ausgezeichnet hat. Nämlich diese klare Differenz zwischen "Save Rooms" und gefährlichem, noch nicht erkundetem Territorium. Allerdings wird bei Dead Space mit diesem Motiv auch geschickt gespielt. Dieser Schock-Moment, wenn in das vermeintlich sichere Gebiet dann doch plötzlich eins dieser Zombieviecher einbricht - das funktioniert natürlich auch heute immer noch hervorragend.    … Expand
  15. JoseManuel10_
    Dec 21, 2021
    9
    Dead Space is a survival horror video game developed by Visceral Games and published by EA
  16. TeaFan556
    Dec 19, 2021
    7
    [RU]
    Ну а что, хорошая игра. Местами страшная. Есть лишь одна маленькая проблема... Она не затягивает и её допроходил со скукой. А жаль
  17. FidelGastro
    May 29, 2021
    8
    Dead Space from 2008, who would have thought that the "horror" game from that time would still be fun and, above all, scary. The game is not crowded with jumscares like modern horror games, but it scares with its environment and atmosphere (if I omit jumpscare in the last cutscene, I was honestly so frightened that I had to go calm down by playing Civilization).

    Gameplay is so weird at    Dead Space from 2008, who would have thought that the "horror" game from that time would still be fun and, above all, scary. The game is not crowded with jumscares like modern horror games, but it scares with its environment and atmosphere (if I omit jumpscare in the last cutscene, I was honestly so frightened that I had to go calm down by playing Civilization).

    Gameplay is so weird at first, but after a while you get used to it. I liked the creative HUD Health bar and the "stasis". However, what was not so well resolved was the "hunting" of items from the inventory. For example, such an attempt to pull the first aid kit in the middle of a fight was adrenaline in itself.

    The range of weapons is not very varied, but it doesn't matter. I actively used only three weapons until the end of the game. The weapon upgrading system is well designed. The game motivates the player to deserve a lot of new weapon upgrades.

    However, the variety of enemies is larger and some of them are really annoying.
    Boss fights are interesting, but not very complicated. Honestly, the final boss quite disappointed me, but it was acceptable for the 2008 game.

    As for the thing, it was intense and exciting, full of betrayal, love, adrenaline and, above all, fear.

    I give a rating of 8/10.    … Expand
  18. 8tonystark8
    May 26, 2021
    9
    Played it for the first time in 2018, got stuck at one part...played it again in 2020 and this time finished it. One of the best shooter/horror/action games out there. Hopefully one day will get a remaster.
  19. DanteStation
    May 1, 2021
    10
    Perfect game. Is the Best survival horror of the generation. And the Best fps
  20. tharikleo
    Apr 19, 2021
    8
    Verdadeiramente assustador, com muita violência e um clima extremamente sombrio. Amei.
  21. AddieMegan
    Mar 9, 2021
    10
    Basically a perfect game. Binge played 1&2 back to back during lockdown. Perfect combination of atmosphere, puzzle solving and action. And ambience is incredible. Genuinely spooky in places
  22. acebadger
    Nov 3, 2020
    10
    This is one of the most quintessential horror games ever made. It is an intense and unnerving game that has you constantly looking over your shoulder and double or triple tapping enemies just to be sure. It is clear in both the design of the game and the dialogue throughout that the developers cared about this game to a great degree.

    I've played it several times through and it still    This is one of the most quintessential horror games ever made. It is an intense and unnerving game that has you constantly looking over your shoulder and double or triple tapping enemies just to be sure. It is clear in both the design of the game and the dialogue throughout that the developers cared about this game to a great degree.

    I've played it several times through and it still stands as one of the most unnerving gaming experiences I've had. The psychological elements they play with along with the gruesome body horror is harrowing at times. It will forever stand in my mind as one of the best games I've ever played (I even got a marker tattoo on my wrist).

    It's truly a shame that EA shutdown Visceral Games and that the series is dead in the water. Nevertheless digital copies and physical copies at used game stores still exist; I recommend anyone who hasn't yet played this game grab a copy and try it!    … Expand
  23. Ruzaky
    Sep 25, 2020
    9
    I really hope they will comeback to this series with good new game some day. Dead Space was such a great series till part 3. Graphics and sound at its time was insane. And gameplay still good.
  24. MARKOWAYYY
    Jul 29, 2020
    9
    This gane is just amazing!
    The graphics still hold up in 2020 and the atmosphere is crazy, you feel alone during the whole experience and the horror aspect makes ypu scare so much!
    This game is a classic.
  25. IRONAGU
    Jul 15, 2020
    10
    Dead Space is one of my favorite horror survival games because is full terror by the time that was released, also is an intense game and the story is just perfect but its sad to know that electronic arts never continued the story fo a dead space 4.
  26. ewenr
    Jun 29, 2020
    8
    Best Horror video game I have ever played. I played it many years after its release but some of the gameplay and UI elements are still top-notch even by today;'s standards (e.g Health-bars built into Isaac's suit, dismembering enemies versus soaking them in bullets). Dead Space 2 is now on my short list.
  27. Not_Ur_Momz
    Jun 21, 2020
    10
    I loved Dead Space. The story and setting is excellent. The monster design is horrifying, The shooting and other game play elements are fun.
  28. Svy94
    May 24, 2020
    10
    Este video juego es una obra maestra, hace años lo jugue y quede encantado muy buena imaginacion para cada detalle y digno nombre para llamarse Visceral Games dan ejemplo del buen uso de la ciencia ficcion , horror y literatura no habra otro juego que supere este pero inspira a imaginar y usar tecnicas que dieron miedo al jugarlo
  29. bjr1998
    Apr 13, 2020
    10
    Easily one of the best horror games ever made. The atmosphere is unprecedented. They designed it so well, it almost seems like you’re the one hearing voices at times. It’s unnerving, the monster designs are brilliant, the setting is brilliant. The storyline is great. The hallucinations really mess with you. Boss fights are very good. How this series was never more popular than it was isEasily one of the best horror games ever made. The atmosphere is unprecedented. They designed it so well, it almost seems like you’re the one hearing voices at times. It’s unnerving, the monster designs are brilliant, the setting is brilliant. The storyline is great. The hallucinations really mess with you. Boss fights are very good. How this series was never more popular than it was is beyond me. A shame, really.… Expand
  30. Dingytheman
    Feb 28, 2020
    4
    I went into this expecting survival horror according to most reviewers, instead got a bland action shooter with cheap jumpscares and locations/puzzles that look copy/pasted. This is only good If you never played true survival horror with excellent level design like the first few Resident Evil's.
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Best PS3 Game of 2008
9
#9 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2008
10
#10 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 67 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 65 out of 67
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 67
  3. Negative: 0 out of 67
  1. Destructoid
    90
    Dead Space is a beautiful videogame, showing incredible polish and detail in both the visuals and the control. The amount of love and attention packed into this title is apparent, as scares and action are perfectly blended. What an incredibly impressive way for a new survival horror franchise to debut!
    Read full review
  2. MEGamers
    92
    A spectacular game which shows vividly that "Resident Evil" is not the king of survival horrors anymore.
    Read full review
  3. Worth Playing
    83
    The combat is fast and frantic, the interface excellent, the controls responsive, and it provides an overall satisfying experience. While it's fun, though, there isn't much that's memorable about Dead Space. It feels like patchwork that's been slapped together from other franchises, and it lacks a spirit of its own to make it stand out from the pack.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »