Dead Space is a rare, fully satisfying single-player only experience. One that nails the action-horror gameplay, if not so much the actual horror. It's actually not a scary game. Even with all of its dark corridors and grotesque monsters I never found anything here that gave me any sort of fright.
That may be a big disappointment for the horror enthusiast looking for the next thing that will scare them out of their pants, but there are still plenty of reasons to play it. For starters they nailed the atmosphere. The sense of loneliness and desperation complement the gameplay well. The sound is phenomenal and the graphics have aged remarkably well. The story doesn't evolve too much beyond it's "stranded and looking for a way out" setup, but there bits that hint at a larger mythology and what few characters there are were very well written.
When it comes to the gameplay this is some of the most satisfying action I've experienced from the horror genre. The gunplay feels great and your limited resources mean that it always feels like you're just barely scraping by. There are enough items scattered around to keep you going to the next checkpoint, but conserving your supplies is still necessary for survival.
New enemies are introduced at a steady pace. The fact that you have to target and remove their limbs in order to actually kill them means these are more than just generic bullet sponges. Add in some special powers that tie into some great puzzles and you have an experience that stays fresh and tense all the way through.
The only flaw I can find with the gameplay would be the mobility, or lack thereof. Your character "Isaac" isn't the fastest or most agile dude. This isn't a problem most of the time because you don't deal with too many enemies at once. However when the action gets more crowded and these surprisingly fast enemies have you cornered, you'll find yourself wishing Isaac would pick up the pace and get out of the way. A simple dodge-roll would have gone a long way.
For what it lacks in actual horror, it makes up for with a well-paced story and mostly excellent gameplay. It might not be scary and it does have it's frustrating moments, but for the most part this is an excellent game. One with a fairly decent length (I beat it in a little over 8 hours) and high replay value. Dead Space is worth your time, horror fan or not.
8/10
That may be a big disappointment for the horror enthusiast looking for the next thing that will scare them out of their pants, but there are still plenty of reasons to play it. For starters they nailed the atmosphere. The sense of loneliness and desperation complement the gameplay well. The sound is phenomenal and the graphics have aged remarkably well. The story doesn't evolve too much beyond it's "stranded and looking for a way out" setup, but there bits that hint at a larger mythology and what few characters there are were very well written.
When it comes to the gameplay this is some of the most satisfying action I've experienced from the horror genre. The gunplay feels great and your limited resources mean that it always feels like you're just barely scraping by. There are enough items scattered around to keep you going to the next checkpoint, but conserving your supplies is still necessary for survival.
New enemies are introduced at a steady pace. The fact that you have to target and remove their limbs in order to actually kill them means these are more than just generic bullet sponges. Add in some special powers that tie into some great puzzles and you have an experience that stays fresh and tense all the way through.
The only flaw I can find with the gameplay would be the mobility, or lack thereof. Your character "Isaac" isn't the fastest or most agile dude. This isn't a problem most of the time because you don't deal with too many enemies at once. However when the action gets more crowded and these surprisingly fast enemies have you cornered, you'll find yourself wishing Isaac would pick up the pace and get out of the way. A simple dodge-roll would have gone a long way.
For what it lacks in actual horror, it makes up for with a well-paced story and mostly excellent gameplay. It might not be scary and it does have it's frustrating moments, but for the most part this is an excellent game. One with a fairly decent length (I beat it in a little over 8 hours) and high replay value. Dead Space is worth your time, horror fan or not.
8/10