Dead Space

Here's an old review I posted on another blog, though I GUESS it's still relevant. I will post newer reviews, but my gaming's been rather...stale lately. I haven't gotten a new platform game in months. Oh, and I've cleaned it up and fixed it to work with this blog's format.

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Well, the best quick summary of Dead Space is Resident Evil...IN SPACE!!! But instead of relying on headshots for one hit kills, you have to strategically mutilate the enemies (take out their legs to slow them down, take out their arms to their likeliness to attack, take out the head to unleash a frantic attack on yourself). You have an arsenal of futuristic mining equipment (plasma cutter being the first you get) slowly added to your inventory. The "necromorphs", as the enemies are called, get progressively more difficult as the game goes on, but only in the sense that they come in larger amounts. There is even one you first meet in chapter 3 or 4 that explodes when you kill it, releasing several dozen small ones that latch onto you and prevent you from shooting while doing damage.

Graphics:  9.6/10
Music:      10/10
Interface*: 10/10
Gameplay:    8/10
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Overall:  37.6/40

-The game's graphics are nearly realistic. For a game with as much action as it has with no lag, this is an achievement.
-The music is limited and what there is fits the mood of the game perfectly.
-There isn't a traditional interface. Health is displayed on the character's back. Ammo is displayed on the gun itself. "Stasis Energy" (used to slow down enemies) is also displayed on the back. The menu projects in front of the character and does not stop gameplay.
-The gameplay would get a 10/10, but I deducted two points for the controls alone. The left stick (since I have it for PS3) moves you forward, backward, and left/right strafing. The right stick controls the direction you're looking, as well as the direction that is considered "forward". I also deducted a little for the Zero Gravity settings which, while awesome, are very clunky in the controls. This was only a minor deduction, however, as the strangeness is logical (can't jump to a platform you're too close to).