Xbox 360: The Best of the Best by ICE Games Ltd

Author:ICE Games Ltd.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Xbox 360 The Best of the Best Classic Reviews, Features and Cheats
ISBN: 9781907649240
Publisher: ICE Games Ltd.
Published: 2010-03-27T00:00:00+00:00

Overall Score: 90%

Dead Space

Even the skies aren't safe

Just when I thought the Survival Horror genre was nearing a death, along comes Dead Space. Resident Evil begrudgingly abandoned the genre for pure Action; Silent Hill has been failing to deliver in recent years, and who knows if we'll ever see Project Zero 4: The Mask of the Lunar Eclipse ever hit European shores. So when a new horror title is launched that focuses on survival rather than non-stop action, you can expect heads to turn. Survival Horror has been done very badly before, so here's hoping Dead Space can deliver the chills and breathe life into the dying genre.

Anyone who has seen the film Alien knows that space is a terrifying setting. Running outside to safety is not an option and the phrase "in space no one can hear you scream" brings a whole new chilling meaning to space exploration. We've been to mansions, zombie infested cities and a strange abandoned foggy town, but survival in the isolation of Space adds new heights to the meaning of the word fear. You take the role of Isaac Clarke, a space engineer who's sent to the mining ship Ishimura to repair their communications. Upon arrival, it's fair to say the ship has worse problems than communications as the crew have been transformed into Necromorphs (monsters, in other words). Arriving with a crash landing has put the only means of escape in ruins; the only plan is the mission at hand and the new objective: Survive.

This third-person horror fest controls very much like the Gears of War and the remodelled Resident Evil, with an up close over-the-shoulder camera. With many third-person shooting games opting for this perspective, it seems static CCTV style camera angles are a thing of the past, but this is not a bad thing as the view makes you feel more like the character rather than a spectator, as you creep around the dark eerie corridors.

The noticeable factor is the lack of an on screen display showing health and ammo. The health gauge is attached to the spine of Isaac's RIG suit, while your remaining ammo is displayed on the gun itself. Making these features in-game leaves more screen room for the sickening horror and grimy atmosphere. To ease frustration, the suit has a built in direction finder, similar to the recent Prince of Persia, for light weights who are afraid to get lost in the maze like corridors or a helpful tool to get you out of danger and on track with little hassle.

Isaac isn't a soldier, the only weapons available are what you can find, largely a selection of mining tools such as a Buzz Saw or plasma related weaponry. Just like Resident Evil, each gun comes equipped with laser sight to assist with aiming, but in true Survival Horror style, ammo is very limited, so using it sparingly is strongly advised. It's very tempting to dispose of every Necromorph you encounter, but running like a girl and preserving ammo is allowed in these games, so don't be afraid to do it.

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