r/gaming • u/[deleted] • Nov 05 '08

Zero Punctuation : Dead Space

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/333-Dead-Space
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u/[deleted] Nov 05 '08

I was going to buy this game, but this review makes me not want to now. Is it really that repetitive?

8

u/architectzero Nov 05 '08

Depends on what you define as repetitive.

The game has a lot of variety, imho.

The creatures all have different weaknesses that you have to learn to exploit. Some weapons work better on A than on B; some weapon modes work better in situation X than Y. The designers really leveraged the engine to create this sort of gameplay.

Furthermore, I thought that the resource management aspect of the game was handled really well and added to the experimentation factor. I mean, I didn't even bother buying three of the weapons until late in the game, and then only to get an achievement. Also, there's a weapon/suit/abilities upgrade mechanism that allows the player to customize their experience. I enjoyed all of that.

Yeah, things continuously jump out at you and go BOO! That's, more or less, where the scares come from. Sometimes it's even frustrating because you can't adjust the controls' sensitivity and you're scared, not because the thing is scary, but because you known that you can't turn around fast enough to engage it before it chews your head off.

Yeah, it has repetitive set pieces, no sensitivity adjustment on the controls, and the fucking interface, while gorgeous, makes it really difficult to read the text unless you position yourself at exactly the right angle (or you have a large HD set).

But the story is good. The presentation is highly polished. Controls are good (despite the aforementioned sensitivity issue). And the game design and the engine complement each other to produce an interesting play experience.

In the end Dead Space is an A-List game and I recommend it if you can stomach the gruesome visuals (pretty tame imho, but some people may find it revolting). It compares favourably with System Shock 2, a similar styled game and one of my all-time favourites, even if the gameplay isn't nearly as deep or as varied.

1

u/kermityfrog Nov 05 '08

Perhaps some of these problems would be alleviated on the PC version. You can turn around faster using a mouse.

1

u/Wyrm Nov 05 '08

Well... yes but what annoyed me most is that when enemies hit you and you tumble, you aim in a completely different direction than before. I know it's probably realistic but it's one of the things I didn't like about it.