Dead Space (video game)

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Dead Space
Developer(s)	Visceral Games
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Designer(s)	Glen Schofield (Exec Producer/Creator) Bret Robbins
Composer(s)	Jason Graves
Engine	Godfather game engine[1]
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 NA October 14, 2008[2] EU October 14, 2008[2] Microsoft Windows NA October 20, 2008[2] EU October 24, 2008[2]
Genre(s)	Survival horror Third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	ESRB: M MDA: Mature 18 PEGI: 18+ OFLC: MA 15+ BBFC: 18 USK: 18
Media	Blu-ray Disc, DVD
System requirements	Windows XP SP2 or Vista Intel Pentium 4 2.8GHz or equivalent 1GB RAM for XP, 2GB for Vista 7GB hard drive space 256MB video card w/ SM 3.0 (nVidia GeForce 6800/ ATI Radeon X1600 Pro) DirectX 9.0c sound card Keyboard Mouse[3]

Dead Space is a third-person survival horror-action video game, developed by Visceral Games (formerly known as EA Redwood Shores) for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The player takes on the role of an engineer named Isaac Clarke, who battles a polymorphic, virus-like, alien infestation which turns humans into grotesque alien monsters called "Necromorphs", on board a stricken interstellar mining ship named the USG Ishimura.^[4]

Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Plot 3 Characters 3.1 Necromorphs 4 Development 4.1 Audio 4.2 DRM 5 Marketing 5.1 No Known Survivors 6 Reception 6.1 Awards 7 Sequels 7.1 Wii installment 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Gameplay

The player takes the role of Isaac Clarke (named after science fiction writers Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke^[5]), an engineer who must fight his way through a stricken mining ship infested with hostile, grotesque monstrosities called Necromorphs, which are human corpses transformed and reanimated by an unknown alien organism. The game features an 'over the shoulder' third-person perspective, similar to the gameplay in Resident Evil 5 and Gears of War.^[4] Players can upgrade modules, including suit and weapons.

The interface of Dead Space does not feature a traditional head-up display. Instead, all information is relayed to the player via holographic projections and the features on the suit and the weapons themselves. For example, a small display on the weapon shows the ammo count; also, the 'health meter' that indicates Isaac's condition is integrated into the spine of Isaac's armor.^[6] Via floating holograms projected in front of Isaac, the player can check the current objectives and the 3D map, or access the inventory screen to manage items. Meanwhile, however, the game still progresses through time, and the player is always in danger of being attacked.^[6] The only menus in which the game is not still in progress is the pause menu, the save console menu, the store and upgrade bench.

Combat in Dead Space becomes complicated when Necromorphs do not simply "die" after receiving a certain number of gun rounds. In fact, depending on how they are wounded, Necromorphs can adopt new stances and tactics, even sprouting new limbs or giving birth in the process.^[7] To defeat the Necromorphs, Isaac must use "strategic dismemberment", the methodical severance of specific limbs or sections of the Necromorphs.^[8]

In keeping with Isaac's profession as an engineer rather than a soldier, the weapons in Dead Space are mostly improvised from mining tools^[6] such as a plasma cutter, rotary saw, a hydrazine torch used as a flamethrower, and a force cannon emitting powerful shock waves. However, a triple-barreled automatic military rifle is also available. All weapons feature a unique secondary-fire mode; for example, the plasma cutter can be rotated 90 degrees for an optimal angle, and the flamethrower can set fire traps. Like in many survival-horror video games, the player must salvage for ammunition and other various items, which are found throughout the ship or dropped by Necromorphs when killed. Automated stores throughout the ship can be accessed to buy and sell items or store them for later use. Also, the player can use work benches and spend "power nodes" to upgrade Isaac's suit and weapons.

Other than weapons, Isaac is also equipped with other tools to help him survive, solve puzzles, and combat enemies more effectively. These are all contained in his suit, the RIG. Stasis can be used in the game to slow down enemies and objects temporarily, and a kinesis module allows Isaac to pick up and throw items.^[6] Dead Space also features zero gravity and decompressed environments, and Isaac can navigate through them using his pressurized suit and magnetic boots. Isaac will eventually suffocate while in a vacuum or a toxic environment as his suit can only contain a limited amount of air, so the player is forced to proceed quickly when in these situations. Also, Isaac can jump from platform to platform in weightless environments. Some levels even lead out onto the surface of the ship's hull. Floating debris presents a hazard, however, and Isaac can lose his footing and simply float off into space.

[edit] Plot

It is the 26th Century. The USG Ishimura "Planet Cracker" ship, during the process of mining the planet of Aegis VII, sends out a distress signal to the Concordance Extraction Corporation (CEC). The CEC dispatches the USG Kellion to investigate. As the Kellion attempts to dock with the Ishimura, a malfunction occurs and the Kellion is badly damaged, and the crew begins to seek a means of return. As the crew explores the apparently abandoned Ishimura, they are attacked by grotesque monsters, who kill off all but Clarke, Hammond, and Daniels. Hammond recognizes that many of the Ishimura's systems are failing, threatening the ship due to a nearby asteroid belt, and sends Clarke around the ship to fix the core systems to keep them alive.

During these treks, Clarke discovers various text and audio logs scattered throughout the ship and pieces together the events that transpired before his arrival: the ship's captain was actually an agent of the "Church of Unitology" — a large and influential religious cult — assigned to retrieve his religion's most deified relic, known as "The Marker", from Aegis VII, under the guise of an illegal mining operation; the planet itself had already been deemed by the Earth government as off-limits. Soon after the Marker was extracted and brought to the Ishimura, the civilians — first on the planet-side colony, then the ship — suffered from mass hysteria brought on by violent hallucinations, before subsequently killing each other. The captain cuts off traffic and communications between the two sides and later goes insane as well, prompting Dr. Kyne, the Chief Science Officer, to relieve him of duty, only to accidentally kill him in a struggle. An alien organism then began ravaging the colony, infecting the bodies of the dead and turning them into "Necromorphs" - mindless abominations that kill to spread the infestation. It then spread to the Ishimura via a colony shuttle that crashes into the docking bay, carrying several Necromorphs on board. Though Hammond states that he is unaware of what the Marker is, Daniels confides to Clarke that she believes Hammond is lying. Clarke would later encounter his girlfriend Nicole, one of the Ishimura's crew, though they are unable to meet directly.

With the critical systems repaired, the three are able to launch a beacon, attracting a nearby military ship, the USM Valor. However, the Valor, having picked up an escape pod launched by Hammond containing a Necromorph, becomes overrun and crashes into the ship. Hammond then deduces — from the heavy military equipment he finds on board — that the Valor was actually assigned to destroy the Ishimura. The group thus decides that they must find a shuttle and escape while they can. Clarke and Hammond then retrieve the Valor's power core in order to repair an available shuttle, but Hammond is killed by a Necromorph in the process. A surviving Dr. Kyne later contacts Clarke and urges him to return the Marker to Aegis VII, believing that it was a means of restraining the Hive Mind that controls the Necromorphs. After assisting Clarke in loading the Marker onto the shuttle, Kyne is murdered by Daniels, who reveals her position as a government operative ordered to retrieve the Marker for her superiors. She further reveals that the Marker is a reverse-engineered copy of an artifact found on Earth, and was placed on Aegis VII by the government to monitor its effects. She then leaves on the shuttle without Clarke, but Nicole arrives and is able to help him recall it, prompting Daniels to flee via an escape pod.

Clarke takes the shuttle with the Marker to the colony, and replaces it there; this pacifies the Hive Mind, but also disrupts the gravity tethers holding a large continent-sized portion of the planet several miles off the surface, threatening to destroy the colony. As Clarke attempts to escape, Daniels appears and takes the Marker back to the shuttle, and shows Clarke (through a fully recovered distress transmission) that Nicole actually committed suicide before they arrived on the Ishimura, and Clarke's visions of her had been the Marker's way of attempting to bring itself back to the planet. Before she can leave, Daniels is killed by the gigantic Hive Mind, but Clarke is able to defeat it. Leaving the Marker behind, Clarke flies off in the shuttle before the colony is destroyed. As he sets course away from Aegis VII, Clarke begins thinking about Nicole, and is suddenly attacked by what appears to be Nicole in Necromorph form. The screen then cuts to black and the game ends, with Clarke's actual fate unclear.

[edit] Characters

• Isaac Clarke - The main character and protagonist of the game. Isaac is a ship system specialist and an engineer traveling aboard the shuttle Kellion to investigate and repair the USG Ishimura, accompanied by three security personnel and a computer specialist. Unfortunately for them, they are thrust into the middle of the nightmare that the USG Ishimura has become. Clarke is also trying to find his girlfriend, Nicole, a medical specialist assigned to the ship, whose fate is unknown at the start of the game. Throughout the game, Isaac stumbles across a conspiracy involving the Church of Unitology and the government. It is also implied that Clarke's mother is a high ranking member of unitology. Issac is the only non-speaking charcter in Dead Space, the only noises he'll ever make are grunts and screams.

• Kendra Daniels - Kendra is a technologist and part of the team sent aboard the Ishimura to repair communication systems. She helps the player through the Ishimura in many ways, giving directions and assisting through areas of the ship that would otherwise be inaccessible. She frequently expresses distrust of Hammond, but turns out to know more about the situation than anyone previously thought. SAG Nominated Best Actress Tonantzin Carmelo plays the voice and likeness of Kendra.

• Zach Hammond - The senior security officer on board the Kellion who travels with both Isaac and Kendra to the Ishimura. Hammond's initial desire to complete the original mission and not immediately abort puts him at odds with Kendra, who finds this suspicious. Throughout the game, he works to fulfill their original mission, but as time goes on, he becomes more disillusioned and focuses instead on getting himself and the rest of the surviving team off the ship. Peter Mensah is the voice and likeness of Hammond.

• Dr. Challus Mercer - A doctor aboard the USG Ishimura, a devout Unitologist and one of the main antagonists of Dead Space. In the wake of the calamity that has gripped the Ishimura, Mercer has become a religious fanatic, attempting to convince the crew of the Ishimura to commit mass suicide. Mercer often works to bar the progress of Isaac and even attempts to kill him outright, sending a "prototype" regenerating Necromorph nicknamed "Hunter" after Isaac several times throughout the course of the game. He may be responsible for getting rid of most the escape pods in the "Ishimura" in order for the crew to be killed and become Necromorphs, as he allows this to happen to him. To Mercer, everything that has happened is God's will; he insists repeatedly that Isaac should die and allow their "children" to take over. Navid Negahban is the voice and likeness of Mercer.

• Doctor Terrence Kyne - The Chief Science Officer of the Ishimura who appears later in the game and asks for help from the surviving members of the Kellion team. He seems to be a bit eccentric, perhaps deranged, but offers to aid Isaac in stopping the nightmare that has gripped the Aegis System and the Ishimura. Kyne attempted to relieve Captain Matthius of duty during the crisis on the ship, but instead seems to have been complicit in the captain's death either in whole or in part. He regularly interacts with his dead wife, an apparition caused by the Marker that can't be seen by the player. He also believes the Marker is like Pandora's box and the only way for the Necromorphs to die is to put the Marker back on Aegis VII. Keith Szarabajka is both the voice and likeness of Dr. Kyne.

• Nicole Brennan - Isaac's girlfriend and a medical specialist assigned to the Ishimura. The game starts with a video from Nicole, asking for help after the ship's infestation, establishing one of Clarke's reasons for coming to the Ishimura. He both sees and hears her as he moves through the ship and she repeatedly asks Isaac to "make us whole again." Her voice and likeness is provided by Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress Iyari Limon.

[edit] Necromorphs

The major threats of Dead Space are a species of violent aliens known as "Necromorphs", most of which are human corpses that have been reanimated by a strange alien microbe. The exact origin and nature of the organisms are unknown as of the events of Dead Space, but several logs and other information throughout the game explain as to how it was created or originated.

The main strategy employed by the virus is the rapid transformation of deceased humans into Necromorphs, a process, revealed in a backstory log, called "Recombination". This is usually performed by an "Infector" type (which resembles a large headless bat) that latches onto a corpse, penetrating the braincase with a sharp proboscis. An unknown process initiates a rapid mutation in the host body: with a series of violent convulsions, the spine elongating to accommodate a pair of grasping arms that burst from the abdomen; the shoulders contorting, and long scythe-like bones extending from the wrists and palms. Other mutations are largely variable, including short tentacles, large tumorous growths, and corroded flesh. This is the main form of Necromorph, but many others exist, including tentacled baby-like creatures and heavily mutated crawling variants. In addition to the vaguely humanoid Necromorphs encountered in the course of the game, there also exists an extensive presence of some biological material seen clinging to the walls of the ship's interior. Furthermore, Isaac encounters several enormous Necromorphs, far too large to have been formed out of human bodies, and which vary greatly in physical composition. The largest of these is the Hive Mind itself, which is easily thousands of feet long.

The origin of the microbe is an artifact excavated from within Aegis VII. As stated above, the exact origin of the infection is unknown except that it first infected the colonists on the planet below and one of the creatures that re-animate the dead snuck on board a small spacecraft which later boarded the main ship. The object is simply known as "The Marker" and is worshiped by Unitologists. The reason for this is it is exactly like the "Black Marker" that the religion revolves around, causing it to be seen as a gift from the space-gods. The Unitologists also believe that the Necromorphs and the Corruption are the next stage in human evolution. The Marker is really a device to keep the Necromorphs from coming out. Removing The Marker from Aegis VII releases the Necromorphs.

[edit] Development

Electronic Arts first announced Dead Space in September 2007. The game was developed at their studio in Redwood Shores, California, whose other titles include The Godfather and The Simpsons Game. The game's executive producer, Glen Schofield, said that the team aimed to create something 'darker and creepier' than their previous titles: "We are all such huge fans of the horror and sci-fi genres; we wanted to create the most terrifying game we could, and keep the player on the edge of their seat the entire time."^[9] The design team reportedly spent time analyzing a wide variety of horror films in order to find inspiration for in-game scares.^[10]

Previews of the game have universally drawn attention to the high levels of gore and violence in the game, in particular the tactic of "strategic dismemberment" (emphasized by Schofield as "the primary theme of Dead Space"^[6]). The Necromorphs cannot be subdued by a single shot, rather they have to be incapacitated by shooting off their tentacles and appendages. A series of developer diaries released for the game had featured one episode about the system, in which developers mentioned that using conventional tactics, such as aiming for the head or torso would only serve to aggravate some of the Necromorphs.^[11] In order to make the corpses look more realistic, the development team studied photos of car crash victims. ^[12]

[edit] Audio

Dead Space’s credits refer to two different people for the music composition. To be more specific, Dead Space Audio Director Don Veca was quoted in an interview^[13] saying “The music credits read ‘Music Composed and Conducted by "Jason Graves". http://www.jasongraves.com.  in Association with "Rod Abernethy". http://www.rednoteaudio.com. .’ Early on, Rod was involved in initial brainstorming, but Jason actually composed, conducted, and arranged all the music.”

On November 11, 2008, Amazon.com and iTunes released the soundtrack to Dead Space for download.

[edit] DRM

The PC version of Dead Space uses the same SecuRom copy protection scheme as Spore and Mass Effect, which requires online authentication and limits the number of times a user can install the game to five. Dead Space has received mixed reviews by gamers because of its DRM.^[14] As of January 7, 2009, out of 92 reviews, it has an average rating of two and a half stars on Amazon.com.^[15] The game's inordinately low score when compared with other published reviews is attributed by user reviews to public protest against the copy protection used in the game, which restricts the usability of purchased software. The console versions have received much higher marks due to the lack of installation restrictions.

[edit] Marketing

Electronic Arts and Image Comics announced a comic book series based upon the game on February 21, 2008. Illustrated by Ben Templesmith and written by Antony Johnston, the six-book Dead Space comics are a prequel to the game. Set on Aegis 7, the planet that the USG Ishimura is orbiting, the deep space mining colony pulls an ancient artifact called "The Marker" from the planet which begins to affect everyone in the colony. The first issue was released on March 3, 2008. However, a limited edition version of issue #1 with exclusive cover art was made available at WonderCon 2008 to the first 25 people who went to the convention each day.^[16]

Electronic Arts and Starz also announced an animated movie, Dead Space: Downfall, a prequel to the events of the game, taking place after the Necromorphs invade the USG Ishimura. The movie, developed by Film Roman, was released on October 28, 2008.^[17]

Electronic Arts released an Ultra Limited Edition of the game limited to only 1,000 copies. The package includes the game, the animated movie Dead Space: Downfall, a bonus content DVD, the Dead Space art book, a lithograph, and the Dead Space comic.^[17] People who also bought the game within the first two weeks of the release could also download exclusive suits: the Obsidian Suit for the Playstation 3 and the Elite Suit for the Xbox 360.^[18]

Italian horror director Dario Argento lent his voice to Doctor Terrence Kyne character for the Italian release of the game.^[19]

[edit] No Known Survivors

On August 22, 2008, No Known Survivors was launched, a website similar to an alternate reality game that provides an opportunity for visitors to explore the narrative world of Dead Space. The site depicts two stories, each divided into four chapters and using 3D animations, voice acting, original video, Papervision 3D technology, and various other interactive components.^[20] The first, Misplaced Affection, tells the story of an organ replacement technician who falls in love with a capable P-Sec officer and slowly loses his sanity as Necromorphs attempt to break down the door to his shelter. The second, Thirteen, follows a sleeper agent who "makes the wrong decision for the right reason", set after Isaac launches the distress beacon. The site is less like a typical alternate reality game and more like a PC adventure game, such as Myst.

The site is based around a hub featuring nine severed body parts, each of which represent a content release. The week before a content piece was released, its assigned body part would mutate, finally evolving into a mature Necromorph part. Starting on August 25 and ending the week of the PC release, a new Necromorph part became active every Monday, allowing visitors to continue the stories featured on No Known Survivors up until Dead Space's release. Following the release of Dead Space, ninety third prize winners were awarded a copy of the game on a platform of their choosing, while nine second prize winners were awarded the limited collector's edition of the game and one grand prize winner was awarded the limited edition of the game in addition to a life-sized replica of Isaac Clarke's level three Rig helmet.

[edit] Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings 89/100[22] Metacritic 89/100[21]
Review scores Publication Score 1UP.com B+[23] Computer and Video Games 9.1/10[24] Game Informer 9.25/10[25] GamePro 5/5[26] GameSpot 9.0/10[27] GameTrailers 8.8/10[28] IGN 8.7/10[29] Official Xbox Magazine 6.5/10 PC Gamer UK 86% [30] PC Gamer US 81%[31] X-Play 4/5[32]

Dead Space has received positive critical and commercial reception. Xbox World 360 awarded the Xbox 360 version a 91 out of 100, stating the game was a "nail-biting experience," driven forward by a "film-worthy" script and "inspired" setting, and that it was "Rapture in space (a reference to the underwater setting of hit game BioShock): every bit as disturbing, just as meticulously designed and easily as believable."^[33] PlayStation World awarded the game 9/10 and a PSW gold award, stating that Dead Space is the "world's scariest game", saying "This is bold, bleak gaming from the haunting opening credits to the pulse pounding finish."^[34] IGN rated the game 8.7/10, saying it was "visually striking, everything from the holograms to the Necromorphs is incredible." Game Pro awarded the game a 5/5.

1UP.com gave the game a B+, saying that it is "incredibly polished", but slightly repetitive. Eurogamer gave the game a 7/10, saying "Dead Space easily delivers on that promise, but fails to turn its polished production values into something truly memorable over the long haul." GameSpot rated Dead Space at 9.0 out of 10 claiming, "An incredibly atmospheric and disturbingly gruesome deep-space adventure that will haunt your dreams and leave you begging for more." Game Informer rated the game at 9.25 out of 10, saying "Although the reasons for most missions are mundane, the game always falls back on its great gameplay and atmosphere." The Guardian gave Dead Space four stars. X-Play has also given Dead Space four stars out of five. Game review site Giant Bomb gave Dead Space 5 out of 5, saying it was extremely atmospheric and very good on the technical side of things as well. Gaming blog Gamer's Case gave it a 9.4/10, claiming Dead Space to be scarier than Resident Evil. Gametrailers.com gave it 8.8 out of 10, praising the audio, the atmosphere, and the dismemberment, saying that "it was interesting to unlearn the head shot". Its main criticism was a lack of enemy types, and no hot buttons for certain items, but many claimed that the item problem only amplified its already frightening atmosphere.^[35] Initially, Dead Space community manager Andrew Green stated that China and Japan had banned the game. However, it has been confirmed many times that it was all just a marketing ploy and that Dead Space hasn't been banned in any country whatsoever.^[36][37]

Dead Space was a commercial success as well, with EA CFO Eric Brown confirming 1 million sales in 2008 across three platforms.^[38]

[edit] Awards

IGN Best of 2008

• Best New IP (Xbox 360)^[39]

GameSpot "Best of 2008" awards^[40]:

• GameSpot "Best of 2008" Editor's choice awards^[41]:
  • Best Atmosphere
  • Best Sound Design
• GameSpot "Best of 2008" Reader's choice awards^[42]:
  • Most surprisingly good game
  • Best Sound design
  • Best original IP
  • Most violent game to make it past Aussie censors^[43]:

Game Informer

• Game of The Month
• Included in "The Top 50 Games of 2008"

British Academy Video Games Awards

• Best Use Of Audio
• Best Original Score

12th DICE Awards

• Won - Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design, Action Game of the Year
• Nominated - Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction, Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition^[44]

Game Developers Choice Awards:

• Prize for the best Audio^[45]

[edit] Sequels

A sequel to the game is in development as well as a possible movie release to "bridge the gap between the two games."^[46]

[edit] Wii installment

During EA's Q3 2009 earnings call, the publisher announced a prequel of Dead Space for the Wii, Dead Space: Extraction.^[47][48]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Dead Space website
• No Known Survivors
• Dead Space Wiki, an external wiki
• Official Dead Space: Downfall website

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