This article takes a look at Dead Space, one of 2008's most captivating titles, and draws parallels between it and titles such as Bioshock and System Shock 2, which serve as great companion pieces. Hindsight always offers a lot of perspective, and allows one to look at a game and truly admire its strengths and frown upon its weaknesses once the most of the hype has all but disappeared. Be aware though that this article is aimed at gamers who have completed Bioshock, System Shock 2 and of course Dead Space, and may contain (minor) spoilers. You have been warned.
You'd be hard pressed to find a copy of System Shock 2 in stores nowadays - it's almost as if it has become the stuff of legend - and many of the gamers who have played System Shock 2 (one of the few holy grails of FPS gaming) are likely to count it among their top FPS experiences. It is a pity, however, that a younger generation of gamers will sadly never have the opportunity to play System Shock 2, and that for them Dead Space will inevitably be compared to Bioshock and Doom 3, with which the title shares a lot of visual aesthetics and fundamental design choices, and likened to Resident Evil (4 especially) as the game borrows a lot of its survival horror elements from the series.
What is perhaps most surprising is that the development team behind Dead Space, EA Redwood Shores, has recently released The Godfather 2 - a game that has been marred by less than positive reviews (Metacritic gives it 66%), and before that, family friendly titles such as The Simpsons Game and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07. How do these guys jump from one genre to the next so seamlessly, and why is it that Dead Space, out of all of these titles, received the most critical acclaim, perhaps even changing the attitudes of many gamers who have taken to loathing EA for the corporate automaton it has become? It's a difficult question to answer, but at the very least one must send a nod in appreciation of EA's efforts with Dead Space, if only because of the roaring success the game turned out to be.
One of the key elements in ensuring that Dead Space turned out such a success, was of course the game's sound visual presentation. Besides offering a visceral visual feast which resonates strongly with the visual aesthetics of the games mentioned above; the game sports a cinematic prowess which drew parallels with such films as Event Horizon and the Alien series. Another key element was storytelling, and a technique that Dead Space utilized was that of audio, video or text logs - nothing new to the genre: Bioshock did it, and more than a decade earlier this technique was pioneered by Looking Glass Studios in the very first System Shock game (1994). One cannot criticize the Dead Space team for following suit any more than you can criticize 2K Boston (formerly Irrational Games - the very team behind System Shock 2) for doing it in Bioshock - the technique has become somewhat of a genre staple. But something that makes the logs in Dead Space evermore intriguing is the fact that EA commissioned Image Comics to do a six-issue run of Dead Space comics, and Film Roman to produce an animated film which runs just over an hour, and these in-game logs reference some of the characters and events found in comics and film, creating an eerie authenticity between the three media.
The Image Comics miniseries provides the back story of the Dead Space universe taking place on the mining colony world of Aegis 7. The animated feature, Dead Space Downfall, continues this story by introducing players to the USG Ishimura, and members of its crew. Though there are minor irregularities and plot inconsistencies, EA has to be commended for doing a decent job in providing Dead Space fans with an expanded story stretched over these various forms of media. Again, it's not the first time it's been done, but here it has been done to great effect.
Further entrenching the game's authenticity within the survival-horror-in-space genre is the development team's decision to make protagonist Isaac Clarke (whose name is a combination of respected sci-fi authors Isaac Asimov and Arthur C Clarke) a systems engineer. Because of the nature of the survival horror genre, it is inevitable that aside from intense and oppressive combat scenarios, there will be puzzle elements. Here, instead of opting for esoteric (often bordering on ridiculous) puzzles often found in titles such as Silent Hill and Resident Evil, the game creates a perfect justification for forcing the player to fetch Item A in order to fix Object B (a mission type players always complain about), or to backtrack across the same level numerous times. While some may view this as a chore, it can be seen as a clever way of making this requirement of the genre believable within Dead Space's particular setting - perhaps even necessary. The game also offers slight RPG elements, in terms of buying new items at a store, upgrading equipment with power nodes, and managing inventory and resources, but this never becomes boring or cumbersome. One thing that some may view as far-fetched are the kinesis and stasis power modules, the former reminiscent of Time Control in Fable 2 (which slows down everything around you) and the latter all too similar to Half-Life 2's Gravity Gun - a concept which has been copied to death ever since Valve released its classic in 2005. But it comes across believably enough, and one could even argue that some scenarios in Dead Space would be impossible to get through without Stasis. These powers are also critical in solving the game's variety of puzzles, as is its innovative use of zero-g on numerous levels. Dead Space is not the first game to introduce the zero-g aspect, but it uses it to great effect.
Of course, the purist will argue that System Shock 2 did all of this over a decade ago, and this is true. It does however not subtract from the areas in which Dead Space succeeds. And what are these areas? There are many, but one in particular stands out.
It is Dead Space's captivating narrative which makes it one of 2008's most memorable releases. Unlike most other survival-horror titles which have come before, Dead Space breaks an almost cardinal rule: you are not alone. Throughout the game you meet various other survivors on the numerous decks of the USG Ishimura. Some of them are part of the original team with which Isaac boards the Ishimura, while others are members of the Ishimura crew that have survived the ordeal which has decimated the ship. And then of course there is Isaac's girlfriend Nicole, and her role is crucial in delivering the game's obligatory plot twist: again, Bioshock had it, and so did System Shock 2 - it is therefore perhaps only logical that Dead Space should have it too. But it is in the mistrust created between Isaac's team leader Hammond and fellow engineer Daniels where the true human drama lies. And it is also here where Isaac is forced to make some difficult choices. However, when the real plot twist is delivered, with Nicole dead at the centre of it, players will ask themselves why they didn't see it coming, especially if they have read the comics or watched the animated film. It is as blatantly obvious as it is a stroke of genius on EA's behalf, perhaps rivalling Andrew Ryan's revelation at one Bioshock's most talked about act climaxes. It is this kind of plot twist which makes gamers love titles such as Dead Space, Bioshock and System Shock 2; the kind of betrayal which you just don't see coming, and which sticks with you for the rest of your gaming life. It keeps you coming back for more, always wondering how the developer will surprise you next, and if they'll even be capable of surprising you again. In the case of Dead Space, EA did a great job.
In closing, it is perhaps wishful thinking to say that Dead Space has paved the way for System Shock 3, but there are many optimists among us, and even rumours that Dead Space is System Shock 3, or rather, what System Shock 3 turned out to be: the necromorphs are all to similar to the Many; the Ishimura almost a carbon copy of the Von Braun; the lone survivors treading the dark halls of infested bulkheads all too similar; the mind-numbing betrayals both protagonists suffer towards the end of the game, and finally the stark and frightening emptiness of cold and dead space, where no one can hear you scream (as the old adage goes), are ultimately the same.
Perhaps EA would have done itself a disservice to call Dead Space by any other name, for when compared to the iconic System Shock 2, it is but a watered down game devoid of the complexities of the former (yet with a story to match). However, the game's critical and commercial success is proof that there is an audience for System Shock 3, and this makes the feasibility of such a highly anticipated sequel's announcement in the near future evermore probable. One can only hope.
RSS Feed
Atom Feed
Follow us
