Dead Space Animated Comic: Issue 4
by Griffin McElroy 
{ Aug 2nd 2008 at 1:30PM }
We hope you're in the mood for some illustrated dismemberment -- the fourth installment of EA's Dead Space animated comic dropped last night, bringing the origin story of the title's unsettling setting (the mining station USG Ishimura) a bit closer to completion. This chapter's all about life lessons, really -- for instance, when your space station is being besieged by an aggressive alien organism, perhaps the morgue isn't the best place to hang out. Also, while serving as an intergalactic janitor on said station, perhaps peering down darkened, infested air ducts isn't the best course of action.
Life lessons, swearing (NSFW, BTW), and halved torsos, all posted after the break.
In case you're behind, here are the previous issues:
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Isaac @ Aug 2nd 2008 1:34PM
I will pick up this game if only because the main character has the same name as me.
Then I can feel like a total badass when Isaac just fucks up some alien scum.
Lord Bowser @ Aug 2nd 2008 1:36PM
EA are involved with this...
Phillip @ Aug 2nd 2008 2:55PM
Use British English much?
syrik zero @ Aug 2nd 2008 3:22PM
They sure are and this game will be GOTY! You should at least be able to enjoy the animated comics. They're great! Wish they were all out...
Roberto @ Aug 3rd 2008 10:10AM
Yes. And? So?
jcd @ Aug 2nd 2008 2:31PM
I like these animations, more games should have this type of marketing
Zombiefrank82 @ Aug 2nd 2008 3:15PM
I agree I do like this style as well, it takes a bit to get used to. Not sure how familiar you are with comics, but INVINCIBLE, by the writer of The Walking Dead, is doing something similar on itunes. Its pretty cool.
GreyFox @ Aug 2nd 2008 9:22PM
Agreed but let's hope the game lives up to the same standards of scripting and voice acting. Some depth to the characters would be nice too.
Travis @ Aug 9th 2008 3:55AM
The art style of these animated comics remind me of The Surrogates.
Bryan @ Aug 2nd 2008 3:06PM
It keeps on getting better and better. Hopefully the game delivers as well.
aristokrat @ Aug 2nd 2008 3:09PM
Hmm, I can't imagine what about the DNA of necrotic flesh is different than that of living flesh. I mean, your DNA doesn't just change or fall apart when you die. I can't imagine that the histones and methylation on your DNA just allow it to unravel even. Your fluid balances would change as your ion pumps fail, but that doesn't change the permeability of any of your membranes either. The only reasonable explanation I guess would be that its a really weak virus that your immune system normally would be able to easily fight off, so it invades immune-response-less dead bodies. The problem there being that virus rely on the working machinery of a living cell so that they can take advantage of it, so this virus would also have to have a way to fuel the cells as well. Maybe a couple of good old proteins-to-glucose-to-ATP enzymes, strip the cell of some of its stuff in order to kick start it? But viruses don't carry enzymes, only DNA, so this would have to be some bacteria-virus (bactrus? virteria?) hybrid. At which point this devolves into the good old alien life form explanation...
I've always thought it'd be cool if someone wrote a story about a weaponized Ebola virus. Sure the Ebola virus is nasty enough, but it's one of the few viruses I can think of that quickly invades almost every cell in your body. This could be a very reasonable explanation of how living people get transformed within a few days. It will probably be exploited in the future for a form of gene therapy, but right now everyone's too afraid to even be in the same room with it, let alone work with it. Sounds like the perfect angle for an evil genius!
aristokrat @ Aug 2nd 2008 3:10PM
Correction: Viruses do have some enzymes/proteins, but they are normally very limited. Some kind of super virus maybe? I still like weaponized Ebola.
syrik zero @ Aug 2nd 2008 3:25PM
Doesn't have to make sense... Remember... Mushrooms don't make you bigger either. Even if you might feel different after taking them
aristokrat @ Aug 2nd 2008 3:40PM
I'm only commenting on because when you put together an origin story, I feel like it's a cop-out to wave around DNA and just assume everyone will go with it. I have no problem accepting zombie-ism, I just would rather have no explanation than a half-assed one. The whole DNA-thingamajiggy concept is so frequently abused as an explanation that it gets old. I'm hoping that now that they've opened that door, they follow through with a semi-plausible explanation, but I wouldn't be surprised if they just left it at that. Only time will tell, and it won't really keep me from playing the game. The fear might still keep me away, but not the logic.
syrik zero @ Aug 2nd 2008 4:08PM
I understand what you mean. It seemed as though she was only just starting to explain what's going on though. So it looks like they will explain more. Did you play Parasite Eve? They explained what was going on with the DNA through the whole game. But I was 10-12 when I played and couldn't really grasp the whole idea so well. That's a reason I've been hoping for a remake or new game of the series.
aristokrat @ Aug 2nd 2008 5:55PM
I never played it, but apparently you wished hard enough, for it appears there will be a sequel.
syrik zero @ Aug 2nd 2008 6:01PM
I SAW! That's the greatest luck I've ever had! I'm really happy now =D
aristokrat @ Aug 2nd 2008 6:30PM
You've caused me to read through the whole history of the novel/games on Wikipedia. Pretty compelling story, and definitely not a half-assed attempt at an explanation (though the bit about sperm mitochondria is a bit off, as they are not incorporated into the developing embryo and are actually of maternal origin as well). I can always get down with a good evolution-gone-awry story. Nevertheless, it sounds like a cool story and yet another reason to break out my PSP!
syrik zero @ Aug 2nd 2008 6:33PM
Sorry that I made you read =P But it was a great game and I loved the gameplay. So I'm hoping it won't change too much. I don't have a PSP at the moment but I'll have to get one now.
How do you know so much about genes and mitochondria and all that fun super interesting stuff?
NPJ @ Aug 2nd 2008 6:38PM
Well clearly it does affect living bodies, since it was making people depressed and psychotic, however its only able to properly express itself and replicate or whatnot in dead flesh.
aristokrat @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:40PM
6 years and counting of biochemical/medical education.
syrik zero @ Aug 3rd 2008 10:56AM
Impressive! This will be my GOTY whether it seems like a viable story or not
aristokrat @ Aug 3rd 2008 11:03AM
Like I said before, these comics have transformed this from just another horror game into a pretty cool story, so hopefully I can overcome my fears and get into it, because it looks fun. I definitely won't be playing it with all the lights off in the middle of night, that's for sure. I wonder how the save system will work though, since I feel that this is responsible for a lot of the tension in scary games. Games like Bioshock can't be scary because dying doesn't matter, but hopefully it won't be as annoying as the RE typewriter system.
Vii @ Aug 3rd 2008 4:26PM
Further correction you would be bio nerds. Viruses do not carry anything accept for a genetic sequence that is either in the form of RNA or DNA. The viral proteins are produced after the viruses infects a cell and hijacks the hosts biochemical machinery.
As for the reanimation of necrotic tissue its possible that a virus that infects dead tissue could cause a genetic mutation that would cause the dead to rise. Though the biochemical processes through which this would work would be weird to say the least.
Viruses such as HPV are even though to be responsible for some types of cancers. This is due to the virus' ability to incorporate its genome into a hosts genome. This can sometimes lead to a mutation that makes the cells begin to divide at a cancerous rate.
In short what I'm trying to say is that Dead Spaces' explanation within the animated short for the dead rising could, at least in all theory, be possible.
syrik zero @ Aug 3rd 2008 10:06PM
I'm sure that the save system will be solid. I felt the same way about Bioshock also. It really did ruin the intensity of the moment. With how they've done the HUD (or lack of) I imagine the save will be creative and done properly.
And I love survival horror games late at night alone with lights off. You get the affect the game was made to give. Did you play Blue Stinger? I bet you money that Ludwig owns it and loves it!
aristokrat @ Aug 3rd 2008 10:47PM
Before you post a correction, make sure you are right. Viruses (retroviruses specifically) carry one very important protein: reverse transcriptase. Without this, they wouldn't be able to produce DNA from their RNA-based genome, and thus would be unable reproduce (since they would not be incorporated in the host genome). This is what I was thinking of when I said that viruses do carry some proteins, and so it is not impossible for them to carry other ones as well (we just haven't seen it yet).
And I still argue that dead tissue (especially long dead, such as the suicide victims) would have no ATP left with which to translate DNA (host or invader) and would not be able to get anything done (genetic mutation or not). If the virus' capsule contained an enzyme to turn proteins into acetyl-CoA and were thus able to restart the citrate cycle and the ETC (though how the acetyl-CoA would get across the mitochondrial membranes without functioning ATP-fueled transport proteins I don't know), they'd also need a source of oxygen in order to transfer the reduced electrons off the end of the ETC. So maybe with a little CPR, we'd have a functioning virus.
I think what would really need to happen would be infection by an anaerobic bacteria-virus symbiote. The bacteria would have to be a chemotroph, not needing oxygen to survive, and thus capable of providing ATP to the host's cells so that the virus could then hijack a functioning molecular production line. This would be especially useful in space were there might not be a steady supply of oxygen, and perhaps the bacteria could even be incorporated into the host's cells (similar to how mitochondria were incorporated long ago), acting as the new power supply for the cell. This would also explain the zombies constant hunger, as the chemotrophic bacteria would need a constant supply of carbon (or something, sulfur or whatever) in order to continue functioning. How's that for a scientifically-based explanation?
syrik zero @ Aug 6th 2008 4:21PM
Sounds scientific.... But I don't know anything about that stuff. If you have any questions about Apple Warranties, I'm your man!
syrik zero @ Aug 2nd 2008 3:27PM
Do you all remember Parasite Eve? That is and always has been one of my favorite games for PlayStation and no one ever talks about it. It deserves a spot on someone's top games list. It's on mine... But I'm not special ='(
Residentevil72501 @ Aug 2nd 2008 5:23PM
This game seems cool, And yeah i agree with the whole DNA thing. I liked how in Resident Evil it was a virus, that made people like that, and they werent "dead" necessarily. The RE books explain it alot more, and make it seem alot more grounded in something that could happen in reality.
rRootage @ Aug 4th 2008 9:06PM
My left brain says its fiction, have you heard of it? ( DNA can read alien symbols!)
but to add another explanation, since its alien, perhaps alien life is not detectable as alive by earth standards, so (yes i know overused) there's something else inside the dead bodies messin with stem cells/bodily signals. Spread through air ducts.
Deamonicus @ Aug 21st 2008 6:52PM
if erveyone looks at this virus topic on another way:
the artefact released a virus. this virus invades living bodies with a certain dna code. then it will drive them people mad so they kill themselfs and/or others. they need the bodies to commit suicide because the virus needs dead bodies to mutate, doing this by altering the dna code.
and btw its probebly not zombies, its the alien mature shape that mutates. so no longer human, pure alien. so no more mumbo jumbo about the living dead.
much more simpler explanation without sientific gizmos... and... its still a game, does it need to be complicated???
this game is gonna stand stand next Halo and Gears of War, with al its movies and such. lets just leave it at that and enjoy it :)
reactions are welcome ;)