Metareview: Dead Space (Xbox 360, PS3)
by Justin McElroy 
{ Oct 14th 2008 at 10:15AM }
- GamePro (100/100): "It's easily the best survival horror game since the masterful Resident Evil 4 and it sets the bar high for graphics, sound, and scares in its respective genre. Dead Space is an artistic nightmare clearly designed for survival horror fans by a passionate and dedicated team of like-minded gamers. Just be sure to play it with the lights on..."
- Gamespot (90/100): "Dead Space is a remarkable game from a well-tread genre that manages to stand out from its competitors in almost every way, from visual presentation to engaging story, innovative combat mechanics to fright factor. Whether you're looking for a terrifying horror experience or a deeply story-driven adventure that will keep you engaged for 15-20 hours, Dead Space is a fantastic game that you should not pass on."
- 1UP (B+): "Apart from the lack of variety within them, the characters and environments are some of the best looking on the market, with blood splatters and rusted metals all over the place."
- IGN (87/100):"Call it science fiction survival horror, but Dead Space does the genre proud with an engaging story; action that's tense, fast-paced and extremely violent; as well as atmospheric qualities that will get under your skin and make you jump. It may be a newcomer, but the seeds of an incredible franchise have been sown, and EA's in a great position to reap a phenomenal franchise full of scares."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Saria the Cat @ Oct 14th 2008 10:19AM
*squeals*
Damn my being in the wrong country at the wrong time!
ExMcCloud @ Oct 14th 2008 10:27AM
Damn where do u stay Australia? If thats the case it'll never make it past the Ratings board
Saria the Cat @ Oct 14th 2008 10:31AM
@ExMcCloud: Oh, I'm studying abroad in Japan for a couple of months, but I'll soon be returning home to the beautiful land of amber waves of grain and purple mountains. Sounds psychedelic out of context, eh?
ExMcCloud @ Oct 14th 2008 10:36AM
Sounds like Canada....Yeah its still F&*K BUSH!
Envoy @ Oct 14th 2008 4:21PM
Japan?! I hope to go there someday. Have you played SF4?
Saria the Cat @ Oct 14th 2008 7:19PM
@Envoy: Not a Street Fighter fan...Blasphemy, I know.
Doug @ Oct 14th 2008 9:44PM
Can you bring me back something that America will get in 10 months. :D
Saria the Cat @ Oct 14th 2008 11:40PM
@Doug: Like the DSi? I would buy one if it weren't region-locked. Oh Nintendo, destroyer of region-free dreams.
offday @ Oct 14th 2008 10:19AM
Wow. I kind of just blew this game off when I heard about it, but after seeing some of these scores I might have to give it more of a chance.
waves @ Oct 14th 2008 11:47AM
Same here. Everything I've seen of this game looks so painfully generic, and I figured it would get scored around the high 60s/low 70s. I'm surprised to see it faring so well in reviews, but there's so much stuff coming out in the next month that I'm probably going to wait until early next year when the price drops a bit.
But it's definitely on my radar now.
5th hot meal @ Oct 14th 2008 12:36PM
Being based in the UK, we are supposed to have an additional wait of a few days, but as I work for a company based in silicon valley, I got one of my buddies to pre order, get this, the ubermensch ultra limited edition!!!
en route via DHL express over nigh, think including shipping & giving my m8 a $100 for his troubles spent nearly $400 on this game :P
Xoviet chiK - Gyiyg Strikes Back @ Oct 14th 2008 10:21AM
All of the footage I've seen from Dead Space has gotten me really excited, it wasn't even on my radar until a few weeks ago. Dead Space just seems like one of those games you have to play right away when every one else is playing. Thank you Toys R Us B2G1, picking it up after work!
Dirty @ Oct 14th 2008 10:26AM
Me too. I wasn't even thinking about even renting this game. Now Im freaking out because I need to play it now! Damn you EA marketing machine!
CarpeD1em500 @ Oct 14th 2008 11:28AM
Dude I called my Toys R Us and they had no idea what the game even was...you might wanna call ahead, TRU is notorious for not getting new games for a few days, or even a week sometimes...
Xoviet chiK - Gyiyg Strikes Back @ Oct 14th 2008 11:55AM
Oh drats. Our TRU doesn't have it either. I guess it's buy 4 get 2 for us, everything we really want will be on placeholder :(
baby sea tuna @ Oct 14th 2008 10:22AM
I don't know about y'all, but i'm ready to have the ever-lovin crap scared out of me by this game. I tried to play Siren: Blood Curse last night to get ready, but with most of the scares coming from low lighting and tank controls, I'll be ready for a game with some genuine fright to it!
cc123 @ Oct 14th 2008 10:23AM
The game is getting surprisingly good scores. I didn't know what to think of it before. Definitely picking this up for pc next week.
ExMcCloud @ Oct 14th 2008 10:28AM
I should have bought the Ultra Edition...Its gonna be worth mad money if this keeps getting good reviews
Foetoid @ Oct 14th 2008 10:31AM
Gaara FTW!!!!!
dark_inchworm @ Oct 14th 2008 10:23AM
EA has published a well-reviewed original title?
I may have to purchase this and investigate the oddity.
DC @ Oct 14th 2008 10:39AM
Hey, news flash, EA actually makes a lot of good games, and this year is definitely killer for EA. Wanna know what the following list is? Dead Space, Burnout: Paradise, Battlefield: Bad Company, FIFA 09, NHL 09, Madden NFL 09, NCAA Football 09, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09. It's the games developed for Xbox 360 by EA Studios with a metacritic over 80 this year. Mirror's Edge will also undoubtedly get there as well.
It may be hard to believe, but the truth is in front of you: EA is making a lot of really good games nowadays.
Poisoned Al @ Oct 14th 2008 11:07AM
Your definition of "good" seems to be different to most.
dark_inchworm @ Oct 14th 2008 11:13AM
I said "original." EVERYTHING you mentioned after Dead Space is part of a franchise.
dark_inchworm @ Oct 14th 2008 11:15AM
Well, not including Mirror's Edge, but that wasn't a part of your list of what's already out.
Vidikron @ Oct 14th 2008 11:34AM
To be fair, Battlefield is part of a series, but isn't really anything like the previous games.
kbomb1upc @ Oct 14th 2008 11:50AM
EA makes really good games, but people hate them because they completely run the good game into the ground with sequels that come out every year (Need For Speed, Def Jam, and Medal of Honor). But when they take a chance with a new IP (Army of Two, Mirror's Edge, Dead Space, and NFL Head Coach) they usually come out a winner. But to be honest I'm still waiting for Black 2...
Dirty @ Oct 14th 2008 12:36PM
EA really has pulled a 180. I haven't even seen an article about how much their employees hate life in quite a while. Maybe they bought majority share in a duct tape company.
They are taking risks with new IPs, and I think it is really paying off (well not face breaker).
Vidikron @ Oct 14th 2008 12:39PM
It's a shame that just as their games are getting a better reputation that they screw it all up with controversies over DRM (e.g. Spore).
Popfrogs @ Oct 14th 2008 2:30PM
@DC: There's a huge difference between a game EA MAKES and a game EA PUBLISHES.
For example, BF:BC = Dice, with EA publishing. Burnout:Paradise, again, Criterion with EA publishing.
I know it's hard to delineate with their retarded practice of forcing EA splash screens on every single game they make OR publish.
DC @ Oct 14th 2008 4:21PM
Popfrogs: That's true, EXCEPT, Criterion is an EA owned studio and DICE is an EA owned studio. Therefore, it IS an EA title, and developed as a part of EA. Just like Mythic, EA Black Box, Maxis, Pandemic, Bioware, EA Montreal, EA Redwood Shores, EA LA, EA Canada, and Tiburon (apologies to anybody at other EA studios that I didn't mention :-P).
If you want to go with EA published, be my guest. Left 4 Dead looks like it'll get rave reviews, and Rock Band 2 is one of the highest scoring Xbox 360 titles to date.
Replica23 @ Oct 14th 2008 5:22PM
"I said "original." EVERYTHING you mentioned after Dead Space is part of a franchise."
Since when is that isolated to EA? The market is a wash with franchise indulgence. You might as well be mocking the whole industry.
dark_inchworm @ Oct 14th 2008 6:31PM
And I never said they were the only publisher at fault, either. Thanks for putting the words in my mouth, but I didn't like the taste, so have them back.
Obie @ Oct 14th 2008 10:25AM
Dammit, I didn't expect the game to get such good reviews....I gotta go dig under the couch for this one.
Dirty @ Oct 14th 2008 10:27AM
Time to get a second job... which wont happen because then you wont have time to play games.
Obie @ Oct 14th 2008 10:35AM
Dude, I already have two jobs hehe.
baby sea tuna @ Oct 14th 2008 10:44AM
He's just a guy, playing a guy, who looks like a guy...with two jobs!
deadjesterx @ Oct 14th 2008 10:27AM
So does Eurogamer like...anything? I know a 70 isn't "bad", but they seem to pride themselves in giving games lower scores than anyone else and focusing only on the negatives.
ExMcCloud @ Oct 14th 2008 10:29AM
Fist off Euro gamer are the same guys who give every racing game and flight game 90's so F&%k those guys...They like being bored to death with repetitive left turns
DrBatch @ Oct 14th 2008 10:32AM
They actually gave Saints Row 2 a 9.0. I have to say that I can not wait to get my hands on this game. i will be playing on my 60 inch HDTV with all the lights off , my surround sound turned up and of course I told my wifethat she has to be in thew same room with me when I play.
Obie @ Oct 14th 2008 10:36AM
Eurogamer loves giving games lower than average scores so they get more traffic.
Nigeria @ Oct 14th 2008 10:41AM
Eurogamer are the last genuine, mainstream reviewers left - probably.
5 is average and the game scored a 7. That's a very good score.
PojoMofo @ Oct 14th 2008 10:45AM
Since the 70 is 13 points lower than the next lowest score, I think its safe to say this game is a critical success. I wonder how sales will do with such a crowded holiday season??
ExMcCloud @ Oct 14th 2008 10:49AM
IDK Nigeria DrBatch said they gave Saints Row 2 a 90...We all played the first Saints Row I think aint no way in hell I think they're makin that big of a jump.....I think someone got payed...lolz
Slaziman @ Oct 14th 2008 10:31AM
Yay, it's coming for PC!
PojoMofo @ Oct 14th 2008 10:39AM
I was hoping this game would suck.....scratch that my WALLET was hoping this game would suck, I dont have $200/month to spend on games...errrr
deaftly @ Oct 14th 2008 10:39AM
This is one of those games that will take me like a year to beat because once I get the shit scared out of me I'll turn the game off and say fuck this shit.
DogfishFiend @ Oct 14th 2008 10:52AM
I'm with you. I made my wife hang with me when I played Doom 3. What can I say, I'm still afraid of the dark.
baby sea tuna @ Oct 14th 2008 10:52AM
Which is, in my book, preferrable to having to spend literally all day powering through end of Ninja Gaiden 2 because the designers saw fit to put 4 FUCKING BOSSES IN A ROW...after the last save point. Oh, and just in case that wasn't dick enough of a move, they decided not to leave any healing items around the levels...so when you get to the final-final boss, you are completely unable to heal yourself and are forced to fight the same guy like 50 times.
Wow, got a little OT there, sorry. So, in summary, Dead Space=interesting. NGII, can go fuck itself in the ear.
Blazur @ Oct 14th 2008 11:20AM
Wuss. Where's your sense of adventure? Getting scared from time to time is good for your heart...it makes us feel ALIVE!
Haggard @ Oct 14th 2008 12:30PM
Just whatever you do, do NOT send a copy of the game to John McCain.