Another dollop of space horror has just gone live with the sixth issue/episode of the Dead Space animated comic, which you'll find right after the break. We don't want to spoil anything for you, so we'll say only that the colonists are under attack and s*** goes bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s.

This is the sixth issue we've posted about, so we're a little light on new things to say about them. ... Oh hey, we know: Are any of you old enough for this to remind you of something that might have been on Liquid Television or Kablaam? ... Nobody? Oh well. Enjoy the comic.

As one of the most anticipated titles of the year, Dead Space is enjoying quite the moment in the sun. Releasing next week for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and later in the month on PC, we had a chance to go hands on with a near-final build of the PlayStation 3 version at the Sony Holiday event in Toronto, Canada. Having experienced the game with a plethora of weapons and abilities at PAX in Seattle, how does the game compare to the beginning where resources are limited? Jump in for our analysis.

Buhbuhbuh it's EA, Joystiq! Though we'll save our most obnoxious we-told-you-sos for the more comprehensive metareview ... we did tell you so. Our E3 Game of Show has scooped up its first (and hopefully not last) set of review accolades, scoring 91% in the pages of Xbox World 360. The review reportedly suggests that EA could teach Capcom "a thing or three about survival horror," with Dead Space boasting ferocious foes that make others in the genre seem "decidedly average."

Oh, but there is one thing that worries us: the game's "film-worthy" script. Have they not been to the cinema recently? With rare exception, a poorly formatted paragraph describing a pair of voluptious breasts ramping a Porsche over an explosion would have to be dumbed down by a script doctor. Too arty.

[Via X3F and Twitter, which apparently works in outer space]

EA announced today that sci-fi survival horror game Dead Space is gold and ready to unleash screams starting October 14th in North America. Xbox 360 and PS3 players who purchase the game within the first two weeks of its release will be able to download console-specific space suits. Pre-orders from GameStop Online, EB Canada Online and "select" European retailers will receive the Scorpion suit. The suits feature a new look (seen above), along with "increased toughness and inventory slots."

Remember, the North America EA Store is also offering the "Ultra Limited" edition (only 1,000 copies) for $150. Those will also begin shipping Oct. 14th.

The folks at Electronic Arts have high hopes for Dead Space and are going all out with an ULTRA LIMITED EDITION (their capitalization, not ours) for the Xbox 360, which is being sold directly through EA's online store for $150. The special package includes:

• The Dead Space game
• Special Ultra Limited Edition packaging
• Dead Space Downfall Animated Movie (DVD)
• Bonus content DVD
• Exclusive lithograph art
• 97-pg Dead Space art book written and illustrated by the development team
• 160-pg Graphic novel
• Ishimura crew patch

Is it worth the Benjamin and a half? It's hard to say, but if the game is half as good as our time with it has inferred, then this limited edition will likely fetch a hefty bounty on eBay.

Even though it may be true that, as he said, Warren Ellis "wrote a bunch of the groundwork, backstory and structure on the forthcoming EA videogame Dead Space," it would appear that you may not find a whole lot of that work in the final product.

Speaking with IGN, executive producer Glen Schofield said, "With all due respect to Warren ... Warren came at the very beginning of the game; we figured we needed a writer and Warren came in and we had our direction, our ideas ... how many of these ideas are leftovers from what he wrote, I don't know – I'd have to go back a reread all his work." We'll probably never know how much of he game was inspired by the prolific writer, but it doesn't exactly sound like Warren Ellis' Dead Space, does it?

On a happier note for Ellis fans, the Castlevania movie is still coming. That's something, right?

At this point, we really don't know what the truth is behind the alleged banning of EA's sci-fi horror title, Dead Space, in Germany, Japan and China. The prohibitions were originally reported on last week, after which GamePolitics called shenanigans. The latest crumb to the tale comes from Ars Technica and what is believed to be the developer's Twitter, which currently states the game is banned in Japan.

EA still hasn't made an official statement on the matter, though Ars reports we "should expect" an official announcement soon.

The development team working on Dead Space is hoping its engine becomes a new middleware tool in the vein of Unreal Engine and id Tech. Speaking with Gameplayer, Executive Producer Glen Schofield said the company is in the process of working with lawyers to figure out the legalese for officially naming the engine, which was originally used for The Godfather and From Russia with Love.

It's unclear if the intention is to use the engine in-house for EA or market it to other developers for licensing, although according to the article Schofield cited the success of Unreal Engine 3 and how other studios have contributed to its success by adding more technology. Dead Space's engine, which we'd suggest be called simply "Dead Engine," is currently being used for Godfather 2. Dead Space will try to administer a dose of the heebie jeebies (to most places) on October 14.

We imagine that video game developers and publishers aren't pleased when their blockbuster titles receive the banhammer's blow before their release dates -- which is why we're so perplexed by the recent drama surrounding Electronic Arts' upcoming "tactical dismemberment" shooter, Dead Space. Destructoid reported Thursday that the game's community manager, Andrew Green, recently broke the regrettable news that the title had been banned in Germany, Japan and China -- however, GamePolitics has more than a few qualms with this announcement.

Not only is it peculiar that all three bans happen to emerge at the same time, but GP points out that none of the ratings boards of the three nations mentioned have made any announcements on the matter -- even more notably, neither has EA. Also, as one eagle-eyed GP reader pointed out, it's impossible under German law to ban a product before its release. Further negating the German ban, Videogaming247 reports that the title is apparently still going through the ratings gauntlet of Germany's censorship board, the USK.

Regardless of whether this is a misguided publicity stunt, an unfortunate miscommunication, or proof that Andrew Green has mysterious psychic abilities, we certainly hope EA clears up the confusion with a quickness.

At this rate, Dead Space will be coming out tomorrow. Clearly taking note of the immense terror and confusion imparted by its decision to release Dead Space earlier than expected, EA has announced that the outer space corridor creeper has been moved forward a week ... again! That's like, the opposite of a delay.

You can now catch the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions in North American stores on October 14th (PC guys are still on for the 20th). That is, if you're confident enough to leave the house, knowing that the world has become a very sick and unusual place.

Now ... now we're afraid. EA announced today that its sci-fi survival-horror game Dead Space is hitting retail a week before its originally scheduled Halloween release in Europe. Doesn't EA understand what it's doing?! The natural order of this industry is being torn apart by such shifts in the timeline. Games are meant to be delayed, not ... um, what's the word for "undelayed"? See, we don't even know because we never use it!

The game will release in Europe on Oct. 24 for PS3 and Xbox 360, while the PC will still receive it on Halloween (Oct. 31). We're still waiting on an official release from EA in North America The game will release in North America on Oct. 21.

Update: Looks like the NA date change was announced during a trailer last month.

Something totally gross is afoot on the intergalactic mining vessel USG Ishimura. The latest issue of the animated Dead Space comic is now available for your viewing pleasure, complete with subtle pans, focus pulls, and just enough squishy sound effects to get the whole thing across.

As far as video game advertising goes, we've gotta say these comics/videos are pretty effective. Watching these chumps try and kill the space-baddies is pretty frustrating when we all know that you need to strategically dismember them. You can't just shoot willy-nilly! And seriously, how do you expect to do any damage without a badass spacesuit and accompanying laser triton? You know what, forget it! We'll just do it ourselves ... drat, advertising!

Turns out Warren Ellis – comic writer, blogger, and president of the Southend-on-Sea bearded writer's association – laid some of the groundwork for EA's upcoming Dead Space. The writer, newly freed from an NDA, shared the info with subscribers to his newletter, writing, "I can finally say that I wrote a bunch of the groundwork, backstory and structure on the forthcoming EA videogame Dead Space, which recently got a comic prequel from the hands of Antony Johnston and Ben Templesmith" (which you can watch here: one, two, three, four).

Ellis estimated that, although he submitted his contribution as far back as two years ago and that "there was at least one other writer on the project," he's "sure there's some of [him] in there somewhere." Let's hope so!

[Via RPS]