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Dead Space tops on Riccitiello's list of faves

by Justin McElroy { Nov 6th 2009 at 8:00PM }

When John Riccitiello needs to unwind from a long day as CEO of EA, he does it with dismemberment. That's the word from an interview with Fox Business in which Riccy (No? Well, worth a shot) names Dead Space as his favorite game of the past 12 months. We're assuming he's not talking about the Wii version of the game, since it's a statistical improbability that he owns it.

After his revelation that digital distribution offset retail sluggishness, the publishing boss went on to say it takes him around "50 to 60 hours" to finish a typical game. It prompts the question: Exactly how many times is he planning on fending off the necromorph threat?

Reuters: RE5 sold 1.94M in US; Dead Space 2 in development for 2010

by David Hinkle { Oct 30th 2009 at 1:45PM }

In a story about the scarier games (it's almost Halloween, don'tchaknow?), Reuters mentioned two things we thought would be good for this website we got going here. First, there's Capcom's Resident Evil 5, which Reuters reports has managed to sell 1.94 million copies in the US, according to NPD Group figures.

The second part of the Reuters story talks about EA and its spookier titles for 2009: Left 4 Dead 2 and Dead Space: Extraction. While there isn't anything new on the former, in a discussion of the latter, Reuters revealed that Dead Space 2 is apparently planned for a 2010 release, which would seem to confirm what we've heard about the game so far.

NPD: Dead Space Extraction sold 9,000 copies in September

by JC Fletcher { Oct 21st 2009 at 1:58PM }

EA's latest experiment with mature Wii games doesn't seem to be going so well. According to numbers given to Edge by the NPD, Dead Space Extraction only managed to sell around 9,000 copies in September -- although it should be noted that the game was out for only five days in the NPD's September sales period (September 29 - October 3).

EEDAR's Jesse Divnich, however, cites the sales as the result of a successful not telling anyone about the game experiment. "Electronic Arts didn't market Dead Space Extraction as much as it does with other titles," he told Edge. "And the success or failure of a Wii title usually correlates directly to marketing spend. If Electronic Arts spent little on marketing, I am sure the sell through was no surprise to them." It was, like everything, a complete shock to Dead Space Girl.

GTA IV, Dead Space coming to Xbox 360 Games on Demand this month

by David Hinkle { Oct 9th 2009 at 10:00AM }

The Xbox 360's Games on Demand service is getting quite the booster shot this month, as Microsoft has announced six new titles coming to the service in October. The festivities kicked off earlier this week with the release of Rainbow Six Vegas 2 and Call of Duty 3. Here's what the rest of this month has in store:

October 13

Grand Theft Auto IV

October 20

October 27

Dead Space
DiRT

There's no word on price for any of these titles right now, so we've checked with Microsoft and will be sure to update you when we hear back.

Metareview: Dead Space: Extraction (Wii)

by Ben Gilbert { Sep 30th 2009 at 2:11PM }

Did you know that Dead Space: Extraction landed in stores this week? It's true! We certainly dug it in our Snap Judgment, but in case that just wasn't enough for you, we've compiled a few other folks' opinions on the game just below. Worried about not seeing that beautiful screaming face in the future? We are too, folks. We are too.

GamePro (100/100): "An experience that's more captivating and engaging than any light-gun game I've ever played before. [The story] mirrors Dead Space's thoughtful dialogue, characterizations and pacing which is a good thing all around."
GameDaily (80/100): "Although we questioned EA's decision to do this, as well as bring Dead Space to the family centric Wii, everything clicks and the game's surprisingly enjoyable. Instead of conjuring up a cheesy narrative (as seen in other shooters like Ghost Squad), the developers put a lot of effort into the story and its characters."
Eurogamer (80/100): "Gameplay is straightforward, yet it's a refined familiarity, borrowing numerous elements from the original Dead Space in abundance while wrapping them around the well-worn demands of a typical on-rails shooter ... One area that definitely benefits from the on-rails nature of Extraction is the overall pacing. Sometimes you creep along agonisingly, other times it feels like the enemy onslaught is never going to end. There are few occasions where you don't come away feeling like your scraped through by the skin of your teeth, and even on the game's lowest 'Normal' difficulty, there's a definite sense of achievement when you get through."
Giant Bomb (60/100): "Extraction's marketing campaign would like you to think of it as a 'guided experience' that whisks you through the dramatic beginnings of the series' horrible space-monster outbreak, but in blunt terms, Extraction is an on-rails shooter. Blunter still: it's a light-gun game. These days, that's not a style of game serious game players usually gravitate toward. But keeping the genre's inherent restrictions in mind--not to mention the limitations of the Wii hardware -- Extraction is really pretty good, for what it is."

Gallery: Dead Space: Extraction

Dead Space 2 entering production in 'next few months'

by James Ransom-Wiley { Sep 30th 2009 at 12:20PM }

LinkedIn continues to provide our only link to the status of a true sequel to Dead Space. A recent job posting on the professional networking site, created by EA senior recruiter Jeff Ballard, reports, "The previous installment in the Dead Space franchise received numerous awards ... and the same core team is in place to create an even better follow up." The posting adds, "The game is in the later stages of pre-production, ready for production in the next few months, with many of the navigational and combat mechanics in place."

With the point-n-shoot spin-off, Dead Space Extraction, releasing this week for Wii, confirmation that the core-series sequel (expected for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC) will soon roll into production phase comes as welcome news to fans looking for the franchise to stay the traditional course. Hopefully, EA and developer Visceral Games' transmissions will continue to pick up from here on out.

[Via superannuation]

Dead Space: Extraction launch trailer prepares us for the inevitable

by David Hinkle { Sep 26th 2009 at 2:15AM }

If there's one thing we've learned from books, film and – when you really think about it – media of any kind, it's that man is destined to discover unspeakable evil off-world some day. Such is the case for Dead Space Extraction's Unitologists who've thrown caution to the wind and went out into the verse.

And, as you can see in the trailer above, they're paying the price, which makes us think two things:

Humanity needs to prepare for the inevitable. No, we're not talking about making a bunch of Arnold Schwarzenegger clones, but we could all stand to beef up on our diplomacy skills.
Necromorphs have an amazing work ethic. They never take breaks and wouldn't dare dream of calling in sick.

Want to see the first 15 minutes of Dead Space Extraction?

by Justin McElroy { Sep 22nd 2009 at 10:14AM }

Well, we don't. And we imagine the odds are that you don't either. We don't really understand these special people that want to see 15 minutes of a game they're not playing and spoil the experience for themselves, but if that's how you want to be introduced to Dead Space Extraction then allow us (well, Vooks) to be your vessel.

... Well, how was it? How about that dirt? Is it washing off? No, we didn't think so.

[Via GoNintendo]

Here are the victims of Dead Space Extraction

by Andrew Yoon { Sep 19th 2009 at 11:00AM }

It sucks to be in the Dead Space universe. If you're not turned into a horribly mutated zombie, then you're being ripped apart by aforementioned zombies. The upcoming Dead Space Extraction for Wii certainly places its characters between a rock and a really horrible, bloody place. The latest dev diary for the rail shooter reveals the characters of the game, and talks about how each character has their own unique motivations. They are united by one thing though: the incredible desire not to meet a bloody, guts-splattering death.

One key thing to note about Extraction is that it's far more story-driven than the first game, offering five times the dialogue as the original. Considering you're traveling with a group of people, instead of exploring solo, that makes a lot of sense. It'll be interesting to see how the Wii audience responds to yet another third-party M-rated game.

Latest Dead Space Extraction trailer reveals really big boss battle

by Alexander Sliwinski { Sep 2nd 2009 at 4:45PM }

The latest Dead Space Extraction trailer comes horrifyingly close to uttering the line, "You should buy this game because it's totally, like, full of scary von scariness." However, it's good at showing some more of the gameplay we can expect from the on-rails shooter when it injects into retail on September 29th.

Some highlights include a look at a big tentacle boss, some of the "mini game" elements -- like building a barricade -- and a nice clear look at how stasis and strategic dismemberment will look. Oh, strategic dismemberment, it's been too long.

Gallery: Dead Space: Extraction

Dead Space Extraction pre-order instantly unlocks 'challenge rooms'

by Alexander Sliwinski { Sep 2nd 2009 at 10:15AM }

Dead Space Extraction has gone gold and is ready for its on-rails debut on September 29. Those who pre-order the game from participating retailers will receive four challenge rooms. Of course, that does away with the actual challenge of unlocking them, since you normally gain access simply by playing through the game's chapters.

Perhaps that explains Dead Space Girl's terrified expression on the cover -- she didn't pre-order and now has to play the game she just bought.

Gallery: Dead Space: Extraction

Dead Space: Extraction trailer takes a look at the story

by David Hinkle { Aug 7th 2009 at 1:30PM }

In this latest trailer for Visceral Games' Dead Space: Extraction, we're given our first glimpse at the initial outbreak of the infection and how it spread across the colony. Shortly after, our team of protagonists find themselves commandeering a shuttle and setting a course for the USG Ishimura. It's quite a content-heavy look at the game, so check it out if you want to learn more about what's going on or, like us, just feel like watching Necromorphs meet the business end of a Plasma Cutter.

Dead Space being directed with an 'Eagle Eye' by D.J. Caruso

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jul 27th 2009 at 9:00AM }

Variety reports "vidgame" (seriously, Variety, stop that!) Dead Space is going to the big screen under the watchful gaze of Eagle Eye director D.J. Caruso. The producers and EA are currently talking to screenwriters and will then auction the movie to a studio. EA created a bidding war last year when it auctioned off God of War-esque Dante's Inferno -- even before it officially announced the game. The publisher also currently has Sims, Army of Two and Mass Effect movies in varying stages of development.

The Variety piece also mentions that EA is "working on the second and third installments" of the Dead Space franchise. Although that can be interpreted to mean sequels to the main game, it could also mean Extraction and the expected sequel. We're following up with Variety and EA for clarification and will update when we hear back.

Visceral execs wooed away from EA by Activision [update]

by David Hinkle { Jul 22nd 2009 at 12:00PM }

Update: An EA spokesperson confirmed to IndustryGamers that the two have indeed flown the coop. There's no word on replacements for them as of yet, but we'll be sure to keep you posted.

Original post: EA's Visceral Games (formerly EA Redwood Shores) may have lost two key personnel, if a rumor originating at GameSpot is to be believed. General manager Glen Schofield and COO Michael Condrey supposedly jumped ship to rival Activision, with a memo circulating at Visceral apparently describing the departure of the execs. Schofield is best known as the guy behind Dead Space, whereas Condrey got his start by directing this Levi's commercial.

This news comes following some job listings (via superannuation) for a San Mateo-based studio with Activision. The company currently has nothing in the area, so this lends credence to the rumor that Activision is looking to start up something around the Bay. Add what Schofield and Condrey bring to the table and you have the makings of a fine studio.

Inside sources close to GameSpot said the departure follows weeks of rumors circulating about Activision aggressively pursuing Visceral talent. We've put in word to EA and Activision for comment and will be sure to get back to you if we hear anything.

[Via Big Download]

Three million people played Dead Space

by Justin McElroy { Jul 7th 2009 at 4:30PM }

The sobering second half of that sentence? Only 1.5 million people bought it new. Speaking on the official EA podcast, Glen Schofield, EA studio manager for the Dead Space team, said that while the team had discussed adding co-op, he didn't believe the lack of that feature is what sent the game tape flying back to GameStop after players had solved it.

Schofield explained, "We were up against Fallout, which was a 50-hour game to begin with. So, we didn't look at it and say we have to have online. What we said we've got to be bang for the buck."

So, would you have held on to Dead Space longer if you could have gotten the pee scared out of you with a friend?
[Via Kotaku]