First comics and now cartoons, Electronic Arts isn't taking any chances that its upcoming space-meets-survival horror title Dead Space will go unnoticed when it drops this Halloween. The latest effort comes by way of a partnership with film company Starz Media for an animated prequel, which according to EA will pick up the story from the last page of the comic book and cover the events up the beginning of the game itself.

Starz Media is apparently in talks with unspecified networks to air the animated feature this Halloween, while a DVD release is also planned as well. Showing considerable hope for the project, or perhaps just being blinded by dollar signs, the pair have also cemented plans for further animation projects centered on two other EA franchises, but which ones? Inquiring minds want to know.

Players will be able to answer nature's call -- or any call for that matter -- in EA's upcoming survival horror title Dead Space. While an earlier report noted that the devs were considering dropping the ability to pause from the game altogether, EA's Glen Schofield has clarified things, stating that while Dead Space will let you pause the action and take a breather, inventory management will be left to the throes of real-time.

The executive producer told Stephen Totilo of MTV's Multiplayer blog that since combat in Dead Space is "happening live and in real time," players won't be able to pause their game to heal, reload, or write home while being gnawed on by whatever nasties the devs have cooked up. Noted Schofield, "You better ammo up before you begin your fight. Because you can't really be safe." Honestly, inventory we can handle; it was the fear of having to visit a urologist after having to hold it for too long that truly kept us awake at night.

Electronic Arts has finalized an appropriate release date for its upcoming survival horror title Dead Space, announcing that the game will keep players in both North America and Europe oxygen-deprived starting this Halloween, October 31. If there was ever a reason for cosplayers to pore over the Sears catalog for toasters to affix to their heads this haunting season, this game is it.

The game is currently in development for the Xbox 360 and PS3, and promises a "chilling, claustrophobic feeling of being isolated in a dark environment." EA also notes that Dead Space will force players to face down alien horrors not as a hulking superman but rather as a lowly engineer, though if history has taught us one thing, it's to not underestimate the little guy.

We've known of EA's collaboration with Image for a comic book miniseries based on Dead Space for some time, though like the game itself any news beyond knowledge that something is coming has been scarce. Now EA has confirmed new details surrounding the project, noting that the six-part comic series will be penned by Wasteland's Antony Johnston and feature the unmistakable art of Ben Templesmith, best known for his work on Image Comics' own Fell.

As noted earlier, the comics will serve as a prequel to EA's nonstop scare-a-thon, which is expected to keep us playing from beneath the safety of our blankets when it drops this fall for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. We're unsure if the comics will have a similar effect on our psyche, though the above image taken from a limited edition version of the first issue creeps us right out. Just look at his eyes. He knows something. This special edition of the first issue will be given away at this week's WonderCon in San Francisco, while the series will begin showing up at your comic store of choice this March. In the meantime, if you need us, we'll be under the couch where it's safe.

Sure, Dead Space isn't out yet, but given its business-savvy publisher (Electronic Arts), talk of sequels is inevitable. Speaking to EuroGamer Germany, executive producer Glen Schofield explained how he envisioned the game as a franchise. "I'd love for this to become a well established franchise; we've created a huge and rich back story and universe, so other games could easily be made."

New details about the survival-horror game were also revealed. You play spaceship engineer Isaac Clarke, who stumbles upon space zombies on a routine mining vessel call. Your goal is to survive, rescue survivors, and probably kill monsters while you're at it. Schofield said that the game will feature in-game cutscenes (à la Half-Life) and upgradeable weapons and skill trees (à la BioShock). He also said that there will not be a cluttered HUD to distract immersion, which leads us to believe it might have something to do with those lights on the backpack seen in the concept art (pictured).

Schofield mentioned downloadable content, which is reportedly under way for the game (here's an idea: put that content in the game now and work on DLC after it goes gold). Dead Space, with fun hyperboles like "scariest video game ever," is expected this fall for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

We are so excited for Dead Space. It's going to be so awesome that we're sure when it's released, even our strongest hyperbole will fail to describe its greatness, even though we don't technically know anything much about it. So, how are we so sure it will be great? Well, for starters, Mr. Smarty Pants, we've seen a trailer that made the game look amazing. How would that be possible if the game itself wasn't amazing? It wouldn't, that's how. Also, EA said it was "brilliant, bold and often bloody." They're making the game! Don't you think they'd know?

Finally we have Exhibit C: Image Comics is going to be turning Dead Space into a six-part comic miniseries. It's coming in March and it's a prequel, which means that there's so much good story, they couldn't even fit it all into the game! Awesome! Well, that's all for now, we'll be sure to keep updating you on why Dead Space is awesome as soon as we ... you know, learn something about it.

Though science fiction is often optimistic about mankind's mastery of technology, it rarely doles out the same assurances when it comes to our intelligence or capability to make decisions. For instance, when faced with exploring a monster-infested set of steel corridors floating in space -- frequently an exploding barrel research facility where something has gone horribly wrong -- the best solution is to stay at home, where there's safety and oxygen.

But no, it seems all that clichéd sci-fi dreck we've watched and played has taught us nothing. If EA's recently unveiled horror, Dead Space, is anything to go by, it seems our future is still mired in mysterious distress signals (it's a trap!), poorly lit space stations and snarling tentacle things. See for yourself by watching the trailer embedded after the break. And before you jump to conclusions, note that the protagonist's head sadly does not fire high-velocity slices of atomic toast (it's been done).

When Game Informer originally broke the story that Electronic Arts had enlisted a "renegade" team to develop the upcoming space faring survival horror game Dead Space, many in the gaming community rolled their collective eyes. Do they go around stealing staplers and making paper clip chains, or what? Now, however, EA has revealed that the game is being handled by EA Redwood Shores, a studio that is currently responsible for a number of titles and franchises, including The Simpsons Game and multiple Sims 2 expansions. Renegade or not, the developer knows how to play ball.

Dead Space is described by EA as a "brilliant, bold and often-bloody" sci-fi survival horror game that "promises to deliver the ultimate in psychological thrills and gruesome action." In the game, players take up the role of an engineer named Isaac Clarke as he goes from simply trying to fix the communication systems on a mining ship, to having to fight back an alien infestation that has "ravaged" his ship's crew, after which he must "fight through the dead silence and darkness of deep space to stay alive."

Getting anything wholly original out of EA is nice, and it sounds like Redwood Shores isn't so much a renegade studio as they are fans of the Aliens movies. Dead Space is expected to ship next fall for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

He may look like a Big Daddy reject, but this Lil' Papi is the newest face in EA's reinvention line, a steady stream of fresh IPs aimed to counteract the perception of safe-bet mega-publisher. Dead Space, making its first appearance on the cover of Game Informer, was named a year ago (as a FPS) by analyst P. J. McNealey, who identified the then announced project as an Unreal Engine 3-powered action game. The Game Informer hook upgrades that status to "survival horror game," but does not confirm the first-person perspective or Unreal guts. Instead, GI just begs us to buy the issue teases: "Fans of the cult-classic film Event Horizon and straight-up horror aficionados aren't going to want to miss this one!"

Dead Space, being developed by a "renegade" team at EA, sounds a lot like what we'd expect out of the rumored System Shock 3. Is there a connection to be made? And more importantly, can one man cut through the darkness?