Plot. The year is 2508, the USG Ishimura a "Planet Cracker" starship, sends out a distress signal to the Concordance Extraction Corporation (CEC) during a mining operation in the planet Aegis VII. The company dispatches a ship, the USG Kellion to investigate what is going on. Upon their arrival, the guidance system malfunction and the Kellion crashes into Ishimura's dock. When the crew attempt to seek other means of transport, a swarm of grotesque monsters known as "Necromorphs" kill everyone but Hammond, Kendra and Isaac Clarke. Clarke becomes separated from the two, and begins a trek to escape the ship and investigate through audio logs and text logs, to learn what went wrong in the ship.
Gameplay and Concept. You start playing as Isaac Clarke (named after sci-fi writers Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke). You begin by separating from your team, and going through completing objectives with the help of Kendra and Hammond. Along the way you find audio logs, and text logs to find out what happened in the ship during the mining operation. You fight against various kinds of Necromorphs, and the best way to kill them is by dismembering them strategically. You can also buy and equip various kinds of weapons, also you can upgrade your weapons on the bench upgrades, but you need lots of power nodes in order to get their weapons at their maximum damage, capacity, reload speed, and secondary fire. Also you will find out some traitorous characters, and others not worthy of trust.
Music and Sound. The music reminds me to that of the "Alien" saga, since it takes place in a future time. Most of the music will have you freaked out while roaming the ship, playing this game at night alone, and it will also make you feel like watching a sci-fi horror movie. Jason Graves was the music composer along with Rod Abernethy, and the sound was directed by Don Veca.
Characters. Isaac Clarke is the silent protagonist of the game, he is on a mission to repair the ship and find his girlfriend Nicole, a medical specialist. Isaac stumbles upon a conspiracy involving the Church of Unitology and the government. Most of the characters are modeled after the voice actors. An interesting reference is the character of Hammond, voiced by and modeled after Peter Mensah, who is very well known for his role as the Persian Messenger in 300, and recently, his role as the gladiator trainer Doctore in Spartacus: Blood and Sand.
History. EA Games first announced Dead Space in September 2007. The game was developed at their studio in Redwood Shores, California, who's other titles include; The Godfather, and The Simpsons Game. Glen Schofield, said that the team wanted to create a game that's creepier and terrifying, that gamers would be kept at the edge of their seats. Genius! These creators were fans of horror and sci-fi movies and books, and they were inspired to creat such as great game. Good job EA! Also, the game has spawned an animated movie prequel, "Dead Space: Downfall", released in October 28, 2008 on DVD and Blu-Ray. This game has also spawned comic books and another game for the Wii, "Dead Space: Extraction" and for the PSN, "Dead Space Ignition". Dead Space 2, is in development and due for release in 2011, and Isaac will once again be the protagonist.
Rantings. The Necromorphs I truly hated the most were the Lurkers, I really hated them more than I hated Medusa Heads and Metroids. These creatures crawl and shoot projectiles at you, from out of nowhere. I also hated the part where you had to protect the hull from meteors and the slug, because after shooting at them many times with the turret, the gun would overheat for only a few seconds. Also, the Hunter seemed to be invincible, because he was a Necromorph that regenerated, no matter how many times you dismembered him. Only way to kill that bastard was by extreme temperatures. Also, in some scenes, when Isaac encounters one of the antagonists, Challus Mercer, he can't even enter the place and stop him. What a letdown.
Good Aspect. My favorite weapon in the game was the Ripper, it was a "one size fits all" weapon and you could easily dismember the creatures with that. Also, my other weapon of choice was the pulse rifle. The great thing about this game is: the story, the gameplay, the music, the graphics and the replay value that it has. This is a must have for fans of sci-fi games. For some reasons, the game reminded me so much of Halo, Metroid, Resident Evil, Gears of War, and Silent Hill.
Overall. Dead Space is a great game, and players will enjoy hours of scare, fun, and excitement. I give this game a 9 out of 10