STUDIO: Electronic Arts
RELEASE DATE: October 14, 2008
CONSOLE: PS3
ALSO AVAILABLE ON: XBox 360, PC
DEVELOPER: EA Redwood Shores
GENRE: Survival Horror
PLAYERS: 1
ESRB RATING: M

When you're playing your PS3, no one can hear you scream. Well, that's not true. My neighbor sure heard me wail like a wounded toddler, thanks to EA's truly excellent Dead Space, the best survival horror game since Resident Evil 4 and a true landmark in not just the genre but all games released in this incredibly crowded season. There will be dozens of big-ticket games vying for your hard-earned dollar over the next ten weeks or so, but very few will be as complete, satisfying, and downright chill-inducing as Dead Space. It's not only one of the best games of the year. It's one of the most enjoyable, creatively designed video game experiences of the last few years. One or two minor things keep it back from absolute gaming Valhalla, but it's such an impressive release on so many levels that the flaws are easy to ignore. It's hard to concentrate on the "bad" or even the "good" when you're honestly scared enough that you've stopped playing the game after the sun has gone down. Heck, I got to a point where I would only play during daylight with all the lights on.

Dead Space opens with the crash landing of our hero, Isaac Clarke (two names oh-so-famous in the history of science fiction), on the USG Ishimura. The "planet cracker" ship, which should be populated by thousands of friendly faces, is totally empty and, well, creepy. Isaac quickly gets separated from the rest of his team and, before you know it, you're dodging terrifying creatures that look like the offspring of the zombies from the RE series and HR Giger's Alien from the Ridley Scott masterpiece. Almost immediately, you can feel the influence of films like Alien, The Thing, and Solaris (or, for the more action-inclined, Event Horizon, although there is definitely a psychological element to Dead Space's brilliant narrative that parallels either "going crazy in space" movie). Before you're even shooting a weapon, even novice gamers will recognize that Dead Space is a marvel of design with a ship that feels so precisely crafted and conceived that I half-believe the thing could be functional.

We'll get back to the design (trust me) but, after you're done marveling at your surroundings, you'll quickly notice the functionality and brilliance of the gameplay, which is the main thing that really set Dead Space apart for me. Instead of pausing and checking your inventory or map, Isaac has a heads-up display that pops up right in front of him and he can scroll through inventory, missions, data, and check where he is on the ship. Not only is it incredibly user-friendly, but it takes away a major flaw of most other games - the ability to pause and catch your breath. While you're looking at your HUD, anything that was going on before you brought it up is still going on. It won't be long before you've mastered how to run, bring up your inventory, and inject a med pack all in one fluid movement.

Why will you be running and low on health? Well, it turns out that some real gnarly sh*t went down on the Ishimura. So, while you're going around trying to bring it back to life to save yourself and the rest of your team, some terrifying creations that are definitely not-of-this-Earth are trying to eat your insides. Bullets don't do a lot of good on the creatures the game calls "Necromorphs," so you'll quickly get attuned to the concept of strategic dismemberment. If something is running at you with its giant pointy arms flailing, the smart thing to do is take out the knees first and then the limbs. Head shots are so passe.

Through 12 brilliantly designed chapters, Isaac travels the Ishimura, facing a series of increasingly challenging missions and increasingly terrifying monsters. Here's where the fear comes in. Dead Space is straight-up scarier than, not just any game I've played this year, but also any movie I've seen in a long time. Some have quibbled with the word "scary" to describe Dead Space - it's a common argument on message boards - and it should be noted that the fear created in this incredible gaming experience isn't purely atmospheric. This is not Silent Hill or even the early Resident Evil games. The fear in Dead Space is more of the heart-racing variety, where you know that something is going to jump out and try and slice your head off, but you still jump anyway when it happens. It quickly gets to the point where you'll be shooting anything that moves - even the dead bodies of the shipmates of the Ishimura - just because you're not sure what could come to life and slice you in half. I never opened a door without my gun raised. Dead Space elicits that kind of fear.

So, what's wrong with Dead Space? It can't be perfect, right? To be fair, the structure does get a little repetitive. Every level is basically a variation on the same thing - Isaac has to push a button, get something online, find a schematic, and there are some deadly, twisted creations between point A and point B. However, when the writers of Dead Space do stray too far from that repetitive structure, the game actually gets a little weaker. There's an asteroid-shooting sequence that's embarrassingly stupid and frustrating and some Zero-G moments that aggravated me more than they entertained me.

Some people have complained about the lack of co-op play or multi-player action online, and it shows you how far we've come in the gaming world that my first instinct was to think that Dead Space was lacking something because it missed those elements. But then I thought about it for a while and realized - Isn't survival horror co-op kind of an oxymoron? Would you both play the last guy on the Ishimura? It doesn't make sense. The strength of Dead Space is in the moments where you feel completely isolated from the rest of the ship except for some of the most terrifying, straight-from-your-nightmares aliens that you've ever seen. Co-op play and multiplayer play would kill that mood. I do hope that EA really kicks open the door when it comes to downloadable content for Dead Space. There are already suits available for download and it wouldn't be hard to have weapons, items, and maybe even missions in the future.

In the end, what really sets Dead Space above so many of its action-driven peers is the attention to detail. The ship, the HUD, the enemies, even the story is not only deeply developed but also consistently surprising. Like most games, the creatures get increasingly grotesque and increasingly hard to kill and, every time I ran across something new with my pulse rifle, I would actually take the time to marvel at the design. "Is that a pregnant zombie alien? Is that a giant bat? What the hell? I don't even know how to describe that thing other than holy sh*t." And the little touches - the words "Cut Off Their Limbs" written in blood, the whispering and other odd noises, some of which I'm not even sure I heard - work to create an atmosphere that's completely riveting from "New Game" to the end credit sequence. It's the first game in a long time that I finished on one difficulty level and started another game on the next one higher. Dead Space is one of the best games of the year and a must-own for even the most casual gamer. If you can handle the fear, that is.