Dead Space

[madhair60]

I'm just coming to the end of the original Dead Space and though it's taken me over a year on and off, I've recently gotten right into it and ploughed through the second half.

It's good isn't it?  Succumbs to over-zealous re-use of environments, and maybe slightly too few monster types, but it's a great, atmospheric and quite unnerving action horror.  I've got the sequel sat on my Steam account ready, and by all accounts it's even better.

So, what I'm asking, VWs, is what do you make of the Dead Space games?  What did you like/hate about them?  Which is best?  Are the spin-off games worth a punt?

Please tag your spoilers.

[Johnny Textface]

A decent attempt at a similar genre, but not quite up there with Resi 4. Mind you what is?

I did enjoy it though

Spoiler alert

- and shit myself right at the end - classic horror film jump!

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[Egyptian Feast]

I liked Dead Space 2 more than the original (which I also enjoyed), but through familiarity the shock value has worn off a little, so it's nowhere near as unnerving. Great set-pieces though.

The DLC Dead Space 2: Severed isn't a bad way to spend a couple of hours either. The final set-piece is a real nail-biter.

[Obel]

I was drawn to the game by the promise of it being really scary (according to most people) and certainly it started very promisingly... until the scares just ended up being monsters bursting out of things and you blowing them away.

That does not make for a scary game, that makes for an action game.

As far as it being an action game instead I was underwhelmed and got bored of the same "scares" after a few hours and turned off.

Never mind I gyess.

[Big Jack McBastard]

My blurb on Dead Space 2: http://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=27179.0

I really enjoyed the sequel, it's mighty sexy looking and plays well, one of the more impressive titles I've gotten for the PC of late.

[Puffin Chunks]

I bought this game ages ago, looking forward to playing it. Unfortunately I just found it a hugely depressing experience (rather than scary, although there certainly were a few scares).

I got up to the bit where you have to man a gun and shoot down asteroids. Had a few goes at that, didn't get anywhere near taking them down and haven't touched it since.

I've since realised that I like being immersed in a game world, but I prefer having fun than getting depressed. Life fills the depression void just fine on it's own.

[madhair60]

I got up to the bit where you have to man a gun and shoot down asteroids. Had a few goes at that, didn't get anywhere near taking them down and haven't touched it since.

Ohhh, that part is the worst shit ever.  In fact, all "turret" bits are.  WHY ARE THEY ALWAYS IN GAMES

[Big Jack McBastard]

Pansies, it took me 3 goes, pay a bit of bloody attention! [nb]I agree on the principle though, turret bits are often shite.[/nb]

[Pete23]

Generally I preferred 1 to 2 but they were both excellent; the monsters got a bit samey in 2 and there was only one boss fight to change the pace (that I can remember). Saying that, the monster babies in 2 were right nasty little bastards!

[madhair60]

Pansies, it took me 3 goes, pay a bit of bloody attention! [nb]I agree on the principle though, turret bits are often shite.[/nb]

It took me 3 goes too, but it was cunting shitfuck.

[Little Hoover]

Quite liked Dead Space, the sequel was annoying though, it seemed to lose any subtlety in what wasn't a very subtle game anyway. It Ramps up the needless gore, and it beats you over the head with it's "Issac might be going crazy" plot.

There was a never moments silence, even the quieter bits of the game were filled with generic "It's too quiet, I bet something's going to jump out and attack you in a second!" music.  The first game at least allowed moments to build and had a feeling of isolation and a sense of being in a believable environment.

[Little Hoover]

I quite liked Dead Space 1, but the sequel was annoying. It seemed to lose any subtlety in what wasn't a very subtle game anyway. It ramps up the needless gore, and beats you over the head with it's "Issac might be going crazy" plot.

There was a never moments silence, even the quieter bits of the game were filled with over the top "It's too quiet, I bet something's going to jump out and attack you in a second!" music.  The first game at least allowed moments to build and had a feeling of isolation and a sense of being in a believable environment.

[Big Jack McBastard]

I quite liked Little Hoovers first post, but the sequel was annoying, It seemed to retread a lot of old ground in what was a pretty short post. It ramps up the punctuation, and beats you over the head with its "Can't push a button" plot.

and so on..

[Moribunderast]

I'm also just playing this for the first time, having got a PS3 over Christmas. I'm a big fan of horror games (and the genre in general) but I agree it's more of an action title. Atmospheric but not exactly scary. Maybe it's just that I'm shit at action games (I mostly play adventure / point'n'click games) but I'm also finding it quite difficult. More difficult than I remember RE4 being and a vast leap in difficulty over SHADOWS OF THE DAMNED which I played and completed over the break. Still, I shall endure as I've heard good things about the ending and I'm kinda OCD in that once I've invested a few hours into a game I have to get it done.

One thing it does do that keeps it somewhat in the Survival Horror genre is that it keeps your supplies low. I do like a game that forces you to conserve your resources and at times just run away from / through certain scenarios rather than, say, RE4 which, while being excellent, never left you without a hefty amount of ammunition to throw at whatever was around the corner.

As an aside, are there any good true horror games on the PS3? I've researched a little but apart from the DEAD SPACE games and the upcoming SILENT HILL there doesn't seem to be many around. CONDEMNED 2 any good? I realise not every game can be SH2 or FATAL FRAME but I'd love it if some current gen developers were trying.

[Obel]

Condemned 2 was horrific, but not in the right way.

Which is a shame because the first one was fucking great.

[chand]

More difficult than I remember RE4 being and a vast leap in difficulty over SHADOWS OF THE DAMNED which I played and completed over the break.

Conversely, I started replaying RE4 after it came out on PSN, and gave up at the first fucking village where there seem to be 50 zombie villagers and about 30 bullets.

[Little Hoover]

It kind of depends on the difficulty you're playing on. The first time through RE4, and when I played on the hardest difficulty then yeah I was really struggling for Ammo, other times I was stockpiled to fuck. I do remember having to drop items a lot in Dead Space though.

I think RE4 compensates a bit though, if there's really no ammo for miles it makes bosses take slightly less hits. I think on RE 4 on professional, it got to a point where I sold loads of my weapons so I could buy them again and they'd be stocked up.

[madhair60]

As an aside, are there any good true horror games on the PS3?

Siren: Blood Curse?

[mcbpete]

Although about 14billion times better than the redubbed ones for the PS2 (words fail me, what were they thinking ?!), the acting on Siren:Blood Curse still kills a lot of the atmosphere for me. Luckily the bulk of it is contained within the bookended cut scenes, but it does pull you out of the immersion created by the levels themselves.

[madhair60]

I'm on chapter 7 of Dead Space 2 now and so far it's amazing.  Everything has been improved from the already class first instalment - better diversity of locations, faster controls, slicker gunplay, better scares, more use of colour, more interesting characters.  It's just wonderful, and bloody harrowing in places.  Just got past the

Spoiler alert

playschool.  Oh, boy...

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