8th August, 2008 (1:34 pm)
The Day With Dead Space
So. Dead Space.
When this opportunity first came about, I posted over at SHHF, asking for questions, suggestions, ideas etc. on what to ask when I got there. The response I got to my plea? ‘Varied’ barely covers it. EA isn’t typically a studio survival horror fans have much time for, so scraping past the barely-contained hostility (”What the hell is EA doing, touching survival horror?” “Why the fuck are they interested in SHHF anyway?”) I did discover a reluctant interest in the new title. As a collective the Silent Hill Community can be a humourless, hyper-sensitive and hyper-critical bunch who often slate the games they love never mind the ones they loathe (no offense, guys - I love you and I’m one of you, but you know it’s true), but it was clear that many fans have been following the development of the game from when it first hit our consciousness. And whilst others had only possessed a mild interest to date, they were prepared to hear more nonetheless. Enter Vixx.
I had two things in the front of my mind when I accepted the invitation to head off to the EA studio in Redwood City, CA: 1) it’s going to suck if I’m the only female there and 2) I’m not going to say it’s good if it turns out to be crap, even if they are flying me out. I can’t be bought cheaply (well, I can, but not when it comes to gaming) and if I’m going to say that it rocks, it’s really going to have to rock - completely, utterly and equivocally. This meant that I spent much of the flight over in a blind, sweaty panic, wondering how the hell I could phrase OMG THIS GAME SUCKS DONKEY BALLS politely enough not to sever my newly-formed links with EA forever.
I needn’t have worried. Dead Space rocked. (And I was one of two females in the thirty-two strong crowd. Awesome.)
It was hard to know what to expect initially. DS had been touted to me as a Silent-Hill-Meets-Event-Horizon extravaganza, and while that sounded cool enough . . . well, I think I’m the only person on the planet who was bored stupid of Event Horizon. You know I’m a horror girl - I’m all about the jumps and the bumps and the gore. Sc-Fi’s okay but it’s never been my genre of choice, so it was hard for me to imagine being as scared shitless running through a shiny, clean futuristic environment as I am stomping through a dark, abandoned hospital or creepy-ass school. Silent Hill works because it twists every day normality, so how can a game set 500 years in the future possibly engage me in the same way?
It does. It does because whilst the environment is new, what you’re fighting isn’t (check this amazing trailer to find out more). Much like the enemies of SH2, the fact that you’re fighting creatures that, despite their deformities, are of human origin is a truly horrific twist - and there’s something so sad, so pitiful about that. I was drenched in dismay right up until I had my torso sliced in half by one of the necromorphs - funnily enough, I’m now no longer so humanitarian about it all. :p I tell you though, it has been some time since I died THAT MUCH and THAT OFTEN in a game. The enemies are bloody FAST and it doesn’t take much before you’re nothing but a pile of chopped meat.
A full write up, including details of my interview with the development team (they’re all big fans of Silent Hill, and are clean and open about the fact that if they want to make the most frightening game to date, they know that it’s Silent Hill they need to top) and my gameplay experience will be posted on SHHF shortly - along with the TRULY nerdy stuff that I tried to suppress here - but suffice to say, it was badass. The lack of HUD didn’t bother me - survival horror is all about being immersed into the gameplay anyways - but the fact you can’t pause the action when you’re in your inventory or map (i.e. no respite from getting your ass kicked) is pure revolution, as is the holographic ammo display when you arm a gun (essential: ammo is SCARCE) and your protagonist, Issac Clark’s, life metre, which runs up his spine. There are no cut scenes or movies - that’s right, all the screenshots you’ve seen to date are in-game - so NOTHING takes you out of the game and the player retains control of the character for 99% of the time. Strategic dismemberment means that you not only need to shoot sparingly but also accurately, and learn as much as you can about the enemies in order to dispatch them quickly and effectively. There’s no point holding the gun up and firing randomly; if you don’t shoot smartly, taking out limbs and tentacles strategically, you’re going to do nothing but to piss off some of these bad boys . . . and you really don’t want that.
My final tip? Stamp on every motherfucking body you see, alien or not. Trust nothing and no-one, as anyone of them could be infected and bite you on the ass the moment you turn your back. Literally.
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Comment by Meggan — 8 August, 2008 @ 3:07 pm
I still think it’s so awesome they flew you out there.
I’m much more of an Animal Crossing / Kirby’s Air Ride / games for five-year-olds kind of gamer, so I’m not sure I would ever play this, but you make it sound super creepy and interesting.
Comment by Char — 8 August, 2008 @ 9:34 pm
That’s pretty cool to know, I was waiting for you to say it royally sucked but if it’s better than BioShock then that works for me. I’m going to pre-order it.
Comment by Vixx — 8 August, 2008 @ 9:51 pm
It creams Bioshock IMO - honestly.
Obviously, it’s hard to judge just how the final product is going to be - it’s difficult to compare two hours in a sterile room with other gamers with the experience of playing it alone in the dark, but what I saw was enough to convince me to pick it up the day it’s released, too!
Meggan - hmmm, I think you need to branch out a little. Pick up Silent Hill 2 or Dead Space when it comes out and you won’t be disappointed … ;)
V xx
Comment by Char — 8 August, 2008 @ 9:57 pm
Sweet, well they have two months to perfect it. I checked out some of the stills on the website and the trailer and I highly doubt I’ll be disappointed.
Comment by Claire — 9 August, 2008 @ 5:56 pm
Glad you had such an ace time, how long did you actually get to play the game for?
Oh, you mean like in Resident Evil Outbreak? Cool!
I’d love to read the more geeky write-up (but couldn’t find it over at the SHHF this morning), any chance of a direct link?
Oh, and those monsters in the trailer? STONKINGLY GRUESOME (and very Silent Hill)
Comment by Vixx — 9 August, 2008 @ 6:15 pm
All told, I got to play it for a couple of hours, I think. We sampled three separate levels for about 30-45 mins each time. Lv 6 kicked my fucking ass. :p
It should be right at the top of your and K’s must have list, love!
The nerdy review’s not up yet - have been trying to catch up on email and family stuff before knuckling down to it. Hope to have something up either tomorrow or Monday though. It will be in the Happy Burger or Lakeside Amusement Park section (you will have to sign up to see it though - sorry!).
Go for it, Char!
V xx
Comment by Jac — 12 August, 2008 @ 10:42 pm
Now that looks scary. I am, sadly, no good at scary games. I peed my pants at Doom and will not play it again… it was the little children/doll things.. *shivers*
My bro however WILL be buying it after I told him how much you loved it! :D
Comment by Jac — 12 August, 2008 @ 10:42 pm
Oh yes.. sorry.. Glad you went and enjoyed yourself! Def a once in a lifetime opp, way to go! :D