So I finished Dead Space, a surprisingly well-made game by EA. Dead Space is, if I understand correctly, considered a combination of the tiimeless classic Doom and the less timeless but nonetheless classic Resident Evil series. I can see the comparison, but really, putting Resident Evil in space is redundant. In terms of gameplay mechanics, Doom supplied at least 50% of the ideas to RE.
But enough of that shit. Dead Space tries to do what few games can: scare the shit out of you. So, aside from being a fun/competent game, does it do so?
The short answer: no. The long answer: sometimes, but no. Stop asking. You're creeping everyone the fuck out.
Like Ben Croshaw says, Dead Space is very good at startling you, although the effect wavers a bit towards the end. It is not, however, good at scaring you viscerally. But that is a challenge very few games are up to meeting.
The problem with trying to make a game scary is that most horror games employ cinematic tactics. Case in point: this game. The monsters are hideous and ugly, but they're not particularly frightening because they come from the pretty standard hyper-deformed humanoid type. Although some of the sounds they make are unsettling.
But unsettling is not scary. Centipedes are unsettling at first. Wet farts are unsettling. But unsettling, while better than nothing, doesn't really do anything to create real fear.
The game also has the (bad) habit of relying on musical cues to heighten tension. Sometimes it works, like when it ratchets the violins up whenever you approach a new hallway, but the game relies on them to inform of when a monster is nearby. That's a no-no. So when I hear the music going into HORROR MODE, I know that an ambush is taking place and that I can start getting to safety or whatever. It'd be a lot more startling if the monster simply grabbed me when I didn't know it was there.
More deeply, though, games are rarely "scary" in any sense. Even if they are about horrible topics, the problem with a game is that the player is given control, and therefore a measure of control over their fate. So dismembering the player may be unpleasant, but it's not scary because a) it's not real and b) the player does not feel helpless because he can simply try, try again.
Real fear, though, occurs when someone does not feel like they are in control. Movies can be scary because the viewer is forced to watch something unfold on screen and is helpless to do anything about it. So when you watch a nice scary nuclear war horror story, you have to sit there and endure whatever suffering is on screen and it sucks because it will never change. Ever. Unless the director's cut comes out.
But in any game, you don't have to just sit there and endure it, you can do something about it. So what if you get eaten by a giant sloth? Just don't fuck up next time. But who doesn't want to die being eaten by a giant sloth? Those motherfuckers are adorable!
A game can still be scary, however, as Metal Gear Solids II and III were at certain points, but they did so by rendering the player helpless in certain respects. It takes a very clever mind to pull off "scary" in a video game.
A game like Dead Space, survival horror set in THE FUTUR in space, is inevitably compared to the Dooms. Does it stack up? Of course the fuck not. But it's a better effort than most.
In terms of gameplay, Dead Space is competently done. The dismemberment gimmick is interesting at first, but it quickly loses its novelty once you realize that you're simply killing monsters by following a simple checklist. Let's see, first sever the legs, then :yawn: excuse me, then the arms. Okay, next?
If you're trying to make a survival horror game, the key is to ramp up the intensity. Doom was able to do this by constantly trapping the player and, at times, providing him precious little ammo to work with. Doom was never more intense when the player is forced to run around a map, not coming up with any ammo, and knowing that the few unexplored areas were crawling with monsters. And there you are with 40 bullets, 5 shells and 20 cells. Shit.
Dead Space has a few moments where this actually happens, especially in the beginning when you're a) not that tough at all and b) you haven't gotten the hang of the dismemberment thing yet. Dead Space is one of the few games ever made that actually forced me to run away from a fight in a panic because I was plum out of options. I give it credit for that.
But after a while, ammo scarcity ceases to be a problem, especially when you get the ripper. The gun, while having its drawbacks, is too efficient. It's impossible to run out of ammo with it unless you're a total spastic mongloid, making it too reliable and therefore making the game too "safe."
The other times where the game ramps up the intensity is in vacuum areas, where you have a limited amount of oxygen to work with and therefore have to race against time. I don't know about you, but any area that gives me a limited amount of air to work with is always unnerving, though probably because I hold my breath for some dumbass reason.
However, a good idea in theory is partially ruined in practice. While the gimmick itself works, it is lessened by the reality that suffocating can only be accomplished by the most retarded of gamers. Either the doorway that leads back into non-vacuum areas is safely close by, or there are oxygen stations put in the vacuum that allow you to fully replenish your O2 whenever you want. Nothing takes the piss out of a COUNTDOWN TO DOOM than being able to reset the timer pretty much whenever you want.
It'd have been better if the O2 stations only had a limited about of oxygen, because in most cases where they appear, they're actually helpful. But you can't coddle players like the way those damn O2 stations do.
While the game is entertaining and very well done aesthetically and technically, it does suffer noticably from a distinct lack of challenge towards the end. By that point, Isaac (the dawg you control) is so powerful that threats turn into annoyances. Sure, you may get killed every now and then, but you stop reaching the point where you can only get by certain areas by the skin of your teeth. You get so much ammo and health that you can afford to play sloppily with little inherent risk. A game should not reach a point like that, and unfortunately Dead Space does despite throwing some legitimately tough enemies at you.
There probably will never be another game that can capture the perfect mix of terror and fun that Doom had, although that view is probably colored by the fact that I was all of 10 when I first played it. Fuck yeah, son. But Dead Space is a solid effort that entertained me, so it was worth the cash.
I give the game 3 dead babies out of 4.
No comments:
Post a Comment