Dead Space: Extraction (Wii)

 It was interesting to hear that the next game in the Dead Space series would not only be a prequel, but a rail shooter. I was a bit skeptical at first, but after seeing gameplay footage and actually sitting down this weekend and playing all the way through it, I’m here to say this: It’s a fantastic, but short, game.

A little back story on the DS series. In the original, the main character, Isaac Clarke (named after Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke) arrives on a mutant/alien-infested ship called the Ishimura and the planetside colony, and unravels what happened via survivors he runs into, video, audio, and text logs.

There was an animated film depicting these events (Dead Space: Downfall), and a limited comic series, but the game designers decided to take a third stab at showing us what happened before Issac arrived. At first I felt that this was going to be the Raccoon City of the Dead Space universe – i.e. thirty games that take place in the same exact event and time frame.

Luckily, this depicts the insanity of what happens in a very fun, creepy, and original way.

Some would complain that for a rail shooter, Extraction sometimes lacks in action. I would definitely say that there is much more story here than with any other rail shooter I’ve ever played – and I’ve played ’em all. But therein lies what makes this such a fantastic game. The story is told very well, all the time through your character’s view, never making the player sit through a boring cutscene. The player LIVES the scenes as opposed to simply watching them.

Now, there is certainly a graphical reduction given the Wii’s power over the 360’s. But it still looks damn good for a Wii game. This makes for a decidedly unnerving, dark, and scary atmosphere. I will say that the targeting reticle is too frickin’ big, and literally blocks your view of the very enemies you’re trying to shoot if they’re far away in the dark. Which they usually are. Considering this game is all about precision and dismembering your opponents, that’s kind of a big deal.

The music is eerie and tense, lending itself perfectly to the moments of ambush, death and escape. The voice acting is generally pretty solid, and emotion can definitely be heard in what is said.

The plot of Dead Space: Extraction fits in well with what is already known of the events before Dead Space. The game essentially happens at the same time as the animated movie and the comics, even referencing them at some points. For example, one character you play as gets a transmission about an incident in the mess hall, and has another team check it out instead. That team gets massacred in the movie.

The one thing that stays fresh all throughout is the gameplay. It’s rife with different things to do, such as a soldering minigame, zero-g gameplay, collectible and customizable weapons, big bosses, and incentive to actually score well on the levels to upgrade your health, et cetera. I always had fun using one of the nine weapons to kill and dismember the necromorphs, using weapons ranging from a buzz saw to a laser cannon to obliterate their dead asses.

There’s a jump-in co-op mechanic as well, making some of the minigames a “your turn, now my turn” gimmick which is surprisingly amusing. It is loads easier with two people, but you also have to share your ammo which adds a bit of strategery to a playthrough.

Everything has carried over from the original Dead Space. The atmosphere, the weapons, the sounds, and the quality. Is it as scary as the original? No. But I honestly think Dead Space was the scariest game of all time.

Make no mistake, though. This game is wonderful, and you’re going to see some very f*^&ed up things happen to the people you interact with, and even your own characters. But it’s SHORT. You’ll beat it in five hours. At least, I did. There is definitely replay value, though.