Comments on: E3: The Trailers – Dead Space

By: Caiman

Caiman — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:04:26 +0000

Doom 3 scared the pants off me, which was probably the only reason I found it so compelling. Dead Space looks like it may get the all-important atmosphere right, with the big exception of the third-person view which puts you at a remove from the action. The creature isn’t coming for you, it’s coming for this bloke apparently standing in front of you. Much less scary.

By: Noc

Noc — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:48:14 +0000

Frag Stag: The point is, each of those things only works once. The Cradle was effective because it took the entire previous game and threw it out the window. But once you know, for instance, that music doesn’t necessarily mean imminent danger, you just disregard it. And, since we’re talking about the Cradle, it stands as a perfect example: by the end of the level, you aren’t scared of the place anymore. You’ve adapted to the new environment, you know what it takes to kill one of the zombies, and you’re ready to break out.

You can use the player’s preconceived notions as stable ground to yank out from under their feet, but they’ll quickly adapt. Like, since this game looks a lot like RE4, lets use that as an example: the first time you headshotted a villager only to have tentacles shoot out of the stump and decapitate you, you jumped. After that, it was just “Oh, time to back up and shoot it a few more times.” Players adapt to things pretty quickly, and I doubt that they’ll be able to keep up an effective sense of horror through the whole game.

That said, I like the idea of messing with the UI, especially since it’s actually got an in-game presence.

By: K

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:34:15 +0000

Seems a bit a long message to write with your own blood, really. They’d have to be standing to write that high too.

I’m /slightly/ more impressed than I was, but still not on my “games to buy” list. And the player still doesn’t seem to fit into world to me, the lighting doesn’t seem to work on him.

By: Mr. President

Mr. President — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 06:13:22 +0000

The gameplay trailer DOES remind me of Doom 3 much more than of System Shock. Doom 3 with lights turned on and some Silent Hill combat music. I still have some hope for the game, although it’s usually not a good sign if I get bored halfway through the short demo.

By: caesarbear

caesarbear — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:04:09 +0000

I miss Project Firestart. Now that was a scary abandoned spaceship game. This isn’t scary, unless you find scripted, cutscene riddled gameplay scary.

By: Frag.Stag

Frag.Stag — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:55:46 +0000

Was gonna comment on the necro-hulk’s politeness, but I’ve been beaten to it.

I think a lot of the fear from this game is gonna be having no idea where the threat is. If any hallway could contain one of those grabber-tentacles, and they don’t always do a late face-grab (excellent timing there in the trailer), then it could be quite nerve-wracking.

@Noc: Who says there’s no conventions? There’s the entire language of videogames and horror movies to torment us with. They just have to mislead the player. Feints, such as “battle music” when there’s nothing around or HOLYSHIT monster attacks out against complete silence. What if the music ramped up again while the player has his back to a “dead” boss monster? Repeat until the player trusts nothing, not even the UI.

Simply put: the quality of this game will be determined by the developer’s willingness to mess with the player’s head.

By: redrain85

redrain85 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:23:22 +0000

The trailer with the nursery rhyme was pretty effective. But that, and the walkthrough, still aren’t enough to convince me that the game will be any good.

For example: the alien just sitting there every time, waiting for the player to get up again and attack, was a bit laughable. It ruins the immersion.

By: DSX

DSX — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:44:28 +0000

I _really_ like the way they’ve integrated the elements of the GUI into your actual game space so that you get a more cinematic experience. This is a superb step forward toward making a total immersion game. We see a bit of that in Fallout3 too. Now if they can get the rest of it right.. level design, music, monster AI, difficulty etc. Looks like a good start, but still needs work.

By: Vivian

Vivian — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:41:08 +0000

Alien Resurrection pulled exactly the same trick, same tune even with its initial trailers, and that turned out to be shit. Not that I’m saying that this is automatically going to be shit, but its a bit of an unimaginative way to try and make something scary.

By: Nuyan

Nuyan — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:48:14 +0000

That first trailer is amazing. That music.. Gees.

By: Erlend M

Erlend M — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:44:54 +0000

I love how the big badass alien is polite enough not to kick a man lying down, but instead chooses to stay put three metres away, waiting for his opponent to get up. How gentlemanly indeed! I appreciate how they teach manners in alien cultures as well.

Am I the only one who’s tired of this ultra-biological horror stuff? I mean, the enemy design and stuff like all the goo on the walls is more disgusting than scary. Maybe they should just go all the way and include enemies who attack you by spraying you with vomit and spunk. ACID spunk. “In space, no one can hear you puke.”

Although I do kind of like the over-the-shoulder camera viewpoint, I feel that this game is far too lacking in class to be compared to the System Shock games. Besides, it looks like a pretty straight FPS, not a RPG/FPS hybrid like SS2.

By: EyeMessiah

EyeMessiah — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:14:03 +0000

Numerology chart cannot tell a lie?