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Dead Space |OT|

Alex P

Member
MiniDitka said:

I got stuck there too for more than an hour. It's really, really tough on hard.

Load up on ammo, stasis, and health. Use stasis smartly and take out the enemies the best you can, making sure to cut the regenerative guy's legs off. Eventually, what's-her-name will open a door for you.
 

seat

Member
:\

Quick opinion: the part where you blow the asteroids away in the fixed gun turret is too hard, lame, and NOT fun. The developer should have left this out or at least made it a tad easier.
 
seat said:
:\

Quick opinion: the part where you blow the asteroids away in the fixed gun turret is too hard, lame, and NOT fun. The developer should have left this out or at least made it a tad easier.
Shit, I had fun.

A blast, even.
 

MiniDitka

Member
Alex P said:
I got stuck there too for more than an hour. It's really, really tough on hard.

Load up on ammo, stasis, and health. Use stasis smartly and take out the enemies the best you can, making sure to cut the regenerative guy's legs off. Eventually, what's-her-name will open a door for you.

Its seems like no matter what I do I cant stay alive : ( Thanks though : )
 

Phthisis

Member
This game is fuckin' sweeeeeeeeeeeeet


I have found the flamethrower to be pretty much useless, however. That said, I haven't been able to upgrade it. I've been spending most of my nodes on opening those doors.
 

seat

Member
Revolutionary said:
Shit, I had fun.

A blast, even.
Well, I might hate it because I'm stuck on this part (for the first time in this game to boot).

Since this is a form of gameplay that hasn't even been introduced until this part of the game, did they have to make it so frustrating on the first go? I don't think so. Just an opinion, of course.
 

bigswords

Member
seat said:
:\

Quick opinion: the part where you blow the asteroids away in the fixed gun turret is too hard, lame, and NOT fun. The developer should have left this out or at least made it a tad easier.

Me too I hated that bit, I survived though the controls for that feels abit off for some reason.
 
seat said:
Well, I might hate it because I'm stuck on this part (for the first time in this game to boot). Since it's a form of gameplay that hasn't even been introduced until this part of the game, did they have to make it so frustrating on the first go? Just an opinion, of course.
Just fire like crazy by alternating L1 and R1 in the direction of the comets. Just don't overdo it TOO much cuz the gun does overheat (or reload, I didn't really pay attention - all I know is it stopped for about 2 seconds).
 

Narcosis

Member
So far this game is living up to the hype for me.

Currently at chapter 10 on normal mode, can't wait to finish the last 2 chapters and see where all the madness is heading.

I think the Unitologist-nutjob scientist who created the regenerating creature is a very interesting character. I find his psychotic rants to add perfectly to the mood of the game. Also in line with that is the eeriness of seeing the survivors offing themselves. It's sick and twisted and fits ever so perfectly.
I can't wait to see what role Isaac's girlfriend(wife?) plays as the end closes in, her presence has definetly been one that has an ominous feel.

As far as some of the different gameplay segments that have popped up though chapter 10:
The shooting gallery was fun, especially when it hit level 5. I actually managed to ace it and get all the bonus goodies.

I am NOT a fan of the basketball minigame, I always lose track of the damn ball, I don't like the pacing and I just don't find it very fun.

The parts where you man the large turrets are okay, but not great. After being trained for so long to think of shooting in terms of rotating a reticle that stays put on the screen, having the targeting move freely on a static screen is kind of weird.

All in all, I'm definetly having a good time. EA is not a company I've ever really liked much, but if this game is an indication of the direction they're going then I'm all for it.
 

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
Yay! I got past my brickwall moment in Chapter 3 I mentioned last page. I can't really explain it either, I mean after a dozen something attempts I just happened to get it the sac to explode. It's not like I did anything different, maybe there is some sort of critical hit system going on secretly underneath? Some attempts I would land 6 perfect hits, but the successful attempt I only landed 5...weird.

BTW if anyone is curious, I am far into Chapter 4 with just around 4 hours on the clock. Playing Hard mode and have exclusively used the plasma cutter with minimal upgrades since I am being so frugal with upgrades and cash. (Might just end up going for that One Gun achievement at this point)

Also, the game is doing a wonderful job of mixing up the scenario's and adding slightly new wrinkles to the combat and environments each chapter. I was concerned that the bulk of the experience would be Chapter 1/2 regurgitated for the long haul, thankfully it keeps up the creativity.
 
Such a great game. Any of you who are still on the fence [as I was] should just get it. I can't see anyone being disappointed.

One thing I really like about the game [that hasn't already been stressed to death in this thread] is the way it scales its difficulty. Normal is pretty easy, Hard is quite a challenge; also, if you don't want to memorize the layout of this giant ship, there's always the "navigator" to point you to your next objective.
 

wenis

Registered for GAF on September 11, 2001.
just finished the first 2 chapters. it is really engrossing and you really feel that buildup of walking around a corner like the first time you would play resident evil and werent sure if that shadow was a legit threat or it was just some random thing causing it. also the audio even on my shit tv speakers still sounds great. I can imagine what it would be like with a full rig. im finding it hard not to go sink my teeth into it a bit more right now actually.
 
t0va said:
^ yeah the navigator is cool. don't think i've used the map once.
I've only found myself using the map for finding out where Shops and Benches are. Oh, and save points once in a while, as well.

The navigator can be a bit finnicky at times, though. Particularly when involving elevators.
 

boco77

Banned
Guys when I get this game should I start playing on Hard because I heard Normal is too easy? I also don't want to be frustrated by it but I'm fairly proficient with these types of games so I don't want it to be too easy either and be able to just whizz through it?

Also do the achievements stack? And after you beat it, can you carry stuff over to a new harder difficuty or does everything reset?
 

wenis

Registered for GAF on September 11, 2001.
o yeah..how do i use the 2 new suits i just downloaded? or is that for the replays only?
 

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
I suspect I'm towards the end of Chapter 3, and damn, this game is so fucking awesome.
 
Just moved on to chapter 4. Digging the game so far. Not quite as tense as I had hoped, but it has had it's moments, and the atmosphere is pretty nice. Sound is fantastic. Music is low-key with an underlying ominous tone. UI is mostly slick. Sometimes doesn't open correctly if I'm to close to a wall. No biggie tho. VO is pretty good to, but man, it is so reminding me of bioshock every time I pick up one of the audio clips.

I hate how guys pop up behind you all the time. I keep backing up into them, and they kick my ass :lol The inventory system, well, the amount you can carry, sucks. I'm constantly dropping something to pick up ammo, reload my weapon, and then pickup whatever it was I dropped again.
I got the level 2 suit, it helps, but man, inventory is gimped

Overall, I'm enjoying myself. I didn't really want to stop playing, but I noticed it was getting close to 2am, and I didn't even realize it :lol Good sign I guess :D
 

Spire

Subconscious Brolonging
Finished chapter 3, the final big encounter was fucking crazy, I can't even imagine doing that shit on Impossible. This game is rad so far, I hope it keeps holding up this well.

Also, are the DLC suits the best suits in the game? And I see that they're level 5, can you equip them before you would naturally get a level 5 suit?

And the sound the Plasma Cutter makes when you switch between the alt and regular fire is the exact same sound you get from flipping through menu options in Xenogears. I got a nice little nostalgia trip from that. :D
 
seat said:
:\

Quick opinion: the part where you blow the asteroids away in the fixed gun turret is too hard, lame, and NOT fun. The developer should have left this out or at least made it a tad easier.

Not sure if this deserves spoiler tag since it's related, but I still don't want to give any minor minor spoilers away

Agreed! It should have been easier. The fact that the asteroids kept coming from the sides and your turret moves so slow made that part a pain. It was fun the first time, but by the third or fourth time replaying it, it was just plain annoying.

Anyways, I finished chapter 4 (just bought game tonight) and hopefully I'll find time over the weekend, next week to finish it.

Kickass game so far! Very immersive :D
 

Sean

Banned
Just beat chapter 3, this game is fucking AWESOME so far.

One of the most immersive games, I really love all the neat touches like your health meter being on the characters back, the navigator feature (you press in the right thumbstick and it draws a line where to go), the fact that you can listen to audio and video diaries while still playing... Everything is just really well thought out.
 
The vacuum sequences make it hard for me to breathe... like, me, in the real world. They're so well done, and I kind of have a phobia of that situation anyway. Water pouring out of broken pipes even boils and evaporates instantly when you're outside in space.
 

LiquidMetal14

hide your water-based mammals
Can't really comment fully but all the detail really bring this immersion the team wanted to life. This is a great example of how to make a game more suspenseful. And the visuals, they are stunning.
 
do the environments become varied and interesting? I am at the end of chapter 2, and so far there is just a bunch of similar looking metal rooms and corridors which to me are flashbacks to Doom 3. I know the game is set on the ship, but do the environments become more impressive and larger in scope or variety? In bioshock, they did a great job of diversity in environments.

Dont get me wrong, its very polished and I think it deserves high scores & had I not just finished Silent Hill Homecoming I would probably find it scary. The enemies are so well detailed and animated, and the weapons offer something different from most games.

Also the game gives me motion sickness due to small spaces, smooth frame rate and me constantly spinning around to make sure noises are enemies about to stab me :lol
 

beelzebozo

Jealous Bastard
i don't know what to tell you. i think the environments are varied enough for the interior of spaceship. bioshock was an underground city, so of course it was going to have some more fantastical elements, like the indoor forest. in a game taking place on a spaceship, you've got the med lab, bio research, exterior environments that are in a vacuum, huge zero gravity rooms. . . i just don't even know what you want exactly, or were expecting.
 
beelzebozo said:
i don't know what to tell you. i think the environments are varied enough for the interior of spaceship. bioshock was an underground city, so of course it was going to have some more fantastical elements, like the indoor forest. in a game taking place on a spaceship, you've got the med lab, bio research, exterior environments that are in a vacuum, huge zero gravity rooms. . . i just don't even know what you want exactly, or were expecting.

yeah I mean its hard for them being on board a spaceship, but in the bioshock example areas like the
garden area with very colorful plants and trees and fort frolic
gave a high level of differentiation so often a new level felt completely fresh and different.

BTW is your beelzebozo from bill hicks?
 
beelzebozo said:
i don't know what to tell you. i think the environments are varied enough for the interior of spaceship. bioshock was an underground city, so of course it was going to have some more fantastical elements, like the indoor forest. in a game taking place on a spaceship, you've got the med lab, bio research, exterior environments that are in a vacuum, huge zero gravity rooms. . . i just don't even know what you want exactly, or were expecting.
interestingly, hydroponics at one stage was kind of imagined as a big open forest deck sort of thing, but it wasn't scary, so they changed it into what it is now.
 
plagiarize said:
interestingly, hydroponics at one stage was kind of imagined as a big open forest deck sort of thing, but it wasn't scary, so they changed it into what it is now.

what chapter is this hydroponics ? I remember reading the art book and the artist said he spent 2 weeks designing plants, all for that level.
 
MiniDitka said:
Its seems like no matter what I do I cant stay alive : ( Thanks though : )

Not really spoilers, just strategy pertaining to a certain part of act 5.

What weapon have you been dumping your power nodes into? I chose to level my Line Gun so the mine was maxed out. When you get into the room, try running around the outside walls so that all of the enemy spawns will trigger then herd them to a wall so they are close together. I actually used a doorway, when they all converge there, hit them with a stasis blast and then plant 1-2 mines at their feet. Cleared the entire room with 2 shots.
I'm not entirely sure, but I think the door opens after a certain amount of time. You also might try running circles around the room until she unlocks the door.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Well, I made it through a couple chapters yesterday and can't wait to continue tonight. The gameplay is really pretty solid. Still, with all these positive impressions, I do feel a touch of disappointment.

I didn't expect a scary game going in, but when you actually realize just how UN-scary it is, the disappointment begins to creep in. There are just a lot of odd decisions that I don't understand. Again, the musical cues employed during virtually every enemy encounter really cheapens them and ruins the atmopshere. The sound is technically well done, but it just lacks any kind of unique sound that you find in the best horror games. When you think back to System Shock 2, Silent Hill, Thief, and Siren 2 it was the sound design that really created the sense of dread.

Dead Space seems to suffer from the same type of problems as Doom 3. Like Dead Space, Doom 3 was developed to be a "scary" game, but despite the fact that I loved it, I didn't find it the least bit scary (even on a CRT monitor). What I came to realize was that the lack of fear was born from the way in which enemy encounters would unfold. The game relied very heavily on spawning monsters directly before the player. When a monster appeared, it was ALWAYS focused directly on kiling the player. Dead Space works in a similar fashion in that, if a monster is present on screen, it will always be aware of and trying to kill the player. I think Dead Space almost takes it even further in the wrong direction with the aforementioned musical cues to highlight the emergence of an enemy.

The games mentioned above used an entirely different and much scarier method. Enemies did not spawn, rather, they were already existing within the game world. They would simply move about the world on their own and only attack the player if the player was detected. Consider something like those maintenance robots in Shock 2 or The Children in Thief II. They would roam the map with very distinct noises but would remain unaware of the player unless the player allowed themselves to be discovered. In many cases, these enemies could be attacked, but the battles would be tough and the player was often best served by avoiding them altogether. That's not to say these games focused entirely upon avoidance, however, as Shock 2 featured some pretty intense and difficult combat at times (with limited resources available).

It's a seemingly subtle distinction that ends up making a HUGE difference in the context of the game. The idea of enemies inhabiting an area is much scarier than having them appear at predetermined locations. When coupled with good sound design, the roaming nature of the enemies in games like Shock 2 greatly elevate its fear factor. I should note that the actual visual design of the monsters ultimately makes little difference. The Many in Shock 2, for instance, were low poly, ugly abominations limited by the Dark Engine. Yet, due to the way in which they were presented, they became feared. The designs used in Dead Space aren't particularly unique or exciting, but a different approach in how they attack could have made them terrifying opponents rather than fodder.

Despite that small rant, I actually DO love the game just as I loved Doom 3 (actually, I'd say Dead Space plays quite a bit better). I just believe, like Doom 3, it could have been something greater and am disappointed that the developers failed to grasp what makes a scary game. Of course, we could discuss the subjective nature of "what makes something scary", but this is simply my opinion on the matter. Hopefully this type of fear works for some people.
 

eshwaaz

Member
Loving it so far (Chapter 4), but the game seems really stingy with the nodes. I feel like I'm being very thorough in exploring, but I've never had more than 3 at once and have only used 4 total (for 2 locked doors and 2 weapon upgrades). Am I missing something?
 

djkimothy

Member
dark10x said:

So, does the emphasis on fear rely on startling/shocking you?

I'm still debating on playing this, it just looks like another space horror genre. ie: it's all quiet and then something jumps out at you making lots of noise. I can get startled easily but I don't find that "scary" at all.
 

Zeliard

Member
The game is wonderful, but I do agree with dark that it pretty much isn't that scary, at least not in the way System Shock 2 was (then again, so very few games are), as well as the original STALKER. There are some parts of Dead Space that evoke a great sense of dread, but they're sort of few and far between, and the sound is a bit overbearing at times to its detriment. I'm still quite early on so this could change, but I've found that Dead Space veers more towards the "boo!" moment horror variety rather than the psychological, which is unfortunate.

There are very, very few downsides to the game, though. I just got to work 30 mins ago and I already can't wait to get back home and play it - the core gameplay is incredibly strong. And the graphics? Jesus. Easily the best-looking console game currently out, and probably will be until Killzone 2. I don't think Gears 2 looks quite as good as Dead Space, though I'll need to play it myself before truly judging it. I don't think any game this gen will match Dead Space's presentation, though, unless they get a sequel out. Just astounding. The entire HUD system, from the "health bar" on down to the map and inventory system, is both the most efficient and visually-pleasing I've ever seen. Walking around with a video log hologram playing out in front of you is a trip.

I'm somewhere in Chapter 3 in Dead Space so far, and one thing I'm wondering: is it worth it at all to ever upgrade Air? Right now it seems useless to do so, as well as buy those air canisters. There's only been one area in a vacuum so far, and you're not in there for too long. I am assuming there are environments later on that are in a vacuum and keep you there for an extended period, or constantly go back and forth between vacuum and non-vacuum, where a boost in Air could come in handy.
 

Ethereal

Member
This is an amazing game, I'm in the middle of Chapter 3 right now and I've been enjoying every minute of it.... I've decided that the Plasma Rifle is basically useless, but the Line Gun is very nice for blowing a Necro apart right at the midsection. I wouldn't say that I'm paralyzed with fear as I play, but I definitely walk slowly with gun drawn around blind corners. Only died a handful of times, mainly out of my own stupidity rather than actual difficulty of an encounter. Can't wait to see where this is going.
 
dark10x said:
Well, I made it through a couple chapters yesterday and can't wait to continue tonight. The gameplay is really pretty solid. Still, with all these positive impressions, I do feel a touch of disappointment.

I didn't expect a scary game going in, but when you actually realize just how UN-scary it is, the disappointment begins to creep in. There are just a lot of odd decisions that I don't understand. Again, the musical cues employed during virtually every enemy encounter really cheapens them and ruins the atmopshere. The sound is technically well done, but it just lacks any kind of unique sound that you find in the best horror games. When you think back to System Shock 2, Silent Hill, Thief, and Siren 2 it was the sound design that really created the sense of dread.

Dead Space seems to suffer from the same type of problems as Doom 3. Like Dead Space, Doom 3 was developed to be a "scary" game, but despite the fact that I loved it, I didn't find it the least bit scary (even on a CRT monitor). What I came to realize was that the lack of fear was born from the way in which enemy encounters would unfold. The game relied very heavily on spawning monsters directly before the player. When a monster appeared, it was ALWAYS focused directly on kiling the player. Dead Space works in a similar fashion in that, if a monster is present on screen, it will always be aware of and trying to kill the player. I think Dead Space almost takes it even further in the wrong direction with the aforementioned musical cues to highlight the emergence of an enemy.

The games mentioned above used an entirely different and much scarier method. Enemies did not spawn, rather, they were already existing within the game world. They would simply move about the world on their own and only attack the player if the player was detected. Consider something like those maintenance robots in Shock 2 or The Children in Thief II. They would roam the map with very distinct noises but would remain unaware of the player unless the player allowed themselves to be discovered. In many cases, these enemies could be attacked, but the battles would be tough and the player was often best served by avoiding them altogether. That's not to say these games focused entirely upon avoidance, however, as Shock 2 featured some pretty intense and difficult combat at times (with limited resources available).

It's a seemingly subtle distinction that ends up making a HUGE difference in the context of the game. The idea of enemies inhabiting an area is much scarier than having them appear at predetermined locations. When coupled with good sound design, the roaming nature of the enemies in games like Shock 2 greatly elevate its fear factor. I should note that the actual visual design of the monsters ultimately makes little difference. The Many in Shock 2, for instance, were low poly, ugly abominations limited by the Dark Engine. Yet, due to the way in which they were presented, they became feared. The designs used in Dead Space aren't particularly unique or exciting, but a different approach in how they attack could have made them terrifying opponents rather than fodder.

Despite that small rant, I actually DO love the game just as I loved Doom 3 (actually, I'd say Dead Space plays quite a bit better). I just believe, like Doom 3, it could have been something greater and am disappointed that the developers failed to grasp what makes a scary game. Of course, we could discuss the subjective nature of "what makes something scary", but this is simply my opinion on the matter. Hopefully this type of fear works for some people.

I can definitely see what your saying. How far in are you by chance? I've encountered a few rooms with pre-spawned enemies so far. I just started chapter six. I've found the atmosphere to be scarier than the actual monsters for the most part. One scene in act 5:
When the hallway in the med-lab blacks out and the regenerator starts growling. Moving down the hallway with the lights coming back on as you progress, effectively nullifying the ability of the flashlight to pierce the darkness ahead of you, sent chills down my spine with every single step.
Thinking about it makes me paranoid. That's the kind of creepy I love. The hiding in a pack of corpses freaks me out alot too. I remember getting ambushed while upgrading my weapons at a work bench once.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
djkimothy said:
So, does the emphasis on fear rely on startling/shocking you?

I'm still debating on playing this, it just looks like another space horror genre. ie: it's all quiet and then something jumps out at you making lots of noise. I can get startled easily but I don't find that "scary" at all.
No, I'm suggesting the opposite. Monster closets aren't even remotely scary. The attempts designed to make you "jump" don't bother me in the least. Dead Space RELIES on startling/shocking the player and that is precisely why I don't find it scary.
 

djkimothy

Member
dark10x said:
No, I'm suggesting the opposite. Monster closets aren't even remotely scary. The attempts designed to make you "jump" don't bother me in the least. Dead Space RELIES on startling/shocking the player and that is precisely why I don't find it scary.

:( I'll pass then. I'll probably pick it up when it's on sale/used.

If you can draw similarities, what other game do you find most similar to Dead Space?
 
eshwaaz said:
Loving it so far (Chapter 4), but the game seems really stingy with the nodes. I feel like I'm being very thorough in exploring, but I've never had more than 3 at once and have only used 4 total (for 2 locked doors and 2 weapon upgrades). Am I missing something?

You can by them from the store for 10k a pop. I've purchased around 10-15 this way so far.
 
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