For a title that flew under the radar up until its release, Dead Space has quickly made a name for itself as one of the premier titles of 2008, as well as one of the best survivor horror titles of all time.

Dead Space is the story of Isaac Clarke, an engineer who has been sent with a small team to repair the communications system of the USG Ishimura, a gigantic mining ship in deep space that contact has been lost with. But after a rough landing that leaves the repair team stranded on the Ishimura, gamers quickly realize -- as if they didn't already -- that things on the Ishimura are not what they should be.

At its core, Dead Space is a futuristic survivor horror title heavily influenced by the movie Event Horizon and games such as BioShock, Doom 3 and Resident Evil 4. A blend of all these media has formed an excellent title that keeps gamers hooked to the ever-evolving story and equally scared and terrified throughout.

Things on the mining ship take a turn for the worst immediately after landing. In the third-person shooter style that borrows the camera from Resident Evil 4, the action promptly begins when Isaac is separated from his team and forced to repair the tram system, which is used to travel to different parts of the ship, as well as backtrack later in the game.

While exploring the Ishimura to repair the tram system in chapter one, gamers are eased into the controls of Dead Space and unique abilities that Isaac's suit offers, including stasis to slow down time and pick off enemies -- limb by limb -- and kinesis to use energy to pick up objects to toss around or complete a number of recurring puzzles throughout the game.

In Dead Space, the creatures you encounter are mostly mutated crew members, called Necromorphs, suffering from the effects of the alien marker that the USG Ishimura mined up during its operation. They are no longer human -- notably -- and have one desire: To kill you. And in typical survivor horror fashion, ammo isn't plentiful -- unless you play on easy -- so disposing of enemies takes time and precision. Initially, Isaac starts off with only the Plasma Cutter, a weak pistol of sorts that can be upgraded throughout the game, but throughout the game new weapons are plentiful and offer a unique way to kill enemies to keep the action refreshed.

Disposing of the Necromorphs is a task within itself, as they can only die once their head and limbs have been "removed." Fortunately, combat is fluid and mostly hiccup-free with the use of the over-the-shoulder camera. Once a Necromorph pops out of its one of hundreds of hiding spots on the Ishimura, gamers can put stasis on the enemy and kill it in a matter of seconds, then enjoy watching its dismembered body hit the floor in real time -- there is a sort of sadistic satisfaction to this.

But stasis is by no means necessary to kill enemies, as the stasis meter runs out after several uses and needs to be recharged. In real time, the Necromorphs -- aside from one reminiscent to the slow and fat exploding Flood creature from Halo -- are fast and killing them usually requires the gamer to shoot them to stun them initially, or even more brave, melee them. Either way, depending on the amount of ammo, health packs or statis packs available, gamers can go guns-blazing into a room and blast everything or take their time, systematically picking off each Necromorph. But in most situations, the sheer terrorizing ambiance of the dark Ishimura will cause gamers to choose the latter.

At about 15 hours to complete, Dead Space doesn't feel too short or too long, though at times the missions feel repetitive and drag on. The majority of the missions revolve around Isaac going to different parts of the ship repairing parts, grabbing keys or opening doors, etc. to progress the story. The lack of variation in the chapters does cause some frustration, but it certainly doesn't take away from the action or terrifying nature of the game.

And regardless of the size of the Ishimura, gamers will find themselves backtracking to familiar parts of the ship to complete new tasks, however, these familiar parts are almost always changed, including having little to no lighting, new enemies and other plot twists. So even though Dead Space does employ the oh-so-hated backtracking, it is used fluidly and doesn't detract from the story. To put it simply, it wouldn't make sense to be on a repair mission on a ship of this scale and not have to backtrack at some points.

In similar fashion to BioShock, Isaac is able to upgrade his weapons and suit throughout the game by collecting power nodes. This gives players the option to take upgraded armor and health over heavy-hitting firepower, or vica versa. Both seem viable, however, a mix of both certainly doesn't hurt, as there are not enough nodes on the ship to fully upgrade the suit and several weapons. At the in-game store, players can also buy ammo, health packs, weapons and level-up Isaac's suit -- all of which become imperative later in the game.

Instead of simply borrowing from other great titles, Dead Space improves on what it takes from. In most survival horror titles, pressing select will take you to a pause screen where players can explore their inventory, but Dead Space does not include a standard heads-up display. When accessing the inventory, it appears in front of Isaac via a holographic projection screen. The health meter and stasis meter also appear on the back of Isaac's suit, while the ammo is displayed directly behind the weapon. The lack of a heads-up display lets players focus on the creepy environment and immerses them into the story, as if players are in the game, rather than just playing it.

Visually, Dead Space is easily one of the most impressive on the Xbox 360, or any system for that matter. Players will find themselves consistently admiring the game's visuals and the level of detail put into the creation of the dark and dreary Ishimura and the Necromorphs themselves. In reviews like this, it's tough to reveal parts of the game without spoiling the story, but there is a scene when Isaac first reaches the Ishimura's bridge and there are asteroids flying outside the ship with light from another planet beaming onto the bridge. Scenes like this help re-enforce that Dead Space's graphics are some of this generation's best.

And complete with a soundtrack that certainly adds to the horror of the game, Dead Space succeeds on all levels of being a grade-A survivor horror title. Players will find themselves entering rooms holding down the L trigger to aim while exploring each crevice in anticipation of what might be there. And throughout the game, new enemies and upgraded Necromorphs continue to appear, which adds to the excitement of simply not knowing what's behind the next door. Dead Space succeeds in a way that not many games that take place in space do. While playing Dead Space, you truly feel like you are in deep space and that you are alone, along with a couple hundred Necromorphs waiting to chomp on you...

While Dead Space is an excellent title, it doesn't come without its flaws. As already mentioned, the redundant missions get old fast and more variation would have helped create a more engrossing story. And recurring throughout the game, players are forced into zero-G segments where Isaac has to leep through parts of the room to activate a switch or something of that nature because there is no gravity. The zero-G parts seem quirky and more of an annoyance than anything, as they occur so frequently to only slow down the sometimes fast-paced parts of the game.

The lack of replayability is also expected in a survivor horror title, but players are able to go back and try their luck on impossible mode, if they're brave enough. The achievements do, however, add reason to replay Dead Space and earn all 1000 points, while fully upgrading the suit and all the weapons to make Isaac an absolute power house.

Aside from a few minor quirks, Dead Space is easily one of the best games of 2008, thus far. With outstanding visuals, a gripping storyline and fluid combat, fans of survivor horror are certain to rank Dead Space among their favorites. And with Resident Evil 5 still out in the distant future, Dead Space offers itself as the first grade-A survivor horror title of this console generation, setting the bar high for those to come.

Bottom Line

Many people doubted Dead Space when they heard EA was making it and there was certainly a lack of hype before its release. "Oh it's just Doom 3," or "Oh, what an Event Horizon clone," ran ramped on Internet forums. But the bottom line is that Dead Space is not a clone. Dead Space stands alone in the survivor horror genre as the best of this console generation with its chilling and terrifying ambiance on the Ishimura, outstanding combat and a story that keeps players wanting more. Dead Space doesn't re-invent the genre, but it certainly raises the bar for survivor horror titles to come.

FINAL SCORE: 9.0

Visuals: 9.5
Audio: 9.5
Features: 8.0
Replay: 8.0

Latest WoW patch tames once-challenging content

Along with taking your character to the barber shop for a shave and a trim or re-visting old parts of Azeroth collecting the newly added achievements, more casual players who were previously unable to reach the end-game raids in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade are now able to do so -- with ease.

Guilds that cleared end-game raids such as Black Temple, Mount Hyjal and Sunwell Plateau were once among the few elite on their respective servers. The latest patch, dubbed "Echoes of Doom," released last Tuesday to lay the framework for the upcoming expansion, reduced all raid bosses' health by 30% and even lowered the amount of damage they put out. This significant change now allows lesser-geared players to walk into these previously challenging raids and complete them quickly and easily.

Along with lowering the difficulty of the bosses, the new patch added new talent trees and abilities that signifcantly boosted healing and damage done for all casses. This means that not only are the bosses now easier -- three and a half weeks before the new expansion, Wrath of the Lich King releases -- but players are more effective during these encounters.


Hey me too, right!?
So, what does this all mean? Right now, nothing but a little humor for the raiders who saw end game months ago. Guilds with players in green-level items can easily down four, possibly seven out of the nine bosses in Black Temple with a bit of coordination -- previously unthinkable. And just last night on the server I play on, I witnessed a guild down the first boss in Sunwell, even though they only downed four bosses in Black Temple prior to the patch.

Blizzard is certainly opening the doors before Wrath of the Lich King launches November 13 to let casual players experience content they never thought they'd see. It's only a matter of time until these guilds who couldn't down a single boss in Black Temple pre-patch down all six bosses in Sunwell. Let's not even start talking about Lady Vashj and Kael'Thas...

Dead Space visually stunning

I've been fortunate enough to spend the past two days playing EA's new survivor horror title, Dead Space, on the Xbox 360. And I must say, I'm loving it. But aside from the solid controls, engaging story, and the eery atmosphere, EA has successfully created the most aesthetically pleasing title on the Xbox 360. Dare I say any system?


Dead Space is simply stunning.
"These graphics aren't that good are they? They seem kinda boring," my roommate said. He couldn't have been more wrong. But let me respond to that. What did you expect? You're on board a gritty mining ship, the USG Ishimura, which just so happens to be over-run by aliens of sort. Anyone expecting bright colors -- Kameo -- please step away. By simply watching Aliens or Event Horizon, one can know what they're in for in Dead Space.

I was initially impressed with the visuals of the game. They are certainly on par with those of Gears of War and Bioshock, except EA has used the shadows and lighting to create the terrifying atmosphere that is Dead Space. Now through chapter four, I can firmly say these are currently the best graphics on the system. Without spoiling anything, there is a scene where you board the bridge of the Ishimura, and it is hands down the most-beautiful scene I've ever witnessed in a videogame -- simply stunning.


Things don't always turn out so nicely.
EA has done a tremendous job at engaging the player using the lighting and shadow effects. From having all the lights being turned out around you with only a flashlight at your gun tip, to entering a reactor room with flame patches all around and shadows casting from the creatures crawling from the rafters above, Dead Space is a phenomenal experience.

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation out?

It's been a while since I can remember when a big game was released and there were no reviews -- or can I? For Playstation 3 owners, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation is undoubtedly one of the most-anticipated games on the system because of the success of the previous installments of the series on the Playstation 2. One problem: It's out, and nobody's talking.

Available at retailers for $59.99 with Sony's Bluetooth 2.0 headset, or $39.99 without the headset, SOCOM: Controntation was released October 14, and there haven't been any reviews to speak of.

GameRankings.com average review ratio: --

Doing a bit of research on my own via various message boards and YouTube video reviews, players seem to be enjoying the game now. Several people said it suffered from some severe server problems -- lag and down time, presumably -- during its release, but those problems seem to be resolved. For now, I'll stick to wondering why there aren't any reviews. What's the word, Sony?

Dead Space a 'creeper' hit

For a game that flew under the radar -- even after its release -- Dead Space has earned its spot as one of the premier titles of 2008. This survival horror title puts you on board the USG Ishimura, a downed mining ship which lost contact has been lost with. And your objective, of course, is to investigate what happened, and ultimately fix it.

Dead Space does a great job of initially engaging the player. The action picks up in the first few minutes of the opening cinematic, and it's all hell throughout after. And what the game does well is packing a variety of great movies and games into one. Most critics didn't even have to read much into the title before the comparisons between it and Event Horizon started to run ramped. Aside from the obvious comparisons, Dead Space takes elements from Doom 3, Resident Evil 4 and Bioshock and incorporates them to make an excellent survival horror title.

And instead of a being a simple clone, Dead Space improves on what it borrows from. Although these are only initial impressions, after already completing chapter two, I have a sense of how the game operates and -- hopefully -- what I'm in store for. The controls are very reminiscent to those of Resident Evil 4 with the over-the-shoulder style, however, it does it in a manner that's designed to add to the scary ambience. You are free to rotate the camera 360 degrees without moving your character using the right analog stick, but while running or walking, the camera purposely rotates slowly so you can't see what's immediately around you. This simple trick of the camera adds to the already-creepy atmosphere of the game, and is why I run around with my gun out 90 percent of the time.

"Oh my, there's backtracking! Backtracking sucks," say many gamers and critics -- not this time.

Dead Space does have backtracking, but it seems to be done correctly. Again, I've only completed chapter two and haven't gotten a full scope of the Ishimura's size, but the times I've had to backtrack seem relevant to the mission. It would be tough to imagine a person [in real life] in a similar situation that didn't have to do any backtracking and visit previous spots on the ship. Your mission, after all, is to find out what happened and do a little repair work along the way. But so far, I haven't been bored or annoyed with the backtracking.

These tasks -- some not so simple -- consist of finding repair modules to open new doors, finding parts to construct bombs to blow apart locked doors and a multitude of other tasks. And word to the wise, just because you already cleared a room, don't go running through during the backtracking segments expecting no surprises...

The last part I'll touch on is the combat, which I had my doubts on after seeing initial gameplay footage. The 'monsters' you kill have to have their limbs cut, shot or blown off to be killed. Using the Resident Evil 4 camera style (over the shoulder) for aiming, it's done fluidly. You have the option of meleeing them to death, and subsequently knocking their arms and heads off, or you can shoot them, piece by piece. The choice is yours, but as I've discovered so far, a mix of both works quite well when you get swarmed in all directions.

A neat twist EA added to combat and even puzzle elements was Stasis, which is an option to slow down time by pressing the X button while you are aiming your weapon. This allows you to pick them off, limb by limb in slow motion and then sit back and watch their decapitated bodies hit the floor in real time. It's quite satisfying. The aiming system works well, and like I said, I had doubts before, but after playing Dead Space, those doubts have been erased.

Thus far, Dead Space is impressive. The story is slowly unraveling itself with clues along the way, such as audio diaries and video and text logs, and I'm eager to play more to reveal more of the mystery. For now, Dead Space is certainly in contention for game of the year.