Dead Space Remake review: Gorgeous shard of blood

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Before we do our Dead Space Remake ReviewI wasn’t too sure we needed a review. While sci-fi horror is almost 15 years old, its unique set of genre-defining mechanics and interstellar horror are still going strong. Thankfully, Motive has respectfully transformed the original concept into something akin to a 2023 bet, while retaining everything that made the original grotesquely brilliant.

Motive’s Dead Space remake is certainly on a par with the best horror games of all time, but you can credit that feat to Visceral Games’ fantastic source material. It pays homage to classic movies like Alien and Event Horizon by blending body horror and survival agency, ultimately delivering what only a video game can achieve.

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So even though the remake has big problems, it fully understands the task. As I read, I realized that I had forgotten what the 2008 version’s gameplay was like, and I can’t imagine going back to the original after putting on Isaac’s shiny new boots.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Dead Space franchise, the third-person survival horror puts you in the shoes of Isaac Clarke, an engineer tasked with repairing a massive mining ship known as the USG Ishimura. If you love a spooky space movie, you know where things are headed, as Clarke and his maintenance crew are ambushed by a group of monstrous alien lifeforms shortly after landing.

Instead of turning the machine on and off and finishing the job, you’ll have to guide Isaac through Ishimura and fend off countless varieties of necromorphs. Both the original and the remake have something in common, but EA’s remastered space oddity has undergone significant changes that have changed the narrative and setting.

Isaac is now very talkative, which is a stark contrast to the original, where he was a silent protagonist who only found his voice in Dead Space 2 and above. This is more important than you think, as it gives a bit more insight into the main character’s personality and his moment-to-moment emotions. It also encourages more discussion with supporting characters, which helps add context to the ever-evolving narrative.

Dead Space Remake Review: Helmetless Isaac Clark With Zack Hammond

Speaking of supporting characters, I won’t go too far to avoid spoilers, but if you’ve played the original, you’ll definitely recognize some of the faces aboard the Ishimura this time around. Ultimately, the new narrative structure fleshes out the original premise well, even if the end result leaves Isaac in a similar state.

Updated visuals are a staple of the new version, and Dead Space is packed with edgy fidelity. You know that feeling when you play an old game and realize it looked better in your head? Well, Motive’s look is almost like a warm nostalgic memory, not exactly “warm”, perhaps the right word to describe an undead infested spaceship.

I can’t help but think about the amount of life Motive put onto the Meatballs effects game board. Finding the time to enjoy the view in a horror game is a chore, but you’d be foolish not to spend a few minutes enjoying the occasional light or living in a dark shadow, as it will help you understand the love poured out in every detail. . by pattern

Dead Space Remake review: Isaac Clarke takes aim at an approaching Necromorph with a rifle

Gorgeous shadows, intricate textures, and engaging lighting help repaint the original with the new brush, but the end result is still unmistakably Dead Space. Longtime fans will be pleased to know that Ishimura still looks as intimate as inside an industrial dumpster, and the enhanced visuals project the cold, unforgiving corridors of a mining ship with more detail than ever that tends to bug their eyes. eyes. The best way.

Accompanying the remake’s eye candy are some downright intimidating audio upgrades that will annoy you no matter how good your sound system is. An orchestra of directional screams, ear-splitting crashes, and bloodcurdling roars will scare the most die-hard horror fans. After enduring a few hours of sensory anguish, you should be able to spot dastardly necromorphs coming from all directions, but I can’t decide if those sounds are interfering with my third-person shooting abilities.

Either way, the sound design of the original Dead Space was amazing and set the bar ridiculously high for future horror games. Using sound in this way is infinitely more immersive than the highest quality visuals, as it can be easier to fool the ears than the eyes. However, Motive manages to focus on both in the new version, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a creepier combination in their Steam library.

Dead Space Remake review: Isaac Clarke takes aim at a crawling body with a rifle

When it comes to weapons, many of them remain the same, but there are some key differences to keep in mind. Nodes are back in full force and are vital for upgrades, whether you go for the high-powered pulse rifle or the precision plasma cutter, but schematics have now been added to the mix to additional upgrades and skill options.

Weapons now also have alternate modes, such as Line Gun laser traps and amazing contact beam blasts that add an extra layer of versatility to every undead encounter. You do not have to have Actively develop crowd control tactics or trap enemies to survive each encounter, but doing so will save you from using many more resources than necessary in unfortunate situations.

You’ll find collectibles like schematics, bows, and new costumes scattered throughout Ishimura, but that’s not the only reason to think outside the box. First, some rooms and boxes have “security clearance” locks that can only be accessed after a certain point in the game, so you’ll have to go back to previous areas if you feel like upgrading. In addition, side missions have now appeared, and each of them contributes to expanding knowledge and alternating conversations between characters.

Dead Space Remake review: Isaac Clarke stands in front of a note with an inscription

Tinkering with the mechanics can make or break a remake, but Motive certainly did the former with Dead Space. The star of the show is the “cleaning” system, as it allows players to tear through layers of skin, muscle, and bone, tearing necromorphs to shreds.

Cleaning up enemies like satsuma is gross, but it serves a practical purpose. Slicing off limbs is the only way to defeat a Necromorph, and the stripping system acts as a kind of intuitive visual aid, almost like a barbaric health bar. Simply put, if you can see the tendons in the limbs, you’re halfway there. Showing a bone? One more shot should seal the deal.

Whether or not you pay attention to enemy injuries in a frenzied confrontation is another matter entirely, but a helpful mechanic takes Dead Space’s body horror to a new level. As gruesome as it sounds, the best way to test this feature is by shooting human corpses in the face, so if you have a stomach of steel, you might want to give it a try.

Dead Space Remake review: Isaac Clarke stands in front of a body as a necromorph breaks a window

In addition to blood, the new version has redesigned weightlessness as you can now fly with thrusters. This is a significant improvement over the pseudo-platform mechanics introduced in the 2008 version, as entire sections of exploration seemed unnecessarily clunky. The change actually makes boss fights like Leviathan (the original’s cosmic sphincter) a bit more bearable, but it still took me a million tries to send my ass off the brink.

Dead Space Remake is surprisingly miserable, but there are a few quirks that spoil the mood a bit. While the following may change in the future, especially if prefixes are published, each one roughens the edges of what is otherwise perfect.

If you’ve ever read the system requirements for Dead Space, you know that the recommended PC specs are a bit high. Unfortunately, exceeding GPU requirements can still lead to frame spikes during cutscenes and certain specific areas, and it’s hard to pinpoint exactly why. Enabling Nvidia DLSS may offset the performance hit, but it seems more like an internal issue than a specific hardware issue.

Dead Space Remake review: Isaac Clarke floats in zero gravity and before the Leviathan boss battle

As fun as they are, the ragdoll exercises are also a distraction, because there’s nothing sillier than a Necromoph’s dancing limbs. Not all abominations in the game suffer from wobbly legs and arms after being dismembered, but when they do, the immersion completely fades into the background.

On a perhaps more serious note, I did run into a game crash or two during my gameplay. In one case, Isaac got stuck during an automatic prompt, unable to move. Even death didn’t fix the situation, forcing me to reload the previous save. While there were only a few issues during the review period, there were enough to mention, and it’s the kind of crap you’d expect from a 2008 original rather than a remake. ~

If The Callisto Protocol couldn’t quench your thirst for cosmic horror, I’m sure Dead Space will once again satisfy your needs. It’s a bit rough around the edges and Isaac Clarke now looks like Adam Sandler for some reason, but it’s a respectful revision that will hopefully mark a triumphant return for the franchise. Thanks to Motive, I’m now more open to the idea of ​​Xbox 360-era remakes and can’t wait to see what’s next for Dead Space 2’s maps.

Dead Space Remake Review

Motive’s Dead Space remake is a gloriously grotesque gloss that takes on the solid formula of the original horror game, with just a small dose of rubbish to keep it from reaching perfection.

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Source : PC Gamesn

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