I was a big fan of the Dead Space series, and was very disappointed with Dead Space 3 and the subsequent closure of the developer Visceral which, to me, signaled the end of the franchise.  Naturally when The Callisto Protocol was announced I was intrigued. The later reveal of a new Dead Space remake, produced by Motive Studio and released by Electronic Arts, was welcome news.

For those who are unfamiliar with the game; it follows an engineer named Isaac Clarke who is dispatched with his repair team to the massive USG Ishimura where his Girlfriend Nicole works. After a very rough arrival leaves his team stranded, it is clear that something has gone wrong/ Deadly creatures and carnage are everywhere. Isaac must locate, repair, and use the ship systems, as well as weapons and other resources he finds to survive.

Told from a third-person perspective, Isaac has the ability to freeze or slow objects and enemies with a stasis blast, as well as move objects with a grappling field. Health comes from found kits, or by buying them at the in-game stores, often forcing players to make a difficult choice in terms of ammunition or health packs.

Weapons and Isaac’s suit canboth be updated at workbenches/ You need a Node for each upgrade, but it’s well worth the effort.

The ship has a very detailed and massive layout, and Isaac will spend loads of time in dark areas with only the beam from his weapons to light the way. The creepy sound effects and tense music create an atmosphere that will keep players on edge, even those players familiar with the original and know what to expect.

The game looks and sounds great. The developers at Motive Studio have done an amazing job. Dead Space has not only been enhanced in terms of look at feel, but the map has been tweaked, side missions added, and there’s even an alternate ending.

From beginning to end and at points in between, scenes played out that were very much in keeping with the original. It was a nostalgic trip down memory lane, where I remembered playing Dead Space on my PS3.

Players new to the series will likely love the game. It’s a survival horror classic, and is still very tense, gripping, and engaging to all who play. If you’re familiar with Dead Space, you may have moments of déjà vu, such as floating in zero-G to manually align the asteroid guns, or sitting in a chair for a tense arcade-style shooting gallery. The mix of creatures is as deadly and menacing as ever, and there are multiple skill levels. There is a story mode where players can experience the game without the frequent deaths the game is famous for.

There are already rumors that Dead Space 2 is next in line for an upgrade. While I would certainly welcome this, I would love to see a fourth chapter in the main series instead, as it would be nice to have a new release every few years to carry the franchise forward.

4.5 stars out of 5

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