Dead Space: Extraction

Blog Post: a one day thrill-light ride

i just pooped in my pants because of this game — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:37:00 GMT

this game is a prequel to the dead spce one than came out on the xbox 360 and ps3. its goes as a on rails shooter and seems exeptional. graphics are exellent for a wii game, the only thins is that i didnt jump once while playing this game and i beat it on a single day.thats right, a single day it contains 10 chapters but they will last you no longer than 15 minutes each. it does include gun upgrades that will sort of make you go through the chapter once more, bonus animated still movies from the dead space series volume 1-8, and a challenge mode with 10 sceneries that makes you shoot your way through 10 waves of enemies while travelling throgh the infested colony and ishimura. althogh gamplay is slow its quite fun shooting and dismembering necromorphs while teamates getting sliced to bits(not to metion the almost jaw dropping finalie that foces you to slice your arm off to escape the wrath of the final struggle of the final boss).all this might sound fun but i suggest this game being a rental

Blog Post: A headache inducing trip back to the ishumura.

WHITE SH4DOW99 — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:29:00 GMT

Mabye it is because I have grown up in the era of the FPS and the TPS (Third-Person-Shooter), but Dead space extraction was my first experience with a on rails first person shooter, and I slightly regret even renting this one.

Dead space is a I.P that has evreything gong for it. A originial Idea, great support from the biggest names in videogames, fantastic critic reviews, a gorgeous sequel in the making, and a already gargantuan fanbase. So what part of that justifies such a lukewarm game? I think what made the originial dead space so good, and so damn scary, was that the game gave you control, and let you fight for your life how you wanted to, and take it at your own speed, while still following a streamlined path. Dead space extraction completly scraps that sense of pace, for a rushed attempt to attract the wii audience to the new series. The bigget issue with extraction, is the controls. Despite the cloverfeild-like feel to the game, you really and truly have NO control over you're character's speed. And when stopping for valuable loot, you are given 5 seconds to scan the screen searching for that vital small heath container that will barley keep you alive, and you typicially do not have the time to grab it. One good aspect of the game, is that it follows and expands on dead space's rich mythology, and introduces good characters who are actually able to speak this time around. ( No offense to Isacc Clarke, he is the new master chief)

Because it is a on-rails-shooter, the player is unable to control the path of the character, but what they are given control of is the aiming reticle, wich takes up roughly 1/6 of the screen, and is a constant annoyance. Another major problem is the secondary fire function, while often much more effective than the normal fire, triggering secondary fire puts far to much strain on the player. Because to activate secondary fire functions, the will remopte must be turned on it's side, and kept in that postition. Eventually, you're wrists will grow tired and you find thaty you are unwilling to endure any more strain to activate secondary fire.

Dead space overall is one of, the best new I.P's of the last 5 years, but only for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, in no way should "Scariest game ever made" Translate into a console designend with 5 year olds in mind.

Dead space extraction gets 6.75 strained wrists, out of ten

Blog Post: Cleril Reviews: Dead Space: Extraction

Cleril — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:40:00 GMT

Dead Space: Extraction is a prequel to the original game, Dead Space. The main differences between the two games, besides this one being a prequel, is that it's on the Wii, and it is a rail shooter. Both games still stick to their horror roots though. Dead Space: Extraction (which from now on will be known as just "Extraction") is also different in the aspect that the story follows multiple characters and you'll be playing as most of them.

Plot

Starting the game as Sam, a miner who is working on extracting an "Artifact", you are simply talking to your girlfriend before leaving to get to work. For the first 10 minutes or so no action is really happening but consider this your tutorial and time to adjust the sensitivity of the Wiimote. After said 10 minutes things got to Aegis...the planet you are on, as Sam. People are starting to go insane, killing each other, and well, your not entirely sane either it seems.

The rest of the game focuses on the true stars, I won't give names but throughout the game you play as: A detective, a security officer, a doctor, etc. Usually you'll be with other people and never a moment goes by without dialogue passing by to keep the plot moving and action building.

The plot also relates to the events of Dead Space and to those of you who played that game should find references and events throughout easily. You even meet a few characters from that game. The plot for Extraction is somewhat captivating but it mainly used to keep tension high and you on your toes.

Controls and Gameplay

The game requires a Wiimote and a nunchuck. If you'd like to do co-op with a friend they have the option to use just a Wiimote. But before you wonder when I'll be talking about co-op, it's nothing more than the same game with another gun to help out.

You'll be using the nunchuck to use Stasis (slow down enemies), reload, and choose your gun. You'll be using the Wiimote for kinesis (grabbing objects), shooting, knocking enemies off of you, and looking around when you are given opportunities to.

The only issue with the gameplay is the fact that you may easily miss upgrades for your guns or text logs, because you can't always control where you look and you'll wish your character would just have an itch or something to look to the left and scratch so that you can spam kinesis trying to grab items.

Rail shooters, if you don't know, are like FPS (First Person Shooters) except you do not choose where you look, when you walk, and how fast you walk. This is not a problem as the developers took their time to make the game look great on the Wii, keep the action tense, keep you in-tune with the story, and possibly make you jump.

I myself was never scared but your asking a gamer to be scared after paying SH2, SH3, Condemned, etc. I wasn't scared when playing Dead Space either for that matters but most scares in this game are jump-out scares. Meaning things will just go pop in front of your screen. The game does have a great atmosphere though, with the dialogue, ghost-like voices, and when your character hallucinates things get more tense and thrilling.

Graphics and Audio

Now I know what your thinking, Wii, obviously Extraction does not look as good as Dead Space, but then you'd be a pisser. The game does have a few minor issues with doors not looking that great but how long do you expect to be staring at a door in a rail shooter? The characters are detailed and look human, monsters look great, and the atmosphere is held together with the graphics.

The music is somewhat borrowed if not copied/pasted from Dead Space. Screeching violins often accompany you but it sets the tone nicely in the game. Other times you'll hear ambient sounds like water rushing, or whispers in your head. All sounds in the game match the area your in and never feel out of place. Are they amazing though? That's debatable but I'd say it helps make the atmosphere and nothing more.

Okay, so do I get it?

If you like rail shooters with horror then by all means buy now. If you just like horror games well, perhaps you might want to rent the game. It's certainly worth the price even though the occasional game breaking glitch occurs (game freeze or the game thinks there's an enemy still around...) but there is high replay value for the game anyway, with unlockable comic books (which are voice acted and look great, adding to the story in the game), stage challenges, difficulty modes, and weapon upgrades. The game even throws you a choice of where you go occasionally but either choice leads to the same conclusion, and if you're lucky you'll hit the storage room path.

It is more cinematic than Dead Space but that's a good thing and this game at least deserves your rental.

Blog Post: Just Not The Same

Matt — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:50:00 GMT

Great try of a game but lacking due to the system it was put on. Even though the Wii's motion controls are "good" for shooters(I've found it lacking in good control), but people still want shooter to be played with a joystick on a controller not motion control. Also this version takes a huge shot with making a rail-shooter(u cant move the person the AI does) unlike the third-person shooter the original was. But in the end the same basis of you're stuck in space with a bunch of flesh hungry aliens doesn't get old...yet

Blog Post: Dead Space: Extraction

Manny — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 07:10:00 GMT

The bad thing about a prequel is, that before you even press start on your controller, you already know exactly how the story ends. We all know that everyone aboard the USG Ishimura are fated to become the gruesomely disturbing mutated entities from Dead Space; however, the stories of some of these individuals final hours are told in such rich detail that it may actually be the best part of Dead Space: Extraction.

Extraction plays more like an action shooter than its survival-horror predecessor, Dead Space. Guns and ammo are more prevalent this time around, and much of the game’s strategy lies around when and how to use each weapon. Every gun has a second mode, which is activated by tilting the Wii-mote to the left. Players need to become talented at quickly switching between weapons that are best for defeating specific types of necromorphs, and those that are better suited for certain terrain-based challenges. For options outside the campaign, a challenge mode offers waves of monsters to be blown up with different gear. And players who’ve completed the campaign are given access the original five comics released prior to Dead Space’s release (an extra which I really enjoyed).

The characters in Extraction often fall into horror-movie tropes. There’s the hardened security officer, the shady guy who won’t tell you why he’s there, and the scared woman mourning her recently deceased boyfriend. The game controls your movement and facing, so you often have to grab items as soon as you see them, or miss the opportunity (something I found really annoying). Events are often timed, which is frustrating when you have to spot a creature’s weakness and determine the best way to exploit it within a few seconds. So be ready for dying in frustration a couple of times before realizing the simplicity of how to take down that 80ft alien thingy. Though the co-op was a little less than what I had expected, and caused a little frustration due to the screen being cut in half, at the end I found it fun overall. It was funny playing it with someone and watching them jump a little as a necromoprh jumped out of the ceiling screaming.

While it isn’t as terrifying as the original Dead Space, Extraction gets the game’s vibe down. Many corridors are dark, and can only be lit by shaking your Wii-mote to produce a sickly green glow, (something that you’ll be doing very quickly in hopes that you aren’t attacked while everything is dark). While playing the game you wont know whether or not the character you’re playing at the time will actually survive or not, which adds another level of intensity to the overall feeling. Everything on both the planet’s surface and on the ship is in complete chaos. Demented crew members turn on each other and commit suicide by leaping off nearby ledges into your path. People you travel with start by babbling cryptic messages about death, and end up turning on you. you may not jump out of your seat, it’s hard to walk away undisturbed. This Game seriously deserves to be given a try. I say you go to blockbuster right now and at least rent it. You wont be disappointed.

Blog Post: Noteworthy

lucien dracar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:34:00 GMT

Recently, I dusted off my Wii so I could take a thrill ride through the vastness of this rail shooter. The interesting thing about this game is how it changed the entire gameplay of Dead Space to a House of the Dead type. The game starts as a very "normal" rail shooter, taking you down guided paths and limiting how your camera moves. But as the game progresses, you realize it gives move of a "realistic" feeling.

By saying a realistic feeling, I mean that it gives a sense of human motion in the game. You look around, checking your over your shoulder for that shadow that's never there. This camera, though sometimes irritating, it shows a level of emotion that not many games hit par on, especially of this type.

Another factor I found to be a bit irritating at times is the targeting reticule. At times it gets in the way of what you are trying to look at. If I could just have removed the outer ring some how that would have been an improvement. But overall, it's not that big of a hindrance, just annoying that you have to try and see past it sometimes.

Graphically this game is one of the better shooters on the Wii. Metroid Prime comes in first in my books. When I first heard about this about a year ago, I was surprised to read that the company was pushing the envelope for graphics on the Wii and this game. I gotta give it to them, they did push it. Now I know the Wii isn't all up there with the PS3, but where this pushed the enveloped on a weaker system, Visceral definitely made it worth while.

The controls on this game are incredibly easy to get used to. If you played Gears of War, then you will recognize the quick reload system. This is incredibly handy when in large scale shootouts. Not to mention the quick change of alternate fire you access by turning the Wii Remote/Perfect Shot/Wii Zapper. The quick scan for items as well as various options you have to blast away the Necromorphs make this a very versatile control system, adapting to whatever need you may have.

The audio is on par for what you want. If you are familiar with Dead Space, then the whispering should get you going, hoping to move faster. The darkness that is everywhere, as well as the audio of banging, whispering, and screams moving towards you from all around definitely brings more to the table to envelope yourself within it.

What really gives my high score to it is the story that was made. Usual rail shooters never have much of a story or a plot besides "This guy is bad, kill him" or "The world is not safe because of some plague". But that is the extent of it. Visceral went into detail to create this back story. The game is seen through different perspectives as well as the others that tag along in your group. You always find something new and interesting about how the Ishimura fell into its state. Not to mention you get to live the tale through the those who try to escape.

Overall I recommend this for the Dead Space fans as well as fresh story/change to gamers in general.

Blog Post: This is a Game Changer on The Wii

NFOxDevilseedx — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:48:00 GMT

I have had the Wii system since its release. And until playing Dead Space Extraction, I have been disapointed. DSE gives Wii owners a TRUE Dead Space experience. this is not your typical On the rails Game. This Game has many diffrent aspects that blow other On the rail shooters out of the water. No game will compete, Not even the new Resident evil. Once you complete the game, you can do 10 diffrent Challenge modes that have wave after wave of Necromorphs trying to disembowel you and you fight till you die. The visuals are way better then anything i have seen on the wii. THIS IS THE GAME TO BUY FOR ALL Wii OWNERS looking for a great shooter / horror game.

Blog Post: Pretty scary game

jkappers — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:08:00 GMT

Play this game in the dark

Blog Post: A Fright-Light Shootout

Andrew Reiner — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:49:00 GMT

The horror of being hunted in the vacuum of space never quite takes grip in Dead Space: Extraction, a Wii-exclusive prequel to the exceptional Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 space drama. Whether that’s due to the perspective switch from third- to first-person, the lack of dynamic lightning, or weaker scripted scares can be debated. One thing is certain: I didn’t jump once while playing this game. Without a suspenseful atmosphere, there isn’t much to fear, or, conversely, to draw you in. [Excerpt]

Dead Space: Extraction runs on rails, pulling the player forward at a scripted pace. Developer Visceral Games did a commendable job of making this experience feel more organic. Shaky cameras constantly distort your field of view, and you can hear your character’s labored breathing. As intended, the bobbing camera combined with dancing shadows plays tricks on your eyes, and can lead to a few shots being fired at nothing.

This dynamic viewpoint clashes with the targeting reticle, a gigantic, beach ball-like display that takes up far too much of the screen, hiding the excessive brutality and highest quota of dismemberment per enemy body in any game. If you’re playing the game co-op, with two vibrantly colored cursors on screen, you’re not going to see much unless an enemy gets on top of you. This is another area where the game doesn’t retain the charm of its predecessor. Not having to worry about the positioning of your character makes for easier battles. Since the dev team held true to its fiction and hasn’t altered the enemies to attack in different ways, their sloth-like assaults are easy to repel.

Storytelling is the only area where Extraction shines, even more so than the original game. The plot implies that other things may be afoot in this universe than players may have thought, and the way this information is doled out – through multiple playable characters – is executed beautifully, especially when you don’t know if your character at the time will survive. Several of the story sequences conclude in horrific ways (more than just the chance of a good guy dying), and also connect nicely with the founding tale.

The action doesn’t do much for the series, or even the genre for that matter. The pacing is much slower than your typical House of the Dead, and the firefights never feel like a stressful ordeal. Dead Space fans should check it out for the fiction. All other interested parties should look elsewhere for a suspenseful shooter.

File: Dead Space: Extraction