by Ryan Henson

Created on: July 23, 2009

In these times when online gaming has become a way of life, fewer and fewer game developers are taking the time to craft a deep, polished, story-driven single-player gaming experience. It's a rare, refreshing occasion when a game like Dead Space comes along. Forsaking an online game mode, this third-person shooter throws all its energy into hand-crafting a ripe, taut thriller of a game that drips with creepy atmosphere and stunning visuals from start to finish.

You find yourself in the shoes of Isaac Clarke, a member of a crew sent to investigate the mysterious communication black-out of a deep space mining vessel. Called a planet cracker, the colony size ship, The Ishimura, floats ominously dark in orbit of a rocky, lifeless planet. It's not soon after you board the ship that you and your crewmates find that the crew of the Ishimura has mutated into flesh-eating monsters.

The game is brilliant at establishing the paranoia-inducing, horror-movie atmosphere. As soon as you get on the ship, you are forced to watch through a glass window as a sinewy, feral, sub-human beast coalesces from the corner of a smoky room and devours one of your teammates before setting its sights on you. Empty-handed, you are forced to scamper for your life down a twisting corridor and dive into an elevator while the beast lunges at you, reaching inches from your face before being crushed by the elevator doors. Like your character, you are slapped in the face by the disorienting feeling of helplessness and urgency as the action develops before you have a chance to get your feet under you. Immediately immersive, the tension of the game continues to build at a slow, steady pace, as the nature of these creatures is slowly uncovered.

The game-play in Dead Space is a testament to the beauty of simplicity. There are no cut-scenes. Video messages from teammates and cinematic sequences are played out in front of you while you remain able to move and interact. The impact of this integration is fantastic; there is nothing to break up the sense of immediacy and claustrophobia that are important to the hair-raising atmosphere of the game. Also, your HUD (heads-up display) is concealed into the back of Isaac's space suit. This means there is no health bars or power meters to clutter the screen. And maybe the coolest little innovation of the game is the pathfinder function of your suit. If you press the R3 button, a blue line will

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