Technology Kills The life and times of Ben McClure

Dead Space – It’s not Doom III!

I am getting tired of so many people who have not yet experienced the game (not that I have either) claiming it's a Doom III clone.

While it's obvious Dead Space takes a few cues from Doom III (already a classic horror shooter in my opinion), it's also obvious it's taken bits and pieces from other games in the horror and sci-fi genres as well, and it's the combination of those types that I find interesting.

So here are some of the games I think helped inspire Dead Space, and why. I may post a follow-up after I actually get to play the game, however.

Doom III: with graphics still good enough to impress someone today, over 4 years later, it's probably the sci-fi horror shooter of the new millennium. It did catch some flak for over-using complete darkness as a scare tactic. I find a similar type of tight-space twitchy monster killing goodness apparent in Dead Space. Luckily, it doesn't seem quite so dark.

System Shock 2: arguably the best sci-fi horror shooter of all time. When I see the atmosphere of Dead Space, I think of SS2. When I hear the top-notch audio, I think of SS2. This is a huge plus for Dead Space in my opinion.

Half-Life 2: HL2's story is an unflinching (first-person) narrative from start to finish. You don't stop for cutscenes or to progress the story. You experience everything from Gordon's perspective. Dead Space seems to have mostly adopted this narrative style, albeit in third-person. I can't wait to see how this works out.

Mass Effect: A great, modern Sci-Fi RPG. It definitely wasn't the first to use an over-the-shoulder perspective, but the style and perspective, and to some extent the atmosphere of the ship corridors, seem to be present in Dead Space. I'm sure Dead Space will be more twitchy, and this comparison is a little iffy since other games have taken this approach too, but it's just a feeling I have.

So there are four excellent games which seem to have had a hand in inspiring the developers of Dead Space. Not to mention I'm sure Dead Space will carve its own place in the sci-fi/horror genre, and maybe even bring some of its own innovations to the table that future titles can learn from.