Dead Space is a timeless cosmic horror game. The Necromorphs are quite literally the scariest take on zombies i've ever seen, growing fleshy tendrils from their backs and needing to have every appendage removed just to stop their pursuit. Terrifying stuff. The ship atmosphere is like if you transported the Nostromo ship from Alien, the 1979 film, into a video game. Although, gooer and fleshier. Actually, it's a much more freaky environment in this game, which says a lot. The overwhelming emptiness of the vacuums surrounding/within pockets of the Ishimura are palpably eerie and there's a presence of something otherworldly, a looming dread, felt in each industrialised corridor, hum from the ships belly, and the rustic, vacant rooms where personal belongings remain strewn. The sound design is utterly immense, probably the best feature of the game. Isaacs loud boots stomping, the thunderous jump scares, and effectively spine-chilling instrumentals in the OST all assisting to make the world feel alive or, in a way, emptier. God, there's nothing more creepy than being alone in a place that betrays the very concept of "loneliness" and the ambience can both convince you you're safe, secure, or completely swarmed by guttural abomindations from every direction. No inbetween.
Only problem is Isaac's unreactive face, whenever we glimpse it, and the way he seems not to care at all for Nicole due to his lack of voiceover or tangible worry. Only time the silent protagonist trope doesn't work is here, sadly, and it's because bro's wife is hurt or worse (no spoilers here), he's got a few twists that should disturb him, anger him even, and he's staring stone cold as if he's lost in a daydream. Dead Space 2 and the Remake fixed that by giving him personality, thankfully.
The game ran well enough, not without the occasional stutter, crash or overly sensitive, unoptimised mouse of course. But it still did the job as a port.
