With Dead Space, it’s clear that EA Games has the makings of a winning franchise on their hands. The original game took many by surprise (myself included) upon its release in 2008. After all, who would have expected EA, of all publishers, to release the best original horror title in years? Now, hardly a year later, we are given Dead Space: Extraction, a prequel to the original game that forgoes the third-person action setup and takes on the form of a rail shooter. Extraction doesn’t try to be the original Dead Space, and it doesn’t have to be; haters of the genre can rest assured, Extraction pulls off the rail-shooting schtick with style. With a gripping narrative, memorable characters, and plenty of intense firefights, Extraction is a game that no Dead Space fan should miss.
Extraction begins some weeks before the original Dead Space, and explains how the horrific series of events began. The game’s opening chapter throws you right into the action, showing the extraction of the mysterious Marker itself. (Hence the subtitle “Extraction.” Get it?) From that point on, the game focuses on four main characters, and their desperate attempt to escape the colony, and then the Ishimura, with their lives.
There’s never, ever a dull moment in Extraction. Fans will love getting an up-close and personal look at the tragic events hinted at in the original game, and chances are that even newcomers will find this fast-paced tale of survival thrilling. Much to my delight, Extraction also delves more into the mythology behind the Dead Space universe; most notably the shady religious sect of Unitology, and their involvement in the catastrophic events at hand. The plot is clearly the main focus of the game, and you’ll want to keep playing just to see what happens next. While the original Dead Space took a minimalist approach to dialogue and development, Extraction is quite the opposite; the story is driven by a very meaty script, which is quite well-written. There are a few scattered lines that were seemingly taken from Horror Film Writing for Dummies, but these are thankfully rare. Like the original Dead Space, the plot is buffed out by text and audio logs scattered about for your reading and listening pleasure. Although, for some ungodly reason, Visceral decided it would be a good idea for the audio logs to be heard through the Wii-mote’s shitty little speaker. As a result, they’re barely audible above the volume of the game itself.
Dead Space: Extraction is, indeed, a rail shooter. The genre itself is quite the turn-off to many, which is understandable, especially given how well-received the third-person exploration mechanics of the original were. But worry not, skeptical fans; this is not House of the Dead Space. While the game is entirely on rails, it rarely ever hinders the experience. (Although a particular boss battle late in the game does come to mind). In reality, the game feels less like a typical rail shooter, and more like an interactive movie.
The interactivity, of course, comes in the form of shooting necromorphs, and it’s just as much fun as it was in the original game. All the weapons from the original Dead Space return, along with quite a few new ones. The Stasis ability also returns, allowing you to freeze enemies in place and pick them off with ease. While the original Dead Space was best described as a “limited-ammo shooter,” in which you were forced to conserve resources as best you could, Extraction is quite the opposite: ammo is plentiful, and so are the necromorphs. By nature of being a rail shooter, the encounters aren’t quite as intense as they were in the original game – but they can definitely get hairy. A quick trigger finger is essential.
Extraction make good use of the Wii’s motion controls without going over the top. The main use is the shooting, and as I said before, blasting off Necromorph limbs with the Wii-mote is quite satisfying indeed. Aside from that are a few other, slightly more gimmicky functions. Enemies will physically assault you, forcing you to shake the Wii-mote madly until they’re thrown back. The game also frequently makes you participate in hacking mini-games, which are incredibly simplistic (you carefully guide the power source from the first node to the last) yet strangely satisfying. Finally, when you’re wandering a particularly dark hallway, you must shake the Wii-mote to activate a “glow-stick.” Why aren’t flashlights standard issue centuries in the future? Don’t ask me.
One aspect of Extraction I simply don’t understand are the rare occasions in which you “choose your path.” It occurs maybe three or four times during the course of the story, and you’re literally given a choice between left or right, and nothing more. The game’s manual instructs you to “choose wisely, as each path has its own pros and cons,” but you’re given absolutely no information as to what lies ahead on either path. You essentially have to choose which dark hallway looks more attractive, and go from there.
Extraction is one of the best-looking Wii games ever made. Character models are strikingly detailed. Environments look almost as good as they did in the original game, and they drip with atmosphere. Similarly, the Necromorphs look almost identical to their Xbox 360/PS3 counterparts, and sport some of the best animations seen on the Wii. If Visceral knows how to do anything, it’s to squeeze every last bit of processing juice out of a system, and this is made clear with Extraction.
Audio is worth mentioning as well, though it isn’t as mind-blowingly impressive as it was in the original game. After all, the original Dead Space was a survival-horror experience that built its atmosphere largely through the sound design. Extraction, being a rail-shooter, doesn’t quite achieve the same level of artistry. That isn’t to say it doesn’t impress; the creepy, whispering voices that assault our protagonists’ minds are fantastic, and the voice acting is very solid across the board.
Despite its trappings as a rail shooter, Extraction is a fantastic experience, and one of the best I’ve had on the Wii. Fans of the original Dead Space can’t afford to miss this due to the storyline alone. And if the main storyline isn’t enough to satisfy you, the game features an unlockable motion comic that tells a fantastic paralell story to the game. There’s hardly a weak point to be found throughout, and if you refuse to give the game a shake on account of its genre alone, it’s only your loss.
