I think I’m one of the few people who loves playing first person shooters and other shooting type game mechanics on the Nintendo Wii. I say few because there are still some people who criticize the Wii-mote for shooting. But it is quite evident in the Wii version of Resident Evil 4 that the Wii-mote brings more realism to aiming and shooting with Nintendo’s revolutionary controller.

That’s why I’m quite stoked about the announcement that Dead Space is going to be released on the Wii. The announcement officially came from Electronic Arts. The game will be made available sometime this year and will be officially titled Dead Space Extraction.

Here’s the official EA description of the game. According to the company Dead Space Extraction will “marry the innovative motion controls of the Wii Remote with a frenetic first-person perspective to create a new action-packed horror experience.” The Wii game looks like it’s going to be a different game from the one that appeared in the PS3, Xbox 360 and the PC. It will feature a new heroine who, in the story, will join with space colonists who are trying to escape the infection that has spread through the Aegis VII mining colony. It will have new weapons, new puzzles to solve and for the first time — a co-op multiplayer mode.

EA has assured that the Wii version of the game will not be “kidified” just because it is going to appear in the family-oriented Wii console. EA has assured that all of the blood, gore and violence that was in the first Dead Space game will also be included in Dead Space Extraction.

Can’t wait to play this!

Dead Space

Dead Space was one of the bigger games to be released last year, and arguably the biggest game out of EA. It is a new title (and possibly franchise to-be) set in a future where man has managed to reach space and it is firmly in the survival horror camp – with a strong emphasis on horror.

Storyline
The main plot involves Isaac Clarke (the character you play throughout), Kendra Daniels and Zach Hammond travelling out to the USG Ishimura to find out the reason behind a distress call being received. In an attempt to dock, an accident takes place that sees the three characters (and a small band of quickly killed off security crew) trapped on board with unknown life forms.

*spoiler alert*
Before going on to write about the gameplay, one of the reasons that the game came in for criticism was the storyline. Some reviews claimed that it was more than a little derivative, whereas I actually found it quite interesting and certainly gripping. You may see the betrayal of Isaac coming, but apart from that the idea that main retro-engineers alien technology provides a gripping backdrop for the action that takes place.
*spoiler alert over*

Gameplay
The emphasis on the game is most definitely the atmosphere and it works extremely well for it. There’s nothing quite like guiding Isaac down a corridor and seeing a monster leap out of one air vent before disappearing into another. Isaac handles reasonably well, though you may find at times that the monsters are upon you before you know it. Follow the instructions given (i.e. dismembering the necromorphs) and you’ll be shooting like a pro in no time.

In terms of difficulty level, you may find that you struggle with some sections. My advice is to always have a med-pack in your inventory, but also don’t go wild with the gunplay. You never know when you’ll next be stuck against something that’s a little more challenging than a slasher necromorph.

The weapons on display reflect the fact that Isaac is an engineer, not a soldier. This means that you’ll find you have access to a welding like weapon at first, rather than your usual machine guns and sniper rifles. It brings a new angle to the usual sci-fi setting and should be something you enjoy.

Enemies
It is worth considering the enemies you’ll meet in Dead Space, as they tend to be quite unlike those from just about any other game. The organic alien forms that you meet are grotesque parodies of the human form and range from the extremely quick and mobile all the way through to the completely immobile spawners, who may well cause you more problems than you’d think. Each weapon seems to be suited a particular enemy, but some are far rarer in terms of ammo than others.

Atmosphere
A game that is in the survival horror genre lives and dies on atmosphere. Whilst Resident Evil has moved away from this recently in favour of more action-oriented gameplay, Dead Space is quite happy providing some of the most tense atmosphere in any game I’ve played, just about ever.

The setting is dark, the enemies can pop out of literally anywhere and when the warning lights activate and you’re sealed in for a quarantine session I guarantee your hair will be standing on end. The USG Ishimura is a strange and unsettling place, all the more so for the many system failures it seems to suffer on your way out of the near-derelict ship.

Sound is also a high point of the game. There are incidental sounds that will make you wonder where the enemy is, alongside very soft whispered words that will thrill and chill you as you play. Monsters howl and your guns actually sound powerful even though most enemies will need a few limbs torn before they go down.

Overall
Dead Space has a unique look (there’s no HUD and all info is provided in-game so don’t use your inventory when under attack), feel and provides something genuinely different. At times when I was playing, the atmosphere actually grew uncomfortable as I sat in the dark just wondering what the hell I was going to face next.

If you want to play something that could well give you nightmares but provides a really engrossing experience then look no further. Dead Space is more than worthy of a look and we can only hope that EA continues working creatively in this genre.