[News]

Hi all,

We have just published a review of *Dead Space *for the PC. If you could
post a link on your site that would be very much appreciated.

*Link:*
http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2008/10/21/dead-space/1


*Picture:*
http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2008/10/dead-space/fp_img.jpg


*Quote:
*/Dead Space isn't an easy game to like and a lot of that is down to one
very simple thing; the controls. The root of those control problems?
Three words: it's a port.

That //Dead Space was designed as a console game is pretty obvious and
is evidenced by everything from the over the shoulder camera angle right
through to the absence of a quicksave button. Take heart though; it
isn't all bad.

Some console games have a design that can make the move to the PC
platform quite easily and for the most part //Dead Space is one of those
games. The camera angle, while normally used more for console shooters,
does a good job of limiting your field of view and making the game a bit
scarier. It also gives you the field of view to make dismemberment
easier. The savegame system works too -- it's a hallmark of the genre.

Even though the general design of the game has ported over just fine
though, there are still some technical issues which hold it back. Some
of these are little more than just occasional annoyances, like the load
times which are long enough that we have time enough to make a cup of
tea with two sugars but infrequent enough that we don't end up diabetic.

The controls however are a totally different matter; they are just plain
awful. They are sticky, unresponsive and stiff -- all of which would be
leading in to a very crude joke about necrophilia if we weren't such
serious journalists. Snigger.

Admittedly, the problem isn't as massive as it could be and once you get
to grips with the stiffness of the mouse then you won't have problems
with lopping off limbs with your lasers and lumps of lead -- but it'll
always be third nature rather than first or second. The problem isn't
only with the aiming either, it's with the navigation too as turning and
strafing isn't as smooth as you might expect it to be. It's clear the
game would just play smoother and easier if it was being handled with a
gamepad and not a mouse.

In the moment-to-moment gameplay, it isn't a huge problem. It's still
easily possible to shoot off legs, arms and heads and it's just as easy
to stomp those skulls and pistol-whip those alien beasties in the elbows
until the rotten limbs litter the floor. When you get into some of the
nitty-gritty though; the puzzles and areas, then it starts to become
more of an issue.

Take the zero-g rooms, for example. These areas could be fun and easy
and interesting as you run up and down the walls and explore the effects
and usefulness of directional gravity. Except it isn't like that at all
and you can't really run up and down the walls as you might hope --
instead you have to aim at and launch yourself onto certain surfaces./
*

*Cheers guys!

Tim Smalley
www.bit-tech.net