Dead Space Extraction
A handful of survivors are desperately struggling to escape from a horrific infection on the Aegis VII mining colony. As their allies mysteriously fall victim to dementia it becomes clear that protecting a young girl granting them a bizarre immunity may be their only hope for survival…
Dead Space Extraction is a prequel to 2008’s critically acclaimed third-person action horror game for Next-Gen and PC platforms, Dead Space. A Wii exclusive, Extraction ups the action through an exciting mix of intuitive controls, co-op gameplay, puzzle-solving and branching pathways. Together with the addition of new enemies, characters, weapons and environments, Dead Space Extraction sets a new standard for action horror on the Wii that is sure to please both those new to the Dead Space game universe, and those anxious for more.
Story Although designed to preserve the feel of the action of the original game, gameplay in Extraction is also quite unique. First, the player perspective has been changed from third, to first-person, placing all the action right in front of you. Also, Extraction is a ‘rail shooter,’ meaning a shooter game where most of the action engaged in and paths followed are programmed into the mission play, instead of the freeform wandering ability built into the considerably larger Next-Gen and PC Dead Space release. The combination of these two changes funnels the players focus onto the combat options available in the game. In dealing with the danger of the alien Necromorphs swarming the game space, Dead Space Extraction utilizes the precision of the Wii Remote in variety of ways. Weapons like the Plasma Cutter can dispatch these enemies from a distance by taking advantage of the remote’s pointing targeting ability, while a quick wave can activate weapons like the Ripper, a guidable spinning saw blade. The Wii Remote is also handy for picking up items and hurling them at enemies using the power of Kinesis. Other gameplay changes include new play modes. The most notable of these is the inclusion of a two player co-op play option. This allows an additional player to drop in or out of the action as he/she chooses. The game rebalances the opposition in these cases to make sure that the gameplay doesn’t become too easy. In addition, Extraction also features a Challenge mode in which after certain sections of the game are cleared, areas within those sections are unlocked for bonus arcade style action where players build up points linked to how many Necromorphs are destroyed. Taken together all these changes add up to more action, more fun and more Dead Space for players on the Wii. Key Game Features
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User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars A Roller Coaster of Horror
Simply terrefying and has the best graphics i ever seen on a Wii system , it’s a must buy
5 Stars great M rated title for the wii
On rail shooters are hated a lot, so are light gun games. This game is both, but is also amazing. The Wii has had a wasteland for M rated titles, so when it finally gets one people get very excited. This game is a reason to get excited. It has a great story and lots of information for the people that have played the original on the Xbox. The visuals are stunning for a game on the Wii, the controls are solid and the multiplayer, although weird for the story, is good.
5 Stars GREAT GAME
Ive played a lot of first shooter games with the wii, and i have to
say this by far is the best. The graphics are great as is the
story line.
4 Stars No One Can Hear You Scream
In [Dead] Space, no one can hear you scream
Dead Space Extraction is the prequel to 2008’s next generation survival horror game, Dead Space. For those of you unfamiliar with Dead Space, it’s a sci-fi themed survival horror game reminiscent of “Aliens,” “Event Horizon,” “The Thing,” and the more recent “Pandorum.” In the original Dead Space you play the part of Isaac Clarke, an engineer responding to a distress call from the USG Ishimura, an interstellar mining ship. The Ishimura is designed to literally crack open planets and asteroids so it can extract the precious minerals within them. Planet crackers like the Ishimura have over a thousand crew members and are supposed to be bustling with activity, but by the time Isaac docks with the Ishimura in the original Dead Space the ship appears to be deserted. Unfortunately, while most of the Ishimura’s human crew seems to be gone, there’s no shortage of deformed monstrosities called necromorphs stalking the decks and ventilation system of the Ishimura. Necromorphs are scary beyond belief and are exceptionally hard to kill. Unlike the venerable zombies of the 20th century, decapitation necromorph’s serves only to enrage necromorphs, not stop them. You’ve got to cut off several of their limbs and even then they’ll still wiggle their way towards you. It’s as gross as it sounds and why Dead Space and its prequel more than earn their mature ratings. In the original Dead Space Isaac pieces these facts together the hard way-coming across the occasional crewman’s log and dodging necromorphs in his attempts to get the hell off the Ishimura. Dead Space Extraction takes place 3 weeks before Isaac lands on the ruined and derelict Ishimura and tells the tale of how the Ishimura’s crew met their grizzly fate.
Walking a mile in someone else’s space boots:
Dead Space Extraction spins a wild tale within what’s traditionally been a very limiting gameplay genre-the on rails shooter. Good examples of traditional on rail shooters are Time Crisis by Namco and House of the Dead by Sega. The movements of your onscreen avatar are not in your control, but you do control what they shoot. On rail shooters can be pretty fun, albeit somewhat mindless. Shoot, reload, repeat. Dead Space Extraction elevates the genre with some of the highest production values to be found on the Nintendo Wii and certainly the strongest story found in any on rail shooter I’ve ever played. First, the story of Dead Space Extraction is told from the point of view of multiple characters, ranging from colonial miners early in the game, to scientists, soldiers and security officers later in the game. Second, the quality of the video and audio presentation compliments the story, with liberal use of a shaky camera effect and creepy sound effects. You feel like you’re looking through a character’s eyes as much or even more than most first person shooters which give you full control of character movement. It’s a very immersive effect that’s complimented further by the Wii’s unique motion controls. In the dark confines of a tunnel? Shake the Wii remote to activate a flare to light the way. Alien necromorph trying to chew off your face? Shake the Wii remote to knock it off you. You’ll pick up audio logs that you can hear by bringing the Wii remote to your ear like a cell phone. It’s immersive enough to make you forget that you’re on rails most of the time. At some points in the game you get to pick your path, but oddly those instances served to remind me that I was playing an on rails shooter, breaking the sense of immersion within that story chapter.
Dead Space Extraction is not without flaws, but they are somewhat minor in light of the total quality of the presentation. One thing you’ll notice about Extraction is the giant targeting reticle. It’s big enough to obscure some of the action on screen and is at odds with the amazing atmosphere the artists made for the game. It’s a co-op game, and should you opt to play with a friend, you’ll have to contend with two gigantic targeting reticles, which makes the experience more gamey and consequently less scary. Similarly, each character through which you view the game seems to be pretty handy with a mining laser or a military issued blaster, which may be par for the course in futuristic mining operations. But they are all equally adept at using telekinesis to grab objects as well as hitting necromorphs with temporal stasis blasts to slow them down long enough to strategically dismember them. So, while on the one hand the story is beautifully told through the point of view of several characters, on the other hand these characters all basically play the same. It would have been nice to have some character specific skills to add a little more variety to the gameplay, but I’m nitpicking.
But is it Scary?
Some reviewers didn’t think Dead Space Extraction was scary. I don’t think it’s as scary as the original Dead Space, but I definitely found my fair share of tense moments. I was tense enough that I found myself shooting at shadows and flickering lights. Extraction’s atmosphere is dark, claustrophobic and always creepy. You never feel at ease outside of the first few minutes of the game. Best of all, the story, script and voice acting are all top notch unlike the B movie dialogue found in most other on rails shooters adding to the immersion and the intensity. Trust me, when characters scream in Extraction, it’s invariably of the blood curdling variety. The game is co-op, and I definitely found it much less frightening with someone sitting next to me blasting aliens. So if you’re looking to scare yourself, then you might be best off playing through the story mode solo. It’s a fun co-op experience though, especially if you and you’re partner in crime are into sci-fi fantasy.
Trekking Across the Dead Space Multimedia Universe:
Dead Space Extraction is part of a growing Dead Space universe. In fact, Dead Space Extraction is not even the first prequel to the original Dead Space. Dead Space Downfall is a high quality animated feature length film and chronicles the final hours of the Ishimura’s crew. There’s also the Dead Space 6 issue comic book prequel, which you can find at your local comic shop, or better yet on the Dead Space Extraction game disc. That’s right, the 6 issue comic is an unlockable bonus on the game disc. It’s even better than the original comic because EA took the time to add professional voice talent, music and some motion to the comic. It’s great addition, and puts Dead Space Extraction down as a definite “buy” in my book. Dead Space Extraction can be found new for $30 at some game outlets, and with the included comic series it’s easily worth the money. It’s also one of very few adult themed games on the Wii. There’s nothing wrong with games like Mario Galaxy or movies like “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” for that matter. It’s just that sometimes you might be in the mood for “The Shining.” Dead Space Extraction does a great job of filling that horror niche on the Wii.
Dead Space Extraction is published by Electronic Arts, developed by Visceral Games and rated Mature. It earns its mature rating, with a lot of cursing. But wouldn’t you swear if you just saw your friend being eaten by necromorph?
FTC Advisory: I purchased a copy of this game. In addition, I don’t receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site.
5 Stars Dead Space Extraction…Amazing Game
Weird how things happen this way somehow huh? I own all 3 next gen systems, and never played Dead Space before. Don’t ask how, but everyone no matter how hardcore of a gamer once or twice misses out on that game that really changes the way that games are played.
So I enter the world of Dead Space, the marker, hive mind all of these things are very interesting where here it goes:
Graphics: The graphics are just phenomenal here BAR none. This should be a staple for Wii games to come in the future. Everything is on display here particularly amazing things like dynamic lighting, etc. There are thing in this game that I didn’t even think was possible on the wii. The best thing about the graphics though are the character models, WOW there is nothing like out there on the Wii. These models are so life like, like something out of GTA 4. The environment is very appropriate for being in space and the monster designs are top notch.
Sound: The sound is great. AGAIN, another high note for the Wii. The music is very good and well composed. It gets very exciting during sequences where you are running away to escape, and is also amazing when gun shots are fired in the air. Everything seems so real and legit. The voice work here is great as well, and there is literally like no lip syncing.
Controls: This game is also one of those games that use the motion controls to the peak that it can go to. It also utilized the Wii remotes built in speaker system on some sequences, very immersive. When you turn the remote in a 90 degree angle it put on the secondary fire mode and most of these guns have charge up secondary fire modes, so you hold B and then it charges and you shoot. The nunchuck is used for a Melee mode. The Wii mote is also used to solve puzzles throughout the game, which are pretty fun to do. Overall this a top choice for Wii controls and one of the best options for a third party Wii game.
Gameplay: The gameplay here is great. It is on the rails meaning you don’t move the character but the character moves itself and you just shoot the enemies when they come on screen. Sounds boring right? WRONG, the way the characters run when they are escaping, feels so real. It actually feels like you are that character because of the direction that they chose in the movements. The enemies most of the time have to have their limbs cut off, as it slows them down dramatically and gives you more time to fire shots. You also have the ability to use telekinesis to snatch items that are around you which is really cool, but you have a limited time to grab them as the character keeps moving all the time.You play as someone who is investigating the Hive Mind as to why everyone is going crazy and changing into monsters/killing each other. You are not alone though, a player can jump in and help you through the game via co-op and it is one of those drop in and out style games, so you do not have to exit the game if a play wants to join or leave. Really awesome and not like RE: Chronicles.The ending?….I wont go on to that, but the ending was truly a cliff hanger if there ever was one.
Overall: If I had to rate this game I would give it a 9.5, it is that damn good. Its amazing how one game can change how you look at the Wii in its entirety. THIS game was the first Wii game in a long time to make me feel that way. The last games that really made me feel immersed in a game was Mario Galaxy and Mario Kart. That is a huge compliment, PLEASE, buy this game and support EA apparently it did not sell well and they are not looking at bringing anymore dead space games to the Wii, and after playing this that would be a travesty. HIGHLY recommended.
Filed under: Nintendo Wii Games Reviews