The first Dead Space was a big hit when released in the closing months of 2008. The game proved that EA could produce strong new IP that was just as engaging and impressive, if not more so, than their established franchised titles – and brought something genuinely fresh to both the sci-fi and survival horror genres.
Follow-up Dead Space Extraction represents the series’ debut on Wii – and EA has worked hard to ensure that it stands up as a strong game in its own right.
“Dead Space Extraction from Visceral Studios, formerly known as EA Redwood Shores, adds significant detail to the Dead Space universe and enriches the amazingly deep fiction,” says EA’s core games product manager Will Graham.
“The game is a prequel to last year’s critically acclaimed and award-winning high definition version, and it reveals the events leading up to Isaac Clarke’s mission on the USG Ishimura.”
Players take on the role of one of the surviving members from the Aegis VII mining colony. When the mutated abominations known as Necromorphs attack, a handful of colonists must battle their way to safety, seeking sanctuary in a ship orbiting above the planet – the fabled Ishimura.
Article continues belowAdvertisement
As the survivors around them fall prey to an infection that transforms them into disgusting creatures, players discover their best hope for salvation is to team up with fellow survivor Lexine.
The game forgoes the third-person shooter structure of the 2008 hit in favour of a first-person on-rails formula. This makes the game more immersive – and ensures that there is no escaping the shocks and surprises that lurk behind every corner.
The on-rails mechanic has proven popular in several other mature Wii titles, such as House Of The Dead: Overkill and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. However, EA has assured Dead Space fans that the series’ unique combat is replicated accurately.
As with the original Dead Space, the key to survival is dismemberment. Carefully aimed shots will see limbs flying left, right and centre, and only by strategically relieving foes of their extremities will players be able to bring them down quickly. This can accomplished with a range of weapons, but also with abilities that make a welcome return from the original, such as telekinesis and stasis.
Should gamers find themselves struggling and in need of support, or simply wish to experience the game’s horrors with a friend by their side, Dead Space Extraction features a drop-in/drop-out co-operative mode that allows a second player to join the action at any point.
“This is a high-quality, mature title built from the ground up, specifically utilising the innovative motion controls of the Wii,” adds Graham.
“It offers a frenetic first-person perspective to create an action-packed horror experience and the best mature co-operative experience on the format, as well as a visceral single-player campaign that expands and builds on the rich fiction of Dead Space, one of the highest rated new IPs of last year.”
Electronic Arts will be working hard to promote the game over the coming month, raising awareness of Extraction’s arrival with a significant online campaign bolstered by a range of PR activity.
