Dead Space

Fri, 10/17/2008 - 15:49
Posted by Paul OXM

Just today's reminder to read our previously posted comments, which address the concerns you're raising. Such as whether anyone else on staff played the game. Asked & answered already, check it out...

It's just hard for me to believe that if you all played the game in addition to Meghan you all feel exactly the same way? OK, whatevs.

I done wasting time with this.

Bungie.net group: The Pestilence
Membership Info: http://www.bungie.net/fanclub/132227/group/grouphome.aspx

I'm a 55 year old gamer that has been seriously playing games now for 30 years. . . and I've read and relied on hundreds of reviews through the years to inform me about key elements and final analysis of games I was interested in buying, to help steer me in one direction or another.

From the get-go in her review Meghan Watt creates negativity towards Dead Space. Her review sneers throughout as if coming from a higher source of intellect and that my friends is just plain wrong, amateurish, and disrespectful of a product that is totally professionally done from start to finish.
Meghan's review fails miserably in every possible way to deliver a trustworthy view of this game. Now that I have played it I could never trust a review from this writer. . .

Make no mistake about it people, Dead Space may not be a perfect 10, but it is a solid piece of excellent entertainment for its genre with tons of innovative forethought and delivery all the way through. Kudos to EA for Dead Space. It is definitely worthy of all the 8's and 9's it is getting in reviews elsewere.

If you thinking about picking up DEADSPACE for yourself. I would suggest that you ignore this review. I'm enjoying this game immensely. Giving this game a 6.5 score is hard to believe. Seriously OXM do your REALLY think DEADSPACE is a 6.5? Really?

Alright Paul...since she apparently answered all the questions lets go through her response:
--------------------------
Dead Space indeed had a lot of potential. The first hour of the game is terribly exciting. A distress call from a mysterious woman, a crash landing aboard an eerily quiet ship, and the immediate separation from your team as you run for your life through darkly lit, blood-splattered halls.

But after such a thrilling introduction, you're left to wander and back-track on seemingly pointless missions.

Where the game truly fell short (and I admit that I didn't devote enough space in the review to go into this part in depth) is that there is a terrible lack of originality. Flickering lights, eerie sounds, and flailing monsters can only get you so far.

I have played every Resident Evil and Silent Hill (aside from 5), Bioshock, and both Condemned 1 and 2. These games offered both variety and wonderful bits of horror that will haunt your dreams for years. When a game makes you terrified of a pink stuffed bunny, you know they did something right. Remember in Silent Hill 3 when you and Maria are running from Pyramid Head and you barely make it to the elevator, only to see Maria reach through the closing doors just as she's brutally murdered before your eyes. Remember in Bioshock when plastered splicers come alive when you least expect it in Sander Cohen's theater of terror. Or in any Resident Evil when it takes all of your will-power to run past a window for fear that something will leap out at you.

Dead Space had plenty of cheap thrills but no lasting effect of absolute terror. Instead you're busy picking up items (certainly more than in any other horror game) and using your potentially awesome telekinesis to solve tens of tedious little quests.

With Resident Evil and Silent Hill still going strong and Bioshock just jumping into the fray, I expected more from this new-comer. But in the end, it may satisfy you for the first few hours but it will not terrify and thrill you enough that a slight rumble from your refrigerator's icemaker makes you leap sky-high.

If you finish all twelve missions of the game and your opinion differs from mine, that's great. I would love to hear how much this game rocked your world.

- Meghan OXM
----------------------------

"Where the game truly fell short (and I admit that I didn't devote enough space in the review to go into this part in depth) is that there is a terrible lack of originality"
-
seemed to work for Halo 3 which was given a 10...right?

------------------------------
"Flickering lights, eerie sounds, and flailing monsters can only get you so far."
-
seemed to work for Bioshock *COUGH 10 COUGH*
------------------------------
"Dead Space had plenty of cheap thrills but no lasting effect of absolute terror."
-
everyone else has already said there's plenty of thrills so...i'm thinking you were playing maybe...fable?
-------------------------------
"and using your potentially awesome telekinesis to solve tens of tedious little quests"
-
i truly hate games that flesh out gameplay so they're longer than 2 hours...damn them all
-------------------------------
"Or in any Resident Evil when it takes all of your will-power to run past a window for fear that something will leap out at you."
-
So I'm guessing in your "entire" playthrough an enemy never popped out of a vent or came whipping around a corner...I know they did for me...oddly it worked in RE...hmm
--------------------------------
"But in the end, it may satisfy you for the first few hours but it will not terrify and thrill you enough that a slight rumble from your refrigerator's icemaker makes you leap sky-high."
-
That was a bad play on words first...
but anyway did you enjoy the last 5 seconds of the game? Please tell what happened as you weren't scared by it at all...you must have balls of steel as people all over the message boards are talking about it as a truly SCARY MOMENT
----------------------------------
So Paul...now what?
*waits*

"I don't understand why people are so angry about a review. People read reviews if they are apprehensive of purchasing a game. If you already decided you're going to buy it, there's nothing to complain about."
----------------
people are upset about this review because of:
a) its length compared to fallout 3 and fable 2
b) its depth (ie. a 6.5 with no direct reasoning nor mention of its good points)
c) the reviewers failed ability to grasp what "survival horror" means and yet OXM is not addressing her major flaw in that
d) the fact that games such as Halo 3 and Gears received perfect 10's when it was at times either boring or broken gameplay
e) the fact that she claims this game didn't push the genre...but yet Bioshock (while amazing) somehow did?
f) that they are still standing by this...that is the saddest part...this review is subpar in comparison to the other big name titles this month...and so lacking in depth that if I owned a magazine I would be truly ashamed to print this

I don't understand why people are so angry about a review. People read reviews if they are apprehensive of purchasing a game. If you already decided you're going to buy it, there's nothing to complain about. However, OXM should give address the important aspects of the game, such as the graphics, mechanics, and weapons.

I MUST be crazy. I think the quote goes something like "man is so inherently mad, that not to be mad, would just result in another form of madness." So let's just say I am crazy in saying that it's not a big deal that this game received a few negative reviews. Why is it such a big deal. It amazes me when people are so outraged over things like this. In my mind, a review is in the same league as a referees call or a professors grading. It's based on experience. Occording to this reviewers experience, Dead Space ain't so hot. If you like it anyway, good for you. I always take reviews with a grain of salt, if most are good, the game looks good to me, I buy. THAT'S IT. I buy the game, and the reviews no longer matter. So, in conlusion, I AM MAD(Right?).

well OXM I have figured it out...
6 pages for fallout 3
3 pages for fable 2
4.5 paragraphs for Dead Space
--------------------
you nailed it OXM...no wonder she had to write this pathetic review in such a condensed space

Well, it seems that ALL of you are sticking behind Meghan's review alone, which is sad to see considering that Dead Space is definitely deserving of way more than you've given it credit for.

The low review wouldn't be as big of a deal if there was more than (seemlingly) baseless reasons for why this game got such a low rating. They seem especially baseless when you compare this rating and reasons for it, to games that have received higher ratings (such as 10 for Bioshock) and the reasons for that rating.
I say that it's especially baseless because (as already pointed out) the reasons that Dead Space isn't worth people's time, are pretty much the same negatives that Bioshock had, yet somehow that game received a 10.
Puzzling.

Unwillingness (or inability) to even describe why the reasons are so horribly game ruining for Dead Space and why they overpower many of the things listed by comments as refreshing and positive, is also puzzling.

Yes i've read all of the comments so far and I know more than just Meghan played the game. I still think that there should be a follow-up review giving a WAY better description of why these small negatives overpower and otherwise engaging, intriguing, frightening (at the very least) game with relatively innovative ideas and great improvements to some old ones.

Just today's reminder to read our previously posted comments, which address the concerns you're raising. Such as whether anyone else on staff played the game. Asked & answered already, check it out...

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE PAUL, DAN, FRANCESCA, RYAN, OR SOMEONE ELSE PLAY THIS GAME AND GIVE US "THEIR" "2ND OPINION" REVIEW. C'MON GUYS, I KNOW YOU'VE SEEN IT DONE BEFORE - MAYBE SOMEONE ELSE AT OXM WOULD HAVE A DIFFERENT INTERPRETATION OF THE GAME. SOMEONE CAN NOT LIKE A GAME, I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT, I JUST THINK DEAD SPACE DESERVES MORE THAN A COUPLE PARAGRAPHS FOR THE REVIEW. YOU GAVE FALLOUT 3 LIKE 6 OR 8 PAGES. WHAT DETERMINES WHY YOU GIVE SOME GAMES ALL THE PAGES AND OTHER GAMES HARDLY ANY COVERAGE? THIS ISN'T SOME INDEPENDENT GAME OR A SMALL TIME GAME. I THINK IT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A MAJOR RELEASE. ANYWAY I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS WHETHER OR NOT YOU'D CONSIDER A 2ND REVIEW, IF NOTHING ELSE IT'D BE FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE - EVEN IF YOU HATED IT THE 2ND TIME I THINK DOING THAT WOULD SATISFY A LOT OF US LOYAL READERS. THANKS.

P.S. SORRY FOR ALL THE CAPS I JUST WAS HOPING TO GET MY POST NOTICED.

Bungie.net group: The Pestilence
Membership Info: http://www.bungie.net/fanclub/132227/group/grouphome.aspx

Chiknhed - I, and many of the others who have commented, are not meaning to bash anyone (as far as I can tell). Those who are specifically bashing Meghan or the OXM staff saying they are biased, getting paid off, not professionals, etc. are, simply put, imbeciles.

Many of those reading this review are going to be turned off of buying this game because of the way the review was written and because of the score given to the game.
Dead Space deserves much much more credit than the review allowed it to receive and those of us commenting who are dissatisfied with this score are completely baffled as to what game Meghan was even playing.

I'm even more baffled as to WHY this score was given to the game. The reasons listed in the review and even those listed when Meghan explained her opinion of the game more thoroughly, don't seem to hold up for me.

Lack of originality? Zero-g, dismemberment, game location, weaponry, HUD, upgrades, etc etc.

The "Key-finding" way the game is set up is boring? The game is kept fresh with new puzzles, upgraded and new enemies, new scenery and environments/areas, etc etc.

The constant item finding is annoying? Welcome to Survival Horror. The "survival" part has a reason for being there, you can't just run and gun.

All of the given reasons can be logically and obviously disputed to a good degree and even the bits that can still be seen as negative are FAR outweighed by the positive and refreshing aspects of the game.

The only reason I'm repeating all of this AGAIN, is because those with intelligent comments were definitely not BASHING anyone (which is actually what YOU happened to do), many of us are confused and not happy that this great game is going to see a slightly smaller audience due to this low review score.

And I'm personally wondering if (no offense meant to Meghan at all, who is definitely entitled to her opinion) a play-through by a couple more staff members isn't called for, followed by a re-review.

Because you can do that head shot stuff in every game that is out. I'm not saying that is a bad thing, i'm just saying that I needed a change of scenery for once.

The need to dismember changes the way you approach the game altogether and creates an entirely new experience. It is very odd to have to dismember because every other game requires generally a body shot or head shot. The fact that you have to change up this usual formula adds alot for me.

But that's just me I guess. I guess it didn't float the reviewer's boat or your boat. But it did mine. This was really the change of scenery I wanted.

Who cares about dismemberment? It is neat at first but it gets old. IMO it would be more fun if I could just hit the necromorphs with a head shot and be done with them! I will only be playing Dead Space until next week when Far Cry 2 comes out anyways!

Ithomas and anyone else who just loves bashing people, Dead Space obviously is not that great of a game if you simply have this much time to keep posting comments about how this review sucks! Reviews are simply opinions that one may have based on there experiences. To bash someone because of there opinion, you know because we are all different, is just plain ignorance. OXM is a great publication. I look forward to reading their magazine every month. I thought Too Human was a good game and they gave it a mediocre review, but instead of bashing the reviewer I played the game because I enjoyed it. Get over yourselves and find something to better to do with your time.

I have to say. Alot of reviews on this site are dead on. But this? A 6.5? Really?

Lack of originality? I couldn't help but think how original this game was while I saw it. Everything about it is original. The fact that you have to dismember to kill has never been done before and adds alot of panic horror to the game.

The art work is brilliant.

The level of detail throughout the game is amazing.

The hud system is innovative, awesome, and easy.

The plot is well done and the storytelling is well executed.

The game was designed to have minimal breaks in the action. Excellent design move. Really gives the game that survival horror feel.

I don't think the reviewers played the same game as this. I have been annoyed at all the generic games that have been coming out recently. This will redefine generic games. This game has all kinds of innovation.

It is true that this game borrows elements from others. But every game does that. This is how game genres evolve. Developers introduce some novel mechanic in one game and other developers catch on and improve upon the idea. This game did just that while still having a unique feel to it. Should we criticize all first person shooters for looking like Doom and Wolfenstein 3d? Give me a break man.

I thought that the low review on the new Silent Hill was spot on. That game received alot of high reviews which in my opinion it did not deserve.

But this game I feel deserves atleast a 9. I don't know what the reviewers were seeing or thinking. Maybe they play so many games that they are jaded to this kind of visceral experience?

XIANTAYNE'S comments are very accurate regarding Dead Space. I am now 10 chapters through the game and have found that the sound design alone is as good as any game I can remember. It has a fantastic mix of both subtlety and grandeur. It is a really tough act to pull off and the producers did a great job. No matter where you are in the game, you are on edge. I feel like even if you dont love the story, which to me is engaging at worst, and didnt love the backtracking, which happens on most missions, it is still among the best of the survival horror genre. Every time I enter combat I have to think about how to deal with the enemies. You cant just blast away, waste your ammo and hope for the best. You have to be a TACTICIAN UNDER DURESS which is a nice challenge that doesnt get enough praise. And with a bevy of different weapons at your disposal, there are alot of different ways to go. The weapons can be used in combination, and the secondary firing features of each add even more variety. The more I play this game, the more I wonder how the review score can be this low. And with the internet and magazine overall average at an 8.9, OXM looks curiously low.

I just wanted to add what Francesca said about Bioshock one year ago: "Not wildly innovative, and the ending’s not a great payoff" but still rated that game a 10.

Wow. This is quite a controversial review we have going on here. Though I was shocked to read Meghan's review and score for this game after playing it, I have really enjoyed reading everyone's responses.

I have been telling everyone around me how fantastic this game is since first starting it up on release day. I can't seem to get enough of it (though I find I can only play so much before I'm so creeped out by the suspence and terror that I have to put it down for the day). I have not felt this much terror and foreboding in a game since the original Resident Evil (RE) on PlayStation One (remember the dogs through the window? Yeah you do!). Running from a necromorph at the beginning of the game with no weapon was extremely memorable to me and I keep replaying that scene in my head everyday! Something I will never forget and was only a prelude to what was to come.

As many have said before me, "endless loot-scavenging" has been a staple of survival horror since RE defined the genre 12 years ago.

"Cliche horror mystery isn't enough to make Isaac's journey worthwhile". Personally, I don't think the horror mystery is the leading factor in Isaac's journey, it's simply trying to survive and get off the ship. While playing this game, I'm not thinking about 'what' happened here, I'm just thinking about 'how' to get out of here!

I agree with many of the positive factors in this game that others have mentioned (HUD-less display, great intuitive controls, Zero-G, how wonderfully silent the vacuum of space is, etc.) far outway any negatives that would bring this score down to 6.5. Call me a heathen if you like, but I found Halo 3 to be very boring and gave me no real reason to continue playing, but it scored a 10. Perhaps the lack of online play brings Dead Space's score down, I could understand that, but Meghan didn't mention that in her review. Her negative comments (which are the only factors that we are lead to believe brings the score down) are unfounded in this genre since every survival horror game contains those mechanics.

The sound in Dead Space is so incredibly eerie that the almost inauduble whispering you hear around you at times is enough to get my heart pumping. The necromorphs that scatter when you enter a room adds more foreboding to the game, not knowing where they went or when/if they'll come back to eat your brains.

As many here agree, there are too many positive aspects to this game, outwaying any negative, to garner it a 6.5 score which, in many cases, will turn away potential purchasers of this wonderfully fantastic crap-your-pants game.

Just my two cents worth...

I'd also like to add (Yikes i'm adding MORE -_-) that I have read through all of the comments and tried to incorporate what all of you on the staff said in your responses in the questions I asked. Meaning, I tried not to re-ask anything that has been addressed.

On a seriously final note (seriously..), the one thing I forgot to mention was that it was mentioned how Dead Space lacked in the department of providing memorable moments in terms of scares, frights, and other horrifying moments. Using the direct quote: "but loot-hunting and taxi missions will likely haunt your dreams more than the given monstrosities of death.".

I'm not sure about any of the other people commenting who have read this review, but I know the general consensus among other reviewers, people I know (particularly my Girlfriend, haha), and myself is that the game provided quite a few pants-crapping moments, and also provided a few of those memorable "wtf was that" or "wtf was that about" moments.
Meaning that i'm not sure where Meghan was coming from when she said that the scares aren't really here for this game, or if they are, they arent memorable. I could name a few off the top of my head that have gotten me now even in my SECOND play-through.

Maybe you at OXM staff don't scare quite as easily as the rest of us because you have to deal with the people who post on here all of the time ;)

First off i'd like to say that I have been a subscriber to OXM since it's youth and the pre-Halo 2 days but I just now decided to create an account (like many others) to comment on this review.

Second, I have agreed with more OXM reviews than I have disagreed with and therefore I generally look to you guys (and gals) first when it comes time to see if a game is worth buying. There are several of my friends who also rely upon OXM for their professional oppinions and evaluations of games to know whats good and what is crap on the market today.

However, there have been quite a few times in the past where I have bought or rented a game before I saw the review by one of the OXM staff and loved the game, only to find that the reviewer disliked/hated it. Luckily Dead Space is one of these.

My main point of commenting is to direct a question at Meghan or anyone else on the OXM staff that COMPLETELY agrees with her review (not sure if that is EVERYONE or not, even if the review was the staff-wide consensus).

The question being, did the supposed negatives of:

1. Having to continually look for ammo and items (a-la RE 1-4, SH 1-5, Bioshock, Alone In The Dark, and many other survival horror games).
2. Having to revisit previous parts of the Ship (backtracking) and "key-finding" (even if each time presented generally new puzzles and challenges).

Really take away from the positives such as new iterations of old ideas:

1. Upgrading items with work benches while still "in game" and able to be attacked (which added an entire new layer to worrying if that music you hear building in the background is playing simply to hurry you up and scare you while you upgrade, or because a Necromorph is about to rip your head off from behind)
2. Lack of an old fashioned HUD, instead having all types of information being displayed as holograms (these displays were also "In-game" and I remember several times during my playthrough of the game when I thought I was safe so I opened my inventory up, only to see a Necromorph running at me, leading to a frenzy of button-mashing [instead of just hitting "B" -_-] to exit the menu), and normal HUD info being ON your character himself.

And brand new concepts or relatively new ideas such as:

1. Zero-G: Not only must you navigate through several areas of the ship that are in Zero-G simply to get to the other side, but you also have several puzzles that require solving while trying to jump around with zero gravity, with Necromorphs all around you, all while watching your Oxygen gauge slowly deplete.
2. Oxygen usage is not a brand new idea, but the way in which it is presented in this game was refreshing (at least to me). Your oxygen doesn't last several minutes, it lasts barely over ONE minute and Isaac's suit doesnt automatically input more air just because it's in your inventory. Instead (just like a real suit would require) you have to insert the air yourself (I learned this the hard way while trying to dodge asteroids in debris field hurtling at me).

The final positive thing that i'm wondering about that definitely helps outweigh the few possible negatives is the story.
Cliche would have been having one main bad guy the entire game who is causing all of the problems, only to have him turned into one of the monsters and be the final boss of the game, allowing the main character and another (usually opposite gender) extra character that you spend the entire game looking after and saving their dumb-a**'s, to "ride-off into the sunset".
Did Isaac's story leave me wondering if the predictable was going to happen in several places? Sure. But did the predictable ACTUALLY happen in each one of them? 4/5 times it didn't!

Another integral part of finding out exactly what was happening aboard the ship was finding audio/video/text logs left by crew members. This wasnt just the same old Bioshock logs recreated though (at least not to me). The reason the logs stood out in Dead Space to me was that for a good chunk of the logs (at least the ones you're most likely to find) you are able to track the progress of two crew members who had been trying to find each other before you arrived. I won't spoil for those who managed to read this long comment, but the scene where you find those two crew members is one of my most memorable moments in the game as I was interested and wanted to find out what happened to them.

The story was both compelling and intriguing, and generally remained fresh (as much as ANY survival horror can nowadays) throughout.

Those positives are without even adding in the part Meghan already mentioned in the review (thank god she did so) about the combat system of shooting limbs off instead of going for body or head shots like usual.

I would really love to hear from any OXM staff member who can honestly tell me that (particularly in retro-spect) the backtracking or "key-finding" way the game was set up (even though I would say the game designers kept it fresh for each new "key"), mixed with needing to find items and ammo (which i'd say should be expected and not detracted from a SURVIVAL-horror game), outweighs the many, MANY positive aspects that I listed (although I know I missed a lot, such as some of the great environments/scenery, frame-rates, refreshingly new weaponry [not same old military guns], graphics, etc etc). And if you believe they do outweigh the positive...please, by all means, explain why you think they were so detrimental to the gameplay.

I apologize for the long comment, but i've been a loyal reader for a long time and i'm really puzzling as to why this game got such a low review now that i'm about 1/4 through my SECOND playthrough of the game.

*pointz to the comment by azure sky that you will no doubt delete*

exactly why I didn't read farther below..

-..0 after you delete his comment delete mine too or else no one will get what this is one is about...

>..< that sir, azure sky, is rude and uncivil. You are in dire need of manners, or perhaps a high chair.

You WOULD need a bib with all those nasty words and insinuations dribbling down your chin wouldn't you?

o..o i would hate to be confused with one of these random internet misanthropic schmucks.

I'm really disappointed in this review, having played about half the game so far, I'm really not so sure how the reviewer had these impressions from the game. A real disappointing review, I usually expect more accurate reflections of games in OXM.

I'm an OXM subscriber and visit this site regularly and I also admit I created this account because I needed to comment on this review which I actually found out about on other very angry boards.
I was on the fence about this game but game in and am glad i did the game is fantastic, and I am in shock at the review. How does OXM as a whole justify giving a boring retread of a shooter like Halo 3 a 10 and this a 6.5.
The reviewer is entitled to her opinion and i usually could care less what a critic has to say but in this case I really believe she didn't understand the product she was reviewing.
I've never thought an opinion should be judged but this is just a bad review and very inaccurate. That's just MY opinion and by the looks of several very angry gamer boards many others as well.
Sorry OXM but this will lose you some gamer cred.

well thank you for your civil responses Paul, i did not in fact read the prior comments, as both you and I well know the inane jabber that likes to perpetuate itself endlessly in fields like these. (but then i guess if no one reads the prior statements it becomes one endless loop of repeating yourself, lol yeah if I were you I'd avoid this area of the website altogether...yikes)

She DID play the game? Then a more accurate question would be if she's a survival horror fan? One that actually SUFFERED through bad gameplay like the Silent Hill games or the original RE series in name of atmosphere and fright. (this game made leaps and bounds building on existing ideas and refining them to an art, HUD-less game? awesome... The menu system being an integral part of the game instead of taking you out of the action? EXCELLENT!)

I mean if I were to base the sole score on comparison in the genre, it'd easily score OVER a ten. In lieu of sandbox gameplay and choice we're given atmosphere in a game to scare the bejesus out of our friends with. (while enjoying the combat mechanics for ourselves.)

I'm not saying it deserves such high praise, these days I think an 8- 8.5 would accurately reflect it... or at the very least, admonish it the 7.0 score for "Good". (Anything in the 6 range is either regarded as "fair" or "mediocre", unfair, even if it IS EA..)

wait, nevermind... I just keep feeding into this... I remember seeing the 1up crew get harassed over what seemed like EVERY call they made on a game.(maybe rightfully so but...still)

I'd rather not stoke this.. pleaze ignore me! thanku! I've already wasted enough of my own time... and probably everyone elses.

=^_^= *bounces back into Dead Space to sever more limbz*

After seeing some of OXMs comments I would like to apologize I overreacted and it is your opinion so I am sorry.
my comment is the 2nd one

I'm not attacking integrity I don't want the review redone to reflect scores from another site. I simply want a complete review to express the opinion that was given. Its a little pompous to sum up a game in a few sentences when it obviously takes months of pain staking effort to produce it.

OXM workers I understand its your job to respond to the majority of posts if people are just repeating comments I can't imagine while you feel need to dignify them with a response. This is a place for people to sound off with there own opinions if you feel the need to moderate I acknowledge and respect that. I still can't wrap my head around the article length, I've read a number of the reviews on this site most recently Brothers In Arms: Hells Highway, which was a great American novel by comparison. Is this just the abbreviated version and the full one is available if I purchase OXM? I did my best to sift through your responses but most of the were redundant responses to some of the disgruntled and admittedly childish posts. I respect someone's right to have their own opinion, but when your reviewing a game for the masses it should be done with some level of objectivity. It's certainly possible that the minority in some instances can be correct, that however is rarely the case with any type of video game console or otherwise. Trying to deflect some of the flack your getting to another site is quite possibly one of the worst excuses I could imagine from a professional entity. Take responsibility for the product you put out and don't try to defend or rationalize what is inarguably a mediocre piece.

Agreed with that guy. Whether one agrees with the review or not, the beauty of this website and freedom of speech in general comes from the fact that there can be a discrepancy in ideas and the right the to express them.

If this and every review out there were all high scores, there would UNDOUBTEDLY be opinions of people that were not represented in the review. Be thankful that there are reviews that take on all sides of the spectrum. When a game gets all good scores, people complain because none of the reviews paid close enough attention to game detail and come up with the conspiracy theory that all reviewers are out to ruin the gaming world; when a game gets a review that does not follow the crowd, people bash the review for not following the others.

Awesome that people are voicing their objections. Sucks that people are bashing the reviewer herself just for a difference in opinion.

Originally posted by dpayne82

I find it interesting that so many people arguing about the lack of integrity in this review are essentially saying that the review should be redone to reflect the high scores given by other publications. If you can seriously make this argument, kudos to you for not letting intense hypocrisy get in the way of saying something stupid.

Those more reasonable remarks -- and retractions -- are good to hear. However, for the questions you raise, such as whether Meghan actually played the whole game (sigh...she did...of course), they're literally all addressed in prior comments below. Please check those out.

lolz ^_^ i tried to keep it from being mean. I do apologize actually for the term "sweet heart", that was uncalled for and crass of me.

but seriously, 5 paragraphs for a major release?

Anywayz, theres more important things in the world to gripe about I guess, but I'm having a fantastic time with the game.

It seems like maybe she didn't even play through the whole game... it reads like the reader "impressions" i used to fake my way through college with. Touch on a few casual details, without ever getting in depth.

o..o alright I'll leave it be.

=^_^= i know the internetz is filled with curmudgeons and ill mannered bulletin board dwellers, I shouldn't contribute to that negative energy flow.

o..o and I don't even know the poor girl... I probably shouldn't have said she should be fired, but definitely re assigned *nodz*

Phew, good thing he didn't want to leave a long word.

I had to register just so i could leave a quick word.

The same scrutiny should have been applied to the very first Gears Of War, namely it's large amount of glitches.

A 6.5 score is BELOW a "7.0 GOOD" score. Which stems from OXM most likely picking a reviewer who ISN'T a survival horror fan. (If I'm mistaken on that, your reviewer should be fired, no offense sweet heart.)

This game has enough original concepts, and RE-IMAGINED concepts defined and perpetuated in a brilliant new way that slamming it with such a confounding dim score is without merit.

6.5 could also equate to 65%, which back in our grade school dayz meant we failed the test/class. Handing such a low score for a game, especially a game from EA, ESPECIALLY a game that is an untested IP is a death sentence for people who like to consult reviews before making such a large investment on an entertainment property.

Of course such said people are usually SMART enough to get several reviews, as biased opinions are probably exchanged for heaping loads of MONEY. :) and if the reviewers didn't see any money, they could of course claim plausible deniability as their SUPERIORS subtlety suggest what sort of score they should be looking to lather the game with. (But thats all WILD PARANOID speculation, you can ignore that, I AM A NUT btw.)

I've been a subscriber to OXM for a few years, before the Halo 2 launch, and I've noticed this trend of giving first party games an inflated score. I saw a perfect 10 score for Halo 3, which used the same tired game play just refined from Halo 2....

I've seen Gears of War nail a perfect ten, despite it's ultimately broken online play and rotten hit detection (whats that? My bullet rail from my sniper rifle went THROUGH the locust's noggin? not bully at all!)

Dead Space (which I'll admit borrows WAY too much from Bio shock, download the Elite armor in the market place while you can, can you say "Big Daddy?") is a fresh IP that takes horror to a new level.

Make sure to turn your brightness down on your t.v. (no cheating) and turn UP your volume.

This game is worth your money if you loved games like Bioshock and Resident Evil 4, it uses borrowed concepts along with fresh ones (such as Zero G environments, clipping the limbs to finish enemies (NO HEAD SHOTZ!))

This is the surprise hit of the season.... and everyone is entitled in their opinion.

But at the very least, I can say without a doubt OXM made a large err when they hired this employee. This is the shortest review I've read for a game that's had so much work put into it.

As if it were intentional, but perhaps she couldn't overcome her dislike of the genre to give it a fair chance.

I think I might have spoken up though had I been handed a "Madden" game. (have fans of the genre review the material, not outsiders.)

You should reassign this reviewer to another position in the staff or give her some other task in the publication, she has no skill with determining the value of a game in a points system.

I on the other hand, am NO LONGER an OXM subscriber, I let my patronage expire a few months ago, and this review is all the bad advertising the publication needed to permanently keep me away.

(unless this is some sort of master plot to get people to cancel their subscriptions by putting out unprofessional reviews, is the magazine business no longer profitable? I understand the medium is dying, printing press versus the digital age of instant information.. Well if that IS the case clever plan!)

I made no personal attacks, I myself, would like to keep things professional, have a pleasant day, and I'll be keeping my eye on your companies' reviews throughout this holiday season through Meta-Critic... just for laughs. (gives me something to talk about with my other gamer buddies....we could all have done a better job reviewing Dead Space)

-Jyeriko

Ok, let's say that I have no preconceived ideas of this game. Let's say this review is the first I've heard of Dead Space. Now here's what I've missed out on:

The performance of the Zero Gravity sections of the game.
The Fact that the Zero Gravity sections of the game even exist.
The framerate. Is it choppy or smooth?
The Work Bench upgrade systems. What are they and how do they work?
The Graphics. Are the environments well done and how are the animations?
Is the story compelling?
Is it immersive?

C'mon, OXM, this is just a plainly poor review. I know you have to be loyal to your writers, but this one just doesn't make sense.

I myself had wondered why OXM reviews are often so short. It never occurred to me that they would have to be since they have to fit in a magazine. Thanks for that little insight into the games mag industry Paul!

Paul OXM wrote:
"As I explained in earlier comments, the only comments we've deleted are the ones that contain personal attacks against our reviewer or other vile stuff -- we're not in the least bit thin-skinned, so if something you said got deleted, you absolutely crossed a line. If you really think we're wantonly deleting negative remarks, then you're just showing that you haven't looked at the enormous number of comments below. Separately, the length of this review and reasons for why it is short have also been addressed below."
----------

I'm practically speechless here. I have read all the comments currently available at the time of this writing and have read (and still have the history) of many of the comments which have been deleted. Yes, some have crossed the line and rightfully deleted. Yet, a couple contained no ad hominem / personal attacks, no malice, or anything in the way of being "vile". There appears to be a disconnect somewhere.

Oh yah and if your going to complain about personal attack get into a different field of work. If the posts are vulgar fine, but if your a writer and you can't deal with criticism maybe you should go write for your church's weekly newsletter.

Hey I'll be the first to admit that I loathe E.A. I think they are stagnant in the gaming industry and consistently complacent with the material they churn out. But it strikes me as a bit peculiar that there's such a huge discrepancy between overall scores. I appreciate a good review as much as the next gamer but it strikes me that when your the odd man out the potential for some personal bias thats coming into play. Not to mention that the depth of this review is limited at best, maybe the games only 2 hours long I don't know. I just ask that if your going to go against the grain in such a dramatic fashion give me some justification for it. Telling me that all thats going on for the entire game is scavenger hunting strikes as a statement that might be a bit embellished if not overwhelmingly exaggerated. Based on previous horror survivals I would think the fact that there was a usable control interface would be an overwhelming success in the light of an uncountable amount of failures. Maybe I'm way off base but I would figured if you were paid to play a game and write a review on it regardless of how god-forsakenly awful said game might be you could at least give me more than a few vague paragraphs. Thats all I've got to say I haven't played it yet I was simply looking at what the feedback was and had to see what the only negative review I could find had to say. Essentially not much at all. Weak.

As I explained in earlier comments, the only comments we've deleted are the ones that contain personal attacks against our reviewer or other vile stuff -- we're not in the least bit thin-skinned, so if something you said got deleted, you absolutely crossed a line. If you really think we're wantonly deleting negative remarks, then you're just showing that you haven't looked at the enormous number of comments below. Separately, the length of this review and reasons for why it is short have also been addressed below.

I disagree with the review too. I am only 3 hours into the game and so far I think it's definitely one of the better games out this year. I think the score should be more inline with what Gameinformer (9.25) and IGN (8.7) gave it.

This may have nothing to do with this but look at Too Human. That was a game that scored poorly but lots and lots of people bought it and like it.

I THINK OXM SHOULD HAVE A "SECOND OPINION" REVIEW, LIKE YOU SOMETIMES SEE. My humble opinion of course.

Bungie.net group: The Pestilence
Membership Info: http://www.bungie.net/fanclub/132227/group/grouphome.aspx

first I must say (since you deleted my last post which had no personal attacks and was nothing more than opinion...I have to laugh at how pathetic this mag truly is)
--------------------
Second:
Taylor OXM wrote:
"The bottom line is, you are allowed to have dissenting ideas concerning the review, but it would be awfully nice if people would not question our journalistic integrity because of a simple disagreement."
-----------------
Now taylor, we are not questioning your mag's journalistic integrity because truth be told after this review...she doesn't have any left anyway...sorry...this review was so poorly written in comparison to other big games that it isn't even funny. As I said in my deleted post...5 PARAGRAPHS? Downright pathetic
This is a repeat of Viva Pinata: TiP where cameron lewis gave it a 6.5 because he couldn't figure out how to stop the weeds...boo hoo...

your mag needs a wake up call and a new staff as this journalistic trash isn't worth the paper its printed on (and thats even with the subscription discount)

delete away because we all know you hate letting the public express opinion ;-)

Oh Wow, Terrible Review!!! Im 5 Hours into the game and have yet to find anything negative about the game...Dead Space fully emerses you in the havic aboard the Ishimura and holds on tight.... You find yourself creeping around every corner and rethinking entering rooms... 10/10 in my book. This is one of the best games, i've played all year!!!

I'll withhold judgement on the merits of this particular release until I finish the game, but this review really stood out for several reasons (none of which were good). Any outlying score from the major gaming websites/magazines always raises questions about the intent of the review (to generate page hits from the controversy?).

Besides that, the review itself is not very well written and some of the criticisms are just bizarre. Meghan actually complained about the story being told largely through audio logs? This seemed to work fairly well for System Shock 2 and BioShock (and to a lesser degree with Doom 3) all of which were praised for doing this. She also has a problem with the industry wide accepted practice of items you'll need in the game conveniently being scattered around the environment? I can't think of a game that DIDN'T do this (Half-Life 2 received a pretty high score from OXM and is notorious for its crates).

I suspect this review will join Fight Night in OXM infamy (I wonder if they'll "clarify" their review system again like they did after the Fight Night review!).

It's very disappointing to see many of the critical comments of this review have been deleted. While some comments were definitely out of line, removing critical on topic comments which contained no hate, malice or personal attacks is very telling of how poorly a few at OXM handle criticism.

Two thumbs down for this minimalist review and for the handling of reader feedback.

Man OXM, you need to lighten up and let go of some of your precious review score points. You can't keep giving all great and fun games 5's and 6's or everyone is going to stop paying attention to you. Oh wait, they already have.

You know when I read this review, I thought it was bad until I read Meghan's post. I wish she would have written the review in the same manner as her post. Details in her post were great about how this game does not have any real moments that stuck out. Read Meghan's post.
None of us are masters at what we do, so give her a break already.

I know people have already gone over this a thousand times, but seriously, this review is terrible. The arguments presented against the game are rather ridiculous. THIS IS A SURVIVAL HORROR GAME. Frantically searching for ammo and supplies to fend off your adversaries is expected in this type of game.

Your review pretty much equals epic fail on your part, trying to make a name for yourself just caused your entire magazine to jump the shark, not that it hadn't already done that when XBL started having all the demos and goodies that your demo disc provided. Fran get control of that place or you'll be known as former OXM editor. After my current subscription ends, bye bye OXM. Nintendo Power who?

Graphics are amazing so far and the sound it great. I'm only at the beginning and I respect your review, but after reading the web comics, the scenario feels great . Now I'm only in the beginning, so I'll reserve judgement until the end. I hope it is a pleasant surprise like Assassin's Creed was after sub-par reviews.

Thanks for saving me 360 dollars for a new X-box
and Deadspace =)

This game doesn't look any better then Doom 3 or fear to be honest just alot of new textures and regular looking monsters.