In 2008 Electronic Arts put out a terrifying survival horror-action video game titled Dead Space that was met with approval by the critics and gamers alike. Tense, scary, and remarkably set in outer space, the game covered Isaac Clarke's journey through a mining ship as creatures came out of everywhere trying to eat him. As the story enfolds thanks to holographic blips and found information, the player had to use strategic fighting with the very creative weapons scattered about the station. Now when EA announced that they were putting out another Dead Space game, everyone was delighted ... but then the details came out. A prequel game set on a Wii console? There's no way that bloody, vicious high-def game on PS3, 360, and PC could be replicated on the most casual gaming system, right? Well any doubters were wonderfully wrong, as Dead Space: Extraction delivers!
The game takes place before the original story begins, and approximately around the same time as the events in the animated film Dead Space: Downfall. Where in the original game the human miners were already turned into elaborate alien beings, this is when things first began to break down. You're part of a group of space colonists who are fighting the alien Necromorphs as they mysteriously start taking people over and turning them violent. It sets off after a mysterious marker is found in the very beginning, and the workers all try to find sanctuary and simply get out ... alive. If you've played Dead Space, you know where this story is going, but it's still fascinating to watch.
One interesting factor is that you switch protagonists as things become more dire. Anyone around you could die at any given time, including the person you are currently playing. This makes everything more tense and adds danger to every door you open, because this could be the room where your soldier or his team dies. The aliens become increasingly scary and dangerous, having their own weaknesses and strengths, and you often have to think on your feet. The excellent use of the Wiimote for action lets you shoot guns, use telekinesis, shake glow sticks to see in dark places, reload, switch weapons, and the excellent Stasis ability that freezes your enemies in time so you can get a leg up on the fight. There are several guns you can switch between and upgrade as the game goes on, and you can learn to use boxes or explosive barrels for a strategic advantage in a dangerous place. The action is consistent and often startling, sudden attacks and random puzzle moments causing your pulse to jump because any slower and those damned Necromorphs will be on you! Ahhh!
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