When I think of the first Dead Space I think of the likes of Doom3. When I see this Wii version adapted to more of a carnival ride style track system, I think of CarnEvil at Dave & Busters. Big difference in game styles. But so is this actually (at least from CarnEvil)… it's more like, "we'll drive you there, then drop you off to see what you can do" which is kinda cool, especially with the Wii system controllers. Not to mention that this is one of the first of a handful of "gore" titles ever released for the Wii. So what's to expect but to do our best to enjoy it.
The details: For a horror title to get me to lose my disbelief and really get sucked into the game, I was first of all a bit apprehensive about the on-rails shooter concept and felt it would somehow lose that sense of true morbid scariness. The complete opposite is what I discovered. While it is completely different from the original Dead Space, it is also an excellent game that stands on its own. Using the control system to handle monsters is actually incredibly fun if you like tearing apart bad ugly slimy monsters. (Who wouldn't?)
If you've been reading about it lately you know even though it's supposed to be the next in the series, as far as the storyline, it's more like a 'prequel' building up the back-story to what happens in Dead Space. It basically gets you up to understanding what happened to bring about Issac Clarke's arrival on the Ishimura. In Dead Space Extraction you can control four different people, at different points in time. The cut scenes are awesome, and you'll want to jump them if you are so into the action you can't wait. If you already know the storyline it's a bit more aggravating since you might wish to ignore the plot points being told about a story you already know. Guides: Dead Space: Extraction Walkthrough (Wii), Dead Space: Extraction Strategy Guide
Again as mentioned before you can't control where you move in Dead Space Extraction, as the game is on rails. In the games I've played before, this was always kind of cheesy, but here it works out really well. Investigating portions of the ship and seeing other folks bantering back and forth, you then are given a 'two ways' option via lines on the floor to give you a path to choose from. You will learn quickly that some make it easier and some more difficult based on which way you decide to go.
I have always been a bit drawn back as well with using a Wii controller personally because it's so cumbersome to get used to and I'm an old gamepad or give me a "W" on a keyboard to go for"W"ard to frag someone. Since this game does most of the moving around for you, basically the Wiipmote is your weapon and you can aim it ahead or turn it left or right to do something else. It's fun to wiggle the controls to get monsters off of you tho, if you are into that sort of thing
One of the biggest things I took away from Extraction was that targeting your enemies was quicker and more to the point than in the previous game. This could be a good or a bad thing depending on the level of challenge you're seeking, but I personally enjoyed it -- I felt like I was actually able to dismember Necromorphs with more precision than before. You also have ten weapons to choose from, so the options are there: take em out as you like! You can also shake the Wiimote to activate the light of a "glow worm", which honestly wasn't that much help and more of a distraction while fighting. You'll also want to keep an eye out for boxes, crates with weapons within and health items. You need to be quick about scooping these up, because once you move past them there's no way to go back and get what you missed. GUIDES: Dead Space: Extraction Game Walkthrough, Dead Space: Extraction Strategy Guide (WII)
Near the end of my play time, I stood at the opening of an elevator and defended myself from an oncoming wave of enemies while I worked on a puzzle minigame to bring the elevator back online. You use your Wiimote to drag a node from point A to point B, C and D while alternating between that and defending yourself. It certainly made the action more tense and scary, however it isn't completely subversive in details wasn't overly involving and pretty fun to play. WII: Dead Space: Extraction Strategy Walkthrough, Dead Space: Extraction Walk Through Guide
So you want to avoid comparing Extraction to the original Dead Space because that itself becomes a bad way of classifying the title. You might overlook this game, which would be a shame: it's a hell of a lot of fun to play, and while the Wii simply can't provide the same level of graphical quality, Extraction does look really good running on it. Gd6 This is also a very different game, and I found myself thinking of it as an opportunity for fans to dig more deeply into the story behind Dead Space. If you loved the first game, you really shouldn't miss out on this one.
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Posted by GameGuideDog.com Member on November 20, 2009