Why Dead Space 2 Is Scaring Me

Not in a Horror Way

I picked the first Dead Space up out of a bargain bin at the local video game store. It was only $15, and I had heard good things about it on the Internet – hell, why not? It was a couple of days before Halloween, so I invited the boyfriend over, picked up some chex mix and cupcakes, and we sat down to play it together.

Dead Space transfixed both of us from the start. The opening sequence where you flee, unarmed, through a tight corridor from one of those aliens as pipes burst around you was astounding. The enemies are the perfect blend of familiar human traits and horrifying mutations from the Necromorph disease. Even the protagonist, Isaac Clarke, straddles the line between humanity and the unknown. An engineer thrust into madness on what seems to be a routine mission, he wears the heavy suit of Planet Cracker engineers in the future, and wields weapons mainly meant to aid crew members in everyday tasks. He lumbers slowly, making moments when you need to run more terrifying. When he is injured, his breathing rasps loudly inside his suit. Your human contact is severely limited, and it seems at times like you can barely trust your own mind. Combined with the monsters at every turn, the unfamiliar writing scrawled, and the twists and turns the plot takes at the end, we were simply awestruck.

Not only were the pacing and gameplay tight and professional, but the writing was well done. The game had an internal logic – there were no Fridge Logic moments where you complete a plot point and then go “Wait – that didn’t make sense…” there were no questions left unanswered at the end by sloppy writing, no tense plot points spoiled by stupid dialogue. The characters all spoke like real human beings, there were no Jill Sandwiches (Jill what now? – Ed), it was the perfect horror game. Sometimes, the boyfriend and I would even get too scared and we would revoke our lights-out policy to exchange hugs for a little while we gibbered about how baby Necromorphs are just unfair.

So now that I’m done slavering over the brilliant game that Dead Space was, let’s talk about Dead Space as a franchise. The Dead Space game was accompanied along with a ARG online game, a comic series, an animated movie, and a Wii prequel. Of course, all of these side projects were written by different teams with different visions of the franchise. These projects were no doubt meant to satisfy fans and increase excitement for a new IP with a bold new vision, but all they seemed to do from my perspective was muddle the universe that had been expertly established by the game itself.
I remember joking after watching the boyfriend finish Dead Space that an upside of being so late to the party is that we wouldn’t have to wait so long for the sequel. Now that I’m looking at more information leak out about the sequel, my excitement is diminishing. There’s yet another team behind Dead Space 2. They talk about making Isaac talk to his companions, who will likely be characters from Extraction. There’s talk of lessening the scares, adding action, surfing out of danger on metal rails…

To understand my fears, let’s look at another legendary horror series: Resident Evil.

I was late to the Resident Evil party too. I didn’t get into the series until the Gamecube remake of the first game was released in 2002. I worked through that on a Jill playthrough and even though it terrified me near to death, I became a fan of the series. I dug out my older systems and worked my way through the other games, enjoying the adventures of Claire, Leon and Jill. The older games were graphically a step down, but they had a certain je ne sais quoi that kept them fresh and interesting even as I had to hunt down that last goddamned emerald for that stupid statue to gain access to the police station where I would promptly die to Nemesis because I hate tank controls and they’re awful.

Ahem where were we?

At a certain point in its lifespan though, Resident Evil got stupid. There were books and movies and comics and 3D arcade movie/games (Japan only) and subplots and prequels with monkey zombies… Code Veronica pushed me over the edge. It was a game that starts with Claire fleeing as a helicopter pilot fires through windows at her while explosions boom and ends with an incestuous child genius awakening from a coma and turning into an ant queen zombie with fire powers who was aiming to take over the world. A lot of fans of the series love Code Veronica, for me it was when I decided I was done with the series.

Resident Evil 4 won my heart back. It recognized that the Resident Evil series had been heading towards mindless action and stupid dialogue since its origin and full out embraced it. The gameplay is refreshingly fun, the enemies do have a certain creepiness (anyone who says the sound of a Regenerator breathing doesn’t creep them out a little is a filthy liar), and most importantly – it stripped free 90% of the stupid backstory except for references here and there. (It’s also the only enjoyable escort quest ever.)

Then Resident Evil 5 took everything amazing that 4 brought to the table, added back all the stupid backstory to tie up some loose ends, and started taking itself seriously again. I couldn’t even laugh when Chris Redfield punched a boulder apart with his enormous, melon-sized biceps.

So how are Dead Space and Resident Evil related? They’re both horror franchises are their roots – they’re both taking an action-y turn for their sequels, and they both have increasing convoluted backstories being built up through strengthening the IP.

Now, action and horror sometimes goes hand in hand – and there’s only so many times Isaac Clarke can be surprised by Necromorphs. The new, agile, streamlined suit and new weapons make sense to a degree. Dead Space 1 cannot be repeated over and over, lest it gain the stagnancy and staleness of Raccoon City. I’m willing to give the action-oriented sequel a shot.

But the reason Resident Evil 4 worked so well was that it stripped down all the tradition and pretense of a series that had been gaining clutter for years at the same time that its controls became even more dated and frustrating. Dead Space is a new, fresh, franchise. It shouldn’t be gaining all the sideplots and betrayals and mysterious returns that Resident Evil did – and yet, with all of the questionably canon side stories being released…

Too many cooks spoil the broth. As different teams build up different aspects of the universe, and as prequels are tied into sequels and comic books are released that ask new questions and movies contradict the games… I have to admit, I get a little scared. I don’t want Isaac to find Kendra Daniels on his new adventures, except now she’s a Necromorph and I don’t want the USG Ishimura to become the new Raccoon City.

Here’s my fondest dream for the Dead Space IP: that they keep the integrity of the first game. I hope that they keep the game to the basics, remember the things that impressed me (and so many other people) about Dead Space 1, and if they go action: do it like Resident Evil 4, not 5. You might be feeling like I’m exaggerating a little – how bad could this get? All I hope is that one day we don’t see Isaac Clarke on top of a volcano punching a boulder to death.

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