Dead Space:Extraction Review – Wii Like to Shoot
Developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts, Dead Space:Extraction is a new on-rails shooter set before the events of last year’s survival horror title, Dead Space. Released for the Nintendo Wii, the game utilizes the wiimote and nunchuk controller to allow players to gun down and dismember alien zombies from a new point of view. I recently got my hands on the title and gave it a run-through, but does this shooter make the cut?
The game follows through the viewpoints of several different survivors of the initial necromorph infestation following the relocation of the “divine marker” found planetside on the planet Aegis VII. Following in rail shooter tradition, all physical control of the characters is handled automatically, with the player’s sole concern being aiming and shooting at the oncoming hordes of necromorphs. In terms of plot, however, this game is a plump juicy morsel of story-rich action which deviates greatly from the standard “ninjas find guns, destroy countless demons, and save princess” fare of the traditional arcade rail shooter. Fans of the original Dead Space will be able to glean plenty of new insight through the events of the campaign mode. There are even unlockable motion comic versions of the original comic books that were released in 2008 to coincide with the advent of Dead Space.
Graphically, the game is fairly standard. Many of the textures are composed of fairly large pixels, giving everything a sort of choppy look. Combine this with the various graphical glitches seen throughout the game, and we’re left with something that seems to suffer greatly from the “get it out before Christmas” disease that plagues so many titles. Floors became invisible, ghost textures remained even after doors slid open to accommodate my conveyance, and camera angles even turned away from oncoming enemies, allowing them to slowly deplete my health bar from off screen while I remained helpless. Most of these detriments were only temporary inconveniences, but one can’t help but think that this could have been easily avoided.
The difficulty and adrenaline rush expected of the series have not been toned down any. At times, the rush of enemies seems endless, often exceeding the amount of foes Isaac Clarke ever had to take down at once in the original. The tenacity of your opponents will really get to you, and you’ll find yourself genuinely thankful for the occasional lull in combat or console hacking mini-game. There are a variety of hidden items for you to grab on your nonstop trek. The game will pause momentarily for you to take in a text log or video log, but audio logs will begin playing immediately through the speaker on the Wiimote, so you may want to turn the volume up on the peripheral to take it all in. At times, the game will give you a choice of two different paths, giving a few more options for replayability for those determined to find every hidden log in the game. 
All things considered, the game does a good enough job at what it sets out to do. There is a pretty inspired narrative here, jumping from survivor to survivor to weave a delicate story outlining the events leading up to Isaac’s arrival on the scene. My only beef with the title is that it could have been technically a much more refined and completed piece with just a little more work. Also, it’s always refreshing to see a mature game on the Nintendo Wii; bonus points for it being Wii-exclusive. With a price tag of 50 bucks and the bevy of bogus bug blunders, the game may be more suited for a rental unless you’re a die-hard fan of the series, otherwise a lower price would be much more suited.
Final Verdict – 7.5/10
Tags: Dead Space, Electronic Arts, Isaac Clarke, rail shooter, Visceral Games
