Dead Space: how EA is reclaiming its survival horror crown, and why it might inspire a sequel

Having kickstarted a survival horror revolution, EA's Dead Space franchise had been dormant for a decade. Now the 2008 original has been remade for PS5 and Xbox Series consoles with a new focus on self-inflicted scares. GQ speaks to the makers of this cult classic revival.

[shinoff2183]

I disagree. All ea had to do is Green light the idea. Other then that everything was laid. Not a knock on the game cause it looks dope af just ea don't need credit it doesn't deserve.

[isarai]

EA never had that crown, chill out bro

[FallenAngel1984]

What revolution did Dead Space create? It was a great game but it had nowhere near the same impact that series like Castlevania, Sweet Home, Alone in the Dark, Doom, Clock Tower, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Amnesia, Fatal Frame, Dark Souls & System Shock had on the genre.

[CorndogBurglar]

It had a HUGE impact. It single handedly saved the genre. When the original Dead Space came out Survival Horror was on its last legs. Nothing good had been made in years. Resident Evil hadn't made a new game since RE4 4 years earlier, and while people loved it, there was complaints that it was straying from the Survival Horror aspects.

Resident Evil 5 came out after Dead Space, but it proved that it was going in an action themed direction. So Dead Space was quite literally the only Survival Horror game keeping the genre afloat.

Was it innovative in the sense that it added anything to the genre? Not really, aside from the dismemberment and telekinesis mechanics. But, again, it saved the genre. So I would say that's a pretty damn big impact.

[shinoff2183]

I think your a little off. I don't think dead spaced saved the genre at all. It's always been there since the 90s and it would've still stayed. Hell I'd say pt silent hills inspired the horror genre way more then dead space did. I still. Saved just seems kinda off imo

Again not a knock on the game cause I enjoyed the og and will enjoy this when it's cheaper(only due to price and game length)

[plmkoh]

You've clearly a very narrow experience in games if you think Dead Space had little impact.

- Prior to Dead Space no horror game ever got controls correct. Dead Space standardized the TPS control scheme on horror.

- Prior to Dead Space no game in general ever got HUD-less correct. Dead Space showed the industry that you can have HUD-less and yet increase interactivity and immersion for the player without compromise.

- Dead Space is the first horror game that marked the point that Western developers could also master the genre just like what Witcher/Oblivion did when JRPGs dominated.

[shinoff2183]

I've been gaming since like 87 88, the only games I don't play are racing and music games. My experience is far from narrow

[DeadManMMX]

Standardized the TPS control scheme on horror? Don't you mean Resident Evil 4? The game that inspired a whole generation and style of TPS games period. Including Gears of War. Dead Space came out 4 years later in 2008. I'll give you the HUD thing but that's about it.

[FallenAngel1984]

@ Corndog

You’re really disregarding the entire genre just to prop up Dead Space? It’s a great game but let’s not act like it was the only thing worth mentioning.

In 2005 alone we had Resident Evil 4, Condemned, Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, Fatal Frame 3, and F.E.A.R..

In 2006 alone we had Dead Rising, Resistance: Fall of Man & Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

In 2007 alone we had Bioshock, The Darkness, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, & Silent Hill: Origins.

2008 alone we had Condemned 2, Left 4 Dead, Fatal Frame 4, Resistance 2, Siren Blood Curse, & S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Skys

In the year leading up to and during its year of release, the horror genre was thriving with numerous quality titles being released.

@ plm

You’re full of it if you’re disrespecting RE4’s impact on third person controls. The devs of Dead Space took heavy inspiration from RE4

There were various HUD-less games prior to Dead Space

You’re seriously disregarding titles like Doom, System Shock and Bioshock?

Dude Dead Space is a great game but you don’t have to tear down other more notable horror titles just to pretend it had a bigger impact than it actually had

Dead Space was more evolutionary than revolutionary

[CorndogBurglar]

Most of those games you listed aren't SURVIVAL Horror. And the ones that are were not huge sellers or popular enough to be on the same level as your Resident Evils, Silent Hills, or Dead Space.

There's a difference between horror and survival horror. F.E.A.R was a first person shooter action game with a ghost that showed up every now and then in the background. But 99% of the game was fighting soldiers with big guns and tons of ammo.

Condemned was also not really survival horror. The vast majority of that game was first person action as you tazed and punched and hit crackheads with pipes and random melee weapons lol. It was more of an action mystery/detective game.

Fatal Frame wasn't something that I would consider a huge game. It existed and did well, but I don't really remember it being hugely popular.

Dead Rising was an arcade style, silly horror game. I guess technically it would be considered Survival Horror, but I don't think many people would classify it the same as Resident Evil, Silent Hills, or Dead Space.

Resistance was another first person action game fighting against an alien invasion. Not Survival Horror in the slightest.

Castlevania is a Metroidvania game. It could fall into Survival Horror I suppose, but most people wouldn't classify it like your regular Survival Horror games.

The Darkness was a FPS action game.

Siren was not a popular at all.

Left 4 Dead was a multi-player shooter. Not the same genre.

Do you see what I'm getting at? All these games you listed are either not Survival Horror at all, or were not very popular. Dead Space revitalized the Survivor Horror genre.

There's a big difference between a game that has horror elements, and an actual Survival Horror game.

[FallenAngel1984]

Dead Space wasn’t even a big seller. It’s initial sales were slow and the first title’s last recorded sales number was 1.4 million. Dead Space 1 was a more critical success than a commercial success. EA, being the corporate fks that they are, even expressed disappointment when the title only sold less than 500K in its first two months.

Horror comes in variety of different takes in the genre. Not everything has to follow a strict set of rules. Various titles kept the horror genre alive within the medium. If you can pick apart ALL those titles then you have to do the same for Dead Space, which again wasn’t even a big commercial success when it first came out. Just like with Dead Space, those titles were critically well received so it’s erroneous to say there were no good horror titles for all those years.

By your standards you should be saying Bioshock kept survival horror alive, even though that subgenre wasn’t even dead by then, since it was critically and commercially better received than Dead Space when it released one year prior and winning far more awards than DS. Bioshock had a bigger impact than Dead Space, but I still wouldn’t disregard what Dead Space provided just because another game was more successful than it. The same way I still wouldn’t disregard all the other quality horror titles that released before and after it.

[HeliosHex]

EA nearly killed the franchise with DS3 which likely was the reason Schofield left to start his own company. then let's it stagnate for ten years. Them coming out with a visually polished remake of DS1 that pales in comparison to Capcoms resi remakes does not help them regain a crown they never had. If anything it's a reminder of what a parasitic lousy company EA is and frankly dead space deserves better.

[gleepot]

it never had the crown, it made two pretty awesome dead space games, and thats it

[Jaces]

There was nothing to reclaim, they just remade a hit from 15 years ago. They've done nothing different or special.

[Dawknight316]

Resident Evil is still king and while the Dead Space remake is solid, it doesn’t like a match to RE2make

[DeadManMMX]

EA doesn't own Resident Evil. They can't even claim the crown for greatest remake because RE2 holds that. Followed by RE Remake. I'm sure the game is great and I will platinum it but there are those who inspired and those who were inspired by.