With the recent release of the Dead Space remake, the series now has four entries that relate interestingly to each other in terms of their mechanical progression, graphical quality, the tones of their stories, and even which genres they lean towards. And while the opinions and preferences of Dead Space fans will differ, it’s still worth taking a look at how each game in the series stacks up against the others.
Despite the quality of the 2023 Dead Space remake of the original game, the series’ future had been in some doubt before its release. With the franchises’ last game having been Dead Space 3 in 2013, it seemed more or less abandoned – not helped by the mixed reception to Dead Space 3 itself and the dissolution of series developer Visceral Games. Now, however, with the series seemingly gearing up for a major revival, as the Dead Space remake’s secret ending seemingly indicates, some may choose to revisit the older games.
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Ranking The Dead Space Games Against Each Other
Each Dead Space game aims for a different sort of appeal. While the underpinnings of survival horror remain throughout, the series did noticeably trend more towards action later in ways that affected some games more than others, and had a significant bearing on their quality. Other aspects, like game mechanics, story, and tone, also changed from game to game, sometimes significantly (and not always for the better). While personal preference will ultimately dictate what any given player’s favorite game in the franchise is, some entries fail to preserve important Dead Space features core to its appeal.
Dead Space 3 Is The Worst In The Series
Dead Space 3 is, ultimately, the series’ worst mainline offering, compromising much of the series’ horror focus in favor of a more action-oriented experience. Lackluster set pieces, cover shooting against bog-standard human enemies, and an unsatisfying story makes Dead Space 3 a disappointing sequel, failing to carry forward much of the franchise’s horror atmosphere. While not entirely without any merit – owing to some interesting environments and encounters, and its weapon crafting system being at the very least interesting to play around with – Dead Space 3 abandoned the series’ core aspects in favor of attempting to appeal to a broader audience, only to fail in that as well.
The Original Dead Space Is A Classic – But A Dated One
The original Dead Space is something of a survival horror classic – so much so that even fifteen years later, the Dead Space remake changes only a few big things. But even though it launched the franchise, the 2008 game is still subject to a few problems with dated design and story decisions that don’t mesh well with later entries.
Isaac Clarke, for instance, is a strangely silent protagonist in the original, making him feel like a decidedly non-active participant in the story. Clunky zero-gravity controls and the much-maligned asteroid shooting segment are also rough spots in what is otherwise considered a horror essential.
Dead Space 2 Is A Worthy Sequel
Dead Space 2, despite being the start of the series’ trend towards an action focus, still managed to maintain much of the first game’s horror atmosphere, building on the original with additional lore, new enemy types, and an expanded arsenal of weapons. Despite potentially being slated for a remake, as teased by the new Dead Space, there’s far less of Dead Space 2 that doesn’t hold up to modern standards when compared to the original game – although one particular pain point is the game’s somewhat lackluster final boss.
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The Dead Space Remake Is The Series At Its Best
Finally, the 2023 remake of Dead Space stands as the best that the series has to offer, maintaining the classic appeal of the original game while also updating it in smart ways. Major pain points, like zero-gravity sections or the asteroid minigame, have been completely revamped to be significantly more engaging and less frustrating. Weapons that were lackluster in the original have been tuned to be worth using, and the weapons themselves are potentially Dead Space‘s best change. Other aspects, like redone voice acting, visual upgrades, and even additional content that fits naturally into the game make the Dead Space remake the series’ best game.
As with any series, it’s important to note that ranking is subjective – and with Dead Space in particular, only Dead Space 3 is a real outlier in terms of quality, with the original, its remake, and Dead Space 2 all being extremely close in terms of which could be considered the “best”. Each game has something unique to offer its audience, and with potentially more in store for Dead Space‘s future, it’s worth looking at where the series has already been.
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