Game Title: Dead Space
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
Genre: Survival Horror/3^rd Person Shooter
Release Date: 10/13/08
Developer: Electronic Arts
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Game Writer/Creative Director/Narrative Designer: Bret Robbins, Glen Schofield

Overview

Dead Space is an original IP created and published by EA Games, chronicling the exploits of engineer Isaac Clarke aboard the USG Ishimura, a mining ship that has been overrun by a horrifying infection that reanimates the bodies of slain crew members, twisting them into grotesque amalgamations of flesh and bone (known as "necromorphs"). As part of an investigative crew aboard the USG Kellion, Isaac must figure out what exactly created the hell on earth (or space, hardy har har) that is the current state of the Ishimura while trying to stay alive. And, during all of this, he is burdened with the task of trying to rescue his girlfriend, Nicole, a medical specialist stationed on the ship.

As Isaac travels through the bowels of the ship, he plumbs the depths of the insanity that now runs amok on the decks of the Ishimura. The ship is now populated by rogue scientists that now see the transformation as an expression of divine will, audio logs from long-dead crew slowly realizing their fate, a dangerous and pervasive religion, and strange omens that cast doubt on his entire pursuit for Nicole. Isaac can upgrade his equipment and purchase new weapons and suits as he moves on, but increasingly aggressive and terrifying necromorphs continue to hound his every move as he gets closer to the truth.

Characters

For the purpose of expediency, we'll analyze the characters most important to Isaac and the plot itself. There are a number of characters who, while they serve as the occasional MacGuffin, do not necessarily bear repeating for the purposes of the analysis.

• Isaac Clarke - The character controlled by the player for the entirety of the game. Isaac is an engineer, but his expertise in cutting tools and his resilient "RIG" (engineer suit) gives him the edge he needs to defend himself and dismember necromorphs (the only way to kill them). He is silent for the entirety of the game - the player only sees his face during the opening and ending. For the rest of the time, he wears a distinctive mask that gives off an eerie glow through a series of horizontal slits. An unlikely hero, he has a personal stake in the destruction of the Ishimura: His girlfriend, who serves as a medical officer on the ship and contacts him from time to time while he is on board. He carries a distress video from her at all times, and is seen watching it during the descent to the flight deck of the Ishimura at the start of the game.

• Zach Hammond - A soldier working for the Concordance Extraction Corporation (CEC), Hammond is a no-nonsense officer with a strict sense of duty and a hide tough enough to press on through the nightmare that is the Ishimura. At the start of the game, it appears that he simply wants to finish the job at all costs - to investigate the cause behind the events that have transpired on the Ishimura and report to the CEC. Eventually, though, the ship wears down on him, and he focuses on escaping with Isaac. Unfortunately, he is violently killed in the process, torn limb from limb in front of Isaac while they try to fix a shuttle to get away from the ship.

• Kendra Daniels - The computer expert sent with Isaac and Hammond to investigate the Ishimura, she serves as your eyes and ears all over the ship during most of the game, moving from command center to command center, under constant attack from the necromorphs. She is often the one who identifies technological problems with the ship that Isaac needs to fix, and for the first half of the game, she tries to subtly influence Isaac by arousing suspicion of Hammond's actions and motives. Eventually, though, she is revealed to be a double agent, working for the government and using Isaac for her own needs. She, too, is violently ripped apart during the final stretch of the game.

• Nicole Brennan - Isaac's girlfriend, and a medical officer aboard the Ishimura. She sends an SOS to Isaac about the situation aboard the ship, and Isaac encounters her frequently during his travels, but never in a situation that warrants a continuous presence. She helps Isaac by running computer systems and giving access to personnel areas, but the player frequently receives chilling, ominous messages from her about "making us whole again." It is eventually revealed that she actually killed herself at the end of the SOS video, and the Nicole you encounter on the ship is actually a manifestation of the Marker, using Isaac for its own purposes.

• The Marker - Although not a human character, the Marker deserves a place in the character roster. It was discovered on earth - a seemingly alien artifact that was reverse-engineered by the government, and a copy was manufactured and put on the Aegis VII for observation - the very planet that the Ishimura was set to crack, in order to harvest ore. The colony on Aegis VII suffered the same fate as the Ishimura, before the Marker was brought on board and caused the ship to delve into the chaos that resulted in the distress beacon being activated. The necromorphs seem to be controlled by a "hive mind" on the planet, which is in turn controlled by the Marker - removing it caused the suppression to stop and the necromorphs to begin wreaking havoc. It is revealed to be sentient, even going so far as to make an impersonation of Nicole to get Isaac to return it to the planet.