Intelligent passion for all things NintendoNew to Infendo? Start here ↗
← Back to the journal
Infendo / An independent perspective

Review: Dead Space extracts thrills on Wii

Those familiar with the original Dead Space already know how this story ends or, more specifically, what was discovered at the onset of the first game. Extraction is a tragedy in motion. Yours and the fate of your companions were determined before you even picked up the remote, and there’s absolutely nothing you can do […]

Those familiar with the original Dead Space already know how this story ends or, more specifically, what was discovered at the onset of the first game. Extraction is a tragedy in motion. Yours and the fate of your companions were determined before you even picked up the remote, and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to change it.

There are no princesses to save on Aegis VII. There isn’t a heroic tale to apprise. You just can’t win this time. You can only hope to survive.

For a few hours, at least.

Extraction is heavy on narrative, and the impending doom haunting your journey through Aegis VII and the shadowy annals of the USG Ishimura gives Visceral Games the unique opportunity to tell a story not about the triumph of good over evil, but the unsettling futility of good. Grim as it may be, it’s a refreshing approach to storytelling in video games, and its dark, nihilistic narrative is always engaging.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a tiger by the toe…impale, devour, repeat

This plot-driven design is representative of modern development trends. Games are evolving more cinematically than ever, and their stories have become increasingly ambitious and prominent. Even so, one typically wouldn’t expect much story from an on-rails shooter, a genre of games-on-autopilot consisting of simple, mindless action.

Extraction bucks that trend. And yes, it does it on rails.

More to discover.Keep exploring ↗
The Infendo community

Join the conversation

Share your perspective. Keep it thoughtful, welcoming and on topic.

Infendo · Play. Listen. Discover.

Your next discovery awaits.

Stay in the loop
Privacy & browser progress

Reading, listening and game progress lasts for this page without preference permission; with permission, this browser remembers for one year. Rating badges follow your saved ratings, independently of that preference. Analytics permission separately controls analytics and CRM reporting. Resetting browser progress does not delete CRM records.

Want to keep your points? Sign in →
Sign in