
I sorely missed that degree of autonomy in Extraction.

I've visited these environs of "Dead Space" before - and the last time I was here, I had some control over where I was going, and what I was looking at. But many of the places you see in Extraction are recycled from the previous game, so expect a little deja vu. " House of the Dead: Overkill" is a terrific example of an on-rails shooter (if you haven't played it, do so). I generally don't mind on-rails shooters. You grip the safety bar, peer into the dark, and just kind of hope that the whole thing is over soon. You get into your little cart, the safety bar is lowered into your lap, and the cart sets off. An infection spreads, turning the colony's inhabitants basically into the same pale, semi-nude, long-limbed creatures that I fought in "Dead Space."Įxtraction is an on-rails shooter, the videogame equivalent of the carnival funhouse ride. The premise: Miners have located some sort of religious artifact called a Marker, and all hell breaks loose. "Dead Space Extraction" functions as a prequel to "Dead Space." The game's events occur three weeks before those of the original game. It was the game's layered soundtrack - the constant feeling that something was lurking in the ship's walls around me, along with that supremely creepy rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" - that really got to me. But then it got under my skin, in a good way and I wound up not only finishing it, but playing through it a second time. I didn't love the original "Dead Space" when I began playing it. What's Not: Suffers from a terminal case of I Want to Look Over There But I Can't syndrome Ammo is terribly scarce. What's Hot: Spooky atmosphere Credible characters Terrific use of the Wii Remote's crappy little good-for-nothing speaker Looks good - all together now, class! - FOR A WII GAME.
