Dead Space

The National Institute on Media and the Family has attacked the game industry for years and has also issued their annual "report card" on both the industry and specific games. In the past they have generated a lot of publicity for their report card by holding press conferences in Washington DC with various national lawmakers also taking part.

However, the game industry has taken huge steps in the last few years to police itself through both its ESRB ratings system and enforcement of those ratings in retail stores. So this year's report card by the NIMF is very low key with just a media announcement and no press conference or senators around. Indeed, the actual report card on the industry has the industry getting almost straight "A"s (they got a B+ for ratings enforcement). So the organization is now focusing on getting parents involved in making sure they know what games their kids are playing.

The NIMF has also issued a list of games children should avoid playing. All of these games are rated "M" for Mature so the industry has already done its job in labeling them as not appropriate for kids. They include games released for the PC platform like Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead, Dead Space, Far Cry 2, Silent Hill Homecoming and Legendary (another game, Saints Row 2, is due for release on the PC this January).

Since this is Election Day we at Big Download are making it our right to choose and we choose today to say, "Stay away from buying Dead Space Downfall". This animated DVD prequel to the storyline for Electronic Arts' recent sci-fi survival horror game is a mess, no matter how you slice it (that's a bit of a pun).

Our review of the Dead Space game itself was quite favorable, saying it 'delivers great scares, tension, and plenty of gore to keep just about any horror gamer jumping at their own shadows." We wish we could say the same for the Downfall DVD which turned out to be just one long 75 minute commercial for the game with no real scares or tension.

In Dead Space, one of the biggest deep space mining ships mankind has ever built, the USG Ishimura, floats derelict in orbit above a deep space colony. Its crew has been out of communication and virtually all the ship's systems are in disrepair. Players take the role of Isaac, a member of a small engineering team sent in to repair the Ishimura's communications system. They soon find out that the giant ship has far more going on than a broken communications array. The crew has been slaughtered and their corpses transformed into grotesque monsters, called necromorphs, bent on adding Isaac and his team to their ranks.

Thanks to everyone who entered out Dead Space PC giveaway contest. We have now picked the three winners, each of which will receive a boxed copy of the PC version of Dead Space, the recent sci-fi survival horror game from Electronic Arts. Congrats to Chris Vogel of Loveland, Ohio, Prabha Gopinath of Minnetonka, Minnesota and Stephen Kolmeier of La Vernia, Texas for being picked as the winners. All of you will soon be receiving your free copy of the game via Electronic Arts. Thanks again to EA for providing the prizes.

Remember we still have a Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 giveaway going on and you never know what other future contests we have in store for BigDownload readers. Stay tuned.

Developers of Dead Space discuss the main character, Isaac, and the role he plays in the story. The survival horror game, where players fight grotesque undead creatures aboard a giant space ship, is available now in stores for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Download Dead Space Developer Diary #9 (859 MB)
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This trailer for Dead Space shows off the Ishimura, the largest planet cracking mining vessel in the fleet. However, it completely glosses over the mutated undead monsters running through its tight corridors. Dead Space is available now for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 systems.

Download HD Dead Space Ishimura Trailer (95 MB)
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You just have a few more hours left. We are running a contest where three lucky Big Download readers will be getting a boxed copy of Electronic Arts' new sci-fi survival horror game Dead Space (due for release for the PC this week). If you want your copy it's time to head over to the official contest page, make a comment on that page (not this one) and then wait until after Oct. 24 where we will select at random three of the people who made comments. Those folks will each get a Dead Space PC game copy. Good luck.

Electronic Arts has been pushing its recently released survival horror game Dead Space big time. The PC version shipped this week and a six-issue Image comic book mini-series has already been released. A direct-to-DVD animated prequel movie is due out in stores next week. But according to Variety that's not the only things that may be in the works for this new franchise.

The article states that a sequel to Dead Space is already in the works (although it does state it could get canceled in the unlikely event the game doesn't sell up to expectations). EA is also working on getting a full-blown Dead Space feature film in production. A prose novel series and even Dead Space toys are being considered (obviously they wouldn't be sold to kids).

Just in case you missed it last week we are running a contest where three lucky Big Download readers will be getting a boxed copy of Electronic Arts' new sci-fi survival horror game Dead Space (due for release for the PC this week). If you want your copy it's time to head over to the official contest page, make a comment on that page (not this one) and then wait until after Oct. 24 where we will select at random three of the people who made comments. Those folks will each get a Dead Space PC game copy. Good luck.

Just in case you missed it earlier this week we are running a contest where three lucky Big Download readers will be getting a boxed copy of Electronic Arts' new sci-fi survival horror game Dead Space (due for release for the PC next week). If you want your copy it's time to head over to the official contest page, make a comment on that page (not this one) and then wait until after Oct. 24 where we will select at random three of the people who made comments. Those folks will each get a Dead Space PC game copy. Good luck.

This creepy trailer introduces players to the world of Dead Space, the scifi themed survival horror game. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions released yesterday, while the PC version is scheduled for October 20. Don't forget to check out Big Download's Dead Space Giveaway Contest for a chance to win a copy of the PC game.

Download HD Dead Space Launch Trailer (39 MB)
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It's that time of the year, where folks just want to be scared out of their minds. Electronic Arts is planning to do just that with their new sci-fi survival horror game Dead Space. Big Download wants to give a lucky few some free scares before Halloween so we got EA to agree to give out three boxed retail copies of the PC version of the game to our readers (the game is rated "M" for "Mature" by the ESRB).
How do you win? it's pretty simple:

* To enter, post a comment on this contest page.
* The comment must be left before 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Oct 24
* You may enter only once.
* Three winners will be selected in a random drawing.
* Those winners will receive a boxed retail copy of the PC version of Dead Space from publisher Electronic Arts (valued at $50)
* Click Here for complete Official Rules. You must be a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) who is 18 years or older to enter this contest.
Thanks to Electronic Arts for the donation of the prizes. Also if you are artistically inclined, check out this Dead Space contest over at Joystiq. Good luck

Developers at EA Redwood studios talk about the inspiration and technique used in putting together the art and environments for Dead Space. The scifi themed horror survival games released today, October 14, giving players a chance to fight mutant undead monsters in deep space.

Download HD Dead Space Developer's Diary #8 (90 MB)
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It's one of Electronic Arts' fall titles that they have high hopes for and this morning the word came down that it has now gone gold. It's Dead Space, their sci-fi themed survival horror title that EA hopes will compete for fans of Capcom's Resident Evil and Konami's Silent Hill series. The PC version wlll be released in the US on Oct. 20, one week after the release on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions.

Unfortunately PC owners seem to be getting the shaft in terms of extra content as Xbox 360 and PS3 owners will be able to download extra "suits" for their player character in the game within the first two weeks of the game's release. These suits apparently give the player character extra inventory slots and increase its toughness. We've contacted EA to see if PC owners can expect any downloadable extras for their Dead Space port.

Dario Argento is considered one of the best horror film directors of all time. He's best know for his work on the 1977 film Susperia and also collaborated with George Romero on the original Dawn of the Dead film. Now the Italian director will be doing something new for him; a voice role in an upcoming game.

That game is Dead Space, the close-to-release sci-fi survival horror game from developer Electronic Arts. Argento will voice the role of Doctor Kyne in the game and while US audiences won't hear him speak Argento has already given his vote of approval for Dead Space. In the press release announcing his involvement he is quoted as saying, "Dead Space" truly captures the essence of fear in an entertainment medium. Not only is it the most terrifying game I've ever played, but it's also one that all fans of horror will appreciate." The game will be released for the PC on October 20.