death posts

I've written before about the utility of the death penalty mechanic in video games. More and more these days it seems that the consequence of death just doesn't hold the same weight it once did. After purchasing a game, no developer in their right mind would penalize a player with the threat of permanent death. There are always ways to continue to play after defeat.

So if death itself is meaningless, why is it still put into games? More to the point, what are the alternatives?

GameTrailers is hosting some exclusive Dead Space videos from EA3, an Electronic Arts media event. There are several showroom floor gameplay videos, and one video interview with Executive Producer Glen Schofield. In the interview (embedded above), Schofield talks about the dismemberment system, realistic zero gravity gameplay, what sorts of characters you'll meet in the game, and the many, many kinds of deaths your character can experience.

The gameplay stuff is the real meat of it all, though. We've embedded one of those videos behind the break. You'll see some extremely intense encounters, but we think the most interesting bit is the zero gravity stuff. It reminds us of the mind-screwing final sequence of Danny Boyle's Sunshine. Give it a look. If you're a Survival Horror aficionado, it's worth it.