TL;DR If you have a love and passion for the Dead Space IP you will love this game and you should vote with your wallet and show EA that for once they're doing something right.

PC SPECS:
Ryzen 5900X
32GB DDR4 3200-CL16
Game installed on PCIe 3.0 M.2
NVIDIA 2080ti

The original game came out when I was 8 years old. I grew up watching my dad play F.E.A.R and Dead Space and going to bed at night cowering under my blankets. By the time Dead Space 2 came out, I had played the first and went on to play the second over and over again. This franchise was my childhood and my gateway into horror as a genre in general. I'm always hesitant when EA puts their name on anything (and after Battlefield 2042 I mean ANYTHING) so as always I was preparing myself for disappointment. After hearing positive feedback on release week and watching some developer commentary I decided to bite the bullet and get the game. Hoooo boy.

The feeling of being transported directly back to my childhood is indescribable. This game looks and plays the way my nostalgia made the original feel like when I reminisce. The graphics are absolutely beyond gorgeous, and the game runs surprisingly smooth for a AAA title release. There are occasional stutters, and I can't say the game runs perfectly, but what I can say is that it never was severe enough to take me out of the experience or mess up my fight scenes. The DLSS helps immensely, and being able to boot up a brand new game on the Ultra settings with Ray-Tracing enabled was a wonderful treat. Also, if you have not seen the developer video talking about the new necromorph flesh damage system, you really should. The attention to detail is absolutely top-tier in every department. Everything sounds good, looks good, and feels good.

The weapons have gone through some minor (and not so minor) alterations in this remake. No complaints here, though the pulse rifle somehow manages to be even more useless than it was in the first game. I hope they find a way to bring in the grenade launcher function in the second game though. I had to replay the game to get 4 equipped weapons fully upgraded, but it was well worth it once I finished. I would actually argue that I almost felt a little too strong, but maybe that's just because this is my fifth Dead Space game and I've become as efficient a necromorph killing machine as Issac eventually becomes.

I also really enjoy the changes they made to the story. It sets the storyline up in a much more cohesive way, and shows that Motive and EA are invested in remaking the entire franchise. If the Dead Space 2 remake is given as much love and attention as this, I would argue that it could be a contender for GOTY. PLEASE BRING BACK THE MULTIPLAYER THOUGH. DON'T YOU DARE DO WHAT THE LAST OF US DID.

Anyways, go buy the game. I got 50 hours of gameplay out of it and two full playthroughs without getting bored or losing interest. I might do an impossible run with just plasma cutter in a couple months just to see if I can when the game isn't so recent in my memory.

Project Silverfish feels like a lovechild of SCP lore & S.T.A.L.K.E.R. gameplay with a furry package. Firefights are intense, unpredictability lurks around every corner, and death is swiftly met for both you and your enemies. Its art style is simple and cozy. If you're a fan of Escape from Tarkov, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Metro, or any games like those, you'll feel right at home here.

PSF is one of the best attempts to capture the "energy" of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. I've seen to date. It really takes what made that franchise good at its core & expands out in its own way. A lot of streamlined gameplay mechanics helps keeps me immersed and focused on the looting, shooting, and exploration.

The AI is remarkable in some of its decision making processes. From what I've been able to observe, NPC squads will communicate, follow tactics, and generally try to work together to accomplish goals. Squads splitting up and flanking or cutting off escape routes reminds me more than a bit of how they behave in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.. I've already had more than once tense moment or jumpscare where the AI completely caught me off guard.

If I had to find something to nitpick, it would be that the AI aim feels a bit *too* on point sometimes. Also, NVIDIA Overlay has issues with the game, you have to disable desktop privacy mode if you want to record or clip!

Absolutely the best $30 I've paid for an indie game this year. Can't wait to see where it goes next.