I've been a fan of Dead Space since before the first title even came out. I was instantly intrigued by the early trailers and even ended up in the top 10 finalists of the No Known Survivors contest and won a free copy of the game. I've counted myself as one of Dead Space's biggest fans ever since and replay the original and Dead Space 2 regularly.

Fast-forward to now and we have this absolutely stellar remake of the first game. I have to admit I came into this cautiously optimistic because it would have been easy to miss the mark when remaking a game as legendary as the original Dead Space. Not to mention the well-known fact that EA botched Dead Space 3 by meddling in its development (injecting microtransactions, coop, and story changes) and set absolutely absurd sales targets which lead to the ruination of Visceral Games. Knowing that this franchise was still in EA's hands and being developed by an entirely different team was concerning to say the least.

Well.. my concerns are history. They knocked it out of the park! Having finished the game at this point I can say that this game stands beside the Resident Evil 2 remake at the absolute pinnacle of video game remakes. The main and side stories of the game were expanded upon without being drastically altered which serves only to improve them. Isaac and Nicole's relationship is much more interesting for example, and we get further backstory on characters (and even monsters) that were more of a mystery in the original. Parts of the original that could get a bit tedious (like the ADS defense segment) were polished and made more enjoyable. The upgrade tree for weapons is very similar and yet enhanced with new unique special upgrades that make things more interesting. Additionally the two main companion characters (Hammond and Daniels) are much more interesting and likable in the remake. I absolutely loved the addition of optional side quests which expand on the story. This is a clever way to add more lore for those of us that are interested without forcing it on those who are not.

I have to say one of my favorite changes with this remake is the fact that instead of being a chapter-based setup locked behind the tram, this version of the Ishimura is completely open and you can take the tram anywhere and anytime you want. With the new security clearance system this strongly encourages backtracking when you unlock access to new areas. I was also very happy to see that the game clearly indicates the "point of no return" where you might want to wrap up any side quests before finishing the main story.

All in all, I was absolutely blown away by this remake and I am incredibly hopeful that they will continue with a Dead Space 2 remake of this caliber. Here's to hoping that Dead Space is finally back!