Postmortem: Dead Space
In space, no one can hear you conduct a postmortem with Senior Producer Chuck Beaver (real name).
1/27/2009 6:13 PM | 6 Comments | Page 1 of 5
Scott Jones
Status: Coffee makes me feel 4-percent sexier.
Dead Space was among the most underrated titles of '08. Many writers -- including yours truly -- dismissed it as a little more than a well-made
Resident Evil 4 clone in space. But I confess: After I filed
my review, I found myself compulsively playing the game. I replayed it a second time on the harder difficulty level. And, as I near the end of my second play-through, I'm feeling like I might even have a third run in me.
"The name is Beaver. Chuck Beaver."
Despite the fact that
Dead Space blatantly cribs from every other title in the survival horror genre, the game eventually transcends those tropes and clichés. It eventually finds its own voice -- that is, if you're willing to listen long enough -- and it blossoms, not unlike the Necromorphs themselves, into something pleasantly -- or rather, unpleasantly -- unexpected.
I gave Chuck Beaver a call. He's the game's senior producer. What follows is a transcription of an audio tape that was found inside the darkest, loneliest, coldest recesses of EA Redwood Shores. Here are Chuck's final words ... before his lunch.
Crispy Gamer: What's with the zombies wearing pants?
Chuck Beaver: [Laughs] Yes, some of them wear pants. That's true.
Crispy Gamer: They have no tops. Yet they have pants.
Beaver: Necromorphs are all dead crew members. So at one point they all had full uniforms on. But when they were transformed, their rib cages split open, and extra limbs grew out of their bodies. The shirts get ripped up and fall off. And whatever isn't torn off of your body tends to stay with you. Thus, the pants.
Crispy Gamer: It's the same explanation they always give for the Hulk. "He suddenly grew, and his shirt went flying off."
Beaver: The Hulk has pants, too, yes.
Crispy Gamer: But then there are some zombies, like the fat ones, that are completely naked.
Beaver: It depends on the transformation. When the fat ones become the fat ones, all of their clothes come off. This is a fascinating conversation so far.
"I wonder when this game is going to start getting good..."
I'm a lot of fun at dinner parties. I have to confess,
Dead Space made a terrible first impression on me. I hated all the "Boo!" moments at the beginning. I didn't like "Boo!" moments 12 years ago in
Resident Evil; and I really didn't like them in
Dead Space. They're so cheap. But then, as the game progresses, there are fewer of them. Something changed for me. That barrier that stands between me playing a game, and me being in the game, it slowly went away. I feel like
Dead Space is one of these slow-burn games. It takes awhile to warm up, but once it gets cooking, it really cooks. I wound up liking it a lot.
Beaver: At what point did you start enjoying it?
Crispy Gamer: Probably around the midpoint. I'd leveled up a few of my weapons. I didn't run every time I heard a noise anymore. I felt more confident in the well-being of my avatar. Talk a little bit about why
Dead Space might have had this slow-burn effect on me.
