9. Dead Space - Dead Space (Chapter 12)
I'm slightly embarrassed to admit it but I wasn't that excited for the original Dead Space. Konami and Capcom had control of the survival horror genre with Silent Hill and Resident Evil, the gameplay footage I saw didn't blow me away and it was the first time EA had attempted a game of this kind. I was sure they would fall flat on their face. Oh how wrong I was. Dead Space is an absolute masterpiece of survival horror that ticked all the right boxes. Atmospheric and desolate location - check. Isolated and vulnerable protagonist - check. Enemies that made you fill your pants the moment they came onscreen - check. Dead Space revelled in the conventions of sci-fi horror and it showed. All until the final chapter. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the final boss fight and the jump-out-of-your-seat moment that followed it. My issue lies with the gameplay that preceded those moments. In the previous 11 chapters you have uncovered a mysterious marker, a religious cult associated with said marker and a plot to retrieve it. In the final chapter you have reached the surface of Aegis VII and need to load the marker into place to destroy the Hive Mind. The only thing that stands in your way is nearly every single enemy you have previously encountered, excluding bosses. Cue an extremely boring set-piece in which you use your suit's kinetic ability to move the marker through a seemingly endless number of rooms infested with Necromorphs. There are no real tactics needed here, it's simply shoot, move, shoot, move then shoot some more then move a little bit more. If classic horror has taught us anything, it is that the scares come from restraint, not excess. A rule that, for the most part, Dead Space stuck to, making this final grind seem as thrilling as a Last Of The Summer Wine marathon with your nan.