It isn't until you go back and replay the original Dead Space that the full realisation of just how badly the series lost its way hits you in the face like a sledgehammer. By the time the third chapter rolled around, Dead Space just couldn't seem to decide if it was a horror game doing a crappy impression of an actioner, or an actioner doing a crappy impression of a horror game. Rewind back to the franchise's inaugural instalment though, and it's clear that Visceral Games set out to create a horror experience first and foremost. Sure, you can argue that much of the game's effectiveness in that regard relied heavily upon whether or not you were willing to put up with a jump scare every time you so much as turned a corner, but there was a genuine investment in conveying an oppressive sense of isolation. Safety was a fleeting notion at best on board the USG Ishimura, and every battle with the Necromorphs was a vicious tug of war between your nerves and reflexes - your chances of leaving the Ishimura in one piece plummeted with every stray shot, so unless you didn't mind losing 65% of your body mass in one swipe, you'd clamp down on your nerves and make with the strategic dismemberment.
