3. USG Ishimura Dead Space
I honestly cannot think of a more atmospheric setting in a video game than that of the original Dead Space, the USG Ishimura. From the first time we see the ship until the moment we leave, the USG Ishimura is as much a character in Dead Space as any. The opening scene, for me, is among the most memorable of the generation. Similar to that of the original Bioshock and Rapture, the setting is somewhat kept from you as you travel to it, only to be thrust into glorious view. In the opening moments of Dead Space Isaac Clarke sits and listens to a conversation between his two flight crew as they travel through a wormhole, the ship emerges into the vastness of space and the window showcases the beauty and solace of it with a planet and some debris ahead, eventually a piece of the planetary debris floats away and the USG Ishimura is unveiled in all its chilling magnificence. Needless to say things only get worse and worse for Isaac. The ship has become a breeding ground for Necromorphs, a hideous race of aliens who infect and reanimate human bodies and reshape them with more limbs. These creatures are hell bent on killing anything in sight and their only weakness is to dismember them. There is a distinct similarity to Alien franchise in Dead Space; the isolation of a utility ship filled with terrifying, face-sucking aliens. The design of Dead Space also feels quite similar to Alien in both its lighting, layout, ship design and the dark atmosphere. The biggest similarity, besides the obvious aliens on a ship in space, is the fact that the aliens are dependent on corpses as vehicles to infect, consume and warp, both the Alien franchise and Dead Space have inherently similar creatures.
So, it seems aliens really hate human faces... Of course the similarities continue in Dead Space 2 and Aliens, significantly Isaac and Ripleys attempts at dealing with the events theyve witnesses and survived; their post-traumatic stress is evident throughout both. But enough of the comparisons. Dead Space was a great game and its sequels werent bad either but the best thing about the original game was the USG Ishimura. The ship itself is terrifying; blood smeared hallways, flickering lights, the haunting version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star playing in random parts of the ship, shadows on every wall, chilling space sequences with no sound and last but not least, the myriad of frickin aliens trying to tear you apart. The setting is a massive reason why that game was so good, memorable andwellterrifying! Dead Space has a surprisingly strong story that goes far beyond the simple scary aliens on a ship set-up. Legendary horror director John Carpenter said lately that he would love to make a movie of Dead Space, which I think would basically write itself and with a setting like the USG Ishimura the scares are already there, I for one would love to see it happen. The USG Ishimura is one of the most immersive, atmospheric and memorable settings of all time, with frights around every corner, terrifying aliens roaming the hallways, and the eerie silence of space, the old saying in space no one can hear you scream never felt quite so true.