I'm starting a series of blogs in homage to games that weren't as popular as some of their contemporaries by way of retro-reviews. There are two conditions to qualify a game that wasn't played: 1: Disappointing sales, and/or 2: a low meta-critic. I will also conclude each blog with a final verdict broken down into the following criteria:

1. Recommended
2. Recommended with reservation
3. Recommended with heavy reservation

The first game to be mentioned is the sci-fi survival-horror game Dead Space which I am currently finishing up on insane. I bought it last fall, and it's always been a great fall game. When the air is cooler, and it's darker outside, some games really stand out as must-plays -- Dead Space is one of them, with its sharp graphics and some awesome characters -- it's managed to create a universe of its own -- spawning a planned trilogy and an animated movie.

The game pushed a disappointing 75k on both platforms (not including Wii which has only sold 0.3k) which may appear as a lot but it really isn't given the overall quality of the game and the publisher expectations. It's actually one of those games I rarely see on my friends list but I am not sure about this community as a whole.

What was so great about it?

1. Awesome graphics
2. Atmospheric
3. Characters who felt real and involved
4. Zombies buurrrrr

What was bad?

1. Unclear directives sometimes?
2. Hard parts?

Verdict: Recommended!

This is a game that everyone should play regardless of what they think of survival horror games, and one of the great fall games best played at night when it's cold. Bring on the sequel!