Summary
2023’sDead Spacewas a masterful reinvention of the 2008 classic. Praised by critics and fans alike, the remake infused the firstDead Spacewith a host of improvements made by its sequel, making for a more fluid and fine-tuned set of core mechanics. FollowingDead Space Remake’s massive success, rumors quickly began to swirl that developer EA Motive was set to remakeDead Space 2next. While this would be a welcome experience for many fans, it sets the series on a particular path, remaking previous titles, rather than progressing the series forward. In this way,Dead Space’s success could lead EA Motive to shoot for the wrong moon.
Dead Spacemade a massive impact upon release, reigniting the passion of a fanbase that had long been abandoned. However, the time since its release has seen it fly largely under the radar, as the rest of 2023 was chock-full of massive critical and commercial hits. While fans are hopeful that the first game’s success will result in more entries in theDead Spaceseries, it seems likely that EA Motive is set to follow the modern, and frustrating, trend of remaking old titles instead of providing fans with a new adventure. However, the originalDead Spacetrilogy ended on a whimper, before failing to garner a fourth entry. The lengthy process of following in its footsteps, with a remade trilogy, may lead to the same fate.
Whilethe originalDead Spacetrilogyholds a special place in the realm of survival horror, its demise is a prime example of how to ruin a series through over-modernization. The first title took gaming by storm with its unique scares, dismemberment mechanics, and sci-fi horror immersion.Dead Space 2made a host of improvements to the series' core mechanics and dropped fans in a much grander and psychologically horrifying masterpiece. However,Dead Space 3attempted to inject the series with certain hallmarks of the era, namely an action-horror focus and a local co-op campaign. In doing so, it removed focus on whatDead Spacefans loved most about the series, garnering a less-than-favorable reception and killing the series' momentum. A sequel toDead Space 3was never made.
A trilogy ofDead Spaceremakes runs the risk of following in the original’s fate unless the games can truly differentiate themselves from their respective predecessors. However, this leads to another issue. One of the reasons thatDead Space Remakewas so successful was its implementation and improvement of core features from its sequels. The title plays much more similarly toDead Space 2than the game on which it’s based. While this allows the first remake to stand out, it creates a unique situation in which aDead Space 2remake may struggle to differentiate itself. By the time aDead Space 3remake rolls around, the series may not have the momentum required to garner a fourth entry, once again.
Dead Space(2023) breathed new life into the series and re-introduced a forgotten masterpiece to a new generation of gamers. However, its success should serve as an indication of a fourth entry’s viability, not the desire for a remade trilogy. Fans already had to wait a full decade to playa modernDead Spacetitle, 2023’s remake, and the process of developing and releasing the next two sequels could take close to another decade. By placing its efforts on remaking the trilogy, rather than growing the series, EA Motive would be focusing on the wrong objective.
Dead Spacefans are clamoring for a new entry in the series, and the success of theDead Spaceremake proves that the series can hold its own in the modern landscape. Because of this, longtime fans may be less than enthusiastic about partaking in the original trilogy yet again, especially considering its incredibly weak final entry.EA Motiveshould strike while the iron is hot and invest in the future of theDead Spaceseries, rather than its past. Until an official announcement is made about the series' next entry, there’s hope that a fourth entry in theDead Spaceseries will eventually see release.
Dead Space (2023)
WHERE TO PLAY
The sci-fi survival-horror classic Dead Space™ returns, completely rebuilt from the ground up to offer a deeper, more immersive experience. This remake brings jaw-dropping visual fidelity, suspenseful atmospheric audio, and improvements to gameplay while staying faithful to the original game’s thrilling vision.Isaac Clarke is an everyman engineer on a mission to repair a vast mining ship, the USG Ishimura, only to discover something has gone horribly wrong. The ship’s crew has been slaughtered and Isaac’s beloved partner, Nicole, is lost somewhere on board.Now alone and armed with only his engineering tools and skills, Isaac races to find Nicole as the nightmarish mystery of what happened aboard the Ishimura unravels around him. Trapped with hostile creatures called Necromorphs, Isaac faces a battle for survival, not only against the escalating terrors of the ship but against his own crumbling sanity.
