Video Game Journal – February 1 2023

Not feeling great last week also had a huge impact on my video game time. I didn’t get to play anything as much as I wanted to last week. Not even the convenience of the Steam Deck helped much this week.

It wouldn’t be a journal about video games if I didn’t play anything though. I did pick up my new DualSense Edge controller and give it a run. See what I think of the DualSense Edge on Friday! And what better game to give the new controller a workout than Dead Space…

Dead Space (Remake/2023)

On top of not feeling great, I had a lot of mixed emotions last week. I had high hopes for The Callisto Protocol but it ended up being just an average experience. The biggest mistake it made was making me want to play Dead Space instead.

I’ve been a fan of the Dead Space universe for years but had never made it past chapter 3 of the original game. When the new version of Dead Space (2023/Remake/whatever you want to call it) came out, I was torn. Do I want to play it now? But I decided to jump in and I am completely blown away.

20230201 - Dead Space - Hello USG Ishimura
Welcome to the USG Ishimura

It’s set a new standard for remakes. It’s like a “Director’s Cut Remaster” and it’s amazing. Everything from the first game is here and more. *cough Capcom cough*. They’ve added and improved upon so much. It’s like EA Motive looked at the RE remakes and a game director said “Hold My Beer”.

Dead Space is the gold standard for remakes. Period.

The world of Dead Space is more immersive than ever. The USG Ishimura is now a single environment, like the Spencer Mansion or the RCPD building. Side missions now flesh out throwaway characters or people that were only named in text logs.

20230201 - Dead Space - Cut off their limbs
If you know the Ishimura like the back of your hand, prepare to be surprised

The audio is also incredible and I highly recommend playing with good headphones. The lighting effects also need to be singled out for their contribution to the ambience. Every part of the Dead Space experience has been refined to make sure you are fully immersed. And I haven’t even tried the new game+ or Impossible mode changes yet! Everything about Dead Space is screaming ‘Play Me’!

I will say you may notice a little ‘fuzziness’ on the screenshots I have captured. This isn’t Dead Space, this is my PS5 and how it’s capturing the images. Everything looks amazing visually in-game, with the exception of a resolution drop while the tram travels.

Yes, while you use the ‘fast load’ mechanic from the original game, screen resolution drops as nothing happens. Is Dead Space using some of that rendering power elsewhere, or simple power conservation for a game lull? I’m not sure. Either way, not a minus to me!

20230201 - Dead Space - Its Time
If you have any interest, play Dead Space. Don’t watch others first – it will spoil the experience!

So even though I didn’t play as much as I hoped this weekend, if you’re a fan of the original Dead Space, this is a must-own. If you’re new to the series, I definitely recommend Dead Space 2023 over Callisto Protocol. Dead Space is definitely the first game of 2023 that not only delivers on the hype, it then surprises you with more than you knew you wanted all served in one glorious package.

Vampire Survivors

Super quick one for Vampire Survivors this week. Like Cartographers on my mobile, you can safely assume I am playing Vampire Survivors at this point!

The achievement hunting has slowed a little, but not the gameplay. Right now, I have unlocked 112 of 159 achievements – pretty impressive in my opinion! There is no timeline for me to try for all the achievements. If I looked further down the list there are probably 20 more ‘easy’ ones for me to unlock with the right characters.

One thing I was super happy with was I managed to last 35 minutes on a level – 5 more than you are supposed to. What does that mean? Not much! But it was super fun to reach that milestone, and made me happy for the rest of the day!

20230201 - Vampire Survivors - I lasted a long time
So when the reaper in white comes out, the game isn’t playing anymore

What about you?  I hope you got some great games in.  Or are you looking forward to a new one?  Let me know! 

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Until next time,

JohnHQLD