I eventually got round to playing this! I had the 2008 version on Steam, so I thought I'd give it a go instead of the recent remake. Note: if you're playing on Steam Deck, I'd recommend messing with the joystick deadzones for a smoother experience.
Despite being released 15 years ago, the graphics still look decent! Having no HUD elements is really neat. The gameplay was initially quite stiff and clunky feeling, but it's something you get used to. You may be aware that a unique mechanic for this game is the ability (and requirement) to cut off enemy limbs. I found this to be a very refreshing take on the standard shooter rule of going for the head. As you progress, you'll come across certain enemies that swing their limbs about wildly and this is where the 'stasis' power comes in very handy. Though more often than not I found myself unloading several bullets in panic, before remembering that stasis is a thing.
Ammo is very limited so you have to be conservative with it. In this respect (and perhaps in the claustrophobic nature of the game in general), I felt that there were a lot of similarities to the Resident Evil games. I was constantly running out of ammo for the plasma cutter (ol' reliable) which encouraged me to use the other weapons on offer, all of which were unique and fun.
I did feel like navigation of the ship was flawed. The layout was extremely confusing and same-y, so I usually depended on the guidance system to show me which way to go. If the game was designed from the ground up, I'd love to see a more open map approach with recognisable landmarks (akin to a Metroid Prime map).
The story is told in a similar manner to the first Bioshock game, with the lore explained through video/audio/text logs, and through the occasional NPC interaction from a distance. It was a straightforward story but it took interesting turns that I wasn't expecting.
I think Dead Space (2008) holds up really well, and is definitely worth playing in 2023. I don't know much about the remake, but assuming it improves the graphics and controls I'm guessing it would be the best option.
On to Dead Space 2!
If you enjoyed DS1, you might also enjoy the OG Prey (2006). I recall them both being from the same era, and both being quite good. IIRC, prey probably had the more interesting plot and DS had more interesting combat mechanics between the two. Although both were good in their own right.
Be advised, Prey 2 (2017) seems to have very little to do with the OG.
I actually had no idea Prey (2017) was a loose sequel to an earlier game. It looks like the 2006 game is quite hard to obtain nowadays... Maybe one to pirate at some point.
What do you think of the 2017 game? I've also heard good things about that.
Prey 2017 isn't even Prey 2, it's just a different game called Prey. They did have ownership of the license, but slapped it onto a different game. They share a sci Fi setting with a hostile alien race, but are different in almost every other way.
If OP is a patient gamer and likes to explore a franchise in order, the best way to experience Prey 2017 would be to play System Shock 1 and 2, then Prey 2017, as its basically System Shock 3 spiritually, there are lots of little parts of its mechanical design that echo System Shock.
The original Prey is interesting too, much more flawed, but an inspired shooter
Yeah, if you played both games, you can definitely see they're really unrelated. Literally the only consistency between the two is that there are aliens, but they're completely different aliens, and a different type of game.
The original Prey has interesting themes, but it got really boring to me because it felt fail-proof. IIRC, when you die, you have a weird sequence where you're able to regain some health and just continue on from where you were. Basically there's no consequence to death, you don't even have to restart at a previous checkpoint or anything. It's been a while, so I may be misremembering, but that's what I recall from the game having played it back then.
Yes, when you die you go into a spirit world and I believe you hunt birds with a bow and arrow or something until you get enough spirit to return to life, it's actually pretty interesting of an idea in how it creates a new death mechanic and plays into the lore of Tommy's character, but if you die a lot then it gets a little stale.
I really enjoyed both Prey and Prey 2, although I must admit there were some places in Prey where the gravity flips made me disoriented, bit that's actually more immersive. Both had compelling stories, I second this recommendation..