PAX 2009: Dead Space Extraction Review

I hadn't planned on hitting the Dead Space Extraction display at PAX, mostly because a shooter on rails on the Wii didn't exactly enkindle my burning desire. I had some time to spare after hitting the Left 4 Dead 2 booth a little early, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

Let's face it: lots of gamers have written off the Wii as having nothing to offer shooter fans, and up until the last few months or so, they were right. At E3, Nintendo teased Metroid: Other M and also announced that the entire Metroid Trilogy would soon be available for the Wii. Then came the Dead Space Extraction announcement, which up until recently I was admittedly lukewarm about. Luckily EA's Kevin Kimball patiently guided me through the controls and unique features in Dead Space Extraction, and I had a really good time.

I've played my share of Wii games, and it was always fun, but nothing so impressive that I decided to run out and buy my own Wii. At parties we would bowl and briefly relive our youth through Mario and friends, but we always retired to the Xbox 360 and Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and shooters.

To those of you out there that aren't avid gamers, a shooter on rails is a game where you don't control where the player goes. Think of it as an interactive themepark ride, only you get to freeze, fry, slash and 'splode the animatronics. This reminded me of my days as a military brat, saving up every penny, nickel and dime so I could convert them into precious quarters at the Base Exchange (BX) Arcade -- yes, I'm that old. In particular, it was a lot like Dragon's Lair, only instead of worrying about where my character went, my game time was spent finding the best ways to immolate and dismember xenomorphs. I prefer playing shooters on my PC first and my Xbox 360 second, but the controls for Dead Space Extraction felt pretty natural, and I adjusted quickly.

Often games are designed for the PC or another console, then sloppily ported to the Wii, where the controls suffer greatly -- I'm looking at YOU Need for Speed Carbon. Not so with Dead Space Extraction, designed from the ground up for Wii, which is apparent to a relative Wii neophyte like myself, and will be when the hardcore Wii vets get ahold of the game in a few weeks. I highly recommend Dead Space Extraction for any Wii gamer looking for something a little more visceral and adult than Mario Kart or Wii Sports.

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