Dead Space comic books. Dead Space animated films. Electronic Arts' marketing push behind their new survival horror IP has been nothing short of epic. To put this much faith in an untested product, EA must be pretty sure they've got something special on their hands, but then again parents often think their children are much more attractive and intelligent than they actually are. It takes an unbiased outsider to tell you if your baby is hot or not, and that's where the game critics come in. Hit the jump to see if Dead Space is the terrifying little darling that EA hoped for or just another ugly baby.

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"Do yourself a favour when you get the game," writes Ben Kuchera at Ars Technica. "Make the room as dark as possible. Turn the sound system up. Allow yourself to be swept away in it."

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By: Leigh Alexander

You're picking your way through the destitute skeleton of an abandoned building. All around you, decaying, discarded décor reminds you that people lived and worked here once, just as it prompts you to wonder what happened to them. Strange noises and crawling damp seep through the rotted walls.

Your backpack is stuffed with cryptic objects you inexplicably picked up in your exploration - unsettling to look at and obscure in their application, they somehow hold the solutions to the puzzles that impede your progress, if only you can figure them out.

It's dark, you've got a weak flashlight, a short knife, maybe a length of steel pipe you picked up along your way. And you have a sinking feeling that at the end of the next corridor, death is lurking in the shape of a shambling, deformed monster. But you press on through the dispassionate madness, driven by unravelling mysteries and the unresolved ghosts of your own past.

This is survival horror - does it still exist?

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Update: Zafehouse now has its very own website, zafehouse.com.

Everyone remembers Zafehouse, don't they? The free zombie survival horror simulator I coded in seven days? Well, turns out it was by far the most popular of the three titles that came out of the Game A Week feature, and there were plenty of people who submitted fixes and tweaks. I found myself with some spare time on the weekend, and decided to put together a version 1.5, incorporating the feedback I'd had on the game.

Originally, I just wanted to streamline encounters by removing the "next round" button and having things tick over automatically. But then I got another idea, and then another, and soon I found myself with a big list of changes, improvements and bug fixes.

I've included a complete rundown after the jump, but here's a summary if you can't wait:

* Buildings produce more resources, while raiding brings in less.
* Encounters streamlined, instant resolution button
* Zombie numbers increased.
* More shortcut keys.
* New scoring formula.
* New perk, and original perks improved.
* New building, the Church, which produces survivors.
* GUI improvements
* Numerous bug fixes (no more whipping from inside buildings)

Download Zafehouse v1.5 binaries.
Download Zafehouse v1.5 VB .NET source code.

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Valve's Doug Lombardi sat down with us this week to talk on a bunch of topics including the decisions behind the creation of zombie thrill-killer Left 4 Dead and why Microsoft hasn't given up on Games for Windows Live and just moved to Steam. We also learn that Left 4 Dead, which includes 20 maps stretched over four "movies", will likely get a movie viewer down the line that will allow gamers to watch their entire game session as a movie after a playing through a chapter.

Check out our three-parter after the jump.

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Halo and Gears seem to have rung in new gold standards in game mechanics, and the general trend since they hit the scene has shifted to favour action-intensive, fast-paced shooters. How has this affected the survival horror genre?

Here at E3, we chatted with Dead Space senior producer Chuck Beaver and asked him about creating fear in such an action-heavy, fast-paced environment. Many of the standard-setters for survival horror — think Silent Hill and the earlier Resident Evil games — used atmosphere, environment and careful pacing to terrify players. But Beaver's got some very specific tactics planned for Dead Space:

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Zombies? In an MMORPG? That sounds like the sort of game I was born to play. Dead Frontier isn't such a bad name, either. There's no big developer or publisher behind it, just an independent group by the name of Jagged Blade Games.

The graphics remind me of 10tons' Crimsonland, which itself is worth a look if you cackle uncontrollably at the thought of killing swarms of monsters and collecting insane power-ups. It has co-op too.

Dead Frontier is currently in open beta and free, so there's no reason not to give it a go if you find the idea even a little bit interesting. The official website includes various Flash mini-games to provide an idea of how it works. It's not complex stuff, but it has made me think seriously about trying the beta.

Dead Frontier [Official site]

The update to Zombie Panic: Source yesterday got me thinking about all the zombie mods I've ever played. Of them, there's only a few I've dedicated extensive chunks of time to and I thought I'd share my thoughts specifically on those ones.

Many such mods start with high hopes and ambitions, only to die from a lack of interest or experience. It's sad, but true. The reasons are totally understandable - a lot of the guys that work on these projects are studying or working full time, and finding even a couple of hours to code, map or model can be difficult. Having programmed freelance for a few years, I know how much time even just decent debugging can strip from your life.

That doesn't mean nothing makes it our alive. Or should I say un-alive. Don't worry, I'm expecting my comedy license to be revoked shortly.

As a bonus, I've included an honourable and dishonourable mention for two mods (well, a game and a mod) that are yet to be released.

Hit the jump for the full list, if you think you can handle it (of course you can).

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