There are some powerful video games that have fought for the title of scariest gaming series, yet Dead Space 2 and Alien: Isolation are exceptional titles that don’t always get their due. It’s exciting to witness how the survival horror gaming genre has evolved from a niche sector of the industry into one of the most beloved gaming sub-genres.
New survival horror titles come around every year, but it’s a lot more difficult to create a game that’s actually frightening and gives off a memorable experience. Dead Space 2 and Alien: Isolation both make some important decisions and strong arguments can be made for why they represent the very best of space-based horror games.
10 Dead Space 2: It Accentuates Both Horror & Action Gameplay
One of the interesting developments within survival horror is how it’s a gaming genre that’s increasingly found ways to blend itself with action genre elements. The very best games find a way to seamlessly combine these worlds and allow the action to compliment the horror, not detract from it.
Dead Space 2 absolutely finds this balance, whereas Dead Space 3 leans too far into the action direction and wrecks what this superior sequel works towards. The original Dead Space isn’t absent of action, but there’s just enough that’s added to the equation in Dead Space 2.
9 Alien Isolation: It’s The Alien Sequels Fans Of The Original Have Been Waiting For
Ridley Scott’s Alien has launched a wide franchise that’s included more movies, crossover ventures, a number of video games, and more. There is no lack of further Alien adventures, but audiences continue to long for an entry in the series that can match the power of the first two movies.
Other Alien games try to distance themselves from canon or chisel out their own corner of the universe, but Alien: Isolation chooses to operate like the legacy sequel that fans have been asking for and Ripley’s story finally gets continued, even if it’s through an ancestor.
8 Dead Space 2: The Claustrophobic & Disturbing Level Design
Space is an environment that can often feel endless, which is definitely where some of the horror can grow out of adventures set in space. This expansive environment is dangerous or just plain overwhelming to humans, which can get explored in various ways within video games.
Dead Space 2 cultivates claustrophobic level designs within its space station that are both restricting and frightening, but never feel unfair. There’s one especially effective level that returns to the Ishimura from the first game where Dead Space 2 cleverly plays against expectations of how it will be filled with Necromorphs.
7 Alien Isolation: The Exceptional Xenomorph AI Sets A New Standard
Horror games like Resident Evil or Dead Rising frequently create threatening enemies through the sheer excess of them that exist. It’s overwhelming to look at dozens of obstacles on the horizon, even if they’re not exactly intuitive threats. Alien: Isolation reverses this idea and delivers a game that largely has one enemy Xenomorph, but it’s absolutely brilliant when it comes to its negotiation of the levels and interpreting the player’s movements.
A detailed, intelligent enemy AI is easy to overlook in games, but it’s the defining detail that makes Alien: Isolation stand out and why it’s such a fulfilling experience.
6 Dead Space 2: The Use Of Audio Logs As A Way Of Crafting Canon
The best survival horror games find a way to tell disturbing stories through the mandatory gameplay segments, but also often allow deeper digs into the mythology for those that are hungry for more story. Resident Evil famously helps establish its trend with the wealth of notes and memos that are left around to collect.
Dead Space updates this trope with a very space-like alternative in the form of retrievable audio logs. This fits the sci-fi format, but there’s so much more emotion that can be conveyed in audio logs, especially when characters are beginning to take turns for the worse.
5 Alien Isolation: It Functions As Both A Standalone Story & A Sequel
It’s encouraging that many survival horror games have been able to develop into full franchises, but this can be exactly what deters some audiences to try out games. It can be intimidating to look at a Resident Evil 5 or Silent Hill 3 and be worried that details from the story will be missed for newcomers.
Alien: Isolation works so well because it presents an independent story that works on its own, but those familiar with the Alien films will also receive satisfying closure in some areas. Alternatively, Dead Space 2 is very much the middle part of a story.
4 Dead Space 2: The Horrifying Enemy & Boss Designs
The Dead Space series as a whole deserves credit for the Necromorph extraterrestrial species in general. So many horror games default to overdone monster ideas like zombies, so there’s something exciting about Dead Space’s Necromorphs and their accompanying lore.
Dead Space 2 adds even more complexity to these disturbing creatures and there are a number of boss battles that feature extravagant monstrosities that would make Resident Evil’s Tyrants flinch. Additionally, Dead Space 2 is also full of exciting weapons like the Plasma Cutter, Javelin Gun, and Ripper, all of which aid the unique execution method that’s necessary for Necromorph disposal.
3 Alien Isolation: It Prioritizes Surviving Over Attacking
One of the most disheartening growing trends for survival horror games is that action gameplay can overpower the horror elements. This problem derailed the Resident Evil games and Dead Space eventually succumbs to it as well.
An increase in action can sometimes make sense for a horror story, but it’s almost antithetical to space horror. It doesn’t make sense to have lots of shooting and chaos in a delicate space station and Alien: Isolation requires more hiding from the enemy than charging head-on into it.
2 Dead Space 2: The Creepy Story That Ends In A Dark Place
A major problem that survival horror series can face is that they’re not willing enough to allow the franchise to grow and get out of its comfort zone. Plenty of games just try to retread old ideas, so credit is due when a series takes a major swing.
Dead Space is a dark series, but the second game goes out on a bleak cliffhanger that foreshadows the end of Earth. A Necromorph invasion is imminent and it’s risky, yet rewarding territory to take the series. Unfortunately, Dead Space 3 backpedals and doesn’t allow this innovative decision to truly flourish.
1 Alien Isolation: It’s Full Of Satisfying Jump Scares
Horror video games benefit in a way that movies don’t because they add an extra level of immersion to the experience. In this sense, just the stress of needing to survive is frightening and the enemies themselves usually showcase disturbing designs.
Alien: Isolation strives to truly create a feeling that’s comparable to a horror movie. It crafts some excellent jump scares that make smart use of lighting and the environments. They’re far from manipulative and contribute to the constant tension that’s present in Alien: Isolation.
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