Sunday, January 27, 2013

Hail to Dead Space 3

Get ready to be scared, hated, and disliked by alien recombinants everywhere. What I mean by this is simple; welcome back to the galaxy known as Dead Space.

With numbero tres of the game's series on the horizon, I think it's time for another history lesson. Granted, I already talked about this game in the past; I think it's time for a little revisit.With that, let me gush over this until the keyboard stops working.

Dead Space 3 takes place two years after the events of Dead Space 2, this time on a very wintery planet that looks a lot like Hoth from the Star Wars series. Isaac is here on the planet in hopes of ending the marker's existence. It's said there was a government base there over 200 years ago, but it was eradicated by a necromorph outbreak. When Isaac first arrives, he doesn't even land as his ship is overtaken by a snow storm. When he awakes, his entire face is covered in frost and without a helmet. Once  he breaks from his jammed seat belt, he embarks on a journey into the unknown, not just to find out what happened to his crew; but to also find Ellie, his wife. With the new planet, you need to take into consideration how difficult it can be to see anything. And the game does just that. You can barely see five feet in front of you. With snow and ice flecking the screen; it gives a sense of how cold it really is. The elements that stick to Isaac's suit give amazing detail.

Let's talk about the details actually. Dead Space 3 is running on a completely revamped Visceral Tech Engine. It's been added with smoother controls, more polygons for extra detail, weather elements and weather effects on objects. Best of all, they've included a weapon crafting station. This is where you can modify or even create entirely new weapons for your enjoyment. Another additive is a drop in-drop out co op. This means someone can come in, or you come in, and then just leave, without interrupting the game. But if you don't want this, you can just turn the online feature off.

But have no fear, even with all of these features. This game is still pretty scary. The jump scares can happen anywhere. Not to mention, thanks to the frozen cold and limited visibility, you still feel alone on this world. A world, my friends. An entire planet just waiting to be seen by your own eyes. Isolation is what makes horror scary, and that, is what you need. And don't worry past Dead Space fans, you'll still float around in space. With the revamped engine, you'll go farther than before.

Dead Space 3 is hitting our shelves February 5th. Be sure to check it out. It looks beautiful, scary, and saddening at the same time. I hope you enjoyed the post. Keep on gaming, and have a great day.






















Dead Space and any other related symbols are owned by Visceral Games, which, in part, is owned by EA Games. All images were found by using a basic Google Search. Don't sue me, guys!
Dead Space logo image found at thecontrolleronline.com
Image number 2 found at
www.officialplaystationmagazine.co.uk
Image three
zombiegamer.co.za
Image 4 courtesy of
gotgame.com
Final splash image courtesy of
gamingbolt.com

Friday, January 25, 2013

Teacher gets Milken award.

A Barboursville teacher, Whitney Stead, was honored with the Milken teacher award on January 25, which is a mid-career educator who have made accomplishments beyond the classroom that provide models of excellence. Teachers kindergarten through twelfth grade can get the award. On her first day back from maternity leave, she got surprised with 25,000 dollars.
Only 70 people in West Virginia have gotten rewarded with this in the past 23 years!

photo courtesy from  http://dese.mo.gov/news/2011/images/milkenaward.JPG