Added to the Games on Demand section of the Xbox Live Marketplace today was Dead Space and best of all, it’s up there priced at only $19.99.

The game, which released a little over a year ago, runs in full-on 1080p, and is comprised of strategically dismembering hungry creatures among other tasks, in order to stay alive.

We reviewed the title when it came out Oct. 14 of last year, and if you’d like to peruse our review again, you can do so here.

The digital copy Microsoft is selling clocks in at 6GB, so we hope your hard drive is beefy enough to handle it.

At $19.99, the title should be pretty attractive, seeing as GameStop sells a used copy for just $2 less, at $17.99, and this is brand new and runs off your hard drive. But the choice is, as always, yours.

Dead Space — Xbox 360 Games on Demand.

It’s a sure-fire bet that digital distribution is the way of the future, but for those already embracing it, Microsoft plans to add 6 more titles to its growing catalogue of games on the Games-on-Demand service by the end of the month.

The list is comprised of all winners, but Microsoft made no mention of price, which is more than likely the most determining factor. As always, when we hear, you’ll know.

October 13

• Grand Theft Auto IV

October 20

• Midnight Club: Los Angeles
• Army of Two
• Sonic Unleashed

October 27

• Dead Space
• DiRT

Extraction is, as EA puts it, a “guided first-person experience.” While many people scoffed at the notion, and claimed that EA was just dressing up the term on-rails shooter so that the opinion of this Wii prequel would be higher, those who have now played through Extraction will have to admit that EA was not full of it, and the game is much, much more than your standard on-rails shooter. The first-person perspective, the focus on action and atmosphere and the constant dialogue from your characters makes this game much more Aliens than Alien, but it’s still Dead Space in every way.

In order to make this feel like it belonged in the Dead Space universe, Visceral needed to accomplish a few goals. First, they needed to nail the atmosphere. The original took its cues from games like Resident Evil 4, Doom 3 and the Metroid Prime series to create a sci-fi world where you would feel isolated, helpless, and very, very scared, and these feelings permeated the entire experience. With ammunition at a premium, every battle with the Necromorphs was a struggle as you tried to dismember their limbs and push on through the halls of the Ishimura. Visually, the game was stunning, with attention to detail in things like shadows and lighting that helped you scare yourself when the game wasn’t busy doing it for you. The audio was also fantastic, and helped to keep the mood thick with tension that you couldn’t get over even when the coast appeared clear.

While Extraction is not as much of a horror game as Dead Space, it still managed to meet the expectations for atmosphere–enemies attack you in large numbers from all directions,  you need to keep an eye on your ammunition, and, despite the stop and go nature of an on-rails title, there are plenty of surprises thrown your way thanks to the developer’s control over the action. The sound is also excellent, with text logs and reloading effects coming through the Wii Remote speaker and plenty of bumps and thuds in the dark to keep you on edge. I’m also happy to report that this game is a visual stunner–there was not a single moment in my entire playtime of Extraction where I wished the game was on more powerful hardware, because Visceral Games did a fantastic job recreating the visuals. Remember–this is a game that places place in the same exact areas as the original Dead Space, so the fact that Visceral was able recreate those areas and environments without forcing the player to think negatively about them in a negative sense is a huge achievement. Seeing the same rooms also helps shed some light on how certain areas ended up covered completely in the bodies of the dead, or destroyed by blasts and so forth. For those who have played the original, it’s a very nice, subtle bit of fan service and story expansion.

Besides that, Visceral also would need a compelling narrative; while the characters themselves fall into horror movie stereotypes–the calm, collected leader figure, the veteran soldier, the helpless girl, the shady, self-important guy that won’t reveal his past–the story itself is right up there with the action as far as being compelling goes. You’ll keep playing Extraction to learn what happened to the Ishimura and its crew, as well as those people from the colony you’re in control of,  not just because blowing the limbs off of mindless creatures is exhilarating. (though that has its merits as well!)

The game is broken up into 10 chapters, and you’ll control a slew of different characters throughout depending on what needs to be done and who has been separated from who. To keep you on your toes, many characters you travel with or are controlling are killed off without warning as part of the story–you’re never quite sure what’s going to happen next, which helps build the tension. You’ve got loads of Dead Space standbys at your disposal, like the Plasma Cutter, the Flame Thrower, the Ripper–which by the way, works much more effectively in Extraction than in the original thanks to pushing and pulling on the Wii Remote to aim the spinning blades–as well as a few new weapons, like the Rivet Gun. The Rivet Gun is used for its tool purposes–you’ll seal off barricades by riveting them into place–but also as your basic “pistol” type weapon that does not run out of ammo but is clearly weaker than your other options. Secondary fire modes are enabled by twisting the Wii Remote, and the only motion you’ll deal with is intuitive: to enable the flashlight-esque Glow Worm, you’ll shake the Wii Remote–this will often need to be done while in dark hallways in the middle of battles, so keep an eye on it and feel that tension build–and in order to throw a Necromorph off of you as it tries to devour your face.

You have recharging stasis shots that come in handy for environmental puzzles as well as slowing down faster enemies or dangerous ones in your peripheral vision. You’re able to grab ammunition, weapons, health, audio and text logs from afar using Kinesis; you can also grab projectiles from enemies and explosive canisters that can be fired off with the B button. You can do all of this in single-player, or pair up with a buddy anytime with drop-in co-op–on the harder difficulty levels, some people may find co-op a necessity just so you can fire twice as often and at different targets. Even on Normal, the second half of the game is challenging. You’ll most likely live through it, probably without dying even, but it will get hairy on occasion. Given the game has four difficulty levels, you’ll be able to test for yourself just how good you are at Extraction. It’s a good thing too, because the game may run a little short. It’s long for an on-rails title, clocking in at 7-8 hours, but still short as far as a shooter goes.

Besides the difficulty modes, there are a few more extras that will help you get your money’s worth out of the title though. You’re graded on each level you complete, and you unlock additional health and weapon upgrades by achieving higher scores. Challenge modes unlock as you complete the story; the title is not misleading, as you face wave after wave of Necromorphs as they try to tear you limb from limb in order to make you like them. You can also check out some Dead Space comics in motion comic form, which is a neat extra, especially for those that are very much into the Dead Space universe and all of the non-game content.

Blast Factor: Dead Space: Extraction had a lot to live up to in order to be a worthy entry in the Dead Space series, but it succeeded in many huge ways while only failing in minor, negligible forms. It has more depth than any on-rails title you’ve ever played, a great and engaging story, and many reasons to come back; namely, more difficulties, the Challenge modes, and the motion comics. I hope this is the start of a companion series for the Wii used to flesh out details of the Dead Space universe, but even if it is not, this game stands up on its own as a great Wii title and one of the system’s better releases in 2009.

Dead Space: Extraction is available exclusively on the Nintendo Wii, and retails for $49.99. A copy of this game was given to us by the publisher for review purposes.

BLAST: Tell us a bit about Dead Space: Extraction and how it fits into what we know about the ever-growing Dead Space universe.

SMP:  Extraction is the official prequel to Dead Space.  The game kicks off from the moment the Red Marker is extracted and follows a group of four people as they attempt to escape Aegis VII and see sanctuary on the USG Ishimura.

BLAST: Rather than port over the original Dead Space to the Wii, the focus for Visceral Studios was instead to create an original property that expanded on the Dead Space universe. What drove you in that direction, rather than the one that many Wii owners are accustomed to seeing?

SMP:  As gamers we wanted to create a unique Dead Space experience from the ground up for the Nintendo Wii.  The Wii is a very unique console with its innovate motion controls and we wanted to embrace the challenge of building a Wii game and that meant starting from the ground up.

BLAST: There are mature games on the Wii, but they have hit retail with varying levels of success. What, in your mind, separates Dead Space: Extraction from those mature Wii games already on the market, as well as those that are still on the way?

SMP:  With Extraction we are hoping to deliver a unique and new Dead Space experience for Wii gamers.  One of our main areas of focus with Extraction was nailing the atmosphere the first game had.  Compared to some of the other mature games on the Wii we feel our visuals and gameplay will really stand apart and hopefully interest a wide range of gamers.

BLAST: From what I have played, even in a room full of other people, this game has you jumping and feeling antsy just like the original did. Since the game is a guided experience though, was it challenging to recreate that creepy atmosphere in this format? How was it accomplished?

SMP:  Going with the Guided Experience approach has really opened a lot of doors for us as it relates to setting up tension and scares.  With this new perspective we have been able to approach the game in ways familiar to film makers.  Since the majority of the time we know where the camera will be looking we can leverage that knowledge and create some good set ups that we were not able to do on the original game.

BLAST: Part of the problem with the Wii is perception; many gamers that consider themselves “hardcore” have ignored the Wii in favor of its other console cousins. What do you think Dead Space: Extraction can do about changing the mindset of those gamers by convincing them that it’s okay to own and even like a Wii?

SMP:  Personally as a gamer I think it’s great to have options when it comes to the game systems I play on.  I enjoy playing games on all of the various console and handhelds.

I hope people enjoy Extraction and view it as one of the must have games on the Wii.  I think gamers are open minded and as long as a game is fun will give it a shot regardless of the platform it is on.  Hopefully they feel that way about Extraction.

“The Dead Space Extraction comic reunites renowned illustrator Ben Templesmith and writer Antony Johnston with the game’s cold and terrifying fiction,” the companies said in a statement. “This one-time special issue comic follows the successful partnership for last year’s Dead Space comic mini-series.

The comic will be on store shelves in September for $3. A limited edition version of the comic featuring exclusive cover art will be available for the special price of $2 at the EA Comic-con booth.

“There is so much more to the Dead Space universe than we could ever fit into one game and we’re excited to be working with Image Comics again to extend the story in Dead Space Extraction,” said Steve Papoutsis, executive producer of Dead Space Extraction. “Ben and Antony did such a tremendous job with the original comic, we can’t wait for fans to get their hands on this special issue.”

Dead Space Extraction is the prequel to the award-winning Dead Space action/horror game. It ships September 29.

Five members of the Blast team are in San Diego for Comic-Con International!

Blast had the chance to play Dead Space Extraction at E3, checking out the two player co-op mode with Chase Colasonna from Fortyseven Communications.

I also had the chance to chat with Steve Papoutsis, senior producer at EA’s Visceral Games, the studio behind Dead Space, Dante’s Inferno, and other hot titles.

The game is on a rail. There are tons of cut scenes and lots of story tidbits that reveal themselves as you progress. Papoutsis told me that they weren’t going for an arcade game feel, but seconds through the first level I was thinking “Time Crisis,” and I stand by the comparison.

The visuals are impressive, especially for a Wii game, and the co-op mode is fun, with tons of weapons and powerups that the players can share. The arcade feel actually works very well for the game, so it was surprising to hear that EA is shying away from that label. They are really going for a thick plot that sucks you in, and though I didn’t get that far in Extraction, I’ll buy the argument.

One thing I like is that there are puzzles throughout the game that the players have to complete together in order to advance. This adds to the game significantly with a bit of cerebral exercise, though it’s mostly about moving the Wiimote in the right direction.

But the main thing is that the game is fun and lets you jump quickly into the action, like raining molten fire down on some serious baddies.

Q&A with Visceral Games’ Steve Papoutsis:

Blast: So this is the Dead Space prequel. What does the Nintendo Wii add to this game?

Steve Papoutsis: So right off the bat, the Nintendo Wii brings a whole new kind of design thinking to the game. You have the unique Wii Remote and the nunchuck controls — you have to really think about how you’re going to use those. So for Extraction, it’s just a perfect analogue for pointing at the screen and shooting. The controls first and foremost are the big difference.

Blast: Dead Space is still a fairly new product. Where do you want to take this IP from here?

SP: Well right now I’m personally, solely focused on extraction, but I’d love to see more games in the Dead Space universe in the future.

Blast: Were you going for an arcade feel with this game — a kind of classic shooter game?

SP: No. Our goal with Extraction was to try to deliver on the same atmosphere, mood and visuals that Dead Space had. The way that extraction plays, you’ll notice that it’s not just a shoot-’em-up every five seconds. There’s areas where there’s pacing and story and there’s puzzles and different things that bring innovation to this type of game.

Blast: What do you think is the best part about the game so far? What should fans be looking for?

SP: My favorite feature is co-op. It’s really great to be able to play with a friend. When we started making the game, one of our goals was to make sure that it was easy to play with a friend. Jump right in. That was one of our goals. It’s really fun playing with a friend, making up different strategies and piecing the story together.

Extraction is a prequel to its big brother HD console counterpart Dead Space, and is promised to bring the same “high polished, action horror experience of Dead Space” as well as “upping the ante for technical excellence” to Nintendo’s crazy-popular home console.

“Our team is really excited to bring the intensity of the Dead Space universe to an entire new audience,” said Executive Producer, Steve Papoutsis. “We are going to deliver the same high quality, cinematic experience we delivered in the original Dead Space, while also adding co-op, new enemies, weapons and taking advantage of all of the unique features the Wii has to offer.”

Dead Space Extraction is being developed by Visceral Games (you may remember them as EA Redwood Shores) and will introduce Lexine, a brand new character, and the ultimate heroine whose abilities are instrumental to the eventual survival of the crew.

Today we get our answer, as EA and Redwood Studios announced Dead Space Extraction, a Wii exclusive that will utilize the controller capabilities of the console. Dead Space Extraction is set to be an on-rails shooter, set in the first person viewpoint, which is markedly different from the original game. With the IR pointer though, on-rails shooters have seen something of a rebirth on the Wii. Given that Dead Space is one of EA’s new babies as well, it’s hard to see them doing a shoddy job with it.

The promise coming from EA is that Redwood Studios plans on pushing the capabilities of the Wii for this game, and not simply cashing in on the series’ name thanks to the large install base of the system. They also plan on pushing the on-rails horror genre in general; if they can top the amazing effort that Sega and Headstrong Games just rolled out with House of the Dead: Overkill, I don’t think they will have any problem earning themselves a strong following for this title.

I’m interested in playing an on-rails game that can scare me. When Dead Space released, I reviewed it and gave it a five out of five stars (our old scoring system still existed back then) in part because of the gameplay, but mostly because of the immersive atmosphere that made you feel like you were Isaac Clarke, and you were always one missed shot away from death. It was a phenomenal game, and I hope that the team can pull it off again in a new genre on a new system. Adding in co-op should be points in the game’s favor as well; more local multiplayer is always appreciated.

We will have more info for you as it releases. For now, check out this trailer for the title. Sadly, there’s no information as of yet as to whether this is gameplay or a cutscene, but it sure looks good.

From EA:

EA Announces Dead Space Extraction Exclusive for the Wii

All-New Hero, Story and Characters Extend the Dead Space Universe

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today revealed Dead Space^TM Extraction, an all-new chapter from the studio that delivered the award-winning action-horror Dead Space game. Built from the ground up and developed exclusively for the Wii^TM, Dead Space Extraction is a prequel that reveals the events leading up to Isaac Clarke’s mission on the USG Ishimura in the original Dead Space game released in 2008. Dead Space Extraction will marry the innovative motion controls of the Wii Remote with a frenetic first person perspective to create a new action-packed horror experience.

Dead Space Extraction tells the story of a handful of space colonists desperately struggling to escape from a horrific infection on the Aegis VII mining colony deep in the furthest regions of space. The game introduces a new heroine to the fiction and as the crew fall victim to a mysterious contagion aboard the ship, it becomes clear that protecting her may be their only hope for survival. Dead Space Extraction introduces all new characters, weapons, enemies, puzzles and co-operative multiplayer gameplay.

“We could not be more excited to extend Dead Space into an experience exclusive to the Wii. Nintendo has a wonderful history in the horror genre and we are thrilled to build on that tradition with Dead Space Extraction,” said Glen Schofield, VP and General Manager of EA Redwood Shores studio. “As we were developing Dead Space, we realized that there was so much of the story going untold. Dead Space Extraction tells that story with all of the intensity, blood and gore that fans would expect.”

Dead Space Extraction is an EA Redwood Shores title and is scheduled to ship in Fall 2009. This product has not yet rated by ESRB or PEGI.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS^TM, EA^TM, EA SPORTS Freestyle^TM and POGO^TM. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, POGO and Dead Space are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Building off that, here is my list of the top 10 video games of 2008.

11. The Honorable Mentions:

Mega Man IX — Platformer

(PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii) Ladies, want to buy your 20-something man a gift that will make him giggle like an eighth grader? Spend 10 bucks on Mega Man 9, a new take on the hyper-challenging classic video game that requires quick reflexes to battle a horde of evil robots and their sinister master.

AND — Final Fantasy IV for DS, Call of Duty: World at War, de Blob for Wii

10. The Witcher Enhanced Edition — RPG

(PC) This Atari title’s beautiful visuals and compelling supernatural story will remind you why you love to play computer games. The Enhanced Edition builds in an already good game, making it a great game.

9. N+ — Platformer

(DS, PSP) Atari had a hell of a year. N+ is a sickly addictive, graphically simple platformer where you do what good platforming good guys do — jump around and collect gold.

8. Resistance 2 — Action

(PlayStation 3) This might be the best multiplayer game on the list, with as many as 60 players getting together online and shooting the bejesus out of anything that moves. There is also a gripping alternate history storyline.

Resistance 2 also boasts the best trailer.

7. Dead Space — Action

(PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC) Electronic Arts stepped way out of its comfort zone of sports games and The Sims to put together a haunting sci-fi action game that will suck you in until you’re completely addicted.

Bottom line: EA’s balls dropped this year, and they put out some sick games that are better than 18 or the last 19 Maddens.

6. Guitar Hero: World Tour — Music

(PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii) This is comparable to the first Rock Band, with players jamming on drums, guitars, and a microphone. There’s one important difference, though: With Guitar Hero: World Tour, you can compose your own songs.

Activision finally made a music game that’s as good as Rock Band, a year later. The jury is still out on the studio mode. I’m just waiting for them to put out a Rammstein track pack so I can relive high school.

5. LittleBigPlanet — Platformer

(PlayStation 3, PSP) Users create downloadable content for this game, in which you guide players called Sackboys through a variety of levels and tasks.

Xbox 360 may be killing PS3 in sales again, but PlayStation has the most best games.

4. Fable II — RPG

(Xbox 360) This cerebral game starts with a magic box that grants wishes to your character – who begins as a poverty-stricken orphan and grows up to be whoever you want him to be – good or evil, even straight or gay.

Ok, here’s where I swallow hard, because we’re at #3 and it’s an Xbox exclusive. Fable II is also one of our highest rated games.

3. Rock Band 2 — Music

(PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Wii) It looks, feels, and plays a lot like the original Rock Band, the four-player phenomenon with guitar, bass, drum, and microphone. But Rock Band 2 has more than 80 new songs and plenty more available to purchase, plus an 18-song AC/DC concert you can buy or download.

2. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots — Action

(PlayStation 3) The only argument I might find here is that it’s not #1, which GameSpot may insist on. They gave it a perfect 10/10.

1. Fallout 3 — Action/RPG

As my review said, not only is Fallout 3 the best game o f the year, but it’s one of the best games ever made. Blast’s Best Game of E3 is also Blast’s Best Game of 2008. Fallout 3 is the best game of 2008, and may not be beat for a long time.

Aftermath

Missing Wii-only games? Yeah. We are. And it’s not just because I said Wii would fail back in 2006. You can make the case for Mario Kart, and you can argue Brawl into the mix, but 2008 was a disaster for the Wii. Nintendo also did a belly flop at E3, and we were there to see it. Funny thing is that 2007 was huge for Wii, 2008 was a write-off, and 2009 might be another huge year if the Motion Plus takes off, and I do like the Motion Plus.

If you have ever experimented in the kitchen, trying to mix different elements of your favorite dishes together, then you have an idea of how “Dead Space” came to fruition. Many times, you come away with something that has its high points, but in the end is somewhat unsatisfying and unfocused, something that is missing just that little extra flavor or attention to detail that could have pushed your experimental dinner over the edge.

On occasion though, you will do everything just right, adding just the right amount of flavors and spices to a dish and coming away with something that defies your expectations and, in some ways, rivals or surpasses the products you were borrowing from in the first place. Luckily for developer EA Redwood Shores, “Dead Space” is much more of the latter than the former, a triumph in the field of survival horror and a game that no one should miss out on during this pre-holiday influx of top-grade titles.

The title borrows heavily from some heavy hitters in gaming’s history: the atmosphere is ripped straight out of “Metroid Prime,” though in a more mature and gory setting. Your manipulation of items through the use of telekinesis is very much like having “Half-Life 2″’s gravity gun at your disposal, especially since anything you grasp with your suit’s powers can be utilized to slow and injure the enemies that give chase.

Cut scenes come from the in-game engine, which allows your character able to walk around the area freely much like Gordon Freeman did in both Half-Life titles. Enemies pop out of corners and from behind you, much like in “Doom 3″-mercifully though, your meager flashlight comes from your weapon, meaning you can both shoot and see at the same time. The balance between action and survival horror is something anything who has played “Resident Evil 4″ knows well, especially late in the game when everything except for enemies to dispose of is at a premium.

You play as Isaac Clarke, an engineer who is supposed to be on the mining ship Ishimura in order to do some maintenance. His name comes from a combination of science-fiction writers Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke-the developers at Redwood Shores have impeccable taste in sci-fi, if you could not tell by now-and, much like the aforementioned Freeman, ends up being pretty useful when his back is against the wall against mysterious creatures looking to cut his mortal coil. He’s placed in an incredibly gory setting, one that helps to make the atmosphere more mature than the titles it borrows ideas from.

After you are attacked by the Necromorphs, the alien creatures who seem to be all over the ship, you and the surviving crew of the shuttle you came in on attempt to get the Ishimura working once again, while holding off the creatures in order to stay alive long enough to accomplish this task. Clarke is also looking for his girlfriend, who was on board the mining ship and is seen via video in the opening sequence prior to landing the shuttle.

One of the first things you may notice when you gain control of Isaac is that there is no on-screen menu. Your health is on the back of your suit, or “rig”; your remaining rounds for your current weapon are displayed via hologram when you take aim and your inventory is accessed in real-time via hologram as well. There is a shortcut button that is easily accessed in order to use health while in the midst of battle, so as long as you remember to hit that you won’t be killed while rummaging through your inventory, but it helps to keep you immersed in the experience and puts you further into that survival horror feeling.

This game is gorgeous; yes, it’s full of colors from the darker end of the color spectrum, but that makes sense given the whole thing takes place in space in a half-destroyed space ship. Almost everything is well detailed, and the attention paid to Isaac’s suit and movements is delightful and is something you will notice throughout the game. The enemy creatures are designed wonderfully as well; you will catch yourself admiring the art design and genuine frightful nature of the beasts as they sprint towards you for the first time, before remembering that yes, you need to mangle them-and fast-if you want to live to admire later variations.

There are various ways for Isaac and the Necromorphs to die, and you will more than likely get a chance to view a few of these on your first play through. Many of them are too good to be spoiled by a review, so you will have to trust me when I say that you will at least be entertained when you fail to survive a mission. These deaths are as gory and detailed as anything you can do to the Necromorphs-and this is game where your right trigger defaults as a “melee curbstomp” button.

We witnessed a revitalized Atari, a ballsy Electronic Arts and the peak of the music game fad.

Here’s what we took away from the conference:

BEST GAME
Fallout 3
Bethesda Softworks
Xbox 360/PlayStation 3
September

Bethesda built a winner from scratch with an amazing looking Fallout 3. Blast played this game, Blast loved this game. You won’t see a more visually and audibly appealing video game this year. This game is a massive project for any developer, but Bethesda, who saw huge success with “The Elder Scrolls” role playing game series, seems poised to release a game of the year candidate in the fall.

BEST ONLINE GAME
DC Universe Online
Sony Online Entertainment
PlayStation 3, PC
TBA

Comic book legend Jim Lee was the Executive Creative Director of the game and created the visual world DC Universe would be set in based on art from the entire history of DC comics. You get to team up with or fight against Superman and Batman. How cool is that?

BEST HANDHELD GAME
N+
Atari
Nintendo DS and Sony PSP
August 12

With 300 puzzling levels to explore, plus many hidden unlockable ones, N+, based on the hit Flash game, was the best handheld game at E3, and E3 agreed by giving it best in show in the DS and PSP categories. N+ led the charge for a revitalized Atari Inc.

GUARANTEED BEST SELLER/BEST PC GAME
Spore
Electronic Arts
PC
September 7

Within 18 days of the release of Spore Creature Creator, there were over 1.7 million “Spores” created. That’s more than the 1.589 million actual species known to exist on earth, Will Wright pointed out at the EA press conference Tuesday. And that says something about the anticipated impact “Spore” will have when it’s released in September.

BEST WII GAME
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party
Ubisoft
November

First game you can play with your ass.

BEST MUSIC GAME
Rock Band 2
Harmonix/MTV Games
Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii
Fall

No real competition at E3. Guitar Hero: World Tour will be awesome too, but Activision wasn’t there this year.

GUTSIEST PROJECTS

Dead Space
Electronic Arts
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
October 21

Mirror’s Edge
Electronic Arts
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Holiday season

Good work, EA. You managed to stretch your legs and come up with both a bloody horror flick and a FPS where you don’t have ever fire a gun. Both games will either be home runs or total flops (leaning toward an extra base hit) but they’re ballsy! Nice!

M.A.G. Massive Action Game, 256 player online multiplayer
Zipper Interactive/Sony
PlayStation 3
TBA

Another crap shoot. If Zipper does this game right, and we mean JUST RIGHT, M.A.G. could be one of the good ones.

MOST IMPROVED: Atari

BIGGEST LETDOWN: Nintendo

The movie, being developed by Film Roman — also behind the animation on the Simpsons and King of the Hill — is expected to be released before the game comes out on Halloween.

“We are really excited to be working with Film Roman to create an animated feature that will tell the portion of the Dead Space saga between the comic and game,” said Glen Schofield, Executive Producer for Dead Space. “With the video game, comic book and now animated movie, Dead Space has become a true multimedia brand. Each of these elements delivers the story to new audiences and tells it from different aspects and perspectives.”

The script for the Dead Space animated movie, focusing on the events of an alien infected, futuristic mining ship, picks up where the comic book left off and leads directly to the beginning of the game.

“Due to the richness and complexity of stories that have evolved for video games, they have become a type of entertainment that can span generations and provide fantastic inspiration for other forms of media; especially in the realm of animated features,” Film Roman President and COO Scott Greenberg said. “We’re particularly thrilled to be starting off with Dead Space.”

Dead Space, which will be the first of at least three features based on EA titles, will first air on the Starz network, then be released via DVD and digital distribution.

“Dead Space will ensure that gamers have a spine-tingling Halloween,” Electronic Arts said this week.

Set in the far future, Earth’s appetite for natural resources has become a major motivator for deep space exploration. Immense, privately-owned and operated mining ships called “planetcrackers” orbit planets and use sophisticated equipment to carve out entire city-sized chunks of rock, reducing them to component elements and raw ore. When communications go dead onboard the USG Ishimura, a famous planetcracker, systems engineer Isaac Clarke is sent in to fix the problem. Once onboard the vessel, Isaac discovers that the crew has unearthed an ancient and malevolent alien presence far beneath the planet’s surface and brought it onboard. Weaponless, alone and terrified, this lone engineer is burdened with much more than simple survival – he must seal the alien horror back into the dark rock.

“Survival horror is about experiencing a terrifying, and deeply personal fiction,” said Executive Producer Glen Schofield. “Dead Space is being developed as a single-player thriller that delivers the chilling, claustrophobic feeling of being isolated in a dark environment, while being stalked by some truly horrific enemies. Halloween is the perfect time for EA to deliver the fear and anxiety that will keep survival horror fans up playing all night.”

Check out the incredibly high bandwidth official website where you can downloads the vid, artwork and get development team news.