Dead Space Ignition

You can send out as many red spinning icons as you like as long as the slowly-refilling meter isn't entirely depleted. With four different types of virus having different effects – one type is only recognised by a specific antiviral defence, another forces the countermeasures to briefly attack one another – there should, in theory, be some strategy to this, but it tends to devolve into mindless button-mashing as you press A repeatedly with the odd B and X thrown in for good measure, overwhelming them with sheer numbers rather than any kind of tactical plan.

Last but least worst is Hardware Crack, a light-reflecting puzzle where you place mirrors to guide beams into similarly-hued receivers. Colour-blind gamers will no doubt be delighted to learn that the two main colours are red and green, though yellow receptors are soon introduced, as well as a few new tricks like the ability to remove pieces which may be blocking one beam's path, and mirrors which rotate 90 degrees every three seconds.

These hacks are harder than the rest, and as such are more satisfying to complete, though if you're not very good at light puzzles you won't be able to move on with the story; hacks need to be finished if you want the plot to progress.

Whether you'll be particularly bothered about that is another matter. Despite the involvement of Antony Johnston, who scripted the comic-book prequel as well as contributing to both Dead Space and the terrific on-rails spin-off Extraction, Ignition's story is astoundingly dull. The two leads have zero chemistry and precious little character, and the plot seems to tie itself in knots trying to fit in excuses for the mini-games. It's regrettable that a perfect opportunity to expand upon some of the interesting subplots of the Dead Space universe (wherefore art thou, Markerheads?) has been all but wasted. The final scene, which I won't spoil here, is a nice lead-in to Dead Space 2, but otherwise it's disappointingly light on the lore.

The dialogue might be less of an issue if the art wasn't quite so ugly. Drawings which might pass muster on the printed page have all their flaws emphasised on a TV screen, and while some close-ups are fine, others seem rushed. At one point, I wondered whether a character was just about to undergo transformation into a Necromorph, only to realise a blancmange-like appendage was actually supposed to be her hand. Worse still is the rudimentary animation, as characters bounce Zebedee-like down corridors, or jerk their arms awkwardly like terrifying meat puppets. Only on rare occasions do these effects work; one sequence involving a hostage rescue made me wonder why the rest of the game didn't look as good.

There are local multiplayer variations on each mini-game, and Trace Route is certainly improved by the addition of a human opponent. To win at Hardware Crack, you need to light up more of your own colour receivers than your rival, while System Override puts one player in charge of the anti-virus defence systems. But they're little more than token additions, and it's hard to imagine anyone wanting to play this trio of unremarkable puzzle games when there are many, many better ways to spend your gaming time this October.

The idea of an interactive comic as narrative expansion is a sound one, but Ignition entirely fails to do the concept justice. Those who struggle through to the end get a new suit Isaac can use in Dead Space 2, a completion time and ranking, and a message which simply reads: "Congratulations on surviving Dead Space Ignition." They could hardly have chosen a more appropriate word.