Dead Space

We hate to tread so slightly on Dead Space's physical appearance,but you can get an idea of that from the pictures. But just as it was stressed to us, so must we stress it to you: The sound is the real key to the ambiance. Think of the way the Silent Hill games soiled your drawers, now imagine it in beautifully next-gen environment without the grainy filter affectation and a heightened emphasis on thefear of what you hear.

Creatures that brush past your point of view receive a cue of bleeding string instruments, while enemies that rush you are accopmanied bythe swell of an entire orchestra. EA was tightlipped as to who was composing the rousing score, but the led us to believe that it'll be someone worthy of note.

Above: Magnetized boots are the only thing between you and oblivion, so an ill-timed jump in Zero-G can easily send you hurtling into the abyss

It's true that in space no one can here you scream. The reality is you can't hear much of anything. And as our hero exited a decompression chamber and entered into the vastness of space, the attention to realistic physicswas further punctuated by Issac's heavy breathing being the only audible sound amidst the star strewn vacuum. Even plugging aliens at close range results in little more than an audible vibration. And it's these aesthetic touches that heighten that atmosphere outside the ship every bit as much as inside its dank and dreary hull.