Finished Dead Space Remake. It's pretty good.
Because I couldn't help but compare the two in my head throughout my playthrough, I'm going to steal a clickbait article format and post 5 Reasons Why Dead Space Is The Better Action Horror Game (& 5 Why It's Resident Evil 4). [note: This is specifically referring to the remakes of both, and judging them against each other as games rather than as remakes, though in my experience (limited as it is with DS) these apply pretty much equally to the originals.]
Dead Space: Enemies
Put simply, the Necromorphs are a blast to fight against. Tearing them limb from limb with your various weapons never gets old, in large part due to the effort put into the 'Peeling' system that shows them taking ludicrous amounts of damage. They're also dangerous opponents who aren't afraid to sneak up on you, keeping you on your toes and glancing around in the dark for any threats, even when there aren't any.
Resident Evil 4: Bosses
Dead Space only has three major boss fights, and they all play out similarly: dodge the slow-but-massive tentacles, shoot the glowing orange bits when they appear. They don't behave a lot like the regular enemies, and break up the flow of gameplay. Resident Evil 4's bosses, besides their greater number and variety, are a test of the skills you've honed against the Ganados, and they all fight very differently from each other, forcing you to adapt to the unexpected.
Dead Space: Weapon Variety
Each of Isaac's weapons is very versatile, with the primary and secondary fire options giving you multiple ways to dispatch your enemies. The modular upgrade system makes them even more interesting to work with as you turn them into engines of destruction that suit your playstyle, using nodes found scattered around separately to your currency (though you can also just buy them if you don't need anything else).
Resident Evil 4: Weapon Variety
Though a lot of RE4's weapons are similar to each other, the variations within each class of weapon create a lot of opportunities to build Leon's arsenal your way, and being able to equip up to eight at once compared to Dead Space's 4 lets you pull out all of those options easily. With sources ranging from the Merchant to hidden treasures to the superweapons you only get in New Game Plus, finding all of them is a fun part of the process as well.
Dead Space: Kinesis and Stasis
Besides weapons, Isaac also carries the Kinesis Module and the Stasis Module, allowing him to grab and throw various objects and slow enemies and objects down temporarily. These two options create a lot of tactical flexibility: slow down enemies to shoot them or keep them away, throw explosive barrels to avoid wasting ammo, pull ammo pickups from across the room towards you. They're also used to help repair the ship in various puzzles, reinforcing Isaac's backstory as an engineer.
Resident Evil 4: Knife, Melee and Dodging
Though he lacks Isaac's sci-fi flair, Leon's seemingly simple side weapons create a huge amount of mechanical depth too. The knife, besides dealing decent amounts of melee damage, can also be used to execute downed enemies or parry their incoming attacks. Shooting enemies in certain body parts will stun them, leaving them open to kicks that send them flying or head-destroying wrestling moves, and Leon's mobility and ability to duck when enemies take a swing at him lets a skilled player avoid almost all damage with style.
Dead Space: The Ishimura
The real star of Dead Space's show, more than the protagonists or the Necromorphs, is the USG Ishimura itself. The visual and audio design create a genuine feeling of being trapped on a spaceship that was practically a derelict even before the zombie outbreak, and now is only held together with spit, tape and the prayers of the survivors. Seeing the deterioration get worse as the game progresses also creates a feeling of running out of time, despite the game's lack of a timer at most points.
Resident Evil 4: Side Content
Other than a couple of minor side quests and minigames, Dead Space is largely focused on its forward progression, with side areas otherwise limited to resource gathering. Resident Evil 4, on the other hand, has a large number of side objectives to pursue; besides the Merchant's requests both large and small, there's a brilliantly-designed shooting gallery minigame, and finding all of the treasures tests your navigation skills, as well as your planning in maximizing their value with gem slots.
Dead Space: Story and Lore
Resident Evil's story is mostly a standard action flick: kill the baddies, save the girl. Dead Space's story tells a haunting and genuinely horrifying tale of human hubris at a huge scale, as the survivors' discoveries and the various logs Isaac uncovers reveal the Ishimura's collapse bit by bit, and the origins of the Necromorph outbreak. Wondering what terrible things wait around the corner, literally and metaphorically, is a huge driving factor in the game's appeal.
Resident Evil 4: Characters
With a few notable exceptions, most of Dead Space's characters solely exist to serve the plot, and have little going on beyond what's visible at a first glance. On the other hand, Resident Evil 4's plot almost seems to serve its characters, giving them opportunities to banter and develop, either revealing new things about them or letting them grow and build up what they already have. Even the villains are memorable foes, from the implacable Father Mendez to the mysterious mastermind Saddler, creating a cast that will stick in your mind long after the details of the plot have vanished.
Because I couldn't help but compare the two in my head throughout my playthrough, I'm going to steal a clickbait article format and post 5 Reasons Why Dead Space Is The Better Action Horror Game (& 5 Why It's Resident Evil 4). [note: This is specifically referring to the remakes of both, and judging them against each other as games rather than as remakes, though in my experience (limited as it is with DS) these apply pretty much equally to the originals.]
Dead Space: Enemies
Put simply, the Necromorphs are a blast to fight against. Tearing them limb from limb with your various weapons never gets old, in large part due to the effort put into the 'Peeling' system that shows them taking ludicrous amounts of damage. They're also dangerous opponents who aren't afraid to sneak up on you, keeping you on your toes and glancing around in the dark for any threats, even when there aren't any.
Resident Evil 4: Bosses
Dead Space only has three major boss fights, and they all play out similarly: dodge the slow-but-massive tentacles, shoot the glowing orange bits when they appear. They don't behave a lot like the regular enemies, and break up the flow of gameplay. Resident Evil 4's bosses, besides their greater number and variety, are a test of the skills you've honed against the Ganados, and they all fight very differently from each other, forcing you to adapt to the unexpected.
Dead Space: Weapon Variety
Each of Isaac's weapons is very versatile, with the primary and secondary fire options giving you multiple ways to dispatch your enemies. The modular upgrade system makes them even more interesting to work with as you turn them into engines of destruction that suit your playstyle, using nodes found scattered around separately to your currency (though you can also just buy them if you don't need anything else).
Resident Evil 4: Weapon Variety
Though a lot of RE4's weapons are similar to each other, the variations within each class of weapon create a lot of opportunities to build Leon's arsenal your way, and being able to equip up to eight at once compared to Dead Space's 4 lets you pull out all of those options easily. With sources ranging from the Merchant to hidden treasures to the superweapons you only get in New Game Plus, finding all of them is a fun part of the process as well.
Dead Space: Kinesis and Stasis
Besides weapons, Isaac also carries the Kinesis Module and the Stasis Module, allowing him to grab and throw various objects and slow enemies and objects down temporarily. These two options create a lot of tactical flexibility: slow down enemies to shoot them or keep them away, throw explosive barrels to avoid wasting ammo, pull ammo pickups from across the room towards you. They're also used to help repair the ship in various puzzles, reinforcing Isaac's backstory as an engineer.
Resident Evil 4: Knife, Melee and Dodging
Though he lacks Isaac's sci-fi flair, Leon's seemingly simple side weapons create a huge amount of mechanical depth too. The knife, besides dealing decent amounts of melee damage, can also be used to execute downed enemies or parry their incoming attacks. Shooting enemies in certain body parts will stun them, leaving them open to kicks that send them flying or head-destroying wrestling moves, and Leon's mobility and ability to duck when enemies take a swing at him lets a skilled player avoid almost all damage with style.
Dead Space: The Ishimura
The real star of Dead Space's show, more than the protagonists or the Necromorphs, is the USG Ishimura itself. The visual and audio design create a genuine feeling of being trapped on a spaceship that was practically a derelict even before the zombie outbreak, and now is only held together with spit, tape and the prayers of the survivors. Seeing the deterioration get worse as the game progresses also creates a feeling of running out of time, despite the game's lack of a timer at most points.
Resident Evil 4: Side Content
Other than a couple of minor side quests and minigames, Dead Space is largely focused on its forward progression, with side areas otherwise limited to resource gathering. Resident Evil 4, on the other hand, has a large number of side objectives to pursue; besides the Merchant's requests both large and small, there's a brilliantly-designed shooting gallery minigame, and finding all of the treasures tests your navigation skills, as well as your planning in maximizing their value with gem slots.
Dead Space: Story and Lore
Resident Evil's story is mostly a standard action flick: kill the baddies, save the girl. Dead Space's story tells a haunting and genuinely horrifying tale of human hubris at a huge scale, as the survivors' discoveries and the various logs Isaac uncovers reveal the Ishimura's collapse bit by bit, and the origins of the Necromorph outbreak. Wondering what terrible things wait around the corner, literally and metaphorically, is a huge driving factor in the game's appeal.
Resident Evil 4: Characters
With a few notable exceptions, most of Dead Space's characters solely exist to serve the plot, and have little going on beyond what's visible at a first glance. On the other hand, Resident Evil 4's plot almost seems to serve its characters, giving them opportunities to banter and develop, either revealing new things about them or letting them grow and build up what they already have. Even the villains are memorable foes, from the implacable Father Mendez to the mysterious mastermind Saddler, creating a cast that will stick in your mind long after the details of the plot have vanished.
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