2023's Dead Space does everything a good remake should do and then some. Not only does it faithfully recreate Isaac Clarke's first adventure with modern technologies, but its changes and new content ensure that both veterans and newcomers will stay on their toes. And while the new Dead Space may be a bit too faithful to the source material, it is nevertheless a solid single-player horror title.
One of the things the original Dead Space got right was its portrayal of Issac Clarke as an engineer through gameplay. Using unique combat, clever puzzle-solving mechanics, and a mini-game or two, players could feel like they were playing as a hardworking everyman rather than a grizzled soldier., Not all of the original's mini-games worked, but thanks to more than a decade's worth of feedback, Motive Studio was finally able to fix one of Dead Space's most frustrating segments.
Why Dead Space Players Need to Repair the Ishimura's ADS Cannons
Upon reaching Chapter 4: Obliteration Imminent, players are tasked with repairing the U.S.G. Ishimura's ADS cannons. Due to the ship's planet-cracking activities on Aegis VII, several pieces of debris are heading straight toward Isaac and the remaining survivors. While the ADS cannons would normally target and eliminate these anomalies automatically, the events that transpired on Dead Space's U.S.G. Ishimura prevent them from doing so. It then falls to Isaac to turn on the ADS cannons and manually destroy the incoming asteroids. By completing this task, the ship will have sufficient data to reboot the ADS cannons' automatic targeting systems.
Why The Original Dead Space's ADS Cannons Segment Was Problematic
To manually destroy the asteroids in the original game, players must first cross a large zero-gravity environment to get to the ADS cannons. This wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the numerous asteroids that can kill Isaac with a single hit and cause his RIG to flatline. Thankfully, the area leading to the cannons is dotted with several bulkheads that the engineer can use as cover to make it safely across.
The real challenge begins once players get their hands on the ADS cannons. Using the increased firepower, they must destroy enough asteroids while preventing hull damage to the U.S.G. Ishimura. This is easier said than done, as the controls for the ADS cannons are notoriously janky. The cannons can be fired semi-automatically or on full-auto, but Dead Space players have to keep an eye on the overheat meter or risk not being able to fire the ADS cannons for a few seconds.
Not only that, but the controls on different platforms make it very hard to aim. Since the original Dead Space provides no aim assist for these segments on consoles, it can be very hard to aim the ADS cannons using an analog stick. The same can be said for the PC version of the game, as 2008's Dead Space is less than stellar and just as hard to play on a mouse and keyboard without the proper mods installed. Because of the cannons' tendency to overheat and the bad controls, players of the original found it frustrating to complete the segments involving the ADS cannons. This doesn't include the two Dead Space achievements that require the completion of an ADS cannon segment with more than 50% hull integrity remaining.
How Dead Spaces Remake Improves The Original's ADS Cannons Mini-Game
Seeing 2023's Dead Space as a change to fix the original's shortcomings, Motive Studio reworked the ADS cannon sections completely. There is no more walking to the ADS cannons, and best of all, instead of giving players a new mini-game to learn, Motive Studio tasks them with connecting the cannons to one of their many tools. Players can then use their tools to aim and shoot at asteroids. This feels like a natural extension of combat, as it works a lot like shooting Necromorphs or using Statis and Kinesis. What's more, even though players are essentially controlling a giant cannon, Dead Space's controls feel fast and responsive. This makes the ADS cannon sections more fun and less of a nightmare to complete.
This new method for controlling ADS cannons resurfaces during Dead Space's second Leviathan boss fight by the Communication's Array. This time, players must use the ADS cannons to destroy the Leviathan's thrown projectiles and weak points. Combining accurate cannon blasts with Kinesis-thrown projectiles makes for a much faster fight and one of Dead Space's more memorable ones. By fine-tuning the controls and making them more akin to what players are used to, Motive Studio was able to refine one of the original's worst moments without adding another mini-game.
Dead Space is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.