"Dead Space: Extraction" is easily one of the best looking titles in 3D on the system. While it probably won't fool anyone up close, it features great lighting, a higher than usual poly count and a good art direction. Another noteworthy feature of the graphics is the character modeling. The facial expressions and lip syncing are really well done and really help to drive the cinematic experience home. The game is not without its faults, however. You will see the occasional glitch such as blood splatter in thin air and not in zero gravity areas. There are also some moments where the system just can't keep up with the number of enemies on screen. These moments are few and far between thankfully and never hinder the experience. There are also plenty of moments in the game where it almost looks indistinguishable from the first title graphically.  As well put together as the whole package is, things do begin to wear down near the end. As good as the title looks, you will start to get a sense of deja vu in the levels. A lot of the title is spent crawling through air vents. To be fair the developers did try to make each level distinguishable, at least at the start of them. Still, you can only wander around such eerily similar spaceship corridors so many times. Another problem is that, for as well made as the title is, you are going to want to break free of the rail system and explore on your own. It doesn't help when the camera zooms by ammo drops too fast all too often, which doesn't help the immersion factor at all. Still, as far as presentation values go for the genre, "Dead Space: Extraction" is at the top of the class.

The soundtrack plays it safe with its mix of classic Hollywood epic sound pieces and moody lower key tracks. They work well, even without standing out much. What really impresses is the sound design in the title. Zero gravity areas in particular do a spectacular job of muting the outside world, but still keeping a muffed sound inside your helmet. The game also tries to strike on your nerves with a never ending barrage of "voices" talking to you in your head. The voice acting in the title is very good and features a diverse range of accents and character types. The dialogue is also very well-written, so the acting is never lost on a poor script. As usual with horror titles, the game works best played in the dark with the sound cranked up.

The game is played like most rail shooters on the Wii. You aim with the remote IR, and shoot with the B trigger. You cycle through weapons with the control stick on the nunchuck and shake the nunchuck to use your knife. The game really tries to branch itself off in a number of areas. First of all, reloading is done by pressing the Z button. The game features a very "Gears of War"-like hot press reload system where timing the reload presses can result in a quicker restock of ammunition. The A button is used to grab and pull objects in the environment. A bit similar to "Elebits," you can toss back objects with the B trigger as well. The C button activates "Stasis" mode which basically freezes the object you are targeting. This is used for more than just slowing fast enemies, it is used in light puzzle solving as well. There are brief moments throughout every level that let you free look for a small amount of time as well. Each gun in the game is unique and features a different type of attack. These include basic pistols and pulse rifles, to more amusing modes of destruction such as electricity and a hovering sawblade. Each weapon has a secondary mode of attack by twisting the remote and firing, though you're only required to use the secondary function of your base gun for nails in the game. The game features ten levels split between the planet "Aegis VII" and the doomed ship, "The Ishimura." You will play as a variety of characters along the way, but the game is primarily focused on a group of four. As expected, it's best not to get too attached to any one character and the game even features a super lame horror movie ending twist after the final cutscene.

There have been more than enough rail shooters on the Wii as it is, but "Dead Space: Extraction" really does its best to bring something different to the table. Its setting and pacing alone are much different from the instant gratification of other titles like "The House of the Dead: Overkill." The game is played out like an interactive horror movie with both its slow, tension building moments and its all-out assault areas. The characters are well written and not pieces of cardboard. Despite being a prequel, the actual set up and cause of the main plot never really seemed to make much sense. A interesting piece of rock was found on a desolate planet and a religious cult wants it for themselves, yet removing said rock from its spot results in space zombies. Imagine the "2001: A Space Odyssey" monolith from hell. The creatures themselves also are not explained very well. It causes people to go crazy, violent and eventually mutate into something from a failed Todd McFarlene toy line. Again, the context and reasoning for all of this is never properly explained and it really seemed to be used as an excuse to cram every horror convention they could into one setting. It is a bit of a shame, since the rest of the script is so good.

Completing the title will unlock 6 chapters of a digital graphic novel of "Dead Space," which actually does explain the cause and effect of the creatures. Not only does it help alleviate the main plot's problem somewhat, but it's a great extra to watch. The game also features a standard number of control options, but also includes the ability to adjust the shaky cam effects, which is a great feature.  If any rail shooter on the system deserves to be purchased besides "The House of the Dead: Overkill," it would be this game. Hopefully if another "Dead Space" title is made for the system, it will be a traditional third person survival horror, as the Wii is now officially overrun by the genre now.