Dead Space 3: seven "scary" moments, scored out of 10

There's a four page preview of Dead Space 3 in issue 89 of OXM, on shelves Wednesday 8th August, which covers both the game's new, co-op supported actiony bits and a hitherto unseen trip through the bowels of an abandoned research vessel. If you're one of the Dead Space faithful, you're probably most interested in the second part - but can Visceral serve up the same breed of vacuum-sealed shivers without angering the Lords of Diminishing Returns?

To assist judgement, I've chopped the (in theory) scarier bits out of my hands-on time and assigned them all scores. They say you can't quantify horror, that it's one of those "emotion" things people like Ken Levine won't shut up about. I say different. Here's an equation that proves everything: "(X*Y)/(A*B) = Z". X stands for "spine sweat". Y stands for "unidentified ambient noise". A is "bullets fired" and B is "cheesy one-liner". And Z? "Sentient casserole of genitalia and neuroses, stroking your face with a razor blade for all eternity". See, it's simple mathematics.

Isaac Clarke tugs open a cycling door with telekinesis and enters what appears to be a hub area, with a Weapons Bench by one wall and several tantalising busted locks. Specks of viscera drift in the starlight from a set of tall windows. Suddenly, an infernal scrabbling. Good heavens, there's something in that air duct! And it sounds like it has Big News to share. Dust shaken from joints traces the creature's progress across the room and down one wall to a vent. A pause, then - crash! It's one of those demon babies with dart-throwing appendages. Only now - boom! - it's a mewling heap of shredded chitin. Sorry, Visceral, but we've seen this trick before. Next time, maybe you could try hiding under a chair.

Scare-o-meter: 3/10

2. That attention-seeking generator

So I have to restart this generator in order to open those locked doors. More like "generic-ator", am I right? This slightly over-familiar mission objective does, at least, demonstrate that Visceral is still an absolute master of unmanning players by way of their ears. It's all muted clattering and distant not-quite-sure-if-they're-voices as I enter the chamber and head down a ramp towards the console. Lots of corners in here. Lots of potential avenues for attack. Sweating, I administer a restorative TK slap - and the generator jumps to life with an ear-splitting cough. I panic, spinning to aim my gun at the nearest vent, and actually make involuntary shushing motions. Score one for you, Visceral.

Scare-o-meter: 7/10

This one happens several times, so I'm going to roll them into one entry. Dead Space's most infamous trick, both in terms of scares and combat tactics, is dropping one Necromorph ahead of you to hold your attention, then popping another into action from behind. It's still good for some no-nonsense frenzy, thanks again to the audio. Your eyes tell you that there's what looks like a deep-fried octopus up ahead, and that you'd better deal with it sharpish. Your ears, meanwhile, politely observe that the wall behind you no longer sounds like a wall: it sounds like a baboon trapped in a washing machine. If you're new to all this, better learn to prioritise.

Scare-o-meter: 7/10

4. The bit in the antechamber

When in doubt, change the pace. By ten minutes in I'm back up to speed with Necromorph bopping etiquette - slap the nearest or deadliest attacker with Stasis, deal with the rest, then polish off the first chap while he catches his breath. Bully for me. So Visceral waits till I'm in an antechamber of some kind, a rusted compartment perhaps a metre long and across, then springs a Slasher without warning. Simple but effective. I'm so jarred I clamp right bumper and the melee button and wind up stamping like a madman, much to my enemy's confusion. Then I remember how to hit things and hustle the Slasher up against the wall, where I smash it round the face till it pops apart with a petulant grumble.

Scare-o-meter: 8/10