At first, many of you probably thought that the Dead Space remake would simply be a massive graphical update of the same game. Similar to Bluepoint Games' remakes of Shadow of the Colossus and Demon's Souls, which are essentially the same as the originals, but look far better.
This is anything but the case, as the Dead Space remake is more in line with something like Resident Evil 2. It really is an entirely different game built from the ground up. There are so many changes in every department that it can occasionally be hard to find something directly the same as the original.
10 Side Missions
The original Dead Space offered no side missions at all. In fact, it wasn't even a feature until Dead Space 3, but the remake adds them in. The side missions are actually pretty vital to not only the story but some key gameplay elements. Completing the Premeditated Malpractice side quest allows you to get the Prototype Stasis Module.
This upgrades your stasis by adding an electrocution effect to the enemies, and this upgrade wasn't in the original. If you complete the, You Are Not Authorized quest, you get the Master Override card, which unlocks special rooms throughout the Ishimura. This comes into play with the next biggest change.
9 Interconnectivity
In the first Dead Space, there was a level structure, with most of the chapters ending with you going back to the tram. The remake is sort of similar, but with a clear difference. You can go to every section of the Ishimura at once, and everything is interconnected.
With the key cards, often once you get a new one, you can backtrack straight to the tram and into the places with the level two or three doors. It definitely feels similar to the Resident Evil 2 remake in that regard.
8 Story
Early on, it was revealed that Isaac would have a voice in the remake to match his appearances in Dead Space 2 and 3. However, you might not have suspected that all the voices are redone and the entire script too. Even parts of the ship system's voice is different.
The story has many additions made, most notably with Nicole. Much more detail is given about her and her story than the original title. Plus, the remake even includes an alternate ending. It's only in new game plus, but still, all these additions are nice to have, especially with the sequels in mind.
7 Upgrade Parts
The entire upgrade system with the nodes was one of the more fun reasons to replay the original game. Weapons, when maxed out, often had a unique feature that made upgrading them worthwhile. The remake features the same basic system, but there are many changes.
When you first upgrade a weapon, the whole upgrade tree isn't available like in the original. Instead, you must find or buy upgrade parts that unlock more of the tree of that specific weapon. This adds a bit of a progression system into the game, but it was nice in the original to see the entire tree from the start so that you could use your nodes accordingly.
6 Zero Gravity
Dead Space didn't actually feature full Zero-G movement until Dead Space 2. The first game didn't allow you to sort of fly in mid-air. You could only travel to a specific area by aiming at it and then jumping. It felt restrictive, and Dead Space 2's Zero-G sections were like a breath of fresh air.
The remake completely changes this to the system used in the sequels, and it feels much better to control. Due to the change, many of the Zero-G sections were retooled with the new controls.
5 Asteroids Section
One of the more disliked bits in the original game was the asteroid shooting section. It was rather frustrating to control, and the fact that there was achievement tied to beating it with over 50 percent health didn't go well with people either. The remake heavily changes and improves this section.
Instead of manually controlling the cannon, you need to calibrate them in a Zero-G environment by aiming your own weapon at the asteroid and shooting it. Do this process three times, and you're done. It's no longer a hassle and rather fun. Other sections were retooled as well, like the shooting gallery bit, which is much shorter.
4 Peng Treasure
The Peng treasure is a secret collectible item that has been in every mainline Dead Space game. Even the DLC for Dead Space 2 featured it. The location of the Peng treasure in the remake isn't the same as in the original. In the first game, the treasure was right outside of where you start, but you can't get it until you go back there in chapter 11, when you have kinesis.
In the remake, the treasure has been relocated due to being able to access that area far sooner because of the interconnectivity. However, there's still an object there in the form of a text log that hints at where the new location is.
3 Taking Control Away From The Player
A common trope in any third-person shooter is taking control away from the player to showcase an important story moment. The sequels to Dead Space were filled with these. However, Dead Space 1, for the most part, allowed you to control your movements, even in important story moments.
That's changed in the remake, as many parts that were previously control free are now restricted in a more traditional manner. Like in chapter five, during your initial encounter with Dr. Mercer. In the original game, you can move all around during his speech, but in the remake, you're stuck in stasis. This is likely to match the heightened focus on the story and feel more akin to Dead Space 2 and 3.
2 Finding Weapons
Most of your arsenal in Dead Space 1 needed to be bought from shops by finding schematics. It was simple enough, but in the remake, every weapon can be found throughout the Ishimura. Each comes with its own cool little sequence of Isaac picking up the gun, which was become common in many games today.
This at least helps when it comes to cash, as you won't need to spend a vast amount of money just to try a new weapon. It also means you can more easily play with every weapon instead of skipping some that you don't want to risk the investment on.
1 Health Items Are Rarer
One aspect of the Dead Space remake that will confuse veterans of the original is how uncommon it is to come across healing items. In the classic game, the distribution of all items was fairly even, but in the remake, ammo is much more common to get than health.
Health will rarely drop from enemies or crates unless you're low on healing items at the moment. This makes buying health more common. However, it's also much more exciting when you come across a health item lying around since they're so rare.