Eurogamer asks a lot of impertinent questions of Dead Space: Extraction's executive producer. Like "Is this still gonna be cool for a rail shooter?" And "are you gonna babyfy anything because it's on the Wii?"
That's not directly what was said to EA's Steve Papoutsis, but he seems to take its meaning as such. Check this response to a question whose premise is that Extraction is a "another" rail shooter.
Eurogamer: What did you make of House of the Dead: OVERKILL, another on-rails Wii shooter? How do you feel your two game compares?
Steve Papoutsis: Dead Space: Extraction is a guided first person experience - we have branching paths, areas of player controlled camera, zero-g, dismemberment, stasis, an array of unique weapons, TK, and a few other surprises that evolve the genre in many ways. Overkill was fun and, yes, it was a pure rail shooter. We have added so much to Extraction that comparisons to it should quickly fade away.
And the followup? They just blow off that "guided experience" thing and slap another "on rails" bumper sticker in EA's hair.
Eurogamer: HOTD was celebrated for its sense of humour, inventive level design and its replay value, which is often a problem for on-rails shooters. What were your main considerations in adapting Dead Space to Wii?
Steve Papoutsis: As I've mentioned, we have a diverse set of features and mechanics, co-op, a great new story, dismemberment and on and on. We took Dead Space's mechanics, added more, and evolved the genre just like the original Dead Space evolved the action/horror genre. Dead Space won over 60 awards worldwide and we are bringing that same design team, commitment to quality and some absolutely amazing visuals to Extraction. I assure you, this is no dumbed down version of Dead Space, this is a high quality, fantastic addition to the Dead Space Universe.
Not condescending enough? How about this one?
Eurogamer: Has anything been toned down to fit with the Wii's demographic, or are you sticking with the levels of gore and horror from the original?
Steve Papoutsis: No tone-downs here! Dead Space was about delivering on a terrifying experience complete with gore filled moments. Extraction will remain true to that goal as well.
Really, I'm not busting on Eurogamer here. In J-school they teach you to ask questions in plain language, and ask like you expect them answered. No one's using "guided first-person experience," other than EA, and it takes more than marketing copy to get people to accept that something's an entirely new genre.
Oh, btw, they gave us some concept art (at left) for Lexine, the female protagonist in Extraction. While she's reasonably proportioned and fully dressed, the designers couldn't resist giving her the garter-belt effect for her leggings.
Dead Space: Extraction Interview [Eurogamer via GoNintendo]