Introduction

As many of our older readers may recall, resource management on Earth and on the colonies was not always as streamlined as it is today. There was a time when needs could barely be met by the now-extinct resources of Earth and the dwindling supplies of the colonies. Looking to the stars for additional resources is nothing new, but at the time only smaller ships were Shockpoint-able and they were insufficient at keeping up with demand.

Enter the Ishimura.

The USG Ishimura, named after astrophysicist Hideki Ishimura (inventor of the Shockpoint drive), was the first of the massive Planet Cracker ships. Built 62 years ago, she has a long and storied career. The Ishimura was the first vessel of her size to utilize the Shockpoint drive for large-scale, commercial, deep space expeditions.

At the time of her inception, the Ishimura was hailed as the savior of the Earth colonies. She was created to mine and melt down entire small planets and moons. She was also the first ship capable of the "scan and catch" technique for harvesting mineral-rich asteroids. Using huge gravity tethers, the Ishimura can lock onto asteroids and pull them inside the ship's massive collection bays for smelting.

At 62 years old, the Ishimura is still in remarkable shape. Much of the equipment has been upgraded over the years. Many spaces have been retrofitted to take advantage of modern advances in technology. Despite the long years of service, she is still the pride of the fleet and remains the largest Planet Cracker in the fleet. Whenever an important deep space mining project comes up and the Ishimura is available, she's the first ship to be called.

It's ships like the Ishimura - and the dedication of the men and women who crew her - that have helped make Concordance Extraction Company the trusted, dependable workhorse that it is today.

-Amazing Universe




Dead Space is a game that just kind of happened. Electronic Arts has never been known for releasing survival-horror, and Redwood Studios only did licensed work, like The Godfather and The Simpsons.

But somehow, a group of people sat down and said, "We love sci-fi. We love horror. Let's make a survival-horror game in space."

And they did.

And it was great.

Redwood began development in 2005, building it around the Godfather engine. At first, it was bound for the original Xbox, but when the new generation hit, the game made the jump immediately. The game made its first press appearance in 2007 and hit store shelves in October 2008, just in time for Halloween. It was well-received, with critics praising the innovative combat, beautiful graphics, and intense story. The success led to Redwood becoming a distinct studio, Visceral Games, and the announcement of a prequel for the Wii, released this September.

I can't say that I agree with all of the praise. Sure, the story is great - it's well-paced and well-presented. The problem is that EA also released a comic, a movie, and viral marketing campaign alongside the game. And, unless I miss my guess, all of them were written by different teams.

Suffice it to say that things are slightly disorganized.

Subtitled videos are going to be released more or less weekly, generally accompanied by information about characters, enemies, weapons, plot devices, development trivia, and, of course, the many, many continuity errors. I'll be including some of the video and images from the related media, as well as some of its inspirations. Plus, since more and more info about the prequel is leaking out nowadays, I'll discuss it whenever it's relevant. I'm just full of useless information.

Also, feel free to make suggestions about the LP. If there's anything you'd like to see changed, I'm more than willing to give it a shot.

Edit: Due to popular request, I've added the Schadenfreude Run, which features live commentary as I fight through Impossible mode.




The USG Ishimura may be the pride of the CEC's fleet, but she's also got some serious problems. Headquarters lost all contact with the craft after a planetcrack on the seventh planet in the Aegis system. The Ishimura's last message was a cryptic plea from a medical officer, Nicole Brennan, to her estranged boyfriend, Isaac Clarke. A team of engineers and security staff is immediately assembled and deployed - after all, you can't just let a thousand people and a multimillion dollar ship just drift around unsupported.

Things go downhill fast.




Standard Videos!
If you're a fan of trivia, behind-the-scenes details, concept art, and continuity squabbling, you may want to check out each video's post. That said, if you're not interested, just cut straight to the content.

Chapter One (Post)- Viddler (Polsy) / Blip.tv

Chapter Two (Post)-
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), Blip.tv.
Part Two: Viddler, (Polsy), Blip.tv.
Part Three: Viddler, (Polsy), Blip.tv.

Chapter Three (Post)-
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), Blip.tv
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), Blip.tv

Chapter Four (Post)-
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.

Chapter Five (Post) -
Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.

Chapter Six (Post)
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv
Bonus video -  Leviathan  kill techniques: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv

Chapter Seven (Post)
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv
Bonus video - Traipsing around the Mining Deck: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv

Chapter Eight (Post)
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Bonus video - Gallivanting around the Command Deck: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.

Chapter Nine (Post)
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Bonus video - playing with the Valor's firing range: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv
Bonus video - Marching around the military's ship: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.

Chapter Ten (Post)
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Three: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.

Chapter Eleven (Post)
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.

Chapter Twelve (Post)
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.


Schadenfreude Run Videos!
Chapter One
Part One: Viddler (Polsy)
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy)
Uncut: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv

Chapter Two
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv

Chapter Three
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv

Chapter Four
Part One: Viddler (Polsy),blip.tv.
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.

Chapter Five
Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv

Chapter Six
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.

Chapter Seven
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv

Chapter Eight
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.

Chapter Nine
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.

Chapter Ten
Part One: Viddler, (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Two: Viddler, (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Three: Viddler, (Polsy), blip.tv.

Chapter Eleven
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.

Chapter Twelve
Part One: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Two: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.
Part Three: Viddler (Polsy), blip.tv.

Bonus Content
Addition Artwork
Horror Movie Influences
Plot Dump






Isaac Clarke. The silent protagonist. He's the son of an award-winning architect, who he admired greatly and tried to emulate. A clever, resourceful engineer with experience in the Merchant Marines, Isaac advanced quickly through the ranks once people noticed his prowess. He lived with Nicole Brennan for a year, but when she was assigned to the Ishimura, they drifted apart.




Nicole Brennan. A nurse aboard the Ishimura. She and Isaac had a relationship - maybe even still have a relationship - but they haven't seen each other in a while, and her message came right out of the blue. After a major betrayal on the Flight Deck, Nicole and Isaac were finally reunited, and they began their trip down to the colony. Nicole is played by Iyari Pérez Limón.




Zach Hammond. A security officer in command of the SC Kellion, a Wai Lao-class search-and-rescue vessel deployed by the CEC. He's a harsh man, unwilling to compromise - when he has a job, he always gets it done. He was killed by an Enhanced Brute on the Valor, trying to slow it down as it attacked us. Rest in peace, Hammond. Hammond is played by Peter Mensah.




Kendra Daniels. The Kellion's computer specialist. If you can break it, she can fix it. She's held in high regard by some of the higher-ups in the CEC. After making a run for the executive shuttle in the Flight Bay, Kendra revealed herself to be a government spy, sent to retrieve the Marker. She escaped the shuttle, and is still at large. Kendra is played by Tonantzín Carmelo.




Chen and Johnson. We don't even know their first names. I'm sure they'll last a long time. Poor little useless soldiers. They didn't even get their chance to shine.




Dr. Terrence Kyne. Chief Science Officer on the Ishimura. He seems to be a Unitologist, though he has some odd misgivings about the presence of the Marker. It seems that he was responsible for the death of the captain. He and Isaac have became tentative allies, but that screeched to a halt when he was shot dead in front of the shuttle. Kyne is played by Keith Szarabajka.




Captain Benjamin Mathius. The ship's commander. Seems he's a Unitologist, as well. Sometime during the course of the infection, he was held down and stabbed in the eye by his best friend. What a way to go. In the game, Mathius is played by J.G. Hertzler. In the movie, he's played by Jim Cummings.




Dr. Challus Mercer. One of Kyne's employees and peers. A devout Unitologist, he seems to have become completely overwhelmed by religious fervor, and has started mutilating and experimenting upon his fellow crew members. This results in the creation of the Hunter. He's convinced that the Necromorph infection is the next stage in human existence, and hopes to expand its effects. Apparently responsible for the deaths of several dozen people on the Executive Deck - including Temple and Cross - we brought his reign of terror to an end with a couple of well-placed force shots. No resurrection for you. Dr. Challus Mercer is played by Navid Negahban. _{Now featuring a joke stolen from Blister! I have no shame.}




Jacob Temple and Elizabeth Cross. Temple was the acting chief engineer during the initial infection. A couple of days after the captain's death, he realized that fixing the ship was hopeless, and went to find his wife Elizabeth, who worked in Hydroponics. They reunited on the Mining Deck and attempted an escape, but were kidnapped by Challus Mercer and murdered.




Everything in Isaac's armory is upgraded through the judicious use of power nodes. Power nodes are fist-sized plugs that are scattered all around the Ishimura, and, somehow, can alter micro-scale circuitry. Yeah.

Every weapon and module has a circuit diagram accessible at the Benches. When filled, the circuits add to the object's abilities. Want more ammo? There's a circuit node for that. Want the reload time to speed up? There's a node for that. Upgrading weapons fully, however, can be tricky.



Take the plasma cutter. As you can see, there are a bunch of upgradeable fields; damage, capacity, reload, etc. The thing is, there are blank nodes in between. They do nothing for your weapons - they're just placeholders, connecting the relevant parts. You can't just add a node anywhere - there have to be adjacent nodes, leading all the way back to one of the entry points. The ideal solution to one of these circuits is to upgrade all of the colored ports, touching as few of the blank nodes as possible.



Voila! Perhaps not the best solution, but it'll do. Dead Space has quite a few weapons and items, so multiple playthroughs may be necessary to acquire all the upgrades. Good thing I'm doing both runs, isn't it?


Isaac's Gear

Protective Suits
Engineers are equipped with a variety of different suits, for a variety of tasks. When he arrives on the Ishimura, Isaac only has a Mark I suit, but over the course of the game, he has the ability to upgrade.

Each suit has a RIG (Resource Integration Gear), a built-in air supply, and gravity boots for use in volatile situations. Isaac's RIG monitors his vital signs, showing a health bar along his spine, and allows him to interface with ship systems.

Each suit has varying degrees of protection from the elements, in the form of armoured ribs and woven titanium mesh. All suits can resist up to 300 Newtons of force, but not a couple stabs from a crazed monster.

Upgrade diagram.
Check out this convenient diagram of the suit's structure! It is, in no way, designed by Tony Stark.


Stasis Module
Used to slow down machinery and volatile materials for easy manipulation, the stasis module creates a local temporal distortion with a customizable time limit. Yes, engineers in Dead Space can control time. No, you cannot change history as you see fit.

Upgrade diagram.


Kinesis Module
Ever want to move things with your mind? Too bad, you can't. However, there's the kinesis module, which lets you lift, drag, and throw heavy objects at range.

Upgrade diagram. But whatever should I upgrade first?


Isaac's Weapons

211-V Plasma Cutter
Manufactured by Schofield Tools, this is one of the most popular tools among engineers. Generally used to cut rock for smelting, it has a quarter-meter blade composed of ionized gas and molded plasma.

Primary fire: single shot perpendicular to the floor.
Secondary fire: single shot parallel to the floor.

Upgrade diagram.
Manufacturer's pamphlet.


IM-822 Handheld Ore Cutter Line Gun
As the name suggests, the line gun is used to destroy large chunks of rock, cutting them into smaller pieces for easier processing. Directed at organic targets, it can even go through multiple enemies.

Primary fire: single wide beam, effective across a long range. Excellent for cutting off multiple limbs at once.
Secondary fire: timed mine. I honestly don't use it that much, but it's decent against slow, predictable opponents.

Upgrade diagram.
Manufacturer's pamphlet.
Concept art.


SWS Motorized Pulse Rifle
The only weapon that's actually meant for conventional military use. Clip-loaded, it fires small pellets of energy accelerated along electromagnetic coils. It's commonly used among security and military forces - several of the Kellion's crew are shown carrying it. Not that it helped them much. Rest in peace, Chen and Johnson.

Primary fire: rapid-fires three rounds in a loose triangle. Not terribly precise, but decent when there's a large target.
Secondary fire: rotary fire from a stationary position, parallel to the floor. Good for use when you're surrounded - it knocks enemies back.

Upgrade diagram.
Concept art.
Poster. Don't fuck with the SWS.


PFM-100 Hydrogen Torch Flamethrower
Quite often, alien planets are extremely cold, and the most valuable materials are shielded by layers of ice. Good thing we've got a tool that can create a stream of fire up to 4000 degrees Celsius! WARNING: aim away from face.

Primary fire: short-range gout of flame. Good against most enemies; ignores any armor they might have.
Secondary: napalm bolt. Sets the target on fire.

Upgrade diagram.


RC-DS Remote Control Disc Ripper
A compact saw blade launcher. Clearly the safest tool in an engineer's inventory. It fires titanium blades at up to 17,000 RPM, meant to cut through the toughest rock. It's also great for cutting through dry Thanksgiving turkey.

Primary fire: fires a single saw blade, which pauses at a predetermined distance and rotates at high speed. If there's an enemy near you, fire one of these and keep it on them to hack at their limbs.
Secondary fire: fires a single untethered blade. Excellent for attacking large enemies at a distance.

Upgrade diagram.
Concept art of the Ripper in action. _{Note: it is not actually possible to use the Ripper like this.}


C99 Supercollider Contact Beam
Energy cannon made for tenderizing heavy ore. It can blast through just about everything. Except static geometry, of course.

Primary fire: energy blast. Needs to be charged up before firing. Good against stationary or slow targets.
Secondary fire: short-range area effect blast, fired from the feet.

Upgrade diagram.


Force Gun
A space-age jackhammer, with effects not unlike a shotgun. Except it doesn't have shells. Or slugs. Or pellets. Never mind, maybe it's not that much like a shotgun.

Primary fire: large blast of energy in a short range. Excellent for small, weak enemies with unpredictable movements.
Secondary fire: grenade, triggered by proximity or after a set time.

Upgrade diagram. _{why did this take me two months to make}




Slashers
These are the enemy's shock troops. They're basically humanoid, though they've got a couple of extra appendages, a mutilated jawline, and a set of bone spurs jutting out from what would be a normal human's arms. Slashers are vulnerable in the legs and arms. Take out the arms, and it dies. That said, the arms tend to swing around pretty damn quickly, so it helps to cut off a leg, then go for the upper arms. Never aim for the head - they'll go berserk and attack everything in range.

Leapers
Almost as common as the Slashers. They don't have legs; instead, they've got a scorpion-style tail. They walk with what would be the human equivalent of arms, and attack with the tail and segmented jaws. As the name would suggest, they jump around quite a bit, climbing walls and springing onto Isaac. If you take out the head, they'll keep coming, albeit with poor accuracy. Take out the tail, and it'll run at you. Take out an arm, and it'll drag itself towards you slowly. Take out both arms, and it's history.

Slasher Variants
There are a bunch of variants, based on different members of the crew. Security force Slashers have armor on their legs. Female Slashers will vomit acid on you, given the chance.

Swarmers
Picture a facehugger crossed with a Slinky, and you've pretty much got it. These things travel in packs, tipping end-over-end, and leap up to chew into Isaac's armor. Area effect weapons are quite effective, though in a pinch, the pulse rifle or line gun can take care of them pretty easily. They're small, so hitting them anywhere in the body will do the job.

Lurkers
Unfortunately for all involved, the Ishimura was a family ship - meaning that there are children. Yeah, harsh. Plus, there are a bunch of cloned fetuses prepared for organ replacement, ripe for harvesting. Infected children develop tentacles in a fan shape along their spine - these can be used to stab at close range, or fire projectiles at a distance. Obviously, you'll want to aim for the fan. Take out enough of the tentacles, down they go.

Enhanced Slashers
Similar to their normal counterparts. That said, their skin is a black shell instead of mottled, bloody flesh, and they tend to move a little faster. They're a lot stronger than standard Slashers - even if you take out a leg and an arm, it's quite possible that they'll still drag themselves towards you with their last remaining limb. These Slashers appear when corpses are resurrected by Infectors.

Infectors
This is an odd one. Infectors look a lot like fleshy manta rays, though they've got weird limb formations and a long, stinging proboscis on the underside of its body. As the name would suggest, these organisms turn corpses into Necromorphs; they latch onto a body, stab into the brain, and convert it into a new form, generally an Enhanced Slasher. They're not very dangerous on their own, but if you drop one of these guys into a room full of corpses, then you've got problems. It's wise to destroy any corpses before Infectors can get their claws into them.

Drag Tentacle
These spawn out of ragged three-foot holes in the Ishimura's hull, grabbing on to Isaac and yanking him into the bowels of the ship. Their only weak spot, fortunately, is extremely obvious - do enough damage to the large yellow bulb on the tentacle, and the entire structure will explode.

Proto-Guardians
These are crewmen partially fused with Necromorph biomass, halfway through a transformation into... something. They're harmless, at least for now.

Pregnants
This variant of the infection fills fat guys with worms. Yes, seriously. Pregnants have the arm structure of Slashers, but their torsos have been converted into birthing sacs, generally full of Swarmers. In later levels, however, they start spawning more dangerous creatures. As such, you never want to shoot Pregnants in the stomach. That'll rupture the sack and pour out the inhabitants. Aim for the legs or arms.

Brutes
Easily twice the size of a normal human, Brutes are golemic thugs with huge plates of heavy organic armor. A head-on attack is unwise; instead, pump as much ammo as possible into the vulnerable sections in the limbs and back. Use stasis to slow it down, run to the back, and blast it. The pulse rifle is quite handy, as is the contact beam. That said, if you don't have stasis charge, you may want to use the flamethrower, which goes through the armor and burns into the sensitive areas. That said, be very careful - these fuckers hit very, very hard.

Divider Parts
When found apart from their gaunt hosts, Divider Parts appear in two forms - heads and hands. They're basically infected body parts, propelled by Necromorph tentacles. Sadly, they don't have any distinct limbs, so just pour on the ammo until they die. It won't take too much, but these bastards are hard to hit.

Guardians
The Necromorph equivalent of a stationary turret. Glued to the wall by alien biomass, they spit out pods capable of firing projectiles at you. Guardians have a set of thin tentacles connecting the center of their torso to the wall around them; take these out, and it dies. Alternately, explosive canisters or mines can be used to take them out quickly, without using lots of ammo. That said, canisters can be hard to come by.

The Hunter
The "child" of the deranged Dr. Challus Mercer, the Hunter is a combination of human research into rapid healing and a direct exposure to Necromorph tissue. Basically looks like a tall, skeletal Slasher, with inverted scythes and glowing eyes. It can survive pretty much everything, regenerating severed extremities within seconds. While audio logs suggest that it was once human, possibly a prisoner from the Aegis colony, its true identity will remain forever unknown. Mercer sicced it on us in Chapter 5, but after a fifteen-minute session of fleeing and mixing, we froze its feral ass and dumped it in a very, very quiet place. Bye bye.

Exploders
Gee, I wonder what these can do. Exploders have a huge sack of organic explosive growing from one arm. When they get close, they commit suicide, creating a large explosion. However, their greatest strength is also their Achilles heel - a single shot to the sack will blow them apart. If severed, you can use kinesis to throw their bomb as a weapon.

Wheezers
Melted, desiccated husks of the Ishimura's crew, turned into air processors by the infection. Their most dangerous attack? Coughing at you. Seriously. They're basically harmless, unless you've got a sensitive stomach. _{koff koff HAMMOND}

The Leviathan
The first real boss fight of Dead Space. The Leviathan is embedded in the walls of food storage, and uses tentacles to defend itself. You can circle-strafe around the zero-G room to avoid them, and jump from wall to wall when they swing at you. In the second phase, the Leviathan exposes its weak spot - he's got a rather sensitive throat. He'll start spitting bombs at you, which can be blown up in midair or thrown back at him. The third phase is a mix of one and two - the tentacles return, and he keeps shooting at you. Ignore the tentacles - if they swing at you, just flee. Continue firing at the mouth, and he'll die pretty soon. Don't forget to loot the room. Lots of good stuff in there.

Enhanced Leapers
Stronger. Faster. Dickweedier. Remove the arms, and they're dead - but when the shots can't penetrate their armor, that's a bit of a challenge.

Dividers
I hate these things. Rather than being a single organism, they're a collection of smaller creatures in the form of a tall, gangly humanoid. It breaks into its component parts when it sustains enough damage, and the bits and pieces attack you. The best idea is to use the contact beam to apply damage to the torso, and when it breaks apart, hit it with a few bursts from the force gun. If you don't have those, just pour on the line racks until it dies. If you're out of line racks, I hope you didn't value your neck all that much.

The Slug!
Rather than being a simple Isaac vs. Giant Monster X bossfight, Dead Space gives you a mixed blessing. On the plus side, they give you a really big gun. On the other hand, the aiming is shit and the monster is throwing explosives at you.

The Slug has five tentacles, each of which can reach down, grab a projectile, and whip it at you. When they wind up for the throw, unload into the weak point, and it should drop its weapon. Repeat until dead. Sounds easy, right? Haha, no. The explosive tanks take away around 10% of your health. The metal chunks take around 6%. You'll want to avoid getting hit. And since everything you hit explodes into a cloud of dust, seeing the tank coming to roast you alive can be problematic.

Enhanced Brutes
Bigger, badder, and tougher. We can use the same tactics to kill it (cripple it, blow off the arms, throw back its bombs, or attack the back), but it takes a lot longer.




One of the major aspects of Dead Space is collecting data and unravelling the story of just what happened in the Aegis system. However, simply leaving them in the posts and videos is a bit cruel of me. So in the interest of simplicity, I'm going to gather all of our clues in one place. Each time we unlock a piece of the puzzle, I'll update the section.


What happened on the colony?
* There was an outbreak of violent crime. (Medical logs, Chapter 2)
* There was an outbreak of extreme dementia. (Medical logs, Chapter 2; Kendra's hacking report, Chapter 3)
* The colonists found an artefact on the planet's surface - "the Marker". (various logs, Chapter 2)
* Kyne believed that there was a connection between the violence, the dementia, and the Marker. (Kyne's logs, Chapter 2)
* The Necromorphs appeared after the planetcrack. (Hammond's report, Chapter 2) At one point, a shuttlecraft with at least one aboard must have left the planet. (Captain's log, Chapter 4)


What happened on the Ishimura?
* At least one criminal was brought up to the colony. (Warwick's log, Chapter 2)
* Someone close to Kyne is a devout Unitologist. (Kyne's log, Chapter 2) This person wanted firsthand experience with Necromorphs. He makes a reference to a "patient from the colony." (Unknown person's log, Chapter 2).
* The Marker was going to be brought up to the Ishimura. (Kyne's logs, Chapter 2) We don't know if it made it up. It's on board, in cargo. (Intro, Chapter 4)
* The Captain died when a syringe went through his eye and into his brain. Evidence suggests that he was held down. (Domuss' autopsy log, Chapter 2)
* There were rumors that it was a member of the bridge crew who killed the Captain. (Hallow's log, Chapter 3) These rumors have been confirmed - it was Kyne who killed Mathius, though whether it was intentional is unknown. (video log, Chapter 4)
* Someone deliberately shut down the engines. (Temple's logs, Chapter 3) Turns out that it was Kyne, hoping to scuttle the ship and destroy the Necromorphs. (Kyne's confession, Chapter 10)
* Necromorph biomass appeared in multiple areas of the ship before reaching engineering. (Danvers' log, Chapter 3)
* For some reason, Temple thinks it's possible that Unitologists were responsible for the sabotage. We don't know why. (Temple's log, Chapter 3)
* The Necromorphs spread to the Ishimura sometime after the planetcrack. We don't know how. According to the captain's log, they gained access through a colony shuttle that crashed in the flight deck. (Captain's log, Chapter 4)
* Seems that Mercer has gone utterly fucking nuts. He thinks that humanity is destined to be replaced by the Necros, and he's created a new soldier with which to speed up the process - the Hunter. It's probably a married prisoner from the colony, held against his will. (Chapter 5)
* Hammond claims that he is "seeing things". (Hammond's distress call, Chapter 5) Exactly what he sees is unknown.
* The pollutant in Hydroponics is a single, distinct organism - the Leviathan. (the survivor's log, Chapter 5)
* According to Mercer, Kyne was having visions of his late wife, and studying the Marker constantly. (Mercer's office log, Chapter 5) Now, he claims that "Amelia" said putting the Marker back on the planet will end the chaos. (Kyne's confession, Chapter 10)
* The Necromorph biomass is bacterial. Logically speaking, the infection probably is, as well. (doctor's report, Chapter 6)
* The Leviathan entered from outside the ship. (Cross' report, Chapter 6)
* The Valor was within range of the Ishimura's beacon. (Kendra's briefing, Chapter 8) As it turns out, they were providing backup for Kendra. (Kendra's speech, Chapter 11)
* Somebody's keeping an eye our communications with Kendra. (Kendra's broadcast, Chapter 8) Looks like it was Kyne.
* Somebody was blocking Hammond's signal. (Hammond's log, Chapter 8) It seems that it was Kendra all along, inspiring doubt in Hammond and setting herself up as the only trustworthy person. (Kendra's speech, Chapter 11)
* The captain was intentionally blocking the Ishimura's long-range communications dish. (Technician's log, Chapter 8)
* The Aegis system is a prohibited area, in which the CEC was trespassing for the last three years. (Technician's log, Chapter 8)
* The military knew that the Marker existed. They knew that the CEC was in the Aegis system. And they knew that there was some kind of alien threat. (Cadigan's Orders, Chapter 9) It turns out that they were not only aware, but they built the Marker, leading to the events of the game. (Kendra's speech, Chapter 11)
* It was Mercer who prevented Temple and Cross from getting the beacon. (Execution, Chapter 10)
* The planetcrack uncovered some kind of massive organism - the Hivemind. (Kyne's confession, Chapter 10)


What are the Whispers?
Throughout Dead Space, the player can hear "whispers" in the background, little snippets of conversation between unseen individuals. Until now, the background noise has made identifying these whispers difficult... but thanks to the efforts of bigredbutton, we now have a clearer picture. He delved into the game's files and dug out this:

A full MP3 can be found here, at bigredbutton's hosting.  This ties into the viral marketing campaign, No Known Survivors, where Gauthier is one of the secondary characters. 

There are a number of foreign-language tracks, as well... their message remains unknown. Perhaps you've got some ideas?


Squirrelnow took a gander, and this is what he thinks:

And some assorted whispers!