The downloadable prequel to Dead Space 2 has been booked for an Oct. 13 deployment on Xbox Live.

Dead Space Ignition, billed as an "interactive comic-style game," is due for an Oct. 13 release, price of 400 Microsoft points. The title promises both three minigames riding alongside the graphic novel story: "Hardware Crack, Trace Route and System Override." They're a blend of puzzles and twitch-based arcade games.

Ignition's written by Atony Johnston, who wrote the Dead Space comic book series in 2008. Completing the game will unlock content in the retail release of Dead Space 2, due in January 2011.

Details for the PlayStation Network version were not immediately available. [Update:] SCEE says the game will be releasing next week as well.

Coming Soon To Xbox Live Marketplace [Major Nelson]

This short sequence from Dead Space 2 was shown at the end of the game's time during EA's GamesCom press conference. That small, blurry footage, however, didn't do the insanity justice.

Here it is in a proper clip, where you can truly appreciate what's happening. You are being shot through space, through destroyed buildings, so that you land on top of a city floating sideways. In space.

You wouldn't think you could "fall" in zero-gravity, but that's exactly the sensation on offer here.

Extend the fiction of Dead Space to your shoulders and show the world your current stasis levels with Visceral's new Isaac Clarke backpack. Grab it at the Visceral online store if this is whole Dead Space thing is your bag.

Visceral Games' sequel to sci-fi horror game Dead Space won't touch down on the PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360 until January 2011, but a new "interactive comic-style game" will hit those consoles this fall.

The downloadable Dead Space Ignition will take place just before the events of Dead Space 2 and will pack in a "satisfying arcade experience that will challenge players with puzzles and twitch gameplay," according to the official announcement. Dead Space Ignition "combines an interactive comic-style story with three unique hacking mini games; Hardware Crack, Trace Route and System Override."

The "choose your own adventure" style interactive comic is written by Antony Johnston, responsible for the Dead Space comic book series published in 2008.

While details of Dead Space 2's downloadable games have changed, when Kotaku first reported on them, publisher Electronic Arts had plans to possibly charge players for the releases.

Completing the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network bound Dead Space Ignition unlocks goodies in the retail release of Dead Space 2, including a special suit for Dead Space hero Isaac Clarke.

Dead Space Ignition is being developed by Visceral Games and Sumo Digital.

Last Friday, a new trailer for action game Vanquish shot up the internet. The gameplay itself looks like a blast. Definitely excited to see more of this game. What am I not excited about?

The on-screen HUD (Heads Up Display) looks like it takes up a lot of space. Why is a good chunk of the real estate on the side of the screen mucked up with interface? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of, you know, a wide-screen television?

That's not to say HUDs are bad. Both Gears of War and Killzone 2 have HUDS; however, the weapons HUD pops up when you want to swap out guns. In Vanquish gameplay clip, the weapons HUD always seems to be on the screen.

This begs the bigger question: Why is the game's HUD even on the screen? Take something like Dead Space, which was able to convey a great deal of information without cluttering up the screen. Certainly, this could be personal taste on my part. And while the inclusion of the Heads Up might seem somewhat old fashioned on the part of the developer, it could simply be preference.

Granted, this embedded clip is not high quality and playing the game could be another story altogether, but it should give you an idea how this user interface just seems to...get in the way. Now, playing Vanquish could be something else altogether.

Visceral Games' sci-fi horror experience Dead Space Extraction appears (again) to be making the leap from critically successful, commercially disappointing Wii game to high-definition do-over, thanks to EA Montreal.

Dead Space Extraction was outed as a PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade candidate earlier this year, when we reported on publisher EA's interest in bringing the game to a more welcoming audience. The "full HD" game was listed as a possible incentive for Dead Space 2 purchasers that could carry a $15 USD price tag.

Now it appears a lot more likely, as an Electronic Arts rendering engineer lists the following game experience, via NeoGAF, currently in the works at EA Montreal.

Dead Space Extraction XBLA/PSN port (Feb 2010 – Now):
- Currently porting the popular Wii title based on EuroCom's EngineX to XBLA and PSN.

Dead Space Extraction for PSN and XBLA feels like the right move, a way for fans of the original to experience the Wii-only title on the platforms they prefer. As a pre-order or original purchase incentive, it—and that other rumored Dead Space game, Planet Cracker—would fit in nicely with EA's Project Ten Dollar scheme. And as potential PlayStation Move or Project Natal games, Extraction might just be crazy enough to work.

Plus, the more Dead Space the better, we say.

Seen this screen on Skate 3's Facebook page? You might be wondering how to get Dead Space's Isaac Clark into the game. No, he's not DLC, there's a code for that, actually.

Go to the Cheats section of the Extras menu in Skate 3 and plug in "deadspacetoo" and he's yours. You also get a futuro-skateboard, but it's not transferable to other skaters, it's Ike's and Ike's alone.

Dead Space's Isaac Clarke Playable in Skate 3 [Joystiq]

EA today released some new pieces of art for upcoming space thriller Dead Space 2. They're not screens, I know, but I love Dead Space's art style, so these are pretty to look at regardless.

One shows that Isaac, understandably, isn't in the best state of mental health at the moment. Another shows that his fancy suit has now gone digital. A third shows Isaac's shuttle from the first game being "rescued", while a fourth shows a memorial for the victims of the Ishimura disaster.

Dead Space 2 will be out later this year on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Confirming last night's Walmart ad, Sony has announced ten new titles joining the PlayStation 3's budget-priced Greatest Hits line, with inFAMOUS, God of War Collection, Killzone 2 and Resident Evil 5 and more now available for $29.99.

While the Walmart ad we linked to last night contained several new Greatest Hits entries, including Resistance 2, Killzone 2, UFC 2009 Undisputed, inFAMOUS, and the LittleBigPlanet Game of the Year Edition, it only covered half of the games Sony adds to the Greatest Hits library today.

Those five titles are joined by the God of War Collection, Dead Space, Fight Night Round 4, Resident Evil 5, and Soulcalibur IV, for a grand total of ten new titles at silly prices.

These latest additions bring the Greatest Hits grand total to nearly 40 titles. If that's not a strong argument for hopping on the PS3 bandwagon, I don't know what is.

New PS3 Greatest Hits Titles Available Now [PlayStation Blog]