Let's take a moment to actually appreciate that this series experimented in ways that succeeded beyond just the initial game. For such a great series, it produced a helluva lot of great spin-off material.
For starters, Extraction.
Where Resident Evil and House of the Dead were churning out cheap, low-budget light-gun experiences that felt like goofy arcade co-op side-projects, Dead Space Extraction is not only one of the best Wii games ever, it managed to do so while shockingly keeping so much of the Dead Space experience - the tension, the horror, the story, the atmosphere - firmly in check.
Then you have Dead Space iOS, the mobile game.
When it comes to mobile, and especially EA, often the mobile games are cheap, clunky throw-aways barely worth your time or attention. Dead Space iOS is a must-play, ESPECIALLY for Dead Space fans. An original story, lengthy play-time, great gameplay - all without sacrificing anything that made Dead Space unique. Original bosses, monsters, and a surprising new main character, all fleshing out the lore of the series and setting the stage for Dead Space 2. Brilliant.
Dead Space: Ignition.
Probably the most passable of the spin-off games, Ignition went the route of "choose your own adventure" storytelling coupled with some minimal puzzles between branching pathways. But, like Dead Space iOS, it fleshed out the lore and universe and had big payoff in Dead Space 2.
Dead Space: No Known Survivors
No Known Survivors was an alternate reality game telling two side-stories in the Dead Space universe. It had amazing production values - movie clips, voice acting, puzzles. It was like Dead Space crossed with PC adventure games like MYST. I had a blast playing it and it's very disappointing EA apparently shut the site down. Maybe some internet sleuths can resurrect it with Wayback Machine or something, but it was some amazing viral marketing material.
Dead Space: Downfall
The prequel film to the original Dead Space, it was gory, violent, disturbing, well animated, and - until Extraction - was the best example of how everything on the Ishimura went to hell. Tie-in animations are always hit and miss, but this one felt like it fit the universe like a glove.
Dead Space: Aftermath
Dead Space went the Animatrix route with this one, telling a series of related stories of some survivors of a Marker experience and using the narrative as an excuse to tell each individual's experiences about how they coped, went insane, or met their grisly end. It was far more inconsistent than Downfall, since each chapter was done in a different animation style - and some were much better than others - but like Ignition and DS iOS, it heavily set the stage for Dead Space 2 and fleshed out the background of one of DS2's most important characters.
Dead Space comics
If there was any comic artist who was born to do a Dead Space comic, it was Ben Templesmith. The stories are visceral, unrelentingly violent, bleak, insanity-inducing affairs that were so good that EA just decided to include them as unlockables in Dead Space Extraction (which is yet ANOTHER reason to play Extraction). Later comics like Salvage and Liberation kept the quality going strong and continued to carve their own worthy chunk out of the vast lore of the Dead Space universe.
Dead Space novels
The lore of Dead Space is deep and vast, and the franchise begins hundreds of years after events were set in motion. The novels explore a great deal of the most important parts of the Dead Space lore - particularly the foundation of EarthGov and the creation of Unitology by Michael Altman. Both are very good reads that show how things went horrifically wrong long before the Ishimura discovered the Marker.
Dead Space - Severed
For all intents and purposes, Severed is a stand-alone expansion to Dead Space 2, but it shifts gears and focuses on two of the primary heroes of Extraction. A lot has changed since Extraction, and a lot of the mystery behind Lexine's mysterious powers is explored, as is the relationship between her and her now-husband Weller. It left me with far more questions than answers... as it should.
Dead Space - Awakened
In my HONEST opinion... I think Dead Space 3 ended with the perfect coda for the series. Like, if you were going to end it there, I'd be okay with it. It wasn't my favorite game, but Isaac and Carver accomplished what they set out to do. It was the end. It was over. For everything... Until this DLC came along and basically reneged on the whole thing. On one hand, it really robbed DS3 - and possibly the series - of an appropriate finale and made the stakes even HIGHER by the end of Awakened. It got ridiculous. But gameplay? It was a HUGE return to form. The horror and atmosphere was back and thicker than ever. Enemies were more disturbed. Psychosis made a dramatic return with hallucinations affecting everyone again. It was what the rest of DS3 should have been.
From games to movies, comics to music, Dead Space has been an incredible ride.
I hope EA can capitalize on it once more in the future and dial back the meddling, letting these creators really go wild and terrify a whole new generation of players all over again.
Make us whole.