One of the buzz words developers love to throw around when talking about games is immersion. Immersion is all about making the player feel drawn into the game, as if they are actually a part of the world. Numerous things can quickly kill the feeling of being absorbed into a game, such as glitches, characters breaking the fourth wall, and a bulky HUD. Luckily for us, EA Redwood Shores is making the HUD in Dead Space as minimally invasive as possible.

The standard health bar has been done away with, and now the player has LED’s on the back of their suit which decrease as damage is taken. The ammunition counter is handled much in the same way, being displayed in a hologram in front of the gun’s scope. The most notable aspect of Dead Space’s HUD is the inventory, which does pop up like a normal menu, but exists in 3D space and can be rotated around.

Hopefully these new techniques of implementing the HUD will flow smoothly with the full game, as many developers have tried to do away with the HUD with a clunky result. Gamers will get to see for themselves if the absence of a HUD results in a more enjoyable experience when Dead Space is released in October for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

And oh, there are some new screenshots in the gallery as well.

[See also: Dead Space gallery]