Dead Space, Electronic Arts, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, $59.99

Dead Space sends a resourceful engineer named Isaac into outer space to investigate a mining ship, the Ishimura, whose communications have gone dead. Of course, that means everyone on board has probably gone dead, too.

The culprits are the Necromorphs, a charming race of aliens who feed off human flesh. Sometimes they gang up on you, while at other times they pretend to be dead and attack when you get too close. You can only kill them through strategic dismemberment, which means ripping their limbs off one by one. The most distinctive levels of Dead Space take place in zero-gravity, which adds a disorienting feeling to your overall state of panic.

While Dead Space freely cribs from movies as well as classic sci-fi horror games like System Shock 2, it has a flavor all its own, thanks to its beautifully gory graphics and marvelous sound effects. It’s one of this year’s most invigorating games.

Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice, NIS America, for the PlayStation 3, $49.99

Disgaea 3 features a Halloween-worthy cast of demons, witches and, well, exploding penguins. It’s a strategy game rather than a survival-horror game, and it aims to make you laugh rather than scream.

Mao (really), the top student at the Evil Academy, is determined to dethrone his father, the overlord of the Netherworld. To become powerful enough, he has to endure dozens of strategic contests.

The battles are very challenging and sometimes quite lengthy, so devoted admirers of Disgaea will get plenty of value. But the graphics haven’t advanced at all since the PlayStation 2 chapters, and NIS hasn’t added enough new features to make Absence of Justice worth most players’ time.