The existence of Electronic Arts' Dead Space has been known for a while now, but today the firm's Redwood Shores Studio divulged the first concrete details about the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 title set for release in autumn 2008.

"In the brilliant, bold and often-bloody Dead Space, gamers will step into a third-person sci-fi survival horror experience that promises to deliver the ultimate in psychological thrills and gruesome action," says EA. You'll play as Isaac Clarke, an astronaut sent to fix a broken communications system above a mining ship in deep space.

Funnily enough, the story doesn't involve him getting there, doing his duty, and then returning home in time to watch his favourite soap opera, Intergalactic Street. Nope, he discovers that vicious alien sorts have sieged the craft and it's up to him to sort the mess out.

Dead Space's executive producer, Glen Schofield, explained that it was EA's intention to "create the most terrifying game we could, and keep the player on the edge of his seat the entire time."

We wonder whether Clarke win his enemies over with space-themed jokes such as the following cracker:

Q. How do you get a baby astronaut to sleep?
A. Rocket.

No? We’ll get our coats.