Dead Space 3

This is a phenomenal game, yes there are some differences from the second game, which was a masterpiece, but this is a brilliant game in its own right, the story is great, as are the graphics and gameplay.

I truly love the Dead Space games they are so much better than people give them credit.

I'd love it if visceral returned and created a sequel, I'd buy it.

Third time is not a charm for long-suffering spaceship engineer Issac Clarke. Since he escaped the Titan Sprawl his life has been on a downward spiral, Ellie has left him, his landlord is kicking him out of his New Horizons bedsit, and he's a broken man. Wouldn't you be after facing the Necromorph menace twice already? In the meantime EarthGov has fallen and the Unitologists, led by the odious Jacob Danik, are bombarding what is left of humanity. Issac is seized by the last EarthGov battalion and hurtled to the other side of the galaxy to Tau Volantis, a frozen planet orbited by 200-year-old wrecks of the Sovereign Colonies. Ellie, convinced she has found the Marker homeworld, is somewhere amid the wrecks and has assembled a ramshackle plan to destroy the Necromorphs once and for all.

After a slow start, the game is sort of split into two halves as Issac explores the decaying, orbiting wrecks and solves the mystery of the frozen planet below. The first half feels a lot like the familiar Dead Space formula while the second half feels like a generic shoot-em-up in the vain of COD. The relentless wave after wave of Necromorphs is mind-numbing. The overwhelming sense of dread and gut-wrenching anxiety that permeated every square inch of the first two games is largely gone. There are still shocks and scares, and the sound of elevators arriving are still frighteningly similar to the shrieks of the Necromorphs but it feels stale at this point. I felt like logic and sense took a back seat here. How did the Necromorphs end up on the New Horizons colony? How did they end up on the CMS Roanoke or Greely for that matter? It's never clearly explained. Why did the Sovereign Colonies Armed Forces panic so easily and opt for mass- murder/suicide instead of pushing for further research into the alien machine? It seemed like such a mindless and heavy-handed reason to have Tau Volantis scattered with body parts.

It seems like it goes on forever, even if you ignore the optional side-quests. Upgrading your weapons and suits never feels like it has a noticeable effect but the weapons crafting feature can lead to some fun inventions. The co-op gameplay comes across like a last- minute addition (and it was) and it is not the kind of thing Dead Space fans want from this series. Online play is necessary for the Platinum Trophy but there's no way I can get it as the Hardcore trophy is just too difficult and time-consuming, especially since you cannot skip the cut-scenes.

Dead Space 3 was a best-seller, but not best enough for Electronic Arts who have put the series on hiatus, though they insist that Dead Space 4 WILL happen, we'll just have to wait and see. It is a shame that a groundbreaking horror experience has been reduced to a generic shoot-em-up bore. The amount of DLC offered on the PSN for this game is outrageous and proof that EA are only out to exploit the fanbase rather than give them their money's worth up-front.

DEAD SPACE 3: AWAKENED - 2/5

The "final chapter" DLC is over very quickly and gives us a confusing, though interesting, insight into what becomes of Issac and Carver after the climax of the main game. I know for a fact that Dead Space 4, when/if it ever happens, will retcon this stupid ultimate ending as "it was all a dream". Worth playing once just for curiosity though.

Ratcat - Reviewing your games for Performance in 3D! To start a game and be fully hooked within ten minutes is an aspiration many game developers would aim for and Dead Space 3 does it in spades. This review includes information for those wanting to know if this game is playable in 3D. first off the 3D was not great but playable. NVidia rate it as 'Fair' which is correct because the developers (lets call them 'Gods' at this point') despite creating a fabulous sojourn have obviously not put the added work in to make this game great in 3D. The problems are your normal smoke, shadows, light etc on the 2D plane making it difficult to work out where you are at. No problem ladies and Germs, the great and wonderful Helix has come to the rescue (again) with his 3D fix download. http://helixmod.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/game-list-full.html Once the 3D fix has been installed this game is absolutely brilliant in 3D. Isaacs head will come out of your screen at you to the centre of the keyboard at one stage if you have convergence and strength up high. You cant go all the way with convergence because you will just go cross-eyed! Now for the formal review. If you haven't played 1 or 2 for a long time then expect at least 20 minutes or more to become re-acquainted with the controls but if this is your first time playing Dead Space expect a bit of a learning curve although once that is all out of the way Dead Space 3 is fun and action! Intricate puzzles and objectives designed to keep you on the move and a decent story line keep you all the more captivated. This time there is a marked change of scenery but you do have the gradual upgrade to your armour, stasis and weapons as before. As with all my game reviews there is no need to go into great detail because they are rated on sheer enjoyment. If you are playing simply to say you have clocked a game you may play it all the way through just for the hell of it but in the case of Dead Space 3 well... its enjoyable all the way. Along with the side missions there are many hours of gameplay which is a refreshing change from the usual 6 - 8 hour bullet storm. Playing in full 3D is totally different from normal plane (plain) 2D and this release of the franchise is simply breathtaking. Don your spacesuit and go out into space and you really feel the vacuum and distance to objects and debris floating past your head. The development team deserve every cent they make for every scene has such detailed graphics. Of course graphics means something different for everyone so to expand on that well textures, object definition, physics... just about everything has been mastered. With excellent game dynamics and totally perfectly rendered environments one would have to assume that the people behind this awesome feat are highly intellectual - lets say University degree graphics designers, Engineers and Physics majors just for a start so its no surprise that the idea behind the tool construction bench is a little daunting only because for these highly creative minds they assume the average person can easily construct a weapon with a multitude of options - unfortunately this is not the case. Complaints have been noted and hopefully the next Dead Space in the franchise will be toned down just a tad. As a side note, enjoyment for some is different for others. If you play all the same genre of game IE: 3rd person shooters and nothing else you may find yourself a little tired of all the same thing so switch to a 1st person or point and click once in a while. You will find yourself pleasantly surprised and when you go back to your preferred game style you will be all the more happier. The majority of reviewers here are basing their decisions on previous instalments of the game but you would be well advised to leave at least a few months between play. How well do you remember Die hard 1? Die hard 2 was a totally different experience due to the amount of time that has passed. The average FPS gamer may find this game a little daunting with such an array of controls and puzzles to work out let alone the suit upgrade terminals so if you are at least a general PC user with a little tech knowledge you should find it a breeze. My hat goes off to the hard working team that has brought this masterpiece to the unforgiving public. 9 out of 10 rubber chickens. Spend your money on this game - that's an order soldier! If you want to know how well a game works in 3D send me an email at ratcat@live.com and I will review the title.

As a huge fan of Dead Space 2, I was both excited and apprehensive going into Dead Space 3. The introduction of co-op play had me scratching my head-how could that possibly fit in with the isolated horror atmosphere of the series? And then there were the concerns about the new cover system and the inclusion of human enemies. To my dismay, most of those worries turned out to be valid.

Dead Space 3 is a strange one. There are moments that truly capture the essence of Dead Space, allowing Isaac to once again roam the dark hallways of an abandoned space station. The first few chapters were a breath of fresh air-classic Dead Space vibes mixed with that environmental horror that lingers in every shadow. However, the more I played, the clearer it became that the co-op mechanic overshadowed the intended single-player experience. Sure, you can play it solo, but everything feels forced when dual mechanics are at play. Your AI partner swoops in at crucial moments, and their presence feels a bit awkward when you're tackling the horrors of space alone. The emotional bond that the cutscenes try to convey just didn't resonate for me as a solo player.

The game's attempt to incorporate human enemies left much to be desired. Their introduction felt tacked on, and rather than delivering tense confrontations, it felt as if the game was scrambling to expand its arsenal of threats. I found it comical when my flamethrower barely fazed them-why did they crumple like paper instead of actually burning? While I enjoy cover shooters when executed well, it's distracting when the mechanics don't align with the core gameplay we've come to expect from the series.

One of the most intriguing additions was the weapon crafting system. The ability to create your own weapons was certainly a fresh take and allowed for some nostalgic nods to the previous titles. However, the workbench felt a bit off, and I can't recall all its intricacies. That said, I'm not particularly keen on the live service elements that allow for real-money purchases, but I managed to avoid that pitfall during my playthrough.

The game takes a detour to a frozen planet, which brings about some well-crafted boss fights, elevating the action compared to the survival aspects that we fondly remember from earlier titles. Indeed, Dead Space 3 skews more towards action than horror, which may appeal to some but left me longing for the spine-chilling scares of the past. Clocking in at around 20 hours, it's certainly longer than its predecessors, which gives you plenty of time to experience the unfolding story.

Speaking of the plot, it deals with heavier themes and provides an adequate look at the relationship between Isaac and a female protagonist introduced in Dead Space 2. The story is well-acted and almost gets a bit too bogged down in exposition, especially with its Cliffhanger ending if you include the DLC. In fact, it might be one of the most narrative-heavy entries in the franchise, diving into the origins of the Marker.

It's a real shame that the remake of Dead Space didn't perform as expected; I had such hopes that it would redeem the series after this installment. All in all, Dead Space 3 isn't a terrible game-it's just that the two that came before it set a high bar that this sequel struggles to reach. If you're willing to embrace the changes, you might have a decent time. If you were hoping for a return to form, you might end up feeling disappointed.

Please don't listen to the extremely negative comment left by the other user. This is in no way awful.

Graphically it's very impressive and like its predecessors it upholds the atmosphere, the first 1/3 of the game its typical Dead Space through and through, with echos of being back on the ISHIMURA. Moving onto the Ice planet Tau Volantis, which has its ups and downs (can't decide whether I liked it or not). Game play wise it is more of the same, but if it's not broken, why fix it? It is more action orientated than what people may be used to, but it makes sense, if you put it into perspective you're on the marker home world there's definitely going to be a lot more nasties waiting to take your face home to their parents.

There seems to be few (and less impressive than DS2's) set pieces and a few new elements have been added to it, such as the vertical climbing, which was something critics moaned about. But I thought they were a nice touch and thankfully there isn't too many of them. And the additional quests although fun are slightly repetitive, I would have rather they just made them compulsory. But they do give more incite into what's going on. A couple were almost IDENTICAL in layout which I thought was lazy but there are a couple (country music and reapers, vague but you'll see what I mean) which were actually quite good.

The new bench and suit systems are a welcome addition, the bench system takes a few attempts to get your head around, but in no time you'll be making some both amazing and deadly combinations. Sadly though this does detract slightly from the atmosphere, I made a weapon relatively early on in the game that saw me through to the end. It was so powerful it took away the "edge" the game has. The suit system is slightly different, you wear whatever suit you like with no bonuses (like in DS2) but instead you upgrade your rig (armor, stasis, health etc) which works, you won't upgrade everything first time round, but with new game+ you can have some re-runs getting the best gear and fixing up the rig to maximum stats.

I can't really speak for CO-OP as I haven't really bothered with it, to me dead space is about isolation, atmosphere and fear. Sadly I feel this is lost with the aspect of CO-OP, and with this, the new addition to the game Carver seems like he's just an after thought. Whilst in single player he inexplicably turns up right next to you in certain cut scenes and it detracts from the flow of the story (where the hell did he come from). They should have worked it so he wasn't in it at all unless you played CO-OP adding to the story if you play it this way.

Overall, if you liked the previous Dead Space games you can't go wrong it's more of the same with a tad more action. The story is actually easier to get a grip of (in terms of the whole marker/unitology thing). Brilliant voice acting and motion capture Isaac is slightly more of a personality in this one with some one liners making me cringe. But anyway, the only thing this game is lacking is tension..but you have the choice to keep a crap weapon and keep the tension for yourself. 8.5/10

Also to clear up where someone (IGN I think) says Ellie miraculously has her eye back, you find a note at the VERY START of the game stating they found a new eye for her but a different colour as it was all they could afford. How a reviewer both criticised and overlooked the note I don't know.

Hope you found this helpful.