Dead Space 3

I am a big Dead Space fan like most of you reading this. I speak from gaming experience and I typically know what makes a game good as I have been playing ever since I was in diapers, in the NES days.

That being said, I am writing this in-depth review for you — the customers — especially the ones thinking of buying this game. I think it's worth the price but I think Visceral and EA went in the wrong direction with storytelling in their new instalment.

When Electronic Arts and Visceral Games released their first two Dead Space games they received rave reviews for their Survival Horror series, it was a commercial success. When the studios announced Dead Space 3 was arriving, fans expected the best.

My play through of Dead Space 3 didn't feel like the classic Survival Horror; ammo and health is more plentiful in casual to hard difficulties, the necromorphs feel easier to dismember and kill in these difficulties, and the story doesn't seem to fit well with the rest of the series. I felt compelled to switch my difficulty from normal to impossible due to the sheer advantages in the prior difficulties, which I did. This would be a tough call for most average casual gamers as the impossible difficulty is pretty hard, even on Co-Op. So the typical causal gamer won't get a "fair" play through until they finished the game once, on any difficulty — I am referring to New Game+.

Secondly, the amount of action scenes compared to the original instalments of the Dead Space series is noticeable, being the atrocious ending, character death and boss scenes/fights, and more. Multiplayer has been removed in place of Co-Op which is a serious back-step in my opinion. Co-Op should have been an addition to the Multiplayer, not the only option — just my opinion. When Dead Space 2 introduced multiplayer to the series it was a great idea, it gave the game replay value, not only that but multiplayer was damn fun. Not that Dead Space 3 does not have replay value, indeed it does, in the form of new game modes, and co-op, which adds an additional 6 hours of gameplay which you would not get from single player.

My verdict: EA and Visceral have developed an excellent game, overall. It just may not be what they are saying it is. Those who are expecting vast changes will be disappointed, again. The introduction of micro-transactions in which time-sensitive players can pay real world money to further advance their character earlier in the game seems somewhat unnecessary, but is understandable as EA is doing this as means to gain additional income to meet their bottom line, just like any other company.

Though the story can be convoluted, Dead Space 3 has a beautiful environment, with an improved combat system, and improved gameplay. Dead Space 3 should not be ignored just because it does not hold up to its predecessors.

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.

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.

okay it's still early in the year and there's plenty of great titles coming out this year including the highly anticipated Bioshock:Infinite, most games that came out in late 2012 and most games coming out this year even will have a hard time competing with this absolute perfect sequel to the Dead Space series.

The game starts off with a lot of action much like the second game in the series, and boy does it deliver. The action is intense and the graphics are the best I have seen in a long time, along with some of the most beautiful backdrops in gaming history. the game has plenty of side quest along with great back story's with the characters involved in the side quest enough to keep you playing for hours and hours just with the side quest alone, they also blend with the main story very nicely if i do say so myself.

the voice acting was done greatly with plenty of emotion and plenty of feeling, it really helps the game shine along with something everyone will love, the new, never seen before weapon crafting system. This system is amazing and you will find yourself spending hours on end just making new weapons with the materials found throughout the game, for example: I made a fully automatic bull pup rifle with attached shotgun underneath and for my sidearm(which it doesn't have to be a sidearm if you want you can add another primary weapon)I constructed a revolver with a very strong bayonet. with that being said the weapon crafting is genius and my hats off to visceral games for adding it in the game.

one thing I hear people complaining about is the co-op system, a lot of people i talk to think that the co-op will mean that when someone isn't playing along with you that their will be an annoying AI character next to you the whole time much like resident evil started doing in 4-6, however this is not the case. They kept it old school Dead Space with the frightening feeling of being alone all the time...if you choose to play campaign alone the AI character will leave after every cut scene which like i said leaves you completely alone the entire game, so no worries to those who are worried cause i was worried at first to ^_^

the game features plenty of upgrades with a great story, great voice acting and very good graphics all put together to make a perfect Action/survival horror game.

Im surprised that it only received an 8.3 on here when the first two stand at a solid 9.0, simply because this is the best one of the series! game informer gives a nice 9.75/10 and most other professional game reviewers give it a high as hell rating with no complaints

I say this is a must for all dead space fans and a must for anyone looking to play an amazing action/survival horror game

DO NOT!! miss out on this absolute perfect gem of a sequel from the Dead Space franchise

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.