Dead Space 3: Difference between revisions

Dead Space 3
Cover art depicting series protagonist Isaac Clarke
Developer(s)	Visceral Games
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Composer(s)	Jason Graves, James Hannigan
Series	Dead Space
Engine	Visceral Engine
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release	NA: February 5, 2013 AU: February 7, 2013 EU: February 8, 2013[1]
Genre(s)	Survival horror, third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, co-op

Dead Space 3 is a third-person shooter video game, developed by Visceral Games. Announced at E3 2012 on June 4, 2012,^[2] it is the sequel to Dead Space 2 and the third main entry in the Dead Space series.^[3] Primarily set on a frozen planet called Tau Volantis, the game will follow protagonists Isaac Clarke and John Carver as they attempt to end the Necromorph threat.^[2][4]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2013)

Dead Space 3 pits player character Isaac Clarke against the Necromorphs, human corpses reanimated by the signal of a Marker. The Resource Integration Gear (RIG) suit also returns, using holographic displays projected from the players' suit and weapons to display health and ammo count, respectively. In vacuum areas a timer will appear on the player's right shoulder, indicating how much oxygen that character has left before they suffocate.

In Dead Space 3, Isaac and Carver can roll and take cover to avoid attacks. This new ability was described by a Visceral Games developer as essential, as it "felt dumb/terrible not to have it" and that they have been "making Isaac more responsive," as they "want the horror to come from the terrible things that happen in the story of Cinderella; not from the horror that something is moving slowly towards you and you can't shoot it because the game controls like a piece of crap."^[5] The cover system is also described as "organic" in nature; for example, the player does not need to "walk up to certain tagged things and press the cover button; Isaac or Carver just does the action that is appropriate for the given situation."^[5]

Aside from returning Necromorphs, Dead Space 3 features a large cast of reanimated enemies. One example is the Waster, whose attacks change depending on how it is dismembered; while another is the Nexus, an insect-like giant that can crush or swallow people whole.^[2][6] Other obstacles in Dead Space 3 include a new human enemy, Unitologist soldiers; and environmental hazards like falling machinery and a giant mining drill.^[6]

The bench weapon upgrade system from Dead Space and Dead Space 2 has been redesigned as a new upgrading system called the 'Weapons Bench'. Here, players are able to construct new weapons from parts gathered throughout the game. The bench provides two main frames to start with—a light one-hand frame and a heavy two-hand frame—and players can build new weapons and even put two weapons together (for example, a plasma cutter and a flamethrower). Examples of weapon functions include an electric rivet gun and an incendiary buzzsaw launcher.^[7] If a player does not want to build a weapon from scratch, they can choose from ready-made blueprints, including classic Dead Space and Dead Space 2 weapons. Built weapons can also be shared in co-op mode.^[8]

Dead Space 3 has a drop-in/drop-out co-op mode for its campaign, which was announced at EA's E3 2012 press conference, stating that it will unlock "additional story details and gameplay mechanics only found when playing as the co-op character, EarthGov Sergeant John Carver."^[9] Each player will have alternate experiences as a result of their characters' dementia. For example, the player controlling Carver will find toy soldiers in a biology facility, while the player controlling Isaac will not see them. Co-op also puts the players in separate situations: for example, when Carver tries to open a door, he suddenly becomes trapped in his own mind (echoing a similar situation in Dead Space 2,^[10]) forcing Isaac to protect him from a sudden surge of Necromorphs until Carver can free himself.^[11]

A Visceral Games employee has confirmed it was "always intended to have co-op in Dead Space", citing co-op supporting game System Shock 2 as a source of inspiration for the Dead Space series.^[5] He also pointed out that if the player chooses to play alone, Carver "may appear at some points (as do other NPCs) but for the most part he is not there."^[5][12][13]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2012)

Two hundred years ago on Tau Volantis, privates Tim Kaufman and Sam Ackerman were sent to retrieve a mysterious object called the codex, for Doctor Serrano until they were attacked by Necromorphs. After retrieving the codex, an avalanche claimed Sam and Tim manage to reach the base but sees many SCAF soldiers committing suicide. Tim meets General Mahad and plans to give the codex to Dr. Serrano immediately but was executed. General Mahad then purged the data from the codex before committing suicide.

After escaping the Sprawl, Isaac Clarke encounters Sergeant John Carver and Captain Robert Norton, survivors of a Necromorph outbreak on the planet Uxor;^[14] need his help to find Ellie Langford until they were attack by Unitologist soldiers led by Jacob Darik that activates a Marker on the colony triggering a convergence effect and causing another Necromorph outbreak. Clarke and Carver manage to escape and later arrived in Tau Volantis,^[15] a frozen planet where the ruins of a 200-year-old colony are found.^[4] Learning that someone was able to stop a Necromorph outbreak there, the group tries to land on the frigid planet; however, the ship breaks apart upon entry, and Ellie is separated from the others. As a result, Isaac resolves to save her along with his original goal of stopping the Markers.^[16][14][12]

In September 2011, a video was posted via IGN suggesting that Dead Space 3 was in production, showing art in development for the game.^[17] Visceral Games had also leaked some information about the game including the setting and story.^[18] On May 7, 2012, it was announced that a new Dead Space title was being developed for release by March 2013.^[19] Game Informer unveiled a new image from Dead Space 3 showing Isaac wearing a fur-covered snow suit somewhere on Tau Volantis. The game was shown at E3 2012 and is set to be released in February 2013.^[20]

The limited edition will come with two bonus suits and weapons. GameStop pre-orders will include the EG-900 SMG, a compact Earthgov submachine gun sporting an internal hyper-accelerator.^[21] The PC edition of the game will only be available through EA's Origin service - it can still be purchased at retail, but must be linked to an Origin account.

A playable demo was released on January 22, 2013 on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. Xbox 360 owners who signed up on the official Dead Space website were able to access the demo one week early.^[22]

The official launch event for Dead Space 3 in the UK will take place at Game in Swansea Morfa Retail Park. The launch event will be held there on 7 February at 10:00PM, the night before the release^[23] and will be sold at 00:01 8 February after Electronic Arts ran a competition between all Game stores in the UK asking how would they launch Dead Space 3.

Dead Space 3 received generally positive reviews, achieving a score of 79/100 for the Xbox 360, and 80/100 for the PS3 on Metacritic.^[24] Game Informer gave the game 9.8/10 saying, "Dead Space 3 evolves the winning formula into a title not only befitting of the fantastic series, but also one of the best games of this generation."^[25]

Polygon gave the game 9.5/10 saying, "Visceral hasn't just avoided screwing up its game with co-op — it has made it feel natural and at home, and has done it without impacting the single-player experience in any negative way. That alone would be enough to make Dead Space 3 an achievement. But the new crafting system and bigger, more open level structure join co-op to make Dead Space 3 one of the best action games in years."^[26]

GameSpot gave the game 8/10 saying, "This is a game rife with options and flexibility, building on the strengths of the franchise with clever new ideas that let you tailor the experience to your liking. It hits a few sour notes in its story and struggles at times when it steps away from the core combat, but Dead Space 3 is a thrilling and worthwhile sequel."^[27] Hardcore Gamer gave it 4/5 saying, "Sure, it has a larger scope and a more intriguing storyline, but there are some questionable design choices mixed in with the thought of déjà vu. Regardless, Dead Space 3 retains its horror brilliance in offering a moody, atmospheric adventure full of exciting events."^[28] Destructoid gave the game 8/10, stating "Dead Space 3 could have been the best entry in the series, and in many ways, it still does provide some of the franchise's most energetic, thrilling, entertaining moments. The changes thrown into the game inevitably damage its charm, though, and make this a step down from its prequels."^[29] GamesTM had a list of pros and cons, summing up with "boss fights in Dead Space 3 are particularly forgettable, while the narrative occasionally lacks the courage of its convictions and the end-game reveal is a little too ludicrous to take seriously...where the new concepts work, they add to the solid core and are enhanced by Visceral’s excellent pacing and its impeccable audio and visual design work, not to mention what remains the best HUD design in all of video games."^[30]

Official Xbox Magazine gave the game 7/10, "Most of the things fans loved about the original are here, and the new features are cleverly mixed with the existing ones, but in terms of the structure, Visceral is treading water. Dead Space isn't dead by any means, but the spark isn't quite there."^[31] Eurogamer gave the game 7/10, saying "Dead Space 3 is a contradiction. Gorgeous but scruffy; tightly packed yet stretched too thin; often frustrating, frequently thrilling and bursting at the seams with stuff, not all of which fits comfortably inside the boundaries the series has set for itself. It's certainly not a great game, except perhaps as a poster child for the kitchen-sink development mentality of a console generation in its twilight months."^[32] Edge gave Dead Space 3 a 7/10, saying "The sense of immersion is about as unparalleled as you can get...But the campaign feels overlong and stretch marks begin to appear towards the end of the roughly 20-hour adventure. This game could have benefited from some strategic dismemberment of its own, performed by a shrewd editor who knows how to sever redundant limbs."^[33]

VideoGamer gave the game a mixed to negative review, awarding it 5/10, "Dead Space 3 is a let down because it’s not a very good action game, and a really substandard horror game. It is devoid of ideas, hung up on laborious combat and obsessed with making even the exciting seem boring. In truth, it’s a bit of a shocker."^[34]

EA president Frank Gibeau stated "we definitely do not want to piss off our fans" by toning down the horror content in Dead Space 3. "We tried to open up the accessibility of the [franchise] a little bit by adding a little bit more action, but not undermining the horror."^[35]

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