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Dead Space 3 Review

Graphics:
8.5
Gameplay:
7.6
Sound:
8.3
Control:
8.2
Replay Value:
7.5
Overall Rating:
7.9
Online Gameplay:
Not Rated
Publisher:
EA
Developer:
Visceral Games
Number Of Players:
1-2
Genre:
Action
Release Date:
February 5, 2013


I’m usually optimistic and upbeat in regards to my role as a video game critic. I am more than willing to recognize and acknowledge inherent quality, even if it’s not necessarily my cup of tea. But with Dead Space 3 , I have to draw a line in the sand: While I will say it’s worth playing and that it can be lots of fun, and that the production values are high, and that there are no glaring flaws, I will also say this—

It’s simply more evidence of an industry – and an era of our civilization – that is unabashedly more interested in flash over substance. The latest Dead Space opts to sacrifice a certain amount of fear in favor of in-your-face gore, gives us a convoluted and ultimately insignificant story, and appears to feature a bunch of “fetch” quests simply for the sake of killing more things. But this truth is hidden, veiled. It’s even occasionally lost beneath a flurry of admittedly fantastic action. We’re having a blast when playing, while something in the back of our minds is going, “…hmm…seems kinda brainless.”

To expand on my point, let’s consider the great visual presentation in the game. The artistic merit is undeniable, as the enemy and boss designs are excellent and the environment is immersive and highly detailed. The special effects are indeed special, there’s obviously a ton of technical proficiency on display, and the game runs smoothly at all times. As I said, the production values really are high and one must appreciate that level of effort and achievement. They even manage to infuse a bit more color and vibrancy than we’ve found in the past two iterations, and I salute Visceral for that, too. No, I have no problem with the graphics; in fact, I’m impressed.

The sound excels as well, as we get some great voice performances, top-notch sound effects, and a fittingly freaky soundtrack that enhances most all nightmarish encounters. The balancing isn’t perfect and not all spoken lines are delivered with the same amount of convincing skill, but these are minor drawbacks. The effects absolutely sparkle in some cases, especially when engaged in massive firefights, where the visual effects also leap right off the screen. The technical elements are very good, even great. There are a few small inconsistencies and eccentricities, but nothing to get in a twist about. And this is why it’s so easy to just say, “Yep, Dead Space 3 is awesome.”

And in some ways, it is. I get that. There’s so much to like and yet, a nagging part of me kept telling me that something felt…wrong. But first, let’s start with the story that tries to be complex but ends up being a little confusing and in the end, almost unimportant. Isaac Clarke reprises his role as the fearless protagonist and this time, he’s part of what could’ve been a really interesting love triangle. Plus, he’s stranded on the icy tundra of mysterious Tau Volantis and although the story does cite past plots, those who don’t remember the first two games might be somewhat baffled by what they see and hear.

But that’s all right because in truth, the focus is squarely on the gameplay, which is amped up with loud and in-your-face set pieces, huge, terrifying bosses, and yes, even a subtle sense of fear. Visceral opts to dissolve much of that growing fear with ceaseless swarms of Necromorphs, though, which is a shame. There was so much potential there, and they just didn’t let it build enough. Anyway, with the great technical components adding to the urgency and intensity, you’re almost always on the edge of your seat. It’s just not a Resident Evil edge of your seat feeling, which may irk those seeking a more Hitchcockian adventure.

Then you have the greatly enhanced weapon crafting mechanic, which is surprisingly deep. In fact, it’s deep enough to be somewhat disconcerting because I found that it didn’t necessarily fit with the theme of the game. Weapon crafting and customization is intricate enough to be considered borderline intelligent, while the flow and style of Dead Space 3 seems anything but intelligent. However, such a robust system adds some strategy to the experience because if you end up creating something perfectly useless, you could be in big trouble. Plus, it’s cool to experiment and collecting the requisite parts can be quite entertaining for all the meticulous gamers out there.

So after you’ve combined a flamethrower with a grenade launcher or turned your plasma cutter into something totally outlandish, you continue on your merry way, tearing through some of the most absurdly freakish creatures you’ve ever seen. Your foes don’t seem to present the same challenge they did in past series entries, but I think that’s just because Isaac’s strength and firepower is superior now. The enemies are diverse and force you to adapt on the fly, which is always a bonus. On top of which, I happen to like feeling powerful in my games, so I’m not about to complain that Isaac isn’t quite so vulnerable or fragile this time around.

Lastly, much has been made of the cooperative element, and there’s a good reason for that: If you only choose to play the game solo, you will miss Carver’s side of the story. And of course, there’s always the added fun of playing with a friend, where you will find puzzles tweaked to allow both players to participate, and crazy sequences where one of you loses his mind…and the other just watches, confused and a little frightened. It does indeed add another dimension to what is a decidedly straightforward experience but like the main plot, Carver’s story isn’t exactly memorable. It’s emotional but also clichéd and just feels empty.

The developer does try to mix things up with unique gameplay segments that give you a break from the third-person shooting. Some of these ideas work, some don’t. The core combat is fine; it works well, the enemies are some of the wackiest you’ll ever see, the environment is really well designed, and the control is nigh-on rock solid. So in that, there’s little to complain about. But as I said above, one must look past this; compare this to the original Dead Space for example, and the differences are clear. They’re not bad differences, per se, but they do reek of a concerted effort to cater to the casual and to the “twitchy.”

Look, I’m all for games that present you with a formidable, interesting atmosphere and launch you into a hellish adventure that will keep you up nights. But that’s just the thing: This game hasn’t kept me up nights. It just isn’t scary. At least, it isn’t consistently scary; the Necromorphs and other opponents (especially bosses) are intimidating, but the basis of this adventure is gore and nastiness and grossness, not indefinable fear or crawling skin or spine-tingling sensations. In short, it’s less about being frightened and more about tearing sh** up.

Granted, Dead Space 3 does a darn good job of letting you tear sh** up. That’s a fact. The environment is continually interesting and involving, the character and enemy designs are highly accomplished, the third-person action is reliable and responsive, and the deep weapon crafting system adds intricacy. But the subtler aspects, the slightly more artistic elements, the more cerebral parts of the production; they take a back seat to the insanity. Hence, the epitome of flash over substance. Just to be clear, however, that flash is of an elite quality and doesn’t deserved to be insulted. If that’s what you want, you’re good to go. If not…well…

The Good: Great design and atmosphere. Blistering effects and decent voice acting. Good control. Weapon crafting adds depth and strategy. A well-paced, lengthy campaign. Co-op makes it feel like a new experience.

The Bad: Unsatisfying, seemingly insignificant story. Not enough done with concepts of fear and trepidation. A few original gameplay segments don’t work well enough.

The Ugly: “‘Ugly’ is a dominating factor. Kinda need it.”

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bigrailer19
bigrailer19
11 years ago

I havnt played the game yet. I did pick it up though. Been reading reviews on it, im quite surprised by the lower scores than anticipated. I was expecting an 8.5 game at least. Although the amount of changes did worry me a little. Regardless it sound like all the reviewers love the game, but are upset it isnt Dead Space. Sounds like a case of RE5 all over again.

If the game is good and I enjoy it, well obviously thats all I care about. But it is a shame that these developers cant quite grasp what made these games popular in the first place. Remember the DS2 commercials where they brought in people to show the scare factor… Thats what this series is about. To bad we didnt see any sort of thing in the area of marketing, which should have been the focus again. Although at the same time, this could be an all out war to finally end the series and in that case I suppose it has a place in all this.

LegendaryWolfeh
LegendaryWolfeh
11 years ago

Kind of an unexpected score for me after all this hype. Unfortunately not much I can say as I haven't personally gotten to play it yet, not even the demo, but it seems like it's too much about the action than the scare-factor now?

Of course I'm sure anyone who has already enjoyed the series so far will probably continue to do just that. It would seem like they could have added a bit more immersion I'd guess?

Either way, I really do want to play this game with a friend. I mean come on…battling off necro's together, not even caring about the story but just to smash stuff is always a fun thing to do with someone else.

Gamer46
Gamer46
11 years ago

7.9? Apparently crappy story, horror elements not as well done as in the past… Awesome, another high profile disappointment. I'd say I can't wait for the next-gen to arrive to solve this problem but the truth is the only thing that will solve it is if the idiots running these companies stop going away from winning formulas. Nobody asked for every f'ing game to follow the CoD formula. EA or Activision, pick your poison, I don't know which of these companies is worse for the industry. And not only does EA have the gall to charge $60 for this run of the mill trash but they also want to charge $11 a pop for day-one DLC bundles? I hope people tell them to f*ck right the hell off.


Last edited by Gamer46 on 2/6/2013 12:52:28 AM

AcHiLLiA
AcHiLLiA
11 years ago

Could u still operate the 2nd controller with no buddy to see Carver's side of the story? I guess not cause your AI buddy will get creamed.

touchyourtoes
touchyourtoes
11 years ago

New Game + on easy mode? Make Isaac some badass weaponry and you should be able to execute that idea.

Re the reviews; mostly what I was expecting to hear about this game. Sounds like bargain bin fodder to me.

AcHiLLiA
AcHiLLiA
11 years ago

yah I'm going to hold off for a while on this.

homura
homura
11 years ago

I've read some comments on Gamespot, it seems they are enjoying it a lot. One comment makes me laugh, he's playing coop and his partner is doing the puzzle while he is on defense fending hordes of Necromorphs while yelling "Be Smarter".

CrusaderForever
CrusaderForever
11 years ago

Hilarious! I am going to have to try out the COOP after I beat it in SP. I think this game could be extraordinary in COOP! So far it feels like DS2 to me.

homura
homura
11 years ago

Hehe, I'm glad you're enjoying it. Good luck in the impossible mode. Let the horror begin. Hahaha.

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
11 years ago

FYI,

For those who played DS2 & are getting DS3, I hope you kept your save files from DS2 so you can get your "Free" weapon upgrade now!

People that kept their DS2 save file will unlock & receive the "Planet Cracker Plasma Cutter" at DS3's very first bench.

The Planet Cracker Plasma Cutter has slightly better parameters then the starting one, plus has all 8 circuit slots unlocked at the beginning to give you a slight edge.

CrusaderForever
CrusaderForever
11 years ago

I was impressed by this. I was able to get some freebies by just having Dead Space 2 and Mass Effect 3 save games on my PS3! I love the game and I knew I would. Actually going to start over on Impossible and give that a try. Isaac is still troubled by his knowledge of the Markers. Just made it to Chapter 2. Hopefully DS3 sells well so we can get DS4 on the PS4!

Lord carlos
Lord carlos
11 years ago

I think i'll just end the series at DS2 in my mind & focus on hitman collection,hitman 5 & Splinter cell hd collection untill god of war acc…oh wait aliens!!…ok untill aliens is out
shame really…should of stayed single player

berserk
berserk
11 years ago

This is no re 5/6 , if you play single player , there won t be an AI beside you .

I hope capcom play that game and see how it s done .By that i mean the coop part not the all action , we don t need you anymore survival/horror fan .


Last edited by berserk on 2/6/2013 5:16:21 AM

___________
___________
11 years ago

sad, the biggest potential DS2 had was the insomnia issac was suffering i really was hoping they would delve into that allot more!
besides adding humans and turning it into gears, they have watered down the story and level design.
well done visceral, just hurry up and give us another dantes inferno game!

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
11 years ago

I deleted the demo before even trying it, screw this whole depressing direction

CrusaderForever
CrusaderForever
11 years ago

I am all over this game. Cannot wait to play it tonight. I bought the PSN version and it took all yesterday from 7:30am-1am to download!! Uhhgggg! That's the longest a game has ever took for me to download. Patience is a virtue as I am sure I will be rewarded. Anything Dead Space I love so I am sure I will enjoy this game.

Excelsior1
Excelsior1
11 years ago

"In space nobody can hear you scream." Apparently EA and that fool Popoutsis couldn't hear the screams of Dead Space fans coming from earth when they decided to action up the series and move away from its survival horror roots.

Popoutsis stated that gamers want change but they really don't. um, Mr. Genius might be overthinking it a little bit. What gamers want in a sequel is for the game to expand and build on the strengths that made the first game great. They sure don't want to see those strengths watered down and removed.


Last edited by Excelsior1 on 2/6/2013 9:45:28 AM

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago

When I played the Dead Space 3 demo, it reminded me too much of Resident Evil 6; a game I didn't like. I'll probably buy it when the price drops but I'm not paying full price for it.

Beamboom
Beamboom
11 years ago

That was a bummer. Dang.

telly
telly
11 years ago

disappointing. I'll still play this but think I'm going to wait for a price drop. I'm late coming to this series, actually. I just FINALLY beat Dead Space 1 last week and Dead Space 2 is setting on my desk next to me, unopened, right now 🙂

DIsmael85
DIsmael85
11 years ago

For those of you who have not played it and are seriously thinking that Ben's review is a low score which means the game is bad, please do everyone a favor and grow up. I've been playing the game and it plays and feels just like the ones before it. Is that a bad thing? Maybe, maybe not. I still get the sense of being alone, as I am playing single player, and I still get some spooks. The demo surely wasn't the best representation of the game, however, they didn't bring the demo out to grab fans of the first 2. It's good to try and get more folks to buy your game, where is the harm in that?

They didn't bog this game down to a Gear of War clone, it's still Dead Space. Then again, who am I kidding. I'm just giving an opinion, not necessarily trying persuade the naysayers. I'm just shocked how flip floppy these comments are about games these days. I fear for the next gen of consoles. Gamers will become more spoiled and the quality of games will drop yet again. Bottom line, if you enjoyed DS1 and DS2, then it's a given, from experience, that you will most likely like DS3. It's the same thing.

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