Dead Space 3 Review

"Manages to successfully blend both action and horror into one thrilling, fear filled ride of a game."

Video Review

Intro

The highly anticipated  third installment into the Dead Space Franchise has finally been released.  Dead Space is one of the very few survival horror franchises on the market today.  Lately things have been grim for the genre as a whole, seeing as Silent Hill hasn't seen a decent entry this generation.  Along with Resident Evil which seems to be having a bit of an identity crisis as of late, this is showcased with its newest entry Resident Evil 6.  Which suffered with poor reviews by both the critics and gamers alike.  It was most criticized for supposedly including too much action along with straying far from its roots.  Although, personally I don't think the issues with Resident Evil 6 came from that alone.  Dead Space 3 in a way followed suit with RE6, and decided to incorporate more action than its predecessors.  Luckily, Dead Space 3 manages to successfully blend both the action and horror into one thrilling, fear filled ride of a game.

Hello World

Story/Presentation

This game once again follows Isaac Clarke in his wake of bloodied dismembered bodies he has a bad habit of leaving behind. On his mission to end the infestation for good.  The game takes place sometime after the events of Dead Space 2.  Early in the game it sheds light on his now ended relationship with Ellie, the other survivor from Dead Space 2.  It shows of how Isaac is now a former shadow of himself and apparently lost himself and Ellie to his own darkness.  Ellie returns to Dead Space 3, eye intact, along with a more than obvious breast enhancement.  Then again who am I to judge a girl for wanting to look good after escaping from the hell, she went through.  I won't get too into the story elements in this game seeing as this is the third entry in the series, so most people by now should have a decent idea of what has happened and what to expect.  While on the subject of story though, this game offers about the same quality and intrigue as the previous installments.  Personally, I never found the plot of Dead Space to be all that engaging.  I enjoy the games more for the atmosphere they offer. This entry doesn't disappoint on those regards.

This game graphically, as to be expected is the most gorgeous looking entry thus far.  This becomes even more noticeable on the outdoor segments, not only in space but after crash landing on Tau Volantis (an ice covered planet) where you spend a decent portion of the game.  That's right no longer is the game restricted to the almost overused confines of just spacecrafts and outer space zero-gravity teases.  Actually, this game does a brilliant job of spreading out different set-pieces throughout the games entirety.  The prologue offers a tease of the icy planet's offerings, which won't get to be fully explored until about halfway into the game.  The first half of the game is taken by a very action oriented segment where Isaac is escaping his apartment, directly followed by spaceship exploration that is very reminiscent of the first two games.

Boom Headshot!

Dead Space 3 does an awesome job of putting the player into the locations it offers.  Whether it be the dark claustrophobic corridors of space-stations  or the thrilling ride leading up to the crash on the Tau Volantis.  At all times the player feels very connected to the game's world.  The player will constantly be afraid of the unknown.

Audio/Structure

The game is enhanced by its Audio, which helps brings the creatures and the world itself to life.  Obviously it also helps to create some little jump-scares every now and again.  Along with run of the mill game audio, Dead Space 3 is also graced with some truly atmospheric inducing scores.  For the most part the voice-acting in the game is top-notch but I noticed a few instances, more so in the beginning of the game where the acting faltered a bit.  Not sure if this was because of some weak writing or just a few lines of dialogue that the actor/actress didn't quite nail right.

Structurally, at its core this is still the same linear, chapter based, gorefest we have become accustomed to expect in a Dead Space game.  Some design, pacing, and weapon changes though have turned this game into something quite unlike its predecessors.  In my opinion, all of these changes turned out for the better, and made this game feel like a true sequel.  A feeling I did not experience at all whilst playing Dead Space 2 for the first time.  To me Dead Space 2 relied too heavily on the established mechanics of the first game and failed to improve on much. Which left me with a sense of Deja Vu, and a belief that I was playing Dead Space 1.5 not 2.  I'm reviewing Dead Space 3 though, so allow me explain how it improves on Dead Space 2's shortcomings.

First off, and possibly the smartest change was the differences made to the upgrade system.  No, longer will the player have to search for small nodes to place in sockets that increase a weapons damage, reload, rate of fire, etc.  No, now the player is able to build weapons from the ground up, along with the ability to save their creations as blue prints.  These weapons are built from random parts found from scavenging the land.  Along with being able to obtain parts by sending out little scavenger bots.

Upgrade Galore!

 Allowing one to customize and build their weapons, makes for a truly addicting and rewarding experience for the player.  Players can tailor their weapons to their personal strengths, and design a weapon that functions the way they want it to.  The weapons that one can create are in a sense versions of weapons in past games.  The modifications that are allowed to be added to these weapons though, make them unique.  This new weapon upgrading system along with the searching of rare parts, make the new game+ feature that much more wanted and needed.  Being able to tackle higher difficulties with one's self created weapons is a true joy.

The most obvious and possibly riskiest change, was made in the games pacing.  Before, Dead Space was set firmly as a slow paced survival horror game. That included a few small puzzles and mini-games to break up the game play.  Now in addition to all those things comes the inclusion of a decent amount of action.  By, action I'm referring mainly to the faster pacing that happens during the many gunfights the game offers.  This is where some people who want Dead Space to remain true to its roots for all eternity will be turned off.  I'm reviewing this game as simply that a game. Not by the pre-determined expectations, that this Dead Space will be a through and through survival horror game.

 Honestly this game functions well as a third-person shooter. These gun vs gun, instead of gun vs monster segments actually aide the game overall pacing.  Which in turn stop it from falling into the same repetitious behavior that Dead Space 1 and 2 suffered from at times.  For anyone who's skeptical about this game because of the addition of action. Who fear it will bring about the downfall of the game, can rest assured that the games entirety is not like this.  As previously mentioned the first half of the game, at least after the apartment chapter is actually very reminiscent of the past two games.  It's in this section where the game shines as a survival horror game.  I'm not saying that the game doesn't feel at all like a survival horror game during the second half.  It's just that during the second half the action, faster pacing, and gun battles become much more frequent.  Causing the game to turn into more of your run of the mill 3rd person shooter. The game surprisingly functions well as a shooter, with the addition of a small cover mechanic, and the ability to roll out of danger.  Sadly though, some flaws are noticeable during these segments.  Nothing major it's just Isaac's sluggish movements are really highlighted during these battles.  Honestly, this didn't really bother me.  Although, I could definitely see where some people may get frustrated during these parts.  I feel that if they continue this franchise and choose to follow the same route. That they should probably refine Isaac's movements a bit.  In order to make them function better during the gun battles.

Enemies with guns *gasp*

Another groaned about addition to Dead Space 3 is the addition of co-op, believing that it would make the game less scary.  Honestly I never really found the first two games to be actually scary, although I did think they had a great horror influenced atmosphere.  Which this game retains despite its new action orientation and co-operative game play. While I didn't spend much time playing co-op, preferring to focus on the solo campaign. I could definitely see some fun to be had.  There aren't many changes during co-op aside from a few extra Carter missions which flesh out his story a bit.  Along with some weapon trading, and co-op specific weapon upgrades designed to benefit both players.  Overall I'd say the addition of co-op is a nice feature for some people, but not exactly a game changer by any means.  I also don't believe that adding co-operative hurt the single player experience in any way.

Gameplay/Longevity

Aside from the inclusion of action, the game play remains almost identical to past Dead Space games.  Kinesis puzzles remain intact, along with the simple overriding doors mini game from Dead Space 2.  Now there is a new override mini game as well, that is slightly more engaging and utilizes both joysticks.  This new mini game was likely included because of the addition of co op.  A few times during the game you will also be in control of Isaac soaring through space dodging debris with the left joystick.  Possibly the best of these instances is when you're in control of the shuttle heading towards Tau Volantis, dodging and shooting different bits of debris.  This sequence is really well done, and  I believe is one of the more intense little sections in the game.  Another small change comes in the form of your weapon inventory.  Instead of being able to have and switch between 4 weapons at a time, you can now only carry 2 at a time.  This change isn't really that big of a deal seeing benches are frequent. Plus the weapons you're carrying are tailored more towards your play style, since you made them.  Another flaw, well more of an issue this game has is some lackluster boss battles.  This isn't really mind blowing though seeing as Dead Space has always had poor boss battles.  This game is even worse on that aspect though, with only 4 real bosses in the game.  One of the bosses you actually encounter on 3 separate occasions. Luckily he is probably the most exciting boss fight.  The second boss fight consists of a floating drill (yes really).  During the fight normal enemies are sent to impede you.  The third boss fight actually is intense, considering he eats you before you kill him, but the actual battling is still kinda weak. The fourth boss fight also the final boss, while being grand lacks intensity.  Although, I still found this final boss fight to be better than Dead Space 2's final boss fight.

Drill...I wasn't Lying

On top of being the riskiest, and most diverse entry into the Dead Space franchise it also manages to be the most fun to play. The game has an abundance of content and replay-ability which is to be expected.  It takes roughly 12 hours to complete the campaign on your first normal play through.  With a unique weapon crafting feature, plenty of difficulties, and its ability to addict the player, makes the overall package to offer more along the lines of 20-40 hours before this one hits the book shelf.

Conclusion

Dead Space 3 manages to mix action and survival horror into a game that satisfies.  The game is the most polished and refined addition to the franchise.  All of the new additions in the game were smart design choices that makes for the most diverse Dead Space experience thus far.  The game suffers from the same lackluster boss battles of previous games, and another typical plot-line   Dead Space fans should tread carefully approaching this game seeing as at times it strays from its roots.  Some small flaws in the game play are also noticeable during the games gun battles.  Overall though Dead Space redefines itself, and does so extremely well.  Diversifying the games pacing prevents this game from ever becoming tedious or boring.  Visceral Games have created a truly unique experience to an already beloved franchise.  It is unknown to me whether this will be the conclusion of the Dead Space franchise or not, but if so this is a most deserving ending.

Pro's

+Smart Pacing
+Blend of Action and Survival Horror that works well
+Most Gorgeous, Refined, and Polished entry in the series
+Addicting and Rewarding Weapon Crafting System
+My Personal favorite in the series

Con's

-Lackluster and recycled Boss Battles
-Story still doesn't intrigue me a whole lot
-Limited Character Movement is really showcased during the gun battles