Dead Space 3
Producer: Electronis Arts
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Rating: Mature
Genre: Third-Person Action
Better Off Dead
Written by Josh Schilling
Dead Space was a breath of rotting fresh air when it debuted in 2008. Gamers that once wet their beds playing Silent Hill or Resident Evil would once again have a reason to wash off the rubber sheets. The small corridors, grotesque imagery, and intense combat made for a unique third-person shooter that favored pacing over explosions. The inevitable sequel did more of the same, but a tad sharper and with much more memorable moments. When EA announced that the third entry into this saga would take place on an ice planet and feature co-operative play, many fans were left wondering whether the survival horror had gone out the space window in exchange for more action and a multiplayer hook. Sadly, those fans were exactly right and Visceral Games has made something more akin to other shooters in the Electronic Arts lineup. Gone is the true terror and in its place is a collection of firefights and micro-transactions.
This game shines in its titular region: space. Isaac Clarke feels vulnerable and weightless as he zips across open space from one derelict ship to another. He spacewalks alongside destroyed cargo, fending off silent enemies and scavenging wayward ammo and supplies. Then, as if to keep you from having too much fun, the game calls you back indoors and ultimately rips you away from the final frontier and crash lands you onto an ice planet. Even worse, the “survival horror” is pretty much gone with the inclusion of run-and-gun shooting and human enemies that shoot guns and never flank. The first five hours of the game dance around the compact fervor of the first two titles, while the game’s final five hours ramp up the narrative and provide the most stress-inducing gameplay of the entire game. It is the middle ten hours, where the player is stuck on an ice planet, back-tracking and fetch-questing, which makes this title so difficult to recommend.
Some things do pay off, such as the co-op gameplay and refinements to the weapons. Co-op gives players a chance to play the entire game through with a buddy, and even access some missions blocked out for solo players. Each player has their own loot, so no worrying about who is stealing as items can be shared between players. That loot is used to build personalized weaponry, from flamethrowers that do extra damage to electrified saw blades. A new cover system is introduced, but really only effective when used against the human enemies, as the necromorphs flank and rush you until you die. For everything the game does right (space walking, visceral violence), it does something equally wrong, such as the screwed save system and the repetitive second half. The game seems so intent on doing many non-Dead Space things, like rappelling along cliff sides and having a dozen different love triangle cut scenes, that the only relief the player gets is actually dismembering monsters. The graphics are nice, but not a huge improvement over past versions. Some of the lighting effects are pretty nice, especially the way the game handles alien technology and occult settings. The gun crafting is neat and allows for personal creativity, while the combat is still as surgical as ever, but the plot points that push you along are so not worth completing that slogging your way around other people’s priorities is a bore. Go back and play the first two while waiting for a proper sequel to Dead Space 2, as this game is definitely not it.