Dead Space 3 - Review

In a year where trilogies have been the norm rather than the exception, Dead Space 3 wasn’t necessarily greeted with open arms.  Adding co-op to the campaign and even including human enemies, many fans were immediately turned off.  Before you play the game, you may want to consider how these changes have affected the franchise.


Graphics
Everyone knows I’m not that obsessive when it comes to graphics.  I enjoy a good looking game, but as long as it’s not glitchy or super ugly, gameplay is often the redeeming factor for me.  So with Dead Space 3, I can’t really say if it’s an improvement over Dead Space 2.  There are some nice effects here and there and a brighter color palette in places, but it basically looks like just its predecessors, which isn’t a bad thing.  I never had many problems with graphical bugs, although a few times when aiming on an elevator, Isaac would reset his position.  (If you’ve played the other titles in the series, you know elevators aren’t always safe.)  Aside from some clipping when enemies get too close, the game looks good, but doesn’t really make a big leap forward for the series.

Sound
It’s not very easy to claim a game’s sound quality goes above and beyond other titles.  Musical scores, sound effects, and mixing are often either good or terrible, but there are very few titles that really showcase exceptional audio mastering.  Dead Space 3 is one of those titles.  If you play this game with a good set of headphones or with a surround sound system (like myself), the audio really brings this game to life.  Vents explode open, ceiling panels crash, and creatures creepily groan and wail all around you throughout the entire adventure.  The voice acting is well done here (Isaac sounds a bit like Tom Cruise at the beginning to me, am I crazy?), with the exception of Danik, who sounds a bit forced at times.  The building violins and drums also add to the intensity and are crucial to the experience.  Flawless.      

Gameplay
If you’re a fan of the series, you’ve come expect a smooth third-person shooter with tight controls.  Dead Space 3 won’t disappoint, as everything from the first two games has carried over.  A few new moves have been added (including crouch and roll mechanics), but although some people are outraged over their inclusion, they are purely optional elements.  Also new is the weapon crafting system, which I have a love/hate relationship with.  In theory, it’s a good idea to be able to customize and build weapons in a way that best suits your play style, however, I found at times that trying to put new combinations together was a bit cumbersome.  Due to this change, they had to adopt universal ammo, since multiple types would be too confusing.  I partially enjoyed the aspect of ammo conservation and selection in the past, but others may disagree.  Overall, the gameplay remains very smooth, and my only frustration came from mountain climbing.  The latter part of the game has a few sections that really frustrated me, and made me wonder why the developers insisted on including such an unnecessary mechanic.  

Campaign/Story
Myth: There are human enemies throughout the entire campaign.  In fact, they are in the first 5% of the game and maybe the final 10% of the game.  Many fans were fearful that Dead Space was going the Call Of Duty route, trying to focus on gunplay and non-stop action.  Don’t get it twisted, this is definitely a Dead Space game.  There aren’t as many empty hallways, and then tension doesn’t build quite like the previous games, but this game is intense.  Similar to DS1, I didn’t find myself really wanting to play this game for large chunks of time.  There are a good amount of jump scares here, and the way enemies enter a room forces you to move at times, whereas with the previous games you could usually find a corner and plant yourself there.  The story itself is interesting, as Isaac teams up with Ellie and her new boyfriend to find the source of the Markers.  Again, people complain about the “love triangle,” but it’s so brief I didn’t mind it.  Isaac spends a good portion of the game navigating ships, and the latter part on the snowy planet of Tau Volantis, which is a nice change of environment.  Not too many new enemies in this entry, but all of them move extremely fast, and to me, I felt this game was the toughest of the three, for that reason alone.  I’m halfway through my second playthrough and immediately started it after I finished my first.  The campaign is very solid.

Lasting Appeal
Compared to the prior games, this game has a ton of unlockables.  Collectibles are kept track of this time around, and completionists will want to find everything.  Some people complain there are too many collectibles...then don’t collect them, seems like a pretty simple solution to me.  For the first time there is a mission select screen, which I think is very handy, and allows you to easily play your favorite section on-demand, or return to an optional mission you skipped the first time around.  Speaking of which, the optional missions were much more difficult and intense than the regular missions, in my most humble opinion.  Classic mode, pure survival, and hardcore modes are unlockable, not to mention it can all be done with a co-op partner.  I’ve yet to play the game co-op, but this one really seems like it would be a fun experience with a buddy.  Awesome replay value.

Overall
If you were a fan of Dead Space 1 and 2 and don’t mind a little bit more action, you’ll certainly love this game.  It really does feel like it belongs in the series, and makes an attempt to continue the story in a way that doesn’t feel like a stretch.  If you haven’t yet played the other entries, I would highly recommend playing them first, as this game is an appropriate evolution for the series.  The dark and intense corridors are still here, but the new elements and environments that add variety to the game are too.  Some members of the gaming community really have a hard time accepting changes to their favorite series, but not all changes are bad.
- BBestvin

Rating	Description
9.0	Gameplay Just as solid as the first two entries, the new additions don’t take away anything, but don’t add much either.  Weapon crafting is a mixed bag.  Mountain climbing is bad.
8.0	Graphics I can’t really say anything negative about the game, but I also don’t think there’s much difference between Dead Space 1 and 3.
10	Audio The voice acting is good, but you’ll most likely remember the intense music and sharp sound effects.  Second to none.
9.0	Campaign A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy that leaves no questions unanswered.  A variety of environments, enemies, and bosses will keep you wondering what’s coming next.
9.5	Lasting Appeal It took me 13 hours to finish my first playthough, but I’ll be going through a second, and possibly a 3rd time.  Optional missions, unlockables, and co-op extend it even more.
9.0	Overall (Not an average of above scores)