Dead Space 3 Review

When you jump into a co-op game, Dead Space 3 gets increasingly fun, as players find different ways to tackle various types of enemies. In that respect, the series has indeed brought something new to the table and that deserves praise. However, it was never easy to define Dead Space. When it comes to picking genres, the franchise always remained on the fence so to speak. This installment emphasizes action, whether you’re playing a co-op game or just going through the single-player campaign. On ‘Normal’ difficulty, the game showers you with ammo and loot and that kills off any sense of survival and dread one would usually expect from a true horror-themed experience. The crux of the game is to mow down foes one after another.

Does this outfit make me look like an asshole? It does, doesn't it?

Braweasllbbbllbbaraaagghgh! Well, that's what they usually say.

Our biggest regret is that more time ought to have been invested in, say, level design to reduce backtracking, which is still a frequent occurrence. Less time should’ve been spent on making overblown cinematic scenes where control is taken away from the player. The cinematic-style action has its good sides too. We were impressed with unexpected scenes that take place during some of the boss encounters. There’s a segment in the game where Isaac gets swallowed whole and has to fight his way out of the belly of a gigantic, hideous Necromoroph.

It’s not entirely the same as in the previous two games. This time around, you can craft your own weapons, which adds some variety to the whole experience. It also gives players the opportunity to create, modify and upgrade the kind of weapons that suits their play style. As it turns out, most of the weapons the developers have come up with in the series so far are quite sufficient. In that sense, the new-fangled component of weapon crafting feels a bit redundant. The variety sometimes seems unnecessary if a lot of gamers are still going to be satisfied with the Plasma Cutter. 

Dead Space 3 is a fun action game and a delightful ride for those who are after a decent co-op shooter. If you want to play the solo mode, the co-op bit won’t get in the way, which is fine. But you still have to realize that this is a pure shooter. We have spent a lot of hours playing, in the hope of finding at least some traces of survival horror, but to no avail. It’s clear that they’ve upped the ante when it comes to action and EA and Visceral are not shying away from this fact, often admitting openly that it was the right course for the series to take. This, however, doesn’t mean they made the right decision.