As a big fan of the first two Dead Space games, the third instalment in the series sadly never caught my attention. The underwhelming demo and action emphasis, which was noted in many reviews had a large role to play in deterring me from ever making a purchase.
Despite this, Dead Space 3 scored well among critics. Although it didn’t quite reach the heights of the previous two games, the title boasts a very credible 76 rating on Metacritic.
We didn’t review the game here at TSA, but Alex did have a few words to say about Dead Space 3. Describing the first hour of the game as a “terribly messy, uneven and largely unpleasant affair” Alex was quick to reassure us that a “couple of levels later Isaac’s back doing what he does best: creeping around an old abandoned vessel in the dark”. Although not quite returning to the series roots, he concluded:
I’m interested to see where the game goes, though, and that’s a positive thing. I actually don’t mind the blockbuster approach with certain games – and whilst it doesn’t always fit here (jarringly so, at times) the developer has hit a few sweet spots that do give that impression of ‘awesome’ in the true sense of the word, but it won’t be for everyone. Dead Space 3 – the difficult third game in a series – will likely leave very mixed impressions.
As well as the slight switch in gameplay direction, the inclusion of micro-transactions was another new addition that caused quite a stir among the gaming community. This proved to be an unnecessary debate with players being able to complete the game without any further purchases, and there also being a way to exploit the system.
Now it’s over to you to share your opinion on the game. Does Dead Space 3 rank as highly, or does it even better the previous two games? Or do you feel the game is a dead weight to the series? Let us know.
Leave your thoughts below and we’ll round up all the comments next Monday in the Verdict article. Be sure to get your comments in by Sunday evening. Remember to give Dead Space 3 either a Buy It, Bargain Bin It, Rent It or Avoid It rating, too.
Taylor Made
I have it, played 10 mins of it. Like it but I want to play all of it with a co op buddy but need a buddy to co op with
matthangzhou
Will get it soon then we can co op together?
Taylor Made
Yeh deffo, let me know
Kamokazi-UK
While the start of the game was a little jarring considering the end of DS2 by the time I reached the Necromorphs it felt like normal. I did enjoy the game, not really had much of an issue with the microtransactions as the game does give plenty of opportunity to upgrade as i went along. Perhaps it could have been handled differently, but for me it was a non-issue.
The addition of coop to the campaign was not something I was able to do it was a nice idea as it brought an extra dimension and added story to what was a fascinating trip.
A definite rent it and if you like it buy it and find someone to go co-op
SpikeyMikey23
£10 in Tesco at the moment (UK wide)
GregHorrorShow
I was a big fan of the first two games and while I enjoyed this one it felt like the scales had tipped from survival horror to full out action in Dead Space 3. Which isn’t what I want in a Dead Space game. Rent It.
Youles
Fortunately, despite the pre-release berating TSA seemed to give it for it’s DLC, I found the bot scavenging was more than sufficient to provide enough resources for guns etc. Initially I wasn’t a fan of the new weapon creation system but after a while it grew on me, especially with the various acid/fire/electricity attachments. In fact, there is probably too many weapon combinations for me to bother experimenting with. Force Gun and Rocket Launcher had the job well done!
I know a lot of people probably wanted all three Dead Space games to be in tight corridors of the Ishimura, but then they’d have complained of the games being samey and boring! Either way Dead Space was going to struggle to live up to it’s amazing first game, but I thought DS3 was great (as was DS2), and have played it entirely co-op with MadJunkBoy, and now with McProley, which is a very welcome addition. Yes it’s more shootie and less scary than the others, but in its own right it a good quality game with a good story, very detailed environments, good combat, excellent sound. One of the things I love is that there is no HUD and the cut-scenes and chapters seamlessly flow between each other so the game is never broken up by a black screen or loading screen. I wish I could take a screen shot of some of the space scenes from Chapter 4, they look amazing!
What would have made it better is if the Pure Survivor mode was the default setting, since the enemies only drop resources rather than ammo/med-kits, so you have to decide what you’re going to craft, and whether you’ll spend resources on your Rig or Weapons – especially as it’s a survival horror game.
Buy It, especially since it can be picked up cheap now.
bladesew
I played the first hour or so. I started playing it on hard as was advised in various reviews for experienced players who had played the 1st two games but then hit a dead-end spike at the section where you’re first under attack by the invulnerable, regenerating ‘morph. I lost patience then and haven’t been back to it. I’d sort of enjoyed it up to then but found the weapon crafting confusing and I didn’t really understand it.
Overall, it felt unfocussed compared to the 1st two games. Rent.
tactical20
I’m a big Dead Space fan, and while this was probably my least favourite of the trilogy, I still found it very enjoyable. The micro-transactions were a total non issue, and even though it was more ‘actiony’, it was still a highly polished, well executed experience. Buy it, although as it’s quite old now, it’s probably more bargain bin it!
jimmy-google
Dead Space 3 is a very enjoyable game it’s just not quite what fans of the first two would have been expecting. The flip side is they could have just reproduced another Dead Space and people would complain that there’s nothing new. I think it just a more general issue which creating the third in a series than a Dead Space specific issue.
I’d still recommend that it’s at least a rental, though I’d probably say buy it. It may not be Dead Space 1 or 2 but it’s still better than most of it’s competition.
Tuffcub
Played a little but it’s either retreading old ground or just not be scary, not helped by the huge amount of characters and co-op. DS1 was scary because for the most part it was just you, alone, in a haunted spaceship.
psychobudgie
I just saw some gameplay footage of the new Dragon Age and it looks like a crappy 3rd person action game. I think I died a little inside when I saw it.