I have finally had a chance to play one of last year's most anticipated games, and it lived up to my expectations, though not all of them in some cases. I have already made posts about the first Dead Space game and the second so be sure to check those out if you are looking at getting into the series from the very beginning.
The game starts with an introductory mission that takes place 200 years before the events of the main game, on the frozen planet of Tau Volantis playing as a soldier during the necromorph outbreak. The game then jumps forward to the present (2 months after the events of Dead Space 2), showing us Isaac living on a lunar colony, suffering from a heartbreak over Ellie Langford. Out of nowhere Isaac is captured and recruited by EarthGov, who inform him of yet another necromorph outbreak, he must be thinking "for Fucks Sake, a third time now?!?" So Isaac and EarthGov head for Tau Volantis, so Isaac had better grab a coat and some mittens as he begins his final mission, eliminating the Necromorph outbreak on their home turf once and for all! Pneumonia is the least of his worries here.
The gameplay is pretty much the same as Dead Space 2 although slightly improved. The first weapon given to you in the game is a Pulse Rifle (which is basically a machine gun), which, despite seeming more realistic, it is harder to use since the enemies are tougher, and let's face it, a Pulse Rifle doesn't slice off necromorph limbs as easy as the iconic Plasma Cutter. The machine gun makes Isaac look more like a soldier than an engineer in my opinion. The gun's firing rate is faster which is a big help although it does have its downsides, since it can wake up your enemies.
Some new features in the game aren't really my cup of tea. The Weapon Bench system that's used to construct weapons is a tough construction method to get your head around, although a double Plasma Cutter sounds handy it does take away the always reliable rotation ability. Scavenging is essential, as it allows you to gather parts to upgrade your weapons which is beyond essential. I heard EA babbling on about how there is another version of the game compatible with the Kinect sensor. I suppose this could probably make the weapon construction mode a little bit simpler, however, shouting voice commands in a Dead Space game is an idea that I am not a fan of myself.
Another thing to mention is that the game features a co-operative mode with the second player taking control of the character called Sgt. John Carver, I'll have to convince someone to try that out with me sometime online.
I personally felt the atmosphere of Dead Space 3 is just as scary as the first game, especially when hordes of enemies attack you in the dark.
The game reminded me a lot of the Lost Planet series, minus the thermal energy depleting every second. It is quite hard to make out where you are going during the snow storms but when you are inside a complex, everything seems much more comforting, and kicking necromorph butt is easier. Speaking of necromorphs, the infected soldiers on the planet move faster, are more agile and are definitely more hostile than normal necromorphs. When you shoot the top half of their body off, a tri-tentacled spine looking parasite thing appears, which looks like something from the music video to 'Fantasy' by DyE.
Compared to previous games where the action begins suddenly (Dead Space 2 even let you see the grotesque creation of a necromorph, which was lovely). But sadly the game's events are slightly drawn out, and you don't actually set foot on the frozen wasteland of Tau Volantis until the eighth chapter.
A particular type of necromorph returns during the space missions that has the ability to regenerate. It is supposed to give you a challenge but it is just excruciating and tough. Rather than feeling thrilled, killing this particular necromorph felt more like an irritating struggle and not fun at all. I think the moments when I encountered another new necro type that I guessed were the remains of the crew that worked on the planet were one of the scariest fights I dredded looking forward to. These pack of stick, agile and terrifying zombies are creepy as hell as they swarmed all over me and were hard to aim and kill since to them I was a banquet.
The conclusion to the game felt just as epic and mind bending as the final fight from the second game only not as horrifying as Dead Space 2's fight since it had the same necro stick zombie pack and Isaac's dear friend was a scary halucination even for me! The final fight of Dead Space 3 certainly was challenging with it's lac of time to get things finished and ending on a sad yet meaningful note for our hero.
I would love to say that this was a great finale to the Dead Space series, although a secret at the end of the game just leaves me thinking "what else can they add to this series?"
