Opinions & Thoughts: Dead Space 3

[Hamburger Helper]

Alrighty guys, Dead Space 3 finally released Tuesday for America (02/05/13) and Friday for Europe (08/02/13) and with that, how is everyone feeling about this game so far?

As for myself, I'm quite mixed on this game. I'm on Chapter 14 so far, so I'm pretty far in. Let me get the good out the way first; This game oozes atmosphere with astonishing cinematic set pieces as well. To be honest, Chapter 2 in this game has to be one of my personal favorite missions in gaming thus far. Explosions shroud the universe's only hope for survival and the protagonist of the plot, Isaac, whilst in the mid of that firefight, struggling to acquire a fresh gulp of oxygen. I truthfully think some of the set pieces of this game put similar sci-fi games (Mass Effect) to shame. There's alot more to talk about with this game, which is why I'll add more later when I'm fully finished with the title.

As for the bad, it's some parts of the game to be quite honest. There are moments where the game amplifies the intensity, and others where it feels as if you're a Engineer but you're not on payroll. There are moments where you have to back track quite a bit and it feels as if this is all busy work instead of something to "Take down the Terror". While this stuff needs to happen (?), it often feels quite tedious having to do that. Saying that, I do like how this is probably the first game in the series where you do engineer things such as repairing ships, finding engines, etc. That and some other very small issues don't degrade the experience whatsoever, however they feel as if they should've been implemented better, if so to speak?

There's more to be said on the title, that's for sure however I still haven't finished the title to the fullest and will report back on my final thoughts of this title.

So, what were your guys' opinions and/or thoughts on this game? Best of the franchise? Great way to start off 2013? Or was it a watered down experience and hopeless to continue playing it? Leave those comments!!

[lporiginalg]

Hmmm haven't played the game but interested to see what others will say. I also never played DS2 but I did plat the original. Based on what you've said, sounds like a lot more of the same, there was loads of backtracking in the original and I would have thought enough people would have complained about that they would fix it, guess not. The original did include lots of missions that revolved around fixing part of the ship tho, finding engine parts, getting the communication array back online etc, so that's not really new.

I'm particularly looking forward to people's reports on playing the hardest difficulty and the co-op mode. Is the co-op fun or forced? I read a bit about the scavenger bot finding resources for you. In hardcore mode do you have to spend hours and hours scavenging to advance in order to not use the microtransactions, or does the game go at a reasonable and not boring pace. Look forward to replies

[KitsuneChaos]

In the midst of the optional mission on Chapter 9, I'm finding myself at a bit of a loss. While thoroughly enjoying the game, I do feel that it's going by a bit too quickly.

I suppose maybe I was just spoiled by 2, in the sense that -- well, the game was just messed up.

Though there are a few things that I like more, when compared to the original two: universal ammunition being the most important. Not having to carefully choose my weapons in order to control my upcoming ammunition lifts a great weight off my shoulders. But at the same time, I find 5/8ths of my inventory space is filled with 20 quantity packets of ammo. And a majority of the rest is either health or stasis packs.

I don't know. I do feel that the game is definitely worth the purchase, and I'll probably feel inspired once it's over, but until then I'll have a constant itch as to why I'm having reservations.

Sorry for the scattered comments; as you can tell: I'm a bit puzzled.

[Hamburger Helper]

Hmmm haven't played the game but interested to see what others will say. I also never played DS2 but I did plat the original. Based on what you've said, sounds like a lot more of the same, there was loads of backtracking in the original and I would have thought enough people would have complained about that they would fix it, guess not. The original did include lots of missions that revolved around fixing part of the ship tho, finding engine parts, getting the communication array back online etc, so that's not really new.

I'm particularly looking forward to people's reports on playing the hardest difficulty and the co-op mode. Is the co-op fun or forced? I read a bit about the scavenger bot finding resources for you. In hardcore mode do you have to spend hours and hours scavenging to advance in order to not use the microtransactions, or does the game go at a reasonable and not boring pace. Look forward to replies

Dead Space was back tracking however it felt a bit more vital? If that makes sense since you were basically trying to escape a ship where as in this one you are trying to stop the outbreak once and for all.

I have only tried the co-op in the demo, not in the main game. I'm currently in a solo run then doing the co-op with a good friend of mine ASAP and will definitely report back on that. However, in the game it automatically places Carver in some of the scenes where I question where the hell had he come from since he's absent throughout the entire experience as far as I'm concerned. As for the difficulty modes, I've actually had more luck in this game than in past Dead Space games. This game is basically a cakewalk on Normal compared to 1 & 2, to be honest. I think I made it to about Chapter 8 without dying so that'll tell you how easy this game is. Plus, the save exploit will make Hardcore look like a joke.

[TENCHU_REPPA]

i just beat dead space 3 and will plat it ..just like ds1 and 2... i might start hardcore ....

[Hamburger Helper]

i just beat dead space 3 and will plat it ..just like ds1 and 2... i might start hardcore ....

Not to be a dick, but what'd you think of it?

[Blade-Of-Exia]

Just at the beginning of chapter 17. So far its been a great game, not quite as good as the other 2.

I feel it is lacking in the horror department as far as setting goes. I can see it not being as "scary" as 1&2 considering Isaac has been at this a while now and he should be used to it along with anyone thats been playing since DS1. I am missing the old broken Isaac with all the psychological issues that was always seeing shit that wasn't there. Looking forward to try co-op as both Isaac and John.

Also missing some of the suits from 2, most of these ones look horrible except the N7 suit for having ME3 save.

[TENCHU_REPPA]

Not to be a dick, but what'd you think of it?

the game is awesome (nuff said) but a little different ..... for some reason i still like ds2 way more as of now

[Captain_Cutscene]

I may be a little incomplete in terms of experience (just hit about three quarters of the way through) but so far it is a fantastic game. It doesn't really feel like it did in the previous two games though. These are my top three opinion points (note: this is just an opinion please feel free to disagree)

• Ellie has gone from quite the survivalist strong female character in the second game to just being a....'female character' in the third. She seems to be a weak willed middle pawn in some odd and confused love triangle between the captain and Isaac. She also seems to have ditched her steadfastness and Isaac in the interlude between 2 and 3. Oh, they've also focused on her boobs a little too much, as opposed to the 2nd where she was portrayed as a near equal to Isaac with regards to the general skillset required to resist and combat necromorphs. My opinion - she would have been a far more interesting character if they had left her with a single eye and as equally obsessed as Isaac is (just from a different angle). I still maintain, Ellie should have been the co-op character. Not Carver.
  
• Ammo - Bit of a weird one, but honestly, i've currently got a super gun with about 900 rounds of ammo. When I'm in a room full of enemies, I don't bother thinking 'crap, I need to really watch where I fire here. Need to make every shot count, no idea where the next ammo store will be' I just think 'fire! fire! fire! kill everything! fire at everything! I have more than enough ammo.
  
• Epic scale - some of the most awe inspiring sci-fi visuals i've seen. Everything is so broad and wonderful looking. I think my first spacewalk was probably one of the most memorable moments this console generation. But it completely diluted the claustrophobic quality of the previous two games. In the previous two if there was a hull breach, I would be crapping myself, trying to get to the next pressurized area before dying, or avoiding some sort of horrendous meteor shower/necro attack. In the third this environment becomes a playground of fun.
  

Edited February 10, 2013 by Captain_Cutscene

[Hamburger Helper]

So I finished this game last night and if you were in the PSNProfiles chatbox, you already know my opinions on the game.

GOOD

• The side plots are excellent in this game. The "love triangle" between Isaac, Ellie, and Robert was gripping throughout the entire game and in my opinion, better than the main story itself. If this had been a soap opera-type game, I would've loved it.
  
• The cinematic blockbuster set pieces. C'mon, this game might've been awful however some of these set pieces put other sci-fi games to shame such as Mass Effect. Along with that, Chapter 2 in this game has to be one of my personal favorite missions in gaming. Kick ass!
  
• The characters. All right, the characters in this game actually feel like real people and the writing for them is particularly strong, I thought. The only reason I actually wanted to get through the game was for the characters and their emotions/reactions to what was occuring around them which brought some heavy and quite intimate moments between them. I think I might've enjoyed them more than The Walking Dead's characters?
  

BAD

• The gameplay. A good portion of this game feels like busy work/backtracking your ass off. Basically, something bad ass will happen then right after that, it's, "Go back to this place, fix this thing, then go back from where you came, fix that, then come back to have a conversation *epic set piece* etc." It feels a bit repetitive certain times which brought the pacing down. And to be honest, I was actually skipping past portions of the game to get to the next cutscene to see what would happen next.
  
• The main plot. This is supposedly the "last" arc of Isaac's journey and throughout the entire game, why do I feel as if I'm an engineer not on payroll? I don't feel in any way that I'm contributing to stopping the necromorph outbreak as well as trying to get off the planet. I was bored during some sections and towards the end of the game had just opted to run past all the enemies since I didn't feel as if I was doing much.
  
• Difficulty. This game started off easy as hell, then the third act of the game (Chapters 12-18) became Demons' Souls?? The game would consistently throw countless amounts of enemies at you and with some of the boss fights, would just spam the same attacks to knock you down which really tainted the experience for me. There were moments where I would have to get up and just walk away because if I didn't, I would've broken something. Dead Space & Dead Space 2 had bullshit moments however Dead Space 3 just throws 'em at you consistently during the last act of the game, which I became irritated and annoyed.
  
• The ending.
  
• The plot twist.
  
• Weapon bench; It fucking sucks.
  

[Rubieno]

What do you think, was wrong with the ending, scotty?

You watched the credits?

[NightWing127]

I played it at rent. Not sure about it, but I like dead space 1 & 2 better. Though, this is also good.

[lordfenton]

It's a good game but I still prefer DS 1 and 2 over it with the horror aspects. The save system and going action heavy kinda dropped my score from an 10 to an 8. It's a good game with some few steps forward but some steps back.

[Blade-Of-Exia]

they could've stepped the co-op up with some more missions. maybe in dlc.

[Hamburger Helper]

What do you think, was wrong with the ending, scotty?

You watched the credits?

*SPOILERS*

It was quite underwhelming and quite drivel, to be honest. I like the fact they go with the hero "dying" however it's not that well executed and looks silly. The whole moon plot twist doesn't help since it would've been much better if Isaac's was in a final stand at the end while a bomb was to be set off to blow the planet to bits while Ellie was escaping, that would've been more memorable and exciting instead of fighting a live moon?! Nothing quite made since in this game at all and the moon twist was unbelievably stupid to the point of me just giving up on that story arc entirely.

Yes, I've seen the post credits scene which was alright since it felt like Isaac didn't die whatsoever. However, I felt quite robbed from the experience as well since this was supposed to be the final arc for his story and with that and the "secret" message in-game, that doesn't help jack shit. Can't wait to burn another $59.99 on the sequel just for co-op with my good friend!

[Bullstomp]

Thanks for sharing your opinions, I will wait till it inevitably hits the bargain bin

[Muff]

honestly, the game is pretty dam fun. most people are complaining about the more action stance the game has taken, but it actually goes for less of a creepy scary, and more of a "you aren't going to live through this room" scary...which they gave me a lot of, even on normal. on top of that, the co-op isnt just something tacked on where they have carver show up to play, but the cutscenes and other stuff make it like its still solo. they incorporate the co-op in, through having the missions that only can be done in co-op to add to the backstory of Carver, and some fun and interesting change in cutscenes and dialogue: they made sure it wasnt an afterthought, but a feature. the story had me come away with 3 major things: Roberts is a bitch, Danik is a jackass, and they seemed to focus much more on the relation between Ellie and Isaac, it was pretty interesting. My favorite change is the weapon bench and all the changes it brings. Throughout playing, I am always thinking of what would work better or best for rooms or enemy types, and how i can up the weapons i have, its always on my mind, and they make it so theres always a good number of choices. Plus, the resources make things interesting, where on harder difficulties and the special game modes, they come into a bigger focus, making you have to choose on a new gun, upping your RIG, or getting ammo or health to get you through.

It may not be as creepy as DS1, or as fucked up as DS2, but it does what it does pretty damn well

[TENCHU_REPPA]

just platinumed it... the game is awesome nuff said

they could've stepped the co-op up with some more missions. maybe in dlc.

dlc coming next month

[PipeSwinger]

To be honest I loved the game. I think the additions to the game were great. Being able to totally customize weapons was a phenomenal idea. I do wish the suits had some sort of beneficial factor to them. I also must say the game wasn't scary. Of course I got chills at some parts, and a frightened at other parts. But in my opinion no where near as scary as being completely alone and isolated in Dead Space 1 or being haunted by your dead girlfriend in Dead Space 2. None the less I loved what they did with game. And Co-op was a great idea.

 

9.5/10

[BDKSimba]

To be honest I loved the game. I think the additions to the game were great. Being able to totally customize weapons was a phenomenal idea. I do wish the suits had some sort of beneficial factor to them. I also must say the game wasn't scary. Of course I got chills at some parts, and a frightened at other parts. But in my opinion no where near as scary as being completely alone and isolated in Dead Space 1 or being haunted by your dead girlfriend in Dead Space 2. None the less I loved what they did with game. And Co-op was a great idea.

 

9.5/10

totally agreed with U hommie. even though like a novice I gotta start My HC run again after hitting chapter 9, My fault for not backing it up. but I would be quit upset if I didn't enjoy playing it. will like comment later, hit My quota for 2day.

[Brako_Version_5]

After my first playthrough I was just in a state of 'meh' with the game. Played the DLC chapters and was left in a sate of 'Did I just complete Dead Space 3 DLC or Mass Effect 2 DLC?'.

 

Its an ok game. Cost me £7 brand new and the DLC cost me £7.99 lol. The gameplay in terms of combat and stuff is decent, but personally I think Dead Space fans and even Visceral are wishing this game didn't happen. Its not a bad game to play, its a badly written story which makes it dull to play.

[Matticus182]

To be fair, Dead Space 2 set the bar so high that there was no realistic way that Dead Space 3 could even come close to meeting my expectations, especially with EA having the final say so in everything.

 

The Good:

• Sounds and visuals were great
• The controls and mechanics were tight and consistent so it felt very much like a Dead Space game
• The co-op was a cool addition, especially playing the co-op missions from both Issac's and Carver's perspective (a friend and I had some very hilarious memories from playing this in co-op)
• The return of the foam finger (this time in the shape of the "horns") and its silly reload mechanic

The Bad:

• The ending, both to the main part of the game and the DLC
• EA forcing in the stupid microtransaction system which completely ruined any and all sense of survival horror because I had so much ammo to use with my custom rocket launcher machine gun with splash damage immunity that there was absolutely no risk of dying.  I'm surrounded, no problem, just shoot my feet with 5 rockets and I'll be fine
• Going along with my prior bullet, the hardcore run was a joke and it was no where near as hard or as adrenaline pumping as the Dead Space 2 equivalent simply due to the fact that you were so overpowered it wasn't funny
• The weapon customization, while cool and fit with the whole engineer thing, turned this game from survival horror to 3rd person shooter

 

In all seriousness, if it happens, I will be out there on day one dropping $60 on Dead Space 4.  I love me some Isaac Clarke and could 4 really end up being worse than 3?

Edited June 26, 2014 by Matticus182

[simula67]

I posted my thoughts on Dead Space 3 here after I finished up the platinum and 100%. Going back and reading my thoughts now, I still completely stand behind everything I wrote. 

[LeiFangFan85]

The worst of the Dead Space franchise by far. Turned the series from a Survival Horror type of game to a generic FPS.

[Hemiak]

Not as good as the first two. Still totally worth playing.