Review: Dead Space 3

Dead Space 2 was a commercial and critical success, bringing more action and a bigger story to the Dead Space universe, while still keeping a healthy mix of horror. Even though it was no longer a straight survival horror title, the sequel built off of the first game in a way that felt natural and it didn't forget its roots. While Dead Space 3 isn't able to surpass the high bar set by Dead Space 2, Visceral has delivered a solid sequel that will please many fans of the Dead Space series.

As we discovered by the end of Dead Space 2, the red markers are everywhere, and Isaac Clarke isn't any closer to stopping the Necromorph threat by the beginning of Dead Space 3. The game begins with a brief playable prologue, and then Isaac is quickly thrust into action once again. Isaac's journey takes him to the frozen planet Tau Volantis, which may be the source of the markers and the way to destroy the Necromorph threat.

The start of Dead Space 2 was one of the more memorable game openings I've played in recent memory, so I did find the prologue and first chapter of Dead Space 3 to be a bit of a letdown. Instead of delivering a unique and interesting way to bring Isaac back into the fold, we're provided with a generic shootout and escape that would have felt right at home in the middle of the Total Recall remake. Thankfully, the beginning is not representative of the majority of the game, and it only gets better from there.

Once you get into space, you'll find that Dead Space 3 is very similar to the second game. There is a great mix of horror and action, along with some fantastic zero gravity and space flight sequences. The arrival on Tau Volantis really shakes things up and is sure to please any fans of John Carpenter's The Thing. As the Necromorphs designs are highly influenced by that film, most gamers should love fighting off dozens of creatures in the middle of a blizzard. The game offers a good variety of enemies and locations, with new types of Necromorphs popping up regularly, and enough environment variety to keep you from getting bored.

One of the biggest changes you'll notice from Dead Space 2 right away is the crafting and resource system. I had a big issue with the upgrade and weapon system in the first two games, and everything has been overhauled this time around. Throughout the game, you are given the ability to hunt for different types of resources that can be used at the workbench and suit station. These resources allow you to select individual upgrades for your character, customize weapons, and create items. Overall, I was very pleased with the way this system was set up and really enjoyed having this kind of flexibility over my character's build.

While people were worried about many of the new add-on features, there's nothing here that kills the game and there's quite a bit to like. Some of the new features seem like they're covering edge cases in an attempt to broaden the appeal of the game, but they're all optional. These features include Kinect support, co-op, microtransactions, optional "dungeon" missions, and multiple game modes that unlock after you beat the game. I don't feel like any of these items hurt the game, but it's unlikely that the majority of people playing the game will be using some or all of these features. EA was given a hard time for their decision to put in microtransactions, but it is absolutely not necessary to pay to play the game. I had plenty of resources left over, with my character and weapons fully customized to my play style. I feel that the microtransactions would only be used by completionists and die-hard Dead Space fans that were playing the game multiple times over, needed to try all gun options the game had to offer, and didn't feel like putting the play time in.

The game's biggest fault is surprisingly not a technical item or new feature, but the story, which plays too much like a generic summer action movie. The story beats are predictable and make it difficult to be surprised by the major events or care for the character involved. The Dead Space world allows for the possibility of some really interesting sci-fi/horror tales that dig a bit deeper than your standard shooter. For people who don't see as many horror elements in this game as the first two, I feel this is a byproduct of the story, which could have done a lot more with the main story or even subplots to build scares and tension.

Despite some issues with the story, I thoroughly enjoyed my play time with the Xbox 360 version Dead Space 3. High quality horror/sci-fi titles are rare and Visceral has created a cinematic gaming experience that still contains plenty of scares. The problem here is that they set such a high bar for me with Dead Space 2 and weren't able to meet or exceed it. While Dead Space 3 was designed with a new audience in mind, fans of the first two games should still find the latest sequel to be an enjoyable return to the Dead Space universe.

Game Score: 4/5