INTERFACE - 4.5 out of 5
VISUAL - 5 out of 5
CONTENT - 4.5 out of 5
AUDIO - 5 out of 5
CONTROL - 4.5 out of 5
If you are in the market for an immersive, gory, 3rd person survival horror shooter epic set in space.....then look no further! Dead Space 3 is the third (obviously) in an incredible series following the journey of our unlikely hero and engineer Isaac Clark. Developed by Visceral Games, this instalment continues our adventure along with some new characters, including soldier John Carver.
Isaac has come a long way from being just an engineer on an interstellar mining ship, the USG Kellion. After discovering an alien virus had taken over fellow USG mining ship the Ishimura over the planet Aegis VII, Isaac has been through hell and back to survive this strange disease. Now plagued with the knowledge of the construction of the Markers (a collection of monoliths spread throughout the galaxy that turn dead bodies into mutated killing machines known as Necromorphs), Isaac has had to hide from earths government and a sepratist group known as "Unitologists" (a religious cult that worship the Markers power). Though when these Unitologists rise up in a terrorist fashion, earths last resort is to find and call upon you to use your forsaken knowledge to help destroy the plague once and for all.
Along with a crew of scientists, Isaac and Carver must burst through space in search of the origins of the Necromorph outbreak and a way to destroy the Markers. Taking place mainly on the frozen planet Tau Volantis where it is said its people had found a way to defeat the outbreak, this crew must brave harsh weather, fantastic battles and life or death situations in order to find a way to destroy the Markers and the plague along with it. With no shortage of nail biting suspense and phenomenal set pieces this game delivers a little bit of everything one could ever want, and more!
INTERFACE: Evolving from the first and second titles, the menus in and outside of this game are intuitive and for a lack of a better word easy to navigate. Outside menus give you an ominous glimpse into the atmosphere that is found within. Inside, as in the previous titles, the lack of a HUD (Heads Up Display) help the feel within the experience stay active as you do not have to leave the game to a menu screen to view your inventory or ammo supply. This also leaves you vulnerable in a good way. Having to pick and choose while on the move adds to the games provocative tension. As well, putting the health and stasis meters on your RIG (Resource Integration Gear/Life support) was a genius decision from the first title on.
VISUAL: Despite the fact that this sequel as its predecessor is on 2 discs for the Xbox, I understand the necessity and applaud Visceral for not "cheaping out". The graphic content (pardon the pun) is matched only by the use of the visceral engine. I am in no way a techo genius, but it seems to be working for them so far, and its only getting better. The visuals in this title are far superior to many other games in this generation. One of my favourite aspects are the facial expressions. The believability and humanity of these characters really shine when you can relate to their emotions, and DP3 achieves this in glorious fashion. For me being only matched by such titles as Mass Effect and L.A Noire. Aside from this, every other area or room you walk into seems to have had alot of time, effort, blood, sweat and tears poured into them. From the environment textures down to animations of both main characters and enemies, Visceral nailed it!
CONTENT: For those of you who have been following Dead Space from its conception, the content remains the same, except for some sweet additions. Starting of course with the crafting and weapon customization options. Previous Dead Space players will be familiar with the BENCH, a way station, if you will, that allows you to unlock new weapons and upgrade ones you have. That is the same here with a few changes. The new BENCH allows you to craft custom weapons with parts you loot from enemies and the environment or to craft these parts with scraps you find along the way. One problem I had with this system is that I got 2 pretty awesome weapons with a download code in my copy so I didn't feel the need to create weapons until later on. It didn't seem to be necessary to me to use this system, although it is a really nice touch. Another familiarity for Dead Space fans will be the Suit Changes and upgrading of the RIG. RIG upgrades remain the same except for that your upgrades are also done with found objects instead of NODES as in the other games. Although I didn't play it in abundance, the jump in jump out co-op multiplayer was something I feel is an aspect that is open to your own interpretation. I didn't feel it was necessary, but for you multiplayer junkies out there I'm sure you will appreciate playing this game with a friend. Adding Carver into the campaign at times was odd. The added dialogue made sense in a way, but also seemed to be tossed in. I could go on for days, but you get the idea. There are tonnes of new things to explore and fiddle with.
AUDIO: As in many big name titles, the VO (Voice Overs) and the score have as much an important place as any other part of a release, if not more so. Again DP3 does not disappoint. The music in this game is among the best I have yet to hear. Especially with a game like this that depends so much on the atmosphere. Ominous tones and eerie creeks and groans are abundant through the whole campaign and not so much as to overwhelm the senses. The things here that pop the most for me are the voice acting, enemies and weapon sounds. The music is great, but tip toeing through dark passages hearing moans and wails, not knowing when you will be attacked are what give this game its gravitas. Along with this are the incredible gun acoustics. All of the basics are covered like shotguns and machine pistols, but the originals like the line gun and rivet pistol are made to sound believable and powerful. With the voice acting though, you couldn't ask for more. Everyone in the game delivers emotional and unforgettable performances. The actors in any game can make or break the whole of the experience. You will have to see for yourself, but I believe they were shooting for an emmy with this one. lol (In a good way)
CONTROLS: Last but not least, controlling Isaac in this instalment was a pleasure to say the least. With the addition of the "Dodge Roll", comes the best the series has had yet. No more do you feel trapped into running away and turning your back on enemies. The controls seem quicker and more responsive. This makes sense because the game itself has become a quicker experience. Not taking away from the slow methodical hallway creeping of the other two, DP3 has added faster enemies and gigantic boss battles that desire this newer better control. I never really felt trapped in an area, unable to navigate my way out of a bad spot. I love what they've done and I hope they continue to innovate for the next project Visceral sets upon, be it Dead Space or hopefully, another franchise!
OVERALL RATING - 4.5 OUT OF 5
Feel free to leave comments or suggestions below
Feel free to leave comments or suggestions below
