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Dead Space 3 is an intergalactic suspense horror with a sideline in puzzle solving. As a thinking man’s FPS, it’s like a brain teasing Halo: Reach.
Returning main man Issac Clarke is joined by cohort John Carver for the new co-op sections and a strong helping hand to end the alien invasion of Necromorph scum..
Dead Space 3: Plot
Issac Clarke is on a mission to destroy necromorphs, an alien breed not unlike the beasts from Ridley Scott’s universe of extra terrestrial renegades. This time around, he’s crash landed in a place called Tau Valantis and is in deep trouble.
If you’re pondering whether Aliens: Colonial Marines will be any good, the plots of both games are similar but the alien virus that creates the necromorphs, kind of zombie and human hybrids, are unique and you’ll them evolve as Dead Space 3 promises to end the species once and for all.
Dead Space 3: Features
The co-op mode with military hard man John Carver is the standout feature. He’s a military man set on revenge for the death of his wife and son and his weapon skills mean he can customise weapons where Isaac Clarke can’t. Clarke can, however, made tweaks to his suit and the co-op mode makes the best use of this when dual boss battles kick off.
New enemies Swarm Infectors take over humans as a host and you’re left looking at a skull attached to something deeply alien-like rather than a human skeleton.
Dead Space 3: Characters
Issac Clarke originally began life as a ship engineer before the plot of Dead Space made him an alien slapping hero, on a personal, one man mission to save the world, or at least part of space. His weapons of engineer tools have now progressed to proper guns.
John Carver adds back-up and there’s the voice of marines directing you, grumpy types who offer insights which are really exclamations. That’s your lot – space is lonely and we’ve only seen necromorphs and a giant snow beast as company for Clarke and Carver.
Dead Space 3: Gameplay
Strategic dismemberment is still the key focus of the game which means, in short, you need to shoot the moving bits off aliens first and rip off arms when required. You can disarm doors with glowing, orb style power and use a rail gun and disc based weapon.
The linear levels aren’t as straightforward as you may imagine and there’s a big part of the game which involves searching for power switches and backtracking to find out where you went wrong.
Dead Space 3: Early Verdict
Tense with stunning visuals, Dead Space 3 looks every inch the rival to the forthcoming Alien: Colonial Marines. It’s not as gung-ho as the new Halo but we don’t mind that.
The co-op and puzzles add depth but we’re hoping that the strategy goes beyond simple search and rescue missions for power buttons. The snowbound level hints at this, so we have our fingers crossed…
Availability: Q1 2013 | Price: £44.99 | Author: Richard Melville
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