So, after having played and enjoyed the previous two titles, immensely,I might add, I was eagerly anticipating the next title. As survival horrors go, it definitely seem like one, if not the best of the currently available. Mind you, I'm hardly a connoisseur of horror games. With the changes in some of the basic dynamics of the recent Resident Evil games (not all of which are for the better) during the release of the first Dead Space game, it seemed like Dead Space arrived in time to fill in the niche the original Resident Evil had, with a modernised twist, and IN SPACE! Indeed, much of what eventually evolved into the current iterations of Resident Evils could be seen in the last 2 Dead Space games. The addition of multiplayer in Dead Space 2 and the addition of Co-op in Dead Space 3 could be seen as parallel lines in the evolution of gameplay. Other parallels could be seen by the sections of gameplay that focus on panic horror (as opposed to scare horror and I realise this sounds somewhat the same) mirrors the current mainstay of Resident Evils 4, 5 and 6. While the previous Dead Space game had the same moments, the addition of human enemies made it more reminiscent of that. One thing that it doesn't escape, much the same way Resident Evil couldn't is the resources you accrue (and not just raw materials - so health packs, ammo, weapon components and upgrades) mean that by mid to late game, survival isn't as big an issue anymore. This is a bigger problem with pre-order weapons (more on that later) I feel I need to point put that, while Dead Space 3 was created for co-op (and it's somewhat telling since it lacks the multiplayer of Dead Space 2) it doesn't force it on you like Resident Evil 5 where you're stuck with an ally who's more of a hindrance than help. The one thing that annoys me quite a bit however are the micro transactions. I've played through it and have not had to use it a single time, but I feel that in many ways it detracts from the overall experience since it brings you out of the game to enact it. If you start the game with lots of the resources, it defeats much of the early survival aspects that are critical to setting up the game. And speaking of things that full the experience, I love a good bonus tie in weapon and suit as the next person, but when that bonus, like I have said with the micro transactions gives you an early advantage, there's a lot less pressure on you as the audience, to do your darnedest to survive. I get the detractors (not sure if that's the right word to use) that say "You don't necessarily have to use it" and I agree, however, if it's there, the temptation's always there. I think a way they could have mitigated that was to put the blueprints or the weapon itself into a bonus level, or some location where it's early, but not at the beginning. This would have had the bonus of seamlessly integrating it into the gameplay while giving them the bonus they went out their way to purchase. It's probably not ideal, however since many people don't wish to work for (in a game) for something they bought with cold hard cash. While I've only played the single player (not currently gone through the co-op yet) I'm told the changes between the two are seamless, however, since it includes the extra player, it tends to be on the easy side, so it's recommended that you crank up the difficulty. The story neatly ties up much of the story threads of the previous games and the graphics and quality is in much the same vein as the last two games. The set pieces seem much bigger too, and I was pleasantly surprised by the length of the singles player campaign. The weapon creation is quite a nice addition, letting you create the ideal weapon at work benches you find lying around. And this might be slightly nit-picky, but I was somewhat disappointed at the nerf to the line-gun. But it was fine since the shotgun filled a nice close-ranged role. To those of you who read the somewhat negative things in this and are still on the fence, I still recommend getting it. Or at the very least a borrow or a rent, since the conclusion of the games is at least a worthy effort, and at it's most, a shining example of how to make a horror game.
