Review: Dead Space 3 brings on the dementia
Isaac Clarke fends off a berserk Necromorph in the bowels of Dead Space 3. (Photo from gamerzines.com)
As I dimmed the lights and the eerie music washed through me, I knew I would be in hell in a matter of moments.
Released Feb. 5 in North America, third-person shooter video game Dead Space 3 promised new horrors, adventure and jaw-dropping visuals. Taking place primarily on the frozen planet of Tau Volantis, engineer Isaac Clarke returns to end the threat posed by an alien artifact named the Marker.
Exhumed from the Earth approximately 200 years in the future, the Marker emits a frequency that drives those around it violently insane and reanimates dead tissue, leading to an outbreak of hellish abominations called Necromorphs.
What makes Dead Space 3 so radically different from previous installments is the inclusion of online co-op.
This was my first time playing online co-op on the Playstation 3 or any console for that matter. I am, after all, an eccentric recluse that rejects interaction with society. While I didn’t feel alone and isolated now that I had an online partner (or human shield–sorry, Hassan), co-op still added to the heightened sense of fear. I was forced to constantly look out for my friend as he teetered on the verge of death.
When you aren’t staving off an outbreak of Necromorphs, you’re solving puzzles in a co-op fashion, exploring the cold depths of space and crafting weapons. The weapons crafting interface is spectacular, giving you more freedom to customize your weapons in a limitless number of ways.
On the downside, Dead Space 3’s plot seemed a bit forced at times, especially at the beginning; it just seemed too convenient that you would be thrust back in the role of fighting off a new outbreak after Isaac vehemently refuses to help.
At its core, Dead Space 3 is a ruthless, ecstatic experience that demands to be replayed, but it is not for the weak of heart.
Category: Other Featured
