Dead Space 3

A great horror game was turned into a decent co-op shooter. Dead Space 3 is well-made but the uniqueness of the series is gone. Was that really the goal? [CD-Action 04/2013, p.66]

Could've used touch-ups in existing areas, but hey. [Apr 2013, p.64]

The focus on intense action comes at the expense of legitimate alarm, anxiety, and dread. That’s just not a trade-off I’m overly interested in.

Dead Space 3 struts its dedication to more dismemberments than delusions as a solo sci-fi gunfest. On that count, it's not a disappointment. On the other hand, it's hard to ignore what it loses when it tries to balance the needs of longtime fans while seeking to broaden its audience.

It’s clear that they’ve upped the ante when it comes to action and EA and Visceral are not shying away from this fact, often admitting openly that it was the right course for the series to take. This, however, doesn’t mean they made the right decision.

Even though this sticks close to Dead Space's horror roots in structure and pacing, the last two games were much more threatening, horrifying and memorable. That being said, Visceral hasn't really done anything wrong, except trying to blow up their game to bigger proportions than its initial idea was ever meant to. Consequently, Dead Space 3 can't help but feel stretched. By now, you know the tricks too well, as to be blown away by one or two sound upgrades. (…) Still, this is a competent and at times outright glorious game.

As a solo experience, Dead Space 3 is the weakest entry in the series. The tension's still there, but it's the kind you can kill bullet by bullet until nothing is left except the dull pangs of tedium. But when you're dismembering Necromorphs with a friend at your side, it becomes a greatly enjoyable cooperative adventure. Just don't expect to feel much of that distantly familiar fear-based anxiety--in Dead Space 3, that's one terrifying monster that's nowhere to be found.

The sense of immersion is about as unparalleled as you can get without an Oculus Rift strapped to your head. But the campaign feels overlong and stretch marks begin to appear towards the end of the roughly 20-hour adventure. This game could have benefited from some strategic dismemberment of its own, performed by a shrewd editor who knows how to sever redundant limbs.

Most of the things fans loved about the original are here, and the new features are cleverly mixed with the existing ones, but in terms of the structure, Visceral is treading water. Dead Space isn't dead by any means, but the spark isn't quite there.

Dead Space 3 is a contradiction. Gorgeous but scruffy; tightly packed yet stretched too thin; often frustrating, frequently thrilling and bursting at the seams with stuff, not all of which fits comfortably inside the boundaries the series has set for itself. It's certainly not a great game, except perhaps as a poster child for the kitchen-sink development mentality of a console generation in its twilight months.

It’s not a bad action game by any standards, but without the Dead Space name, I doubt this iteration could have even made a splash in the genre. Wait for a price drop unless you’re the hardiest of Dead Space fans.

Dead Space 3 is an enjoyable action game, but it's unlikely to make a lasting impression.

There’s also unevenness to the pacing between the high-energy action divided by constant collect-a-thons.

This is a sequel afraid of what its predecessors stood for and too timid to focus on and perfect their strengths. It’s a real shame that it’s the game’s creators that seem the most scared in Dead Space 3, rather than the players.

This final chapter in the trilogy certainly gives you your money's worth in necromorphs waiting to be dismembered, but the overall quality of the game just doesn't feel equal to the high standard set by its excellent predecessors.

Whatever this is, it's not a true sequel to the Dead Space series. What it is though, is a decent action game with co-op elements. But just don't expect any kind of horror.

Dead Space 3 doesn’t know what it wants to be. It’s too busy with explosions and constant monster attacks to build up any tension, and thus fails as a horror game. On the other hand, its mechanics are too heavy and cliche-ridden, and the combat too repetitive, to work as an action game. And what are we left with then? A game that doesn’t impress in any of the areas where it really counts.

Dead Space 3 is a game that looks sleek, is polished to the last minute detail, and is full of some stunning set-pieces. But beneath those shiny distractions, it lacks any real sense of soul, slotting in among a raft of other third-person shooters, never causing you to feel anything other than short bursts of panic and relief.