Face-Off: Dead Space 3

[Administrator]

The Dead Space series has successfully delivered gripping survival horror across two excellent games so far, but in producing this third instalment the developers faced a serious challenge: how to push the franchise forward without simply covering old ground? Visceral Games adopts a similar 'bigger is better' approach to the one used by Capcom with its recent Resident Evil games, upping the sense of scale by introducing expansive set-pieces and more traditional shooting scenes into the mix. In many ways this more action-focused direction is a logical progression for a series which has become increasingly cinematic with each instalment.
There's a strong argument that the more action-based changes mean that the core of the survival horror experience has been slowly slipping away since the first Dead Space, but the use of some outstanding audio/visual exposition still infuses this new sequel with plenty of atmosphere during the more traditionally themed areas of the game. As Isaac carefully traverses the ruins of decaying ships in the cold dead of space, the demented screams of the Necromorphs echo from multiple directions, while the stomping soundtrack during combat quickly engenders a sense of urgency. On a visual level the use of a deferred lighting set-up brings with it an accomplished use of dynamic light and shadow that does a great job of completely immersing the player in the foreboding world Visceral Games has created.
In that respect, while the formula may be lacking in surprises and that all-important scare factor, it still provides some gripping entertainment, something that it successfully carried across to multiple platforms with seeming ease. Dead Space 3 is one of the closest multi-format projects we've seen this side of Criterion Games' Need for Speed: Most Wanted, and of course Visceral Games' own Dead Space 2 - another extremely close game across Xbox 360 and PS3. The following videos should make the point and, if they're not enough, hopefully an extensive triple-format comparison gallery will make the point.
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