Dead Space 3 Demo Review
M1GO and I got our hands on the Dead Space 3 demo a few days early via a Facebook promotion (BTW, Like us on Facebook!). Since the new feature in Dead Space 3 is multiplayer co-op, we decided to team up and play the demo together. The official release date for Dead Space 3 is February 5, 2013.
Everyone talks about how great the Dead Space series is and how scary the original game was. To be honest, I think I’ve played about 1 hour total of Dead Space. Too many other games got in the way and it’s one of those games that keep getting shoved to the backlog, eventually it just completely fell off the backlog. I guess it’s kind of like the Bioshock series for me. One of those games that everyone seems to love but one that I could (maybe won’t) get into. 
I have to admit that I haven’t been following the progression of the Dead Space franchise. I’ve only actually gotten through half of the first game, and I’m adamant that I’ll eventually finish that game using only the starting weapon… eventually. I will admit that the first game was pretty disturbing and freaky, and ranks up there with some of the best survival horror games. It’s like an updated version of the movie Event Horizon, which was the most disturbing sci-fi flick I’ve ever seen.
LOL, didn’t we have this conversation a year ago about you getting around to finishing Dead Space? For me, I am not ashamed to admit that I will NEVER go back and play it anymore and I even made the commitment by trading it back in so I’ll never see it on my game shelf! I’ll make a note to ask you again how finishing Dead Space is going for you next year 
Anyways, on to Dead Space 3 multiplayer co-op! First thing is the menu system. I am all for creativity but man, there’s too much flying crap navigating through each menu screen. A little too over produced in my opinion. I
The first thing you see when you start your co-op game is Isaac’s face, and I was surprised that they showed it. In the first game, he’s generally silent and masked. Not sure how DS2 treated him, but I prefer being able to see a character’s face, especially if you’re supposed to form some sort of connection with the guy during your playthrough. I’m just not sure why he seemed to have ice all over his face, even later on when you see it again… glitch, or something that is answered in DS2? Someone please comment and let us know. I’m also not a big fan of the 2nd player character – I don’t even remember his name, but he’s pretty much your typical hardass space marine who was born to say things like “I won’t stand for any of your bullshit”, and who probably uses words like “roger”, “oscar-mike”, and “insubordination”.
Gameplay & Presentation
Gameplay-wise, the game plays solidly, with a control scheme similar to the previous games, which has its flaws. One thing in particular that irked me was the inconsistency with the melee/stomp moves. Sometimes I’m trying to stomp a crate right in front of me, only for my character to completely miss the box a couple times. Newcomers will be a bit disoriented, especially with the melee function (which I totally forgot about until I accidentally triggered it), although if you’ve played the likes of Resident Evil 5, then it shouldn’t be too difficult.
Agree with you there about the controls. It’s not the most intuitive. Granted, I am used to the standard third person control schemes that follow a similar button mapping so obviously it takes a bit getting used to in adjusting to DS type controls. One thing I noticed right away is that there’s no HUD. Another element that takes getting used to and as you pointed out, your life bar is actually indicated via your suits spine that displays your current life bars. Green good, red bad. You must hit the select button to bring up HUD where you can view many different options including your current setup, inventory, etc. Playing through the game, there were tons of useless QTE (quick time events). Some action would take place and you’d watch your character fall through a bridge until a certain point where you just spam the A button to climb up.
I noticed that they really amped up the action in this game though, with brighter outdoor levels and some open arenas to combat the necromorphs. The demo takes place in some sort of ice world, with swirling blizzards obscuring your view, and small caverns to traverse through. They also took a page from RE and introduced even more hardcore boss fights than the first one, including the final boss in the demo – a giant drill that took us a few tries to beat..
Ah yes, that giant drill! That was a huge pain in the ass. It didn’t help we had no idea what to do and could have used a few game prompts to give some hints for the demo for us noobs. After dying enough times, we finally figured it out. (Check out here to see how it’s done if you are stuck on the “drill boss”). Maybe it’s by design but the movement feels sluggish. Considering the fact that the gameplay seems more geared towards action, run and gunning, I am surprised how slow you move. There’s a run button but I would call it a speed walk at best. Stomping and melee are a bit awkward and if I remember correctly, there is no hip firing. You must aim down sights to shoot your gun and if you don’t the fire button preforms a melee. One thing that really annoyed me too is the continuous popup requests from your character. Constantly saying things like “co-op player needs ammo or needs health”. It might be a demo glitch but it seemed to popup constantly even though I don’t think they even needed it.
I’m not sure where those requests were coming from, as I wasn’t getting them. It could be that clicking on a thumbstick sends a request to your co-op partner? We probably should’ve read the controls :p
In general, the game lands more in the mold of the action-oriented Resident Evil 5 & 6, doing away with the creepy, cramped, and claustrophobic corridors of the first game to give a more action-oriented experience (at least for the Co-Op mode). I guess we’ll have to wait and see if the full game still injects some of the tense moments that made the first one great.
It’s worth mentioning, a new feature to the Dead Space series I believe is the gun bench area. Not only do you pick up ammo and health but now you get to pick up scrap metal! A la Borderlands, you’ll be looting for all kinds of stuff. With all the crap you pick up you can then use to customize your gun and suit using various spare parts. I didn’t spend much time in this but from what I saw, it does look fairly in depth and something a DS fan could get into. I am not convinced adding all these RPG style elements works in this kind of game, especially in co-op mode where you are forced to sit and wait for you and your partner to spend all this time on it.
The Old Guy in Me Says
I probably will not get the game, and it’s nothing against the game itself, but because I’m barely caught up on some of the newer games in my backlog. It didn’t help that the demo didn’t exactly wow me. It seems like a decent game if you can get past some super cheap boss fights, and was definitely a better experience than the frustratingly mediocre Resident Evil 6, but it also introduces nothing new.
I’m obviously not the definitive word on Dead Space, but I feel like the franchise lost something intrinsic to the series by turning it into a cooperative game. You no longer get that sense of isolation and dread that you got from the original, and instead, the publishers look to cheap scares and cheap bosses to create the ambiance. 3/5
Isn’t Dead Space was supposed to be some dark corridor, scary type space horror game? I feel like they tried to mix Borderlands with Gears of War / Resident Evil or something like that. Not sure but I give them credit for trying something different but I think they’ve strayed away from what made the Dead Space series so popular, a truly scary game. I remember dark or creepy lighting effects, tight corridors and a feeling of danger at all times. Perhaps the single player will feel like this but the co-op multiplayer felt like I am out with my army bros to kick some alien ass, especially with the typical back and forth banter.
My history of Dead Space tells me I won’t be getting it either. I had some fun playing with M1GO in co-op but like I’ve always said, it’s almost always fun playing online with friends. Overall, an okay game at best but I’d be really curious to hear what big time Dead Space fans feel of the new direction Dead Space 3 takes. Feel free to chime in the comments below. 3/5 for me too.
Video of M1GO and evilenger playing Dead Space 3 Co-Op Demo
Full 40 Minute Gameplay
Here’s how to beat the Drill (final boss battle) in Dead Space 3 Demo. It took us multiple attempts and countless times we were asking ourselves, “what are we supposed to do here?” we finally beat the drill boss. It’s recommend you use the statis field on it and then shoot at the glowing bulb under the blades.
3/5
A note on our rating scale: We rate things out of five, but don't confuse it with ratings from other publications. We’re not professional reviewers who do this for a living, we don't get sent free copies of games, and we don't have the luxury to play a ton of games during our work hours - we buy/borrow all our games and do this during our off-time, outside of our jobs and families. Our ratings take into account the time and money spent, and are here to help you make an informed decision on whether this game is worthy of your hard-earned cash and limited time.
5 – An almost flawless game with good graphics, sound and gameplay. You might even want to replay it many times, despite your busy schedule. A must-buy.4 – It has some flaws, but it’s still worth a playthrough. Buy it if you like this type of game.
3 – An average game targeted to specific niches. It has its redeeming factors. Buy it on sale or if you fit its target demographic/niche.
2 – The game sucks, but some will get enjoyment out of it. Play it at your own risk.
1 – Broken, ugly game with few redeeming qualities. Probably shouldn’t have been made. Leave this game alone and don’t even look at it.
0 – Worse than garbage. Game companies should pay you for the time you spent playing this trash.