Dead Space 3

pro

Dead Space 3 is at its best when it retains its trademark atmosphere. By combining outstanding audio fidelity with gritty surroundings and surprising spooks you will find yourself in a handful of moments that will most likely give you the scares that Dead Space 1 was so acclaimed for. Not a lot has changed in terms of gameplay, but you will spend more time in zero gravity which is fantastic, as well as climbing up and down walls while avoiding falling rocks and shooting stuff in the face.

pro

The weapon crafting system gives you a chance to get creative with your arsenal. By finding parts, blueprints and dismantling weapons you are now able to conjure up some truly devastation combinations. The types of weapons have also increased by the addition of more conventional arms like shotguns, assault rifles and flame throwers. Additional power-ups can then be added to your gun like increased damage and faster reload rates, as well as stasis upgrades for both you and your co-op partner.

pro

While the addition of co-op might take out some of the scares, at least enough love has been poured into the mode with custom cut scenes and unique moments between the two characters to prevent the mode from feeling tacked on.

con

The game is missing a lot that made the previous ones so good. First and foremost the story of the game is straight out boring and void of any exciting moments. It feels uninspired. As mentioned in the pros there is only a handful of scares. You spend the rest of your time in a run of the mill 3rd person shooter which also happens to be spectacularly predictable. Vents on the walls and roof? A necromorph will jump out of them the second you approach it. Big square room with strategically placed covers? Prepare your favorite crowd control weapon. There are no defining moments that you will remember or talk about later, and at times you might feel there is no reason to keep progressing.

con

While the weapon crafting is a fun addition, it also enables you to create seriously overpowered weapons. Getting through a room is a matter of holding in the trigger. With some guns you don't even have to aim. While it's the players choice to actually create and use such a gun, some restrictions might have been good to make the game somewhat of a challenge if you accidentally craft a weapon of mass destruction.

con

You don't need a degree in math to count the type of necromorphs in the game. Heck, you don't even need to be in first grade. There is a severe lack of variation in the enemies, and adding humans does not help at all. These helpless chaps are nothing but cannon fodder. The epic world sized necromorphs that shows up in every game somewhat remedies this but it's far from enough to keep you engaged.

con

When I breathe a sigh relief after clearing a room of 20+ enemies, walk through a door and see the next chapter information fade into view, that is where I expect to restart when I moments later save and quit to take a break. What really happens is that I start right before I enter said room with said 20 enemies. This is not game breaking, but it is a design decision I find supremely annoying.