Dead Space 3


Dead Space 3 is a science fiction survival horror action-adventure video game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. Announced at E3 2012 and released internationally in February 2013, it is the sequel to Dead Space 2 and the third main entry in the Dead Space series.
In Dead Space 3, Isaac Clarke teams up with EarthGov Sergeant John Carver as they travel to Tau Volantis, an ice-covered planet, to end the Marker and Necromorph threat for good.
Development of the game began after the completion of Dead Space 2. It is the only game in the Dead Space series to feature online co-op.
The game received positive reviews from game critics upon release; reviewers praised the game's rewarding action gameplay, although criticism was directed at the focus on action over horror, as well as a weak and unfocused story compared to its predecessors. Despite poor sales, EA and Visceral expressed interest in a sequel. However, Visceral Games was shut down in 2017, and there is no confirmation that a new installment in the series is being developed by another studio.

Gameplay

Dead Space 3 puts Clarke against the Necromorphs, who serve as the primary antagonists of the franchise. The Resource Integration Gear suit returns, using holographic displays projected from the players' suit and weapons to display health and ammo count, respectively. In vacuum areas, a timer will appear on the player's right shoulder, indicating how much oxygen that character has left before they suffocate.
Player characters can roll and take cover to avoid attacks. This ability was described by a Visceral Games developer as essential, as it "felt dumb/terrible not to have it" and that they have been "making Isaac more responsive", as they "want the horror to come from the terrible things that happen in the game; not from the horror that something is moving slowly towards you and you can't shoot it because the game controls like a piece of crap." The cover system is also described as "organic" in nature; for example, the player does not need to "walk up to certain tagged things and press the cover button; Clarke... just does the action that is appropriate for the given situation."
Aside from the returning Necromorphs, Dead Space 3 features a large cast of new enemies. One example is the Fodder, whose attacks change depending on how it is dismembered; while another is the Nexus, an insect-like giant that can crush or swallow people whole. Other obstacles in Dead Space 3 include a new human enemy, Unitologist soldiers; and environmental hazards like falling machinery and a giant mining drill.
The Bench weapon upgrade system from Dead Space and Dead Space 2 has been redesigned as a new upgrading system called the "Weapon Bench". Here, players are able to construct new weapons from parts gathered throughout the game. The bench provides two main frames to start with—a light one-hand frame and a heavy two-hand frame—and players can build new weapons and put two weapons together. Examples of weapon functions include an electric rivet gun and an incendiary buzzsaw launcher. If a player does not want to build a weapon from scratch, they can choose from ready-made blueprints, including classic Dead Space and Dead Space 2 weapons. Built weapons can also be shared in co-op mode.

Co-operative mode

Dead Space 3 has a drop-in/drop-out online co-op mode for its campaign, which was announced at Electronic Arts's E3 2012 press conference, stating that it will unlock "additional story details and gameplay mechanics only found when playing as the co-op character, EarthGov Sergeant John Carver." When a second player joins the hosting player via Xbox Live, they step into Carver's shoes. To facilitate this, the game is written in such a fashion that Carver can either accompany Clarke or stay with the other non-player characters, and seamlessly transition from one role to the other, without having any effect on the plot.
Carver's presence unlocks three co-op-only side missions, mostly concerning Carver's past as an EarthGov soldier, his troubled relationship with his wife and child, and his guilt over their deaths in a Necromorph outbreak. Additionally, each player has alternate experiences as a result of their characters' dementia. For example, the player controlling Carver will find toy soldiers in a biology facility, while the player controlling Clarke will not see them. Co-op also puts the players in separate situations: when Carver tries to open a certain door, he suddenly becomes trapped in his own mind. Clarke must protect him from a sudden surge of Necromorphs until Carver can free himself.
A Visceral Games employee has confirmed it was "always intended to have co-op in Dead Space", citing co-op supporting game System Shock 2 as a source of inspiration for the Dead Space series. He also pointed out that if the player chooses to play alone, Carver "may appear at some points but for the most part he is not there."

Plot

Setting and characters

Like the other titles in the Dead Space franchise, Dead Space 3 takes place in the 26th century. Mankind has colonized the stars but is in desperate search of new energy sources. One potential method was found in the Chixulub crater on Earth: an extraterrestrial artifact, dubbed the "Black Marker", which produces a constant electromagnetic field in defiance of the law of conservation of energy. Though human scientists hoped to harness the Black Marker for its unlimited energy potential, they soon discovered that the purpose of its field is to re-animate and mutate dead flesh, resulting in outbreaks of "Necromorphs". EarthGov immediately shut down the project, but a number of Red Markers, reverse-engineered copies of the Black Marker, had already been created and needed to be hidden; even worse, one of the project's lead researchers, Michael Altman, went public with it, promising that the Markers were sent to "make us whole" through a process called "Convergence". A religious movement, Unitology, seeks the Markers in the hopes of unlocking salvation. Isaac Clarke, the protagonist of the franchise, has already survived two outbreaks of Necromorphs, as chronicled in the first two installments of the series. He is joined in this game by Ellie Langford, who also survived the second game, as well as two EarthGov soldiers, Capt. Robert Norton and Sgt. John Carver, in an attempt to end the Necromorph threat once and for all.

Story

The game opens in 2314, on Tau Volantis, an ice-covered planet with an irregularly-shaped moon, where Sovereign Colonies Armed Forces Privates Tim Kaufman and Sam Ackerman are attempting to retrieve a mysterious object called the Codex for Dr. Earl Serrano. After fleeing Necromorphs and finding the codex, Ackerman dies in an avalanche, forcing Kaufman to report alone to his commanding officer, General Mahad. Mahad, being the only other survivor, executes Kaufman, purges the Codex data, and commits suicide.
200 years later, Isaac Clarke and Ellie Langford became a couple following the incident on Sprawl, but had broken up prior to the events of Dead Space 3 due to Isaac's trauma-induced emotional distance. Taking Isaac from his apartment located on the Moon, Captain Robert Norton and Sergeant John Carver of EarthGov explain that they require Isaac's help to find Ellie and her missing team. Fleeing, the trio is attacked by Unitologist soldiers, who see Isaac as a threat, due to his destroying two Markers in the previous games. During the escape, a Unitologist contingent led by Jacob Danik activates a Marker near the colony, causing yet another Necromorph outbreak. Isaac, Carver, and Norton use this outbreak to their advantage, managing to escape aboard the USM Eudora.
Norton traces Ellie's last transmission to Tau Volantis and the 200-year-old ruins of its colony. The group tries to reach Ellie's SOS signal; however, the Eudora breaks apart due to mines left in orbit of the planet. Norton, Carver, and Isaac manage to escape the exploding Eudora, reaching the derelict CMS Roanoke, which is infested with Necromorphs. They succeed in rescuing the "Marker Team", consisting of Ellie, Jennifer Santos, and Austin Buckell, and Isaac learns about Ellie and Norton's new relationship. Isaac soon discovers that Tau Volantis is the Marker Home World, and that the expedition 200 years ago involved a Machine and the phrase "turn it off". Despite Norton's protests that any such attempt would be a suicide mission, the team attempts to land on Tau Volantis; however, mines and debris tear the shuttle apart and separate Isaac and Carver from the rest of the crew.
Discovering Buckell, who helps them before dying from hypothermia, Isaac and Carver are able to locate the others, and plan to track down the Machine. Finding a recording from General Mahad, it's discovered that 200 years ago SCAF had discovered Necromorphs buried beneath the planet and experimented on them, only for an outbreak to occur; as a result, Mahad's team murdered all survivors and destroyed all evidence to prevent further outbreaks. Isaac frequently finds himself clashing with Norton, who sees Isaac as competition for Ellie's love; it's soon discovered that the Unitologists inexplicably followed them to Tau Volantis, before Norton explains he betrayed Isaac and plans to exchange him to Danik for a ship to return home. Danik, going against his deal, attempts to murder Norton along with Isaac and Carver; after the trio escapes following Necromorph interference, Norton attempts to murder Isaac, forcing him to kill Norton in self-defense.
Isaac, Carver, Ellie, and Santos go to an abandoned science facility on the side of a mountain. Santos has found records of a Codex located there, created by someone named Rosetta. After Santos dies during the ascent, the team manages to reassemble a frozen Rosetta, who is found to be an alien. Experiencing a vision, Isaac discovers Tau Volantis is not the Marker homeworld, but a homeworld of aliens who, like humanity, discovered the Markers and were consumed by them. The planet's moon is actually a Necromorph, and is the result of the Convergence event foretold by Unitology; before it could complete and consume all life on the planet, a Machine was built to freeze it and Tau Volantis and force the "Brother Moon" into a state of dormancy. The command to "turn it off" is actually a command transmitted from the Markers themselves, who wish the Machine disabled to reawaken the Brother Moon so that it can summon more of its kind and consume the universe. Isaac, acquiring the Codex, discovers Danik is holding Ellie and Carver hostage. Ellie, confessing her love for Isaac, sacrifices herself to allow Isaac and Carver to escape, and the two pursue Danik down into the planet to the Machine.
Isaac and Carver find a video log from Serrano, who explains that with Codex, the Machine can either free the moon or destroy it. They regain control of the Codex, but Danik reveals Ellie is still alive and he is holding her hostage. Danik threatens to kill Ellie unless he is given the Codex. Carver, believing in redemption, suddenly grabs the Codex from Isaac and throws it to Danik, who lets go of Ellie to catch it. Danik immediately uses it to turn off the Machine, resuming the Convergence Event. The incomplete Necromorph Moon, free of the Machine's control, descends towards Tau Volantis, instantly stripping away the surface layers of the planet under which the city and the Machine are buried. The ancient alien necropolis—a tomb, warning, and protective seal created by the aliens against the Necromorphs—begins to disintegrate as it ascends to be consumed. One of the first casualties is Danik himself, impaled by a piece of falling debris.
Realizing that there is no way to stop such an overwhelming force and escape safely, Isaac kisses Ellie goodbye, and she escapes on a shuttle. Isaac and Carver then work together to fight their way through the crumbling flying city to the Codex. Being pulled up into the planet-sized organism, they reactivate the Machine and set it to reject Convergence, which stops the Event and causes the moon to crash into Tau Volantis along with the remains of the alien city.
Ellie grieves for Isaac, but takes solace in realizing her ship's instruments no longer detect the Marker signal. The Necromorph Moon is now falling apart as it descends into and merges with the planet. Ellie sets a course for Earth and leaves the orbit of Tau Volantis.
In a post-credits scene, a static-filled audio log briefly plays, with Isaac calling out to Ellie.

''Awakened''

After the battle with the Brethren Moon over Tau Volantis, Isaac Clarke and John Carver wake up on the surface of Tau Volantis, shocked to find that after falling to their near deaths, they are still alive. They then make their way across the surface of the frozen planet, finding memories of the horror they had faced, and in the process learning that the Marker's effects are still present and Necromorphs are still spawning. Issac realizes that the Moon they defeated must have been able to awaken the other Moons scattered throughout space before it died. They then find out about a Unitologist ship that can take them back to Earth so they can warn the population. After witnessing many ships lift off, they manage to find a ship only to find out that the ShockPoint Drive in the ship is missing. It can only take them to the CMS Terra Nova wreck in orbit.
Once aboard the Terra Nova, Isaac and Carver must find a way to restore power to the derelict ship and find a new Shockpoint Drive in order to return to Earth. However, within the halls of the old Sovereign Colonies ship, they encounter the remnants of The Circle who've taken refuge inside and begun a new following in the name of the Necromorphs. After dealing with members of the Circle, as well as their own insanity, Isaac and Carver find a new ShockPoint Drive, but Isaac is now losing his mind. He protests installing the ShockPoint Drive into the ship, because he thinks that if they install it, the Brethren Moons will follow them to Earth, and kill everyone living there. After Isaac and Carver have a hallucination of fighting each other, the hallucination is interrupted by another hallucination, in which the Brethren Moons reveal that they were only slowing Isaac and Carver down, and that they have known where Earth was all along.
After regaining his sanity, Isaac admits that Carver was right all along. He agrees to install the Shockpoint Drive into the Terra Nova. Carver recalls that the Audio Logs hinted that the reactor could power up enough energy in the engine to go into shockspace and return to Earth. They connect the ShockPoint Drive to the reactor and overload the reactor by dumping plutonium cores into it, generating enough power to enter shockspace. They manage to activate the ship and return to Earth. After attempting to communicate with Earth, they hear the sounds of static and transmissions of people being slaughtered by Necromorphs. When they look out of the cockpit of the Terra Nova, they see that the Brethren Moons have already arrived and are attacking Earth.
One of the Moons comes up in front of the Terra Nova, crashing into the ship and knocking Isaac and Carver unconscious.

Development

In September 2011, a video was posted via IGN suggesting that Dead Space 3 was in production, showing art in development for the game. Visceral Games had leaked some information about the game including the setting and story.
On May 7, 2012, it was announced that a new Dead Space title was being developed for release by March 2013. Game Informer unveiled an image from Dead Space 3 showing Isaac wearing a fur-covered snow suit somewhere on Tau Volantis. The game was shown at E3 2012 in June 2012. That same month, Electronic Arts president Frank Gibeau stated "we definitely do not want to piss off our fans" by toning down the horror content in Dead Space 3. "We tried to open up the accessibility of the a little bit by adding a little bit more action, but not undermining the horror."
Producer John Calhoun has stated that the game was designed from the ground up to support drop-in, drop-out cooperative play. However, according to producer Chuck Beaver co-op mode was introduced in the middle of production. According to executive producer Steve Papoutsis a cooperative mode was considered late in the development of the first game in the series, but the idea dropped due to insufficient time to implement it and incompatibility with the game's story.

Marketing and release

The limited edition of Dead Space 3 came with two bonus suits and weapons. GameStop pre-orders included the EG-900 SMG, a compact Earthgov submachine gun sporting an internal hyper-accelerator. The PC edition of the game will only be available through EA's Origin service – it can still be purchased at retail, but must be linked to an Origin account.
A playable demo was released on January 22, 2013, on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Xbox 360 owners who signed up on the official Dead Space website were able to access the demo one week early.

Launch event

The official launch event for Dead Space 3 in the UK took place at Game in Swansea Morfa Retail Park, the winning branch of the Electronic Arts competition between all Game stores in the UK asking how would they launch Dead Space 3. The launch event was held there on 7 February at 10:00PM, the night before the release.

Downloadable content

The first story downloadable content Dead Space 3: Awakened was released on March 12, 2013 on all platforms and an official launch event was held on the day of its release. The story of the DLC takes place immediately after the ending of Dead Space 3.
There is also the Tau Volantis Survival Kit which is a compilation of individual item packs. The item packs contained in the Survival Kit are the following: the Bot Accelerator Pack, Sharpshooter Pack, Marauder Pack, and the Tundra Pack.

Reception

Critical response

Dead Space 3 received generally positive reviews from critics upon release. Game Informer gave the game 9.75/10 saying, "Dead Space 3 evolves the winning formula into a title not only befitting of the fantastic series, but also one of the best games of this generation." Polygon gave the game 9.5/10 saying, "Visceral hasn't just avoided screwing up its game with co-op — it has made it feel natural and at home, and has done it without impacting the single-player experience in any negative way. That alone would be enough to make Dead Space 3 an achievement. But the new crafting system and bigger, more open level structure join co-op to make Dead Space 3 one of the best action games in years."
GameSpot gave the game 8/10 saying, "This is a game rife with options and flexibility, building on the strengths of the franchise with clever new ideas that let you tailor the experience to your liking. It hits a few sour notes in its story and struggles at times when it steps away from the core combat, but Dead Space 3 is a thrilling and worthwhile sequel." Hardcore Gamer gave it 4/5 saying, "Sure, it has a larger scope and a more intriguing storyline, but there are some questionable design choices mixed in with the thought of déjà vu. Regardless, Dead Space 3 retains its horror brilliance in offering a moody, atmospheric adventure full of exciting events." Destructoid gave the game 8/10, stating "Dead Space 3 could have been the best entry in the series, and in many ways, it still does provide some of the franchise's most energetic, thrilling, entertaining moments. The changes thrown into the game inevitably damage its charm, though, and make this a step down from its prequels." GamesTM had a list of pros and cons, summing up with "boss fights in Dead Space 3 are particularly forgettable, while the narrative occasionally lacks the courage of its convictions and the end-game reveal is a little too ludicrous to take seriously...where the new concepts work, they add to the solid core and are enhanced by Visceral's excellent pacing and its impeccable audio and visual design work, not to mention what remains the best HUD design in all of video games."
Official Xbox Magazine gave the game 7/10, "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." Eurogamer gave the game 7/10, saying "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." Edge gave Dead Space 3 a 7/10, saying "The sense of immersion is about as unparalleled as you can get... 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."
VideoGamer gave the game a 5/10, "Dead Space 3 is a let down because it's not a very good action game, and a really substandard horror game. It is devoid of ideas, hung up on laborious combat and obsessed with making even the exciting seem boring. In truth, it's a bit of a shocker."

Sales

In the United States and the United Kingdom, Dead Space 3 was the top-selling game in February 2013. It sold 605,000 copies in North America during its debut month. The title, along with Crysis 3, another EA title that was released in the same month, failed to meet the company's sales expectations.

Awards

Dead Space 3 was nominated for two awards from the NAVGTR Awards for Sound Effects, and Use of Sound.

Cancelled sequel

VideoGamer.com reported information from a confidential source concerning the cancellation of Dead Space 4 following "lower than anticipated" sales of Dead Space 3, having fallen 26.6%. This information tallied with EA Labels president Frank Gibeau's comment that "In general we're thinking about how we make this a more broadly appealing franchise, because ultimately you need to get to audience sizes of around five million to really continue to invest in an IP like Dead Space." EA's Peter Moore wrote of the story on GamesIndustry.biz forum, "Standard, shoddy website journalism recipe." EA described the report as "patently false." In June 2013, EA Games boss Patrick Soderlund stated that although the franchise had not been cancelled and remained an important brand for the company, developer Visceral Games had not been asked to start work on a sequel and were instead involved in a new project, which was later confirmed to be Battlefield Hardline.
On October 17, 2017, Visceral Games was shutdown by EA, officially leaving the future of the series uncertain.