Turns out, not a bad one at all. For once, a high profile game is getting scores that range from the usual sublime nines and eights, through to respectable and above average sevens as well. And with a few lower scores mixed in as well. Game Informer gave the sequel the highest score so far, rewarding it with 9.75 and saying that “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”.
Also scoring high was Polygon, who justified their 9.5 by saying that “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”.
On the lower side of the equation though, comes EDGE, who slapped Isaac’s adventures with a seven out of ten;
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.
Thoughts echoed by Destructoid who gave it 80%;
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.
And VideoGamer giving the game a dead average score of 50%;
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.
Jokes aside about micro-transactions and needless Kinect fluff, I’m still excited for Dead Space 3. Visceral created something magical with the first game, kept the pace going in the second and have now come full circle marker with this third instalment. I still believe in the core game underneath all that criticism, as Dead Space happens to be one of the better franchises to emerge from this generation of gaming. Here’s all the other scores;
- VideoGamer – 5/10
- OPM – 7
- Destructoid – 8
- CVG – 7.3
- Eurogamer – 7
- Joystiq – 4.5/5
- Edge – 7
- OXM – 7
- Gamespot – 8
- Game Informer – 9.75
- Gaming Nexus – 9.5
- Digital Spy – 4/5
- IGN – 7.8
- Polygon – 9.5
Dead Space 3 is out on Friday, for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.
Last Updated: February 6, 2013
