E3 2012 Dead Space 3 Preview
Survival Horror or Co-Op Nightmare?
By Paul Bowler
With the 2012 E3 Expo in Los Angeles now well underway, the big names of the worlds gaming industry have already begun to unveil teasers of their for coming releases. Of all the news coming out of E3 so far, Visceral Games previews for Dead Space 3 has interested me the most so far as I am a big fan of the Dead Space games.
The trailer for Dead Space 3 reveals that Isaac Clark long running battle with the Necromorphs will continue on a frozen planet, where he will be teamed up with an entirely new character – the soldier John Carver. Together they will not only have to battle the harsh environment, but also work together if they are to wipe out the Necromorphs once and for all.
It may be a short trailer, but first impressions do seem to indicate that Dead Space 3 has gone more down the route of cooperative gameplay rather than the claustrophobic interiors of the previous instalments, which might possibly damage people’s anticipation of the game somewhat. Although EA also demonstrated a longer section of the co-op gameplay, featuring footage of the characters fighting their way through what appears to be a huge mining facility, climaxing in an impressive boss fight that gruesomely concludes inside the belly of the creature itself!
Done well, cooperative gameplay can work, but as Resident Evil 5 clear showed, when developers get it wrong it can really become an annoying trait and spoil what would otherwise have been a brilliant game.
These trailers may only offer a brief taste of what Dead Space 3 might have to offer, hopefully the oppressive dread of the first two games won’t be completely overshadowed by the action sections, and although I have some reservations about the co-op gameplay I’m relieved that the rumours about Dead Space 3 being a FPS have proved unfounded. Let’s hope Visceral Games can avoid the pitfalls that have befallen so many co-op games in the past with Dead Space 3 and deliver a superior slice of survival horror on a level with its predecessors.
Dead Space 3 has been scheduled for release in February 2013 on PC, PS3, & XBOX 360