Not nearly what I was expecting from its reputation. As a massive fan of the first two I went in expecting to be kind of amused for its runtime - but WOW, knowing how action orientated it was before hand made my time with the game so smooth!
Negatives out of the way first, I HATED the first hour. Way too fast paced, constant over the top set pieces and a flurry of characters thrown at me I didn't care about. Key example, was it really necessary for the first time you use stasis that you cause a massive car crash that Isaac just goes "oh shucks" in response? No. Not in the slightest. Asides from the bumpy intro one main aspect that bothered me would be the pacing in some areas, the last chunk of the game just felt like room upon room of enemies that I would die a hundred times to because the Dead Space formula does not feel suited for how fast paced the arenas get in the last two chapters.
Regardless of my problems, DS3 in my opinion was an incredibly fun, engaging and satisfying experience yet I still understand why some actively dislike it. How I stand is that the game does what it tries to almost to the best its able to and it comes down to whether or not its gameplay style suits you. Personally I enjoyed the more combat gun tinkering focus, I feel that the first two did the tension and atmospheric style perfectly so getting something this different didn't really irk me.
Shooting feels amazing and the new weapon modification mechanic, while confusing at first, was a fantastic addition that made killing swarms of Necromorphs an absolute blast. The game's constant focus on action clicked for me as consistently I was so taken and engaged as if it was a popcorn flick with sequences that tick that adrenaline junkie box in your head. Due to the pace, I felt as if the game was always giving me something new, some cool new type of enemy or environment that was remarkably detailed with genuinely intriguing lore that got me more invested. The only real gimmick that got old was scaling cliffsides, its so cumbersome and irritating and the amount of times you die instantly from trying to be risky around objects that kill you really REALLY got on my nerves - especially since it is reused so many times in the last few hours.
The story I am rather mixed on, I really do like Isaac's arc and the expansion of the lore was really interesting and felt natural to the trilogy feeding us more every entry. Where it stumbles is with the rag-tag team you join up with, there are no quaint, quiet Red Dead Redemption style moments where you understand and empathise with your companions and feel for them when it eventually goes haywire. Overall it did engage me and I loved the consistent twists and turns and for a game of this type I was surprised by how much I genuinely wanted to see how this story would end up.
Before I finish this review I do need to address EA's obvious presence, whilst I was not interested in buying a single thing, the faint early feeling of microtransactions seeping in was off-putting every time I was offered content for actual money. The game does not need them, the fun comes from not having resources so why would I buy them? Also locking the true ending behind a short DLC for £10 is disgusting as the game was full price on release. People buy the game to get the full intended experience! Saying that feels like yelling at a wall.
Unfortunately, while mechanically it feels great and I appreciate it a lot I can't see myself coming back any time soon. Its a very nice, compact experience that I feel I have gotten everything I want from. Maybe some day I'll replay it on impossible but I feel it ended right where I was feeling fatigue. I don't want to sound negative with this however as my 16+ hours were filled with so much excitement and engagement that I can't really knock it that much. Its true problem is that Dead Space 1 exists and does everything perfectly and more consistent, but for what they have achieved I ADORED it. A 8/10 from me.
Negatives out of the way first, I HATED the first hour. Way too fast paced, constant over the top set pieces and a flurry of characters thrown at me I didn't care about. Key example, was it really necessary for the first time you use stasis that you cause a massive car crash that Isaac just goes "oh shucks" in response? No. Not in the slightest. Asides from the bumpy intro one main aspect that bothered me would be the pacing in some areas, the last chunk of the game just felt like room upon room of enemies that I would die a hundred times to because the Dead Space formula does not feel suited for how fast paced the arenas get in the last two chapters.
Regardless of my problems, DS3 in my opinion was an incredibly fun, engaging and satisfying experience yet I still understand why some actively dislike it. How I stand is that the game does what it tries to almost to the best its able to and it comes down to whether or not its gameplay style suits you. Personally I enjoyed the more combat gun tinkering focus, I feel that the first two did the tension and atmospheric style perfectly so getting something this different didn't really irk me.
Shooting feels amazing and the new weapon modification mechanic, while confusing at first, was a fantastic addition that made killing swarms of Necromorphs an absolute blast. The game's constant focus on action clicked for me as consistently I was so taken and engaged as if it was a popcorn flick with sequences that tick that adrenaline junkie box in your head. Due to the pace, I felt as if the game was always giving me something new, some cool new type of enemy or environment that was remarkably detailed with genuinely intriguing lore that got me more invested. The only real gimmick that got old was scaling cliffsides, its so cumbersome and irritating and the amount of times you die instantly from trying to be risky around objects that kill you really REALLY got on my nerves - especially since it is reused so many times in the last few hours.
The story I am rather mixed on, I really do like Isaac's arc and the expansion of the lore was really interesting and felt natural to the trilogy feeding us more every entry. Where it stumbles is with the rag-tag team you join up with, there are no quaint, quiet Red Dead Redemption style moments where you understand and empathise with your companions and feel for them when it eventually goes haywire. Overall it did engage me and I loved the consistent twists and turns and for a game of this type I was surprised by how much I genuinely wanted to see how this story would end up.
Before I finish this review I do need to address EA's obvious presence, whilst I was not interested in buying a single thing, the faint early feeling of microtransactions seeping in was off-putting every time I was offered content for actual money. The game does not need them, the fun comes from not having resources so why would I buy them? Also locking the true ending behind a short DLC for £10 is disgusting as the game was full price on release. People buy the game to get the full intended experience! Saying that feels like yelling at a wall.
Unfortunately, while mechanically it feels great and I appreciate it a lot I can't see myself coming back any time soon. Its a very nice, compact experience that I feel I have gotten everything I want from. Maybe some day I'll replay it on impossible but I feel it ended right where I was feeling fatigue. I don't want to sound negative with this however as my 16+ hours were filled with so much excitement and engagement that I can't really knock it that much. Its true problem is that Dead Space 1 exists and does everything perfectly and more consistent, but for what they have achieved I ADORED it. A 8/10 from me.