The Dead Space 3 demo dropped yesterday for PS3 and Xbox 360, and the Internet has been abuzz with conflicting impressions of it. Ever since the first footage debuted at E3, I was sceptical about the inclusion of co-op multiplayer, fearing it might dilute the experience just as it had done with the last two Resident Evil games. Though the game has some nifty new mechanics and feels a whole lot like John Carpenter’s The Thing (which can never be bad), it hasn’t done a whole lot to dissuade me from these complaints. Many have also stood up in defence of the title, however, claiming that it simply represents the evolution of the franchise.
Anyway, I’m not personally convinced; this feels like a game being crafted to suit the highest number of people possible, more a commercial calculation than an attempt to create a game that is consistent in tone with the previous entries into the series. Of course, we have to remember that this is “only” a demo, so things like the visuals might be tidied up before the final product is released in 2 weeks. Nevertheless, on the strength (and moreover, the weakness) of this demo, here are 10 reasons why Dead Space 3 sucks…
10. Sub-Par Graphics
You probably won’t believe this going by the above title, but I’m not a graphics whore; I don’t need super-slick HD textures to enjoy a game, but booting up the Xbox 360 version of Dead Space 3′s demo, I was left completely underwhelmed by the visual experience. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled because I played the last two games on the PC, which allowed for a smoother frame-rate and graphical tweaks (and indeed, I will be playing the third game on the same platform when it is released), but looking at the bland, snowy expanse of Isaac’s latest adventure on a console just left me totally bored and devoid of feeling. Not to mention, I was able to glitch into the environment on numerous occasions simply by jumping into a wall.
Of course, these things could all be fixed for the final version, but the most dispiriting announcement for me personally is that the PC version is going to be a near-enough straight port of the console version, meaning that if the console equivalents look this rubbish, then so will the PC counterpart. While the previous two games allowed for plenty of graphical upgrades, the third game will reportedly not even support DirectX 11, and the ability to adjust graphical settings will be considerably limited.
We are currently seeking Gaming contributors on WhatCulture. To find out more about the perks of being a Gaming contributor, click here.
38 Comments
I think I’m going to try and avoid the demo, but I was quite worried when they first said they were including weapon crafting and the whole co-op thing! Whilst supposedly each character has his own demons to struggle with I’m still a little worried that it’s not going to be a Dead Space game at all, I don’t see why companies / developers feel the need to change so many game series these days, gamers love them for what they are, they’re just going to have a smaller audience by changing it completely. Holding out hope it works out for the best though!
THANK YOU I am so glad someone agrees! I hate the demo and all these ten things! And the annoying part is Dead Space is my favorite SH series
What an unpleasant, unhelpful and wholly negative article.
Whilst you have made one or two interesting points, you have exposed yourself as a clown and a buffoon with your #1 reason.
Earlier you had a dig at the demo and got rather precious asking something like “is it 1998″, and then you complain about the lack of split screen.
Split screen has no place in modern gaming, it is an anachronism and you sir, should be laughed off the internets for suggesting that it is an appropriate inclusion in any game.
I am not sure why you have chosen to omit the word “demo” from the title of your little rant.
As a massive fan of both prior instalments, I too have misgivings about the outdoor aspects of the demo, and think that co-op may detract from what has always been for me, an experience that is akin to crawling through a virtual, private purgatory.
That said, I am not willing to write off a highly anticipated game based on a short demo.
I found the weapon crafting system to be rather enjoyable, an excellent addition, and am looking forward to exploring it fully in the finished game upon release.
How one could not be excited about inflicting all kinds of custom carnage on the denizens of Dead Space is beyond me.
Oh well, I enjoyed the demo, even though I didn’t fill my trousers with sodden stool during the playthrough. I am sure that come launch, I will be needing to pop down a rubber cover on my couch.
Anyone who has played the holy grail of split-screen gaming, Timesplitters 2, wouldn’t say that split screen has no place in modern gaming. Whilst it’s all well and good playing multi-player online, it’s so much more fun when you can debate the game and kill the player sat right next to you at home. When done well split screen gaming is brilliant and can make even the dullest game great fun, Resident Evil 6 becomes much more exciting when playing in split screen for example. When a new Timesplitters game is eventually released, I know for a fact I will be having countless 4 player split screen matches (so long as it’s as good as previous incarnations of the series.) Yes they are different types of games, but there is very very much still a place in modern gaming for split screen.
I agree, split screen definitely had a place in Goldeneye and, Timesplitters 1 and 2 – though we hadn’t progressed to the wonderful thing that is LAN play on the consoles at that time, nor did we have in game communication over the internets.
Playing a franchise like Dead Space (or RE) in split screen is an absolutely terrible idea.
Say for example your co-op partner is lagging behind you a little and all of a sudden the wall bursts open in front of you, you soil your trousers and a Necromorph leaps upon you.
Your co-op partner will have vicariously experienced this through your split screen, deadening the effect significantly.
Split screen is a relic of the sixth generation of consoles and should be buried with them.
I’d have to respectfully disagree. I get what you mean, but I can say through experience that Resident Evil 6 is actually scarier whilst playing on split screen. It may sound stupid, but there is definitely a significant sense of dread between fighting a bunch of zombies and not knowing where your partner is even though in reality they are sat right next to you. As one of you panics trying to fight off a horde of zombies with your last clip, the other is trying quickly to find you and save you, only following your terrible directions. Granted it works with a headset, but there’s nothing quite like laughing together in person as you fail to save each other yet again or swap ammo clips, there’s nothing quite like being there. The moments you describe where an enemy jumps out don’t really happen in RE 6 anyway, when they do if they scare one of you and make you jump, then the other player will be worried by your reaction anyway. Of course these games are meant to be played late at night, with the sound up high and with all the lights off, heightening the experience tenfold. If you haven’t tried it, I’d definitely recommend it! They really are jumpier with two players than you’d ever expect, at least this was definitely the case in my experience. I’ve played RE 6 solo, with online partners, and with a friend on split screen, and the split screen really did win every time in terms of entertainment factor.
Are you honestly saying that if a new Timesplitters came out, you’d prefer to play it online with a bunch of random people shouting abuse at each other, than with a bunch of close friends on split screen? I know you could be playing online with those same friends anyway, but split screen includes friends who don’t own the console or the game, and you can turn it into a social event or even a competition too. Split screen has many advantages over online play, the best example I can give is four player Timesplitters, turn it into a social event, get a bit drunk, great night. If you play four player online by yourself and get a bit drunk however, there may be an alcoholism issue to address. I know that’s a pretty stupid comparison but it’s the best I can come up with when tired and split screen always wins over waiting to take your turn playing against random people online.
Of course, it’s a divisive subject, for me it’s best for the option to be there, just so at least those who enjoy it can use it, whereas others can just play online and avoid split screen altogether. That way everybody is happy and there can be no complaints from either way of thinking.
My friend, I concur entirely with your comments regarding social events, drinking and gaming.
For what it may or may not be worth, I founded an organisation back in 1992 called the GS&MPU – it was essentially a “gamers union” that focussed on the “good of gaming”.
It was a bit of a laugh at first, a bunch of blokes who got together and drank and played SNES, Sega, A500, C64 and had a good time.
Over the years, we grew to a membership of about 30. In 1996, we had a “FIFA tourney”, about 20 of us hunched over two consoles and two CRTs, battling it out for the title of “World #1″ over a period of about 12 hours!
We did the same with Lomu’s Rugby.
When Timesplitters came out, when Goldeneye came out, we’d get eight to ten of us in the one place, some people bringing a TV, some a console and spend an entire weekend playing split screen, drinking and gaming, having a great old time.
These days though, we’re all in our 40′s, all live in different cities, some in different countries. We have families and don’t have the time to get together and drink and game as we used to, so online for us has become the norm.
It is sad, but we grow up, and tech changes – sometimes for the better.
In as much as I used to love my C64 (I still have it) and loved listening to the Ocean loader tune, and went nuts for an intro with a DYCP in the border, I understand that oftentimes one needs to draw a line between nostalgia and reality.
We have the technology, the capability, to play full screen in the same room and still be able to give a mate a ribbing.
Once a year, the lads of the GS&MPU and I book a weekend of gaming in.
We all bring a console and copies of games and we rent as many screens as needed.
Usually we exhaust ourselves playing FIFA and COD Zombies, but if Timesplitters were to make a comeback, I can guarantee that we’d be locked into that for 48 hours non stop.
I know where you are coming from, and I much prefer gaming with people in the same room rather than online, but the reality is that it isn’t always possible and nostalgia isn’t all that it is cracked up to be.
Given the choice, I’d be playing the next Timesplitters (for the record, my favourite FPS hands down), on a four player LAN with four screens lined up next to one another and several cases of beer.
Perhaps I am just not good at sharing, I like to have the entire screen to myself – that is why I bought my girlfriend her own PS3 and copies of every game that I had that she liked.
It wasn’t a good move though, every time we play on the LAN, she owns me.
Actually, I do agree with a lot of your points! I definitely agree that when playing FPS games such as Timesplitters, seperate screens in the same room are the way forward. I remember playing Gears of War round my brothers house with two teams and two seperate TV’s, whilst we had split screen for each team, it was considerably better having the opposing team on a different TV and made the gameplay much more exciting. I guess split screen isn’t great when multiple screens are available, but it does make for a good alternative when they aren’t. Must admit a part of me still thinks the smaller screen offered by split screen helps add to the sense of dread and impending death when playing horror games though, it makes me feel more isolated even though I have a partner in the game as well.
Did you really use a game from 2002 to counter the argument that split-screen has no place in modern gaming? “Modern gaming” is the last 3 years, 5 at most, not 11.
What i want to know Judas, is why you’re so against implementing a splitscreen feature, it’s not like it would take away your online co-op experience, am i right? This way it would appeal to both audiences, not only would it be a win to the company who made the game in terms of money, but also for the different type of people out there.
I would have to agree with you and your opinions on this article. This is just a demo and should really be treated as such, as stated in the beginning of the demo it’s not the fully completed draft. Just as if you’re writing a term paper for school you’ll have rough drafts and have them reviewed so that you can make alterations in preparation for the final form. Yes maybe that particular portion of the demo wasn’t the best choice to re assure previous DS fans that it still holds the terror properties (that’s just do to someone’s poor marketing strategies) but this will just show EA and Visceral that their die hard DS fans trusts their judgments. As the saying goes “you can’t judge a book by its cover” and this article clearly shows the author as doing exactly so. There have been postings and articles from IGN (who was able to play the full copy of the game) that dispels all worries that true DS fans have been complaining about. As for the micro trans-actions it will only provide the scrap-metal and weapon frames that is used to upgrade weapons and you will still have to progress in the game to get the better equipment, in my opinion its not different from when either you purchase a weapon pack dlc for the previous DS games. He also states that he would prefer to play via pc… umm if I’m correct the pc versions offers more possibilities to cheat in the game by using different GOD modes and other game cracks. The author complains of having split-screen gameplay but then rags on the graphic qualities, it’s either one or the other because using the split-screen option makes the speed of the game slower due to having to compensate for two camera views. If you want to start pointing fingers and tisk tisking things you develop a game and we’ll be able to see how well your graphics and game mechanics progresses.
I dont really agree with this author on the article but about the split-screen thing I do. Me and my gf like to play games together (we live together) but we only have 1 console. How exactly am I supposed to play with her with-out split screen unless I want to dish out money for another console, tv, and additional hardware? You are thinking of you’re own scenario and not thinking about how others may want to play their games.
Split screen or at least two players on one console has been a part of gaming since day 1. Pong on the Atari 2600 was two player, Nes, Snes, Nintendo 64, Playstation, Megadrive: they all have multiple controller ports for a reason. How could you say that split screen is outdated? I would much rather play a game split screen, even with four people on one tv than play online because it just doesn’t compare to having your friend actually BE there. The fact that Dead Space 3 doesn’t have split screen is a major flaw because it means me and my brother have to swap controllers every half hour which i havent had to do since the older Resident Evil games. Split screen should always be a part of multiplayer, it would be as stupid as leaving out the tutorials or any other core mechanic
Sorry Judas never posted anything before but your post made me laugh :P
Someone who says splitscreen games have no future or place in the modern world, clearly has no friends to play with and it’s people like you that need to get out more and make friends to play splitscreen with ^^ splitscreen games makes gaming more Real Life sociable other than a sad fat kid Masturbating over his lonely life :D judas killed Jesus peace x
For one, this game isn’t even out yet. I don’t know if you pull enough weight to get an early copy, but I really doubt that you’ve actually played the game itself. I’m not a fan of the “everything needs multiplayer” attitude, which is why I agree with the points on the co-op, but then you go around and say that deathmatch is needed. Multiplayer just isn’t needed at all in this game. However, I do think there are some ways in which this game could be quite good. I think it will pull a lot from the movie “The Thing.” The snowy atmosphere can hide a lot and distort what the player hears as well. Saying the game will have so many sucky elements is still a premature statement at best.
In fairness, it’s stated in the very first couple of paragraphs that this is based entirely off of the demo version of the game. Did you read the article or just the bold text?
This entire article is 100% negative. You look like an idiot posting something like this and have ruined this website for me if they allow people like you to write articles for them.
I don’t even read articles by this guy anymore. Everything he writes is just ridiculous.
Agreed, how does a website like this allow fools to write for them. One bad writer reflects how others will look at the whole site. This guy falls flat on his face and should not be writing articles about video games.
People tend to have different opinions, what you might consider a bad writer others might consider to be good.
Once again, Dead Space is hyped and falls flat.
Sorry Shaun, but the fear of the ‘casual’ gamer is something that needs to be stamped out of the community. We should be trying to bring the enjoyment of the media to as many people as possible and not get upset when other people get to play with our toys. I mean, we should be encouraging it if we want the medium to grow. It doesn’t mean it is neutering our experiences and the fear of the game being Call of Dutyised is premature at best.
As for the multiplayer, I doubt it was at the forefront of development of the story. It is more of an optional extra that they figured out how to implement throughout the process. But I don’t doubt that single player was their main objective. I’d also argue that a separate deathmatch multiplayer would drain resources more than co-op integrated into the story they were already telling would hinder the main story more. I mean, look at Spec Ops the Line’s deathmatch.
Change isn’t always good in a franchise but it is also not always bad. Imagine if the internet had been around before Terminator 2 and and fans heard that the second one was going to appeal to a wider audience and the Terminator would be a good guy this time. Even after trailers hit, there would still be outrage. Sometimes a series has to grow out of its original concept. The atmosphere of two were great, but there is only so much walking down a dark, enclosed, browny interior that you can take form a franchise. I think Dead Space was about due a change of scenery.
Also, microtransactions are not an inherently evil thing either. If implemented well they can be a helpful tool in balancing a game. If someone has less time because they have a busy job, sometimes they might need a helping hand to catch up to their friends. I also don’t think that, making the game biased to certain players really applies here. That is only really an issue in shared servers. Of course, I do think it is an issue that this is a full price game and I wonder how much a game like Dead Space needed it. Just not sure I agree with your initial reasoning that all microtransactions are corporate evilness.
Not trying to cause a ruckus. I just disagree with some of the stuff you said. Would be interesting to see what you have to say.
While I’m a little wary on how good this game is going to be myself, I have the feeling that this might be jumping the gun just a little. Granted, these are things EA should be watching out for with their finalization of the game, but Demos are almost always rough product that are riddled with screw-ups. Even in their most polished form, Demos are unfinished, unpolished works that do little more to tease product. That said, here’s hoping they improve the final game by release.
I must confess that my initial apprehensions regarding co-op seem to have been unfounded.
After a good session tonight, I have to say that the engine handles co-op very effectively.
It is intelligent enough to ensure that both players are “there” for any surprise that may occur and doesn’t seem to allow the action to overtake the speed with which the partnership is advancing, no matter the distance between them.
In some parts of the demo, playing with a partner actually enhanced the sense of desperation.
In a pitch battle, when your partner goes down and you are trying to shake off a denizen, the heart begins to race and you feel a very real sense of desperation trying to get to them in time to revive them.
Whilst I am going to play through the solo campaign first, I am looking forward to a playthrough with a partner and for the added anxiety it will bring.
I am tipping a very positive evolution for the series in the full version of this game.
As far as the weapon crafting part goes, if you watch the videos in the demo and visit the crafting room, they say the chalked the demo full of crafting pieces in order for people to get a chance to try out the weapon crafting fully.
I find this article hilarious. You complain about co-op (which is optional to begin with) and then you criticize the game for not having split-screen. You complain that the game has fire-fights and that the game is going too near to the Call of Duty style gameplay, then go on to say that the lack of death-match in multiplayer is disappointing. I mean, who the hell are you? I can only assume you’ve not been doing this for long, as the entirety of this article gives a very poorly constructed argument, not to mention that you repeatedly counteract your own points. Hate-mongering much? I think so.
Look at all the fanboys coming out of their holes. The demo makes the game look bad. Period. Nothing the developers have said makes it look misrepresentative of the game itself, so the author has excellent points. He doesn’t need the final copy of the game to infer things from the demo–and he makes it crystal clear that his views are qualified by information from the demo.
You don’t need a PhD to see that Dead Space 2 was far more action-oriented than the first game, and that Dead Space 3 is going to be a Call of Duty-style bro-pound fest. The co-op is as unnecessary as the armed bad guys, and the sense of fear and loneliness is sorely lacking the gameplay videos and developer walkthroughs shown thus far.
You can cry, deny, and stick your heads in the sand…or you can admit that things don’t bode well for the franchise. Personally, I’m going to wait until long after the reviews are out before I touch this one.
After reading that I don’t think I want dead space 3, ill give it a go anyways.
I %100 agree with every in this article. I hope people could open their eyes and complain every once in a while so the developers can instead create games based on what the fans want.
Maybe its because I was born in the 80′s but as far as I’m concerned Split-Screen is still an awesome feature… idk why more games dont support it… i would take a hit on graphics any day for good split screen gameplay… onine co-op is all fine and dandy but I loved the good ol days of having friends over, pluggin in extra controllers and playing some co-op or good ol fashion deathmatch.. I miss the days of N64 Golden Eye 007 and even Gamecube had a few spit screen goodies… but thats just me… all these new school next gen kids want online cuz their parents pay for xbox live so they dont give a damn about it and its all they know. I would take either/or but I definitely will always love some social split screen playing in the same room with real people.
Good article! It may be negative but how can you be positive about these trends? At least it shows passion for the franchise and shows concern for the state of play in the video game industry today and where its heading! I share the same concerns about DS3 amongst others such as the QuickTime events and general movie feel of the game which completely takes you out of the immersion that made its predecessors so great! Co-op is awfull, i spent most of my time trying to get my team mate of the custom bench! The marketing is bad for this game, the tack ticks to gain money are scandalous and should not be implemented! This is not about gaming or art anymore this is about a corrupt business plan designed to fill the pockets of the new world corperate Hollywood f*** machine!!
-_- Just finished playing the demo, and I must say that I am extremely disappointed. One of the things I was looking forward to most in this game was the co-op; and after realizing that it can only be done online – WTF? I mean come on, that’s one of the basic things to include if you are ever going to introduce co-op play into a game. Furthermore, I played this game around 1am in the morning, and I must say that even playing Prototype was scarier then playing DS3 demo. Seriously, I feel that there’s some issues with the Dead Space everyone knows and loves and they need to be fixed to make this game as good as possible. Right now, I’m going to cancel my pre-order of the game =/
Too many wrongs here, here is what I think:
1. Game is not scary anymore? Agreed
2. Game has no sense of ammo/scarce inventory? I do not agree. The game has plenty of that, you obviously have not played hardcore mode have you?
3. Free to play MMO? You must not know alot about hacking, or memory cheating. Matter of fact, CHEAT ENGINE can help you obtain all of this. So forget about wasting 40 extra dollars on that stuff. Learn to hack. I did it, its easy as hell.
4. Coop? Honestly, it is not the fact that COOP requires split screen, its the fact that COOP is required to play the EXTRA CONTENT you just paid for full price to and in single player you cannot access it. This goes for the XBOX players, they have to pay extra money just to play online. This was the mistake, not the fact that splitscreen is not in there, of the fact that coop is in here at all.
I was swinging back and forth on if I should buy dead space 3 or not. Even went out and got a pack of slim jims for the extra content code :p
However after looking at so much of the negatives and all the bullcrap ea did with the game I decided to skip it :(
O well I loved the series but they lost a customer by limiting their game and deciding instead to turn it into another generic money grabber.
I hope the game fails this time then gets picked up by another developer in the future.
Splitscreen co-op was the deal-breaker for me on this. If I can’t play with my friends when they visit, then dead space 3 hasn’t got anything else for me. xD
You forgot the AWFUL “love” story
I remember how unbelievably joyful i was to purchase DS 3 , first thing on my mind was I cant wait to beat campaign so i can unlock multiplayer gameplay. Storyline overall was decent, ok , a new way to kill markers. but gameplay and horror element was diminished. I found that at one point in the game, weapon crafting made me completely invulnerable. At one point i felt like rambo , and this is playing on hardcore difficulty. After I beat this somewhat mediocre campaign, I was dissapointed to learn, NO VERSUS MULTIPLAYER. EA, why take away the one evolving concept within your trend of linear video games? Deathmatch was quite enjoyable for most from what ive read. so why?
Fantastic beat ! I would like to apprentice even as you amend your website,
how could i subscribe for a weblog website? The account helped me a
applicable deal. I have been tiny bit acquainted of this
your broadcast provided bright transparent concept