So against my better judgement I got Dead Space 3, mind you I say this because I don’t play any type of horror style games what so ever. I don’t do horror traps. I’m a scaredy cat (i.e scared of my own shadow at times). Anyway, I got the game because for the first time the Dead Space series was going to have online Co-Op, which I love in most games. So Amazonagent got the game and we played.
We are not all the way done with the game but I do have to say that playing Co-Op is completely different than playing alone. You have back up! Of course there are some pros and cons to this feature:
LOVEs:
- Co-Op missions are all about Carver (by the way he’s fucking nuts – without saying too much) and are fun and challenging. In addition each character will see and hear things the other character does not so replaying chapters as the different characters is definitely worth your time
- You have back up!! (did I mention that I’m a chicken and need someone to hold my hand in the game?), communicating with co-op partner is key to staying alive
- Monsters scare the crap out of me, they are designed so well
- Story is great and adds some clarity as to what is the deal with the Necromorphs
- While normally “scary” games are a solitary experience, the co-op is done well in the game and it adds to the gameplay in good way
- Building in-game “money” to purchase resources is a nice alternative to spending real money (which is an option)
- Ammo pickups replenish all the weapons, no individualized ammo for different weapons anymore
- Weapon creation is nice, you can make some crazy combinations
HATEs:
- Opening the HUD, it’s sometimes too close to your character and becomes difficult to navigate at times
- Having to open the PSN store only when your partner is at the Bench to make a micro-transaction of supplies from the store
- The lack of clear explanation of how to use the Scavenger Bot (we had to look it up online to know how to do it)
- Some of the tutorials could have been told earlier in the game (like Rolling)
- Loading an old save file does not leave you where you originally saved at, you have to re-do the chapter over in some cases
- Would have been nice to complete certain tasks separately, so you don’t have to be together all the time
- The audacity of EA to offer spare weapon parts packs and resources for real money (thank god you can use in-game money instead)
- The game is not “scary” after the first few chapters, you develop a pattern of identifying vents and knowing that some action you complete will trigger an attack. Rarely are you ever truly taken by surprise
- No local, split screen co-op, it’s online only and you must have a online pass (you are S.O.L. if you buy the game used without a code)
- Picking up and choosing different suits this time around are mostly cosmetic (with exception in one instance), they all upgrade the same and don’t offer you extra slots for holding ammo/healthpacks/items like in past games
- Weapon creation is a little unclear and cumbersome in the beginning, it’s a lot of trial and error