DEAD SPACE 3

The survival horror was abandoned on the HD consoles, but the first Dead Space had managed to establish itself as the new hope of the genre at its output in 2008. Isaac Clarke, mute and mentally disturbed engineer, struggled against the Necromorphs, agglomerates body parts back to life because of some sort of alien virus controlled by a mysterious monolith. A sequel later, the new kid has become a reference and as never let sleep a license relates, Isaac returns this year with the aptly named Dead Space 3.

Although removed from the monoliths, Isaac is forced to leave her luxurious 8 square meters overlooking the space to fight Jacob Danik, caricature leader without charisma of the church unitologie. Danik and his band of fanatics seeking the exact origin of the monoliths to activate all of them and to evolve humanity to a higher stage they imagine. Whole program.

CAUTION DARLING, IT WILL SETTLE

From the first steps in the game, we see that the formula Dead Space has changed somewhat: in a few minutes, the player missed being crushed by the falling of a huge flying machine, it will cause so completely free, spectacular traffic accident scripted and will face dozens of very human soldiers, armed with machine guns, protecting themselves behind concrete blocks placed casually on the way. There are clear to everyone that Visceral Games is the developer of the next Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel and after such a start, one wonders if they were not wrong game by burning the disc. Doubt dissipates once the second chapter began with the arrival in the area, but the tone is set: the action is at the heart of this new Dead Space.

After offering the gift of speech to Isaac in Dead Space 2, the developers have given him new abilities to facilitate the mass distribution of sweets in this third installment. Pressing the button twice running, the player can now perform a graceful roll to leave the mess. Isaac can also hide behind obstacles and head out for opening fire on the evil opposite. A cover system a little pretense and efficiency quite random, our avatar merely squat without flatten objects. It is therefore not unusual that after spine beyond, making us vulnerable to fire rocket launchers (because yes, in Dead Space 3 is shooting at you the rocket launcher). Fortunately or not, the human enemies are particularly stupid and are content to stay in place assigned by the script, leaving the head at fixed intervals until their head explodes in our bullets. If these shootings against humanoids do not represent the majority of the game, they nonetheless soft and particularly uninteresting.


GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR ISAAC

The Necromorphs however represent the majority of our adversaries. A bestiary known and now fleece jacket, with some unfortunate absent and some newcomers not really significant. Again, the action is paramount with Necromorphs attacking ten or twenty in rushing headlong on the player. Isaac being what it is, namely a tank on legs moving at the speed of a bedridden, clashes often summarize find a room corner, send all our ammunition in the direction of Necromorphs until death s 'ensues and use his stasis module to freeze time to recharge. Too often tiny and congested by the pack of mutants environments do not encourage anyway not much mobility or the finesse.

Each pile of bodies leave behind tons of ammunition, refill kits and stasis care. In short, it is almost never galèrera with its inventory in Dead Space 3, especially when we know now that the ammunition is universal for all weapons. Need to make choices or stress on just a little supply. Survival, you say? Do not know. The higher difficulty modes correct this feeling with a little more rare items and beefier opponents, but the feeling of stuff in the corner like a sack remain the same. Note that once finished a first game, it can be replayed "overall survival" mode, a loot without forcing us to manage our own resources the manufacturer. Those who find it too soft can have fun to remake the "madman" game where the slightest difficulty death will lead back to the beginning of the game

News does not stop there because the weapons have also been some adjustments. Of course, we will begin the adventure with the legendary plasma cutter with slats but now each weapon can be fully customized in the workshops. Each will consist of a stick, heavy weapons or fists, two slots for projectile launchers, each launcher editable tips and a variety of modules offering high capacity. This will make a plasma cutter mounted on a revolver with a module integrated stasis to slow the enemy or an assault rifle equipped with a rocket launcher with fire damage bonus. Modularity which explains the limited to two weapons since each can potentially be two weapons at once.

To help a little, Isaac can also use small robots that take place on the ground to collect as many resources as possible. A crafting system quite rich combinations and rather challenging but also opens the door to easy bourrinage ... hard to resist the call of gun electric pulse assisted by a shotgun acid, on paper and on screen it must be said that it is a small effect. Decidedly inclined to want to satisfy all audiences, the game also features a mode called "classic", once the adventure loop the first time, where the only weapons available will be those of the first games.


KLOWNS KILLER FROM OUTER SPACE

Dead Space is also, in theory, an atmosphere. The muscular perspective, however, as it leaves little room enough: hard to be scared when some kind of Terminator is embodied blastant monsters tens grenade launcher. Developers do not try to maintain the illusion, the rate of premium as the rest. Forget the subtle play of light and shadow, strange encounters, nagging anxiety. He remains calm phases but do not create a special atmosphere just transitions in settings often very successful. The sound work is still effective but it no longer contributes to instil fear. If the game is still as violent, his relationship with her has changed.

Previously, the gore was weird, disturbing and unhealthy as the man hitting the wall of his head chanting in a corridor, or mother cuddling her baby back from the dead before an inevitable blood bath. The hemoglobin used in Dead Space 3 that the brutality of the fighting. We are in a much more basic and funky approach to violence, such as that one meets in Gears of War. The fear is not down, it's downright absent, it's as simple as that. The horror? Know not.

This does not mean that the game does not have an atmosphere, but it appears to be much more mundane than usual and less as challenges. A feeling that is also found in the scripts and twists. Visceral Games has worked his score, the story packs alone, the events keep coming well. The machine is oiled but most sequences playing card is spectacular forget as quickly as we see them, for lack of imagination. Anyone who has played a video game blockbuster recently have this horrible feeling of deja played. We sometimes find hanging in the air like Nathan Drake, sometimes darken as Marcus Fenix.

Bosses are inserted in such levels in a hurry to sporadic clashes and unimaginative. We even cross a monster that you'd swear escaped Lost Planet, a boss in 3 games, including two on exactly the same pattern. The staging deploys brass, sub-bass and particle effects for an eyeful, the varnish is neat but hard not to see the lack of ideas below. However there remain passages really successful as a weightless ride between several vessels or the discovery of some places with a beautiful artistic direction required.


MAD HISTORY OF SPACE

Recycled situations are not helped by a script that fails to convince. There is one side a desire to develop the mythology of the game with revelations that kill - the game wanting more demonstrative at all levels, so we pierce such a part of the mystery of the monoliths. An effort that lends credibility and deepens the universe of Dead Space. There is the other side of trivial issues taking out of proportion and development of narrative caricature and without surprises. Isaac is found for example in the skin of an ordinary hero and featureless, where his latent madness gave the previous games a real personality. Characters that surround it will remember that John Carver, who broke military has probably worked more personality and most endearing of the game That's good because will have the opportunity to play as John Carver in the big novelty of the Dead Space 3, the cooperative mode.

A feature introduced with some solo since intelligence, we will not have to drag a ball as in competition and anyone can join or leave our part, if desired, without interrupting progression. This mode will thus learn more about Carver and his trauma through some sequences reserved for coop. Question game mechanics, we will be entitled to a little tougher opponents, solving puzzles and a duet with the possibility of giving ammunition or care kits to our partner. At various times, Isaac will protect Carver, full hallucination, against waves of Necromorphs well pissed.

You guessed it, this co-op mode, which mostly boils down to having twice as many guns in the room, strengthens even more the feeling of bourrinage already present solo. Remains at least the fighting seem more dynamic, phew. It is unfortunate that the co-op mode is not available in split screen and at the time of our test there were still annoying bugs like doors refusing to open forcing then to return to the lobby. The story will change a little with these additions, but we must admit that these episodes are still too rare to really change the feeling of flatness that emerges from the scenario.