Dead Space 3 details

June 3, 2012

The latest issue of Game Informer has hit shelves, and with it comes the first major details on Dead Space 3.

Chapter three in the Dead Space saga will be taking a trip from desolate space stations to the lonely icy planet Tau Volantis. Taking cues from the richer cast of Dead Space 2, the now bearded Isaac Clark will not be alone. In fact, one of his new companions, the grizzly Jack Carver, will work as a co-operative partner. Usable by a second player throughout the campaign, Dead Space 3‘s co-operative mode will replace Dead Space 2‘s competitive multiplayer. The co-operative mode will be enhanced with new cutscenes and interactions between the new characters, however the report promises those choosing to play solo will still hear and experience all the essential story information.

Visceral Games looks to be shaking up the formula further than Dead Space 2 with this third outing, introducing quite a few changes to the existing combat system. For starters, weapon specific ammunition has been replaced with a universal ammo pool, ammo drops themselves will be more plentiful, and both Clark and Carver will be able to use a cover system. These changes are in part due to the introduction of armed, human enemies, specifically fanatical Unitologists. Classic necromorphs are set to return, along with some new mutations including the Fodder, a strange creature that transforms into two necromorphs depending on how you kill the original, and Feeders, the result of initially uninfected humans feasting on (for whatever reason) the corpses of necromorphs. There’s also a thirty story tall centipede necromorph called the Nexus, but Visceral don’t want to reveal too much about that one just yet.

Outside of combat, Visceral is hoping to expand the exploration side of things, promising larger environments than the previous two games, and ‘beta missions’ that offer optional objectives outside of the core narrative. There appears to be a crafting system as well, as Game Informer noted enemies dropping scrap metal and tungsten.

Though Dead Space 3 seems to be introducing a few elements the may raise some eyebrows of those concerned about the series shift towards action, Visceral is promising zero gravity environments, dark corridors, and other qualities unique to the series will still be integral to the experience. Whether or not this is true will have to wait, but not for long, as Dead Space 3 is guaranteed to show up at E3 2012 this coming week.