Dead Space 3 is a full-tilt collision between top-notch game design and the influence of run of the mill marketing. What once was a declaration of war to forcibly take back survival horror from the likes of Resident Evil and Silent Hill has slowly turned into a melange of elements that feel increasingly tacked on, from the bad story and repetitive fetch quests to bland shooter tropes that have more in common with Gears of War and Mass Effect than a Dead Space game.
Still, the level of polish with which Dead Space 3 is executed is staggering. The visual and sound design, the core combat itself – largely carried over from the first two games – made for a thrill ride despite the game’s many shortcomings. Plus, Pelican. Not surprisingly, Dead Space 3 is one of those games that split players and critics right down the middle. This carried through to the co-op campaign that forced you to play online with a friend in order to access the content, to the sterile cult-turned-paramilitary bullet sponge human enemies. Some people loved it, some people hated it.