Dead Space 3 PlayStation 3
Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 37
  3. Negative: 0 out of 37
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  1. Game Informer
    Feb 5, 2013
    98
    Dead Space 3 is still creepy, but this entry is more action-packed than previous games. That’s a good thing. Isaac’s intuitive new dodge roll makes avoiding the larger nercromorph attacks more manageable.
  2. Armchair Empire
    Apr 1, 2013
    90
    Dead Space 3 is a very solid action shooter that still delivers plenty of scary, survivor-horror frightening moments.
  3. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Feb 5, 2013
    90
    Even with Dead Space 3’s minor faults such as the psychological, personal terror being nowhere in sight, the human enemies being a terribly executed addition, and the graphics not making a huge leap, the game is simply fun.
  4. LaPS3
    Feb 5, 2013
    87
    Dead Space 3 brings back the most epic action in the battle against the terrifying necromorphs. Its increased dynamism contrasts with a somehow lessened fear effect, but nonetheless the setting quality of the franchise is maintained, and its essence preserved. Besides, co-op mode turns out to be a very interesting option and sufficiently original as to experience the entire game through a different point of view.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.3 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 356 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 63 out of 79
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 79
  3. Negative: 10 out of 79
  1. ZacOfTheZombies
    5
    Not one to simply ignore the conclusion to a series I enjoy, I sat down with low expectations for Dead Space 3. I saw the trailers, played the demo, and all I saw was an action game. I wasn't far off. DS3 in single player retains only the barest of horror elements from the first game. In there place is action sequences straight out of Gears of War. Gone are the days of paranoia and supply famine as the game literally throws ammo, now a single type used by all guns, and enemies die so easily to automatic fire that there is little to no chance of death. The most I saw my heath go down was during pre-programed sections. Co-Op brings in the worst of this as enemies simply can;t keep up with you and your partner and make you feel untouchable. All in all, I can;t say the game is a failure. Action fans will find a good fill of gore and excitment as Isaac, once scared engineer has become a one-liner spitting badass in Furcoat lined Space Armor. With zombies, human cultists, giant montrosities and chest high walls aplenty make Co-Op fun and rewarding for a sit down with buddies, offering plenty of oportunities to bro it up, but there in lies the problem. The whole game, from the guns to the atmosphere is not Dead Space. There's no horror, there's no fear, there's no soul of the once vibrant survival game. The world sorely need another space marine shooter yet an up and coming horror game was sacrificed for just that. To put it shortly: Dead Space=Alien, where you are alone, weak and a hair's width from death with every corner turned. Dead Space 2=Aliens, where you're armed, you're knowledgable about the threat, you have the can do spirit, and it's all meaningless as you look death in the face. Dead Space 3=Alien3, where every element that made the last two unique has been traded off in an attempt to out do them with a different audience. Time to let Isaac fall into the molten iron and lay it to rest. God help us if they make Dead Space: Resurrection.… Full Review »
  2. siuk81
    9
    never written a review on here before but as a fan of the series and given some of the issues surrounding this game I thought I would come post a review. A lot of criticism has been leveled at EA and Visceral regarding the third entry in this series.The main points are the inclusion of microtransactions, Coop game-play and a perceived shift from horror to action. Now I have been a fan of Dead Space since the launch of the first game back in 2008 and a fan of survival horror since long before that. And like many I have been back to the original two games and played through both over the last couple of weeks. The first Dead Space was for me probably one of, if not the best survival horror game I have ever played. the atmosphere and tension I had not experienced in any game before with Silent Hill 2 possibly being the only game that came close. Dead Space 2 I loved just as much, while the isolation of the first game wasn't as present, I felt the game had a much stronger story and actually upon playing both games through for the first time in nearly two years, actually made me jump more than the original did. Both games sit very high on my all time favorites. Now moving onto DS3.
    first off I will talk about some of the negative perceptions and my opinions of them after playing The microtransactions. Now like most people, given the choice I would rather these did not exist at all. My biggest fear for this release was that my progress through the game would be repeatedly hamstrung by my refusal to part with extra money on top of of a full price I have already paid for the game (I'm not opposed to the idea of DLC but I am only ever interested in the ones that give you lots of content, two if the Skyrim expansions being an example) however, I am am happy to say that just because they exist does not mean you have to use them. I didn't, although I did use the scavenger bot in game to find ration seals to purchase items which didn't cost me anything other than time in the game. So while if it was up to me its something I would never have put in from the start, its was not forced upon me and even if I had not used the in game currency I would still have been able to play this game to completion. This for me was going to be my biggest gripe so I was relieved to find it wasn't a barrier to my enjoyment of the game.
    Secondly The coop. For me the Resident Evil series has been killed by Coop, although it was the actual coop that bothered me. It was the fact that if I wanted to play solo I would still have this rather clunky companion with terrible AI constantly getting in my way. Thankfully the Coop of DS3 has been done much more effectively. If your playing solo, Carver isn't with you most of the time. he pops up for occasional story moments, and the odd battle but most of the time your back to Isaac on his own. If you are playing Coop Carver is there with you the whole time and there are extra side missions, cut scenes and dialog to represent this, in addition the necromorphs are tougher and more numerous. Now the Coop is great fun and definitely worth playing, however it does diminish the scare factor considerably although there are still a few creepy moments. One nice touch is the individual dementia that each character suffers, one player can be hallucinating and the other player will not see what they are reacting to, its a really interesting idea and to be honest I would like to have seen more done with it as it doesn't really change the game over all, just adds flavor. However it does mean those who choose only to experience the solo campaign will not miss out on a radically different story.
    lastly the shift from survival horror to action. while there has been a bit of a shift in this direction, in truth its not nearly as black and white. there are plenty of large action set pieces and these are done really well, and actually better than a lot of action games out there. but there is also plenty of classic dead space moments creeping around pitch black corridors waiting for things to jump out at you (and they probably do more often than in the previous two games) this did give me some of the most heart pounding moments in the series when I found myself surrounded by necromorphs on all sides with very little health to survive on. Its faster pace and intense moments are definitely more closely linked to DS2 the original, but this is not necessarily a bad thing as DS2 was and still is an amazing game. Now a lot of people have complained about the series losing its roots and its not longer a dead space game etc. For me, this absolutely was a Dead Space game. One thing that annoys me more than anything is when developers/bands/ movie studios just remake whatever made them popular, and if I wanted to play for 8 -10 hours of creeping around corridors I already have that game, it's the original dead space, DS3 is a worthy sequel, and while not perfect, I had a blast with it.    … Full Review »
  3. Chibe
    9
    Not really sure where all the negativity being leveled towards this game is coming from. Many fans and critics seem to be complaining about a straying from the roots of the series, what makes dead space a unique, original, series. After playing DS3 I can say that the new direction of the developers towards a more action oriented game was well thought out. DS1 was all about the unknown and survival, DS2 strayed from this but still kept the feeling of creepy horror while combining it with heavier action elements. At this point, there was only one logical way to go with the series. The horror and survival aspects had been thoroughly explored, now it was time to see what Isaac could really do when faced with intense combat situations. I have to say, I found this to be the most difficult of the three games. When swarms of semi-humanoid necromorphs come screeching after you and surrounding you, it because very difficult to survive. The addition of customized weapons was great, as well as user-made blueprints. The story was well-paced and the layout of the game superb. The amount of content was large, the whole time I felt as though I was accomplishing much. The only gripe I have about this particular Dead Space was the lack of marker induced hallucinations. For me, those were the creepiest parts in the first and second game. Excluding that, remarkably well-done game, delivers well on the hype.… Full Review »
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