OXCGN’s Dead Space 3 Review

dead space 3 review

OXCGN’s Dead Space 3 Review

A ‘visceral’ stomp?

by Daniel Geikowski

©2013 Daniel Geikowski

dead space 3 3It seems that during the course of gaming, various trends come and go, much like everything nowadays.

Whether they are visual styles, aesthetics, themes, mechanics or gameplay styles, many publishers attempt to incorporate these current trends into their games and franchises, with mixed results.

The Darkness II altered its visual style from a realistic to cell-shaded effect, reminiscent of the game’s comic origins.

Splinter Cell: Conviction ditched its primary focus on stealth and silence, opting to turn to a more “Bourne-like” action theme.

dead space 3 screenshots oxcgn #1The Fallout series was originally a top-down RPG, however Bethesda mixed things up in Fallout 3 by utilising a first person perspective, used in titles such as Oblivion, and later Skyrim.

Some hit the jackpot, while others damage their franchises by incorporating something which feels seemingly out-of-place.

Dead Space 3 is no different.

Dead Space 3 review

Dead Space 3 has a mid-game twist and “did not change the formula”

dead space 3 interview

Dead Space 3 has a mid-game twist and “did not change the formula”

Interview with Dead Space 3 Producer John Calhoun

by Arthur Kotsopoulos

©2013 Arthur Kotsopoulos

Some people said, no I just couldn’t take it, it’s unrelenting, it was gory, it was just too much.

dead space 3 oxcgn screenshot. 5jpgEA Australia recently held a hands-on with Dead Space 3 and allowed journalists to get stomping with roughly the first 2-3 hours of the game.

Whilst it was an extremely intense session in a chilly room decked out with a fake-white snow carpet I had the chance to speak with John Calhoun producer on Dead Space 3.

In the 13 minute interview I got a better understanding of a developers point of view regarding backlash from consumers regarding the game’s change of direction and a delved a little deeper in the thought process of including certain features in the 3rd installment of this popular franchise.

Dead Space 3 interview

Is Gaming Too Easy Today?

ARTICLE_difficulty

Is Gaming Too Easy Today?

Are games less challenging?

by Daniel Geikowski

©2013 Daniel Geikowski

uncharted-3-screenshots-oxcgn-21I’m always after new experiences.

Therefore, I recently purchased a PS3 for Christmas, and one of the first games I bought was the highly-touted Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

I played through the original, and while I had an enjoyable experience, it was over rather quickly.

So therefore I decided that I better purchase Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. I flew through  that also, which led me to getting my hands on Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.

I soon realised, that even though I’ve had my PS3 for just under a month, I’ve blasted through the Uncharted Series, as well as Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and DOOM 3: BFG Edition.

It got me thinking: have my skills as a gamer increased over time, or are games not as challenging as they once were?

Aging man’s rant, or legitimate concern?

Fear Returns to Dead Space 3

DeadSpace3 Header oxcgn

Fear Returns to Dead Space 3

OXCGN gets another look

by Arthur Kotsopoulos

©2013 Arthur Kotsopoulos

dead space 3 oxcgn screenshot. 5jpgLet’s go back to mid-last year, back to June when E3 was well under way and OXCGN writers were participating in an EA Booth tour. We had the chance to watch a very action oriented hands-off demo gameplay walkthrough of Dead Space 3.

It didn’t really interest me due to the fact that it was mostly run and gun with a lot happening on the screen, and to me it wasn’t the Dead Space I had come to love. It was all about Unitologist soldiers along with Necromorphs firing automatic weapons back at Isaac.

The need to take cover behind crates to hide from enemy fire only to emerge at the right moment to take a shot, well, the market is flooded with this type of stuff already. The last thing I wanted to see was the same gameplay I’ve seen countless times in various other franchises especially from a game that had been such a good survival horror game.

Dead-Space-3-oxcgn_screenshot 26_shipFast forward to today and Visceral are starting to showcase more of what I want, survival horror where I’m required to creep down a corridor with my plasma cutter always drawn in case a Necromorph bursts out of the ceiling vent above, in an attempt to tear me to shreds.

Where I must scavenge dead bodies or crates in hope of finding ammo or health packs. Where I have to manage my ammo and ensure I don’t consume too much because the next area is becoming increasingly difficult.

Dead Space 3 here

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