Isaac Clarke just can’t rest! Every time it seems he’s put an end to the vile Necromorph plague and those pesky markers, he discovers another piece of the puzzle just aching to be made whole. This time, it’s the frozen world of Tau Volantis. Two-hundred years ago, something awful happened here, and now our hero – not to mention new co-op character John Carver – must piece together the events of the past to discover the very origin of the markers and just what the hell is going on in the universe! Old and new faces show up to aid in the process, and Isaac must decide if he is willing to pay the ultimate price to give Earth another tomorrow.

The Good

Longtime fans have been more than a little vocal about their concerns over the new highly publicized co-op capability and huge action set-piece moments. Many have bemoaned developer Visceral Games’ willingness to turn its back on the tight-corridor/survival-horror roots of the series. Well, rest assured, nervous gamers, the core Dead Space experience remains intact. Yes, there are new over-the-top action moments, but these do not occur with any level of frequency. Furthermore, the chills, thrills, and spooks are every bit as present as they’ve ever been – you will be on the edge of your seat! In fact, early portions of the game that play out in a 200-year old abandoned flotilla are classic Dead Space. Your eyes will be glued to the air vents as you search out a means of entering the atmosphere of Tau Volantis.

Graphics are more beautiful and detailed than they’ve ever been, right down the the individual stitching on certain character outfits. Visceral has always put together breathtaking scenes in space, and this game is no different. Whether it’s a stunning planet scapes or a gritty city on the moon, this is beautiful stuff.

Oh, and let’s not forget that this game is just plain fun.

There are some exciting new enemies to combat that are, in a word, horrifying. None more than this one necromorph that moves at lightning speed and in completely unpredictable patterns. There is a new enemy that attacks in pack formation similar to Dead Space 2, but this one is a little creepier and its AI makes the previous iteration seem lacking. Isaac will also do battle with unitoligists. Human enemies are a series first, and though these are tough foes, Visceral has done a wonderful job of spreading these encounters out.

The Bad

The number one problem with this game is the awful checkpoint system. While playing in marathon sessions, it’s not so bad to die and start over a little further back from where you were. However, the “save and quit” function from the pause menu is outrageous. Don’t be surprised if you’re forced to replay vast sections after reaching an autosave point and hit save and quit.

Story elements are mostly contrived, and we’ve all seen them before. Who can forget a story as played out as the good old-fashioned guy-loses-girl, girl-gets-stranded, guy-dismembers-space-zombies-then-wins-girl-back? Seriously though, while interesting to learn the origin of the markers and the necromorphs, everything from the story line to the tacked-on and useless NPCs seems like little more than filler.

Later in the game, a new mechanic is introduced in the form of amplifier pads. This allows for your TK and kinesis abilities to be supercharged. This is especially exciting when we learn that dismembering the necromorphs with kinesis becomes possible. Though this is an interesting addition to the gameplay, it’s too little, too late and could’ve been used in better ways.

Kinect capabilities are basically worthless. Sure, you’ll check them out, but it’s so much easier to just use the button inputs.

That dude Carver sucks. He’s boring and his voice actor is little more than functional. Certainly he is inoffensive as a co-op partner, but he’s hardly as cool as Isaac, particularly during his super-irritating “Am I a good man?” speech.

The Co-Op

While it’s pretty fun to jump online with a pal and kill those space zombies, it kind of takes away from the scarier aspects of the series. And though it is possible to find a quickmatch with a decent random player, we can’t recommend trying out the co-op without a gamer you know and trust.

The Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars

You will have fun playing this game, but realize that those new to the series or those looking for the same tight-corridor gameplay may not get all they can out of Dead Space 3. Isaac Clarke is one of the coolest characters of the generation, and finally having all the answers is worth playing the game alone… you should probably get out there and pick this up right away.

Source: Alex de Vore | Spiffycats

Yell! Rating (x/5 Skulls):

4 out of 5 stars

Published by:

Electronic Arts

Developed by:

Visceral Games

Year Released:

February 5, 2013

Also Available On:

Xbox 360, PC

Genre:

Action

Official URL:

Dead Space 3 Official

With that said, why not take Visceral Games’ new offer and pre-order Dead space 3 Limited Edition to take full advantage of two bonuses that will make things a little easier, right from the start of the game? The Limited Edition will provide gamers with first access to two game bundles: “First Contact” and “Witness the Truth” – each of which contains an advanced suit and devastating new weapon.

“First Contact” Bundle

First Contact Suit: This unique Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) suit was built by the Sovereign Colonies Armed Forces (SCAF) for encounters with “foreign entities.” It sports a flamboyant golden finish to provide protection from long-term space exposure and thick armor for… unspecified reasons. The suit was given the nickname “First Contact” by the scientists who made it.

Negotiator Weapon: While technically classified by the SCAF as a “scientific instrument,” the gold-plated “Negotiator” is loaded with some surprisingly aggressive hardware. The overclocked, top-mounted Tesla Beam is capable of bursting a man-sized organism into several pieces with a single shot. The bottom-mounted Linegun appears to have been built with the sole purpose of cleanly dismembering organic tissue from a distance.

“Witness the Truth” Bundle

Witness Suit: These insulated suits were worn by a SCAF deep-dig team assigned to exhume the darkest secrets of Tau Volantis. Whatever they found locked deep in the ice changed them forever. When they emerged weeks later, they were covered head to toe in strange graffiti and claimed to be “Witnesses to the Truth.”

Evangelizer Weapon: A modification of the standard AL-2 used by the Sovereign Colonies Legionaries, this version sports a souped-up AL-2g assault rifle on the top with an Emerson 2100 “Big Boy” tactical shotgun on the bottom. The surviving “Witnesses” of the SCAF deep-dig team dubbed it the Evangelizer and decorated it from top to bottom with strange symbols.

Still not sure about the benefits of these bundles? Just check out this new gameplay trailer for Dead Space 3 as it prepares to launch in North America on February 5, 2013.

As the core of the Dead Space series, EA doesn’t plan to undermine the horror anytime soon. In Dead Space 3 gamers will be introduced to new features that have been added to the game, such as allowing players to drop-in/drop-out of co-op mode. Additionally, this will unlock new story details and gameplay mechanics if you’re playing as Earthgov Sergeant John Carver, the co-op character in Dead Space 3. The story will primarily take place on a frozen planet called Tau Volantis, and continues to follow protagonist Isaac Clarke as he attempts to stop the Necromorph plague for good.

EA recently confirmed that Dead Space 3 will officially be available on February 5, 2013, in North America, and February 8 in Europe. With this announcement a new batch of screenshots has been released as well.

Check them out and let us know what you think about Dead Space 3 in the comment section below.

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The Weapons Bench allows you to create your weapon piece by piece to engineer the ultimate arsenal to destroy the Necromorph infestation.

Electronic Arts confirmed that Dead Space 3 will be available on February 5th in North America and on the 8th in Europe.

Source: EA

Splinter Cell: Blacklist

First the bad news: Michael Ironside is no longer voicing Sam Fisher. What the frakk? Come the hell on, Ubisoft!! There is NO Splinter Cell without Ironside’s world-weary line delivery and unique voice. Sigh… Ok, minor nerd rant aside, and judging from the trailer and game play footage newly released, Splinter Cell seems to be continuing its swerve from stealthy game with action sequences to action heavy shooter with some stealth elements thrown in. As always, I’m sure the story will be worth the purchase but, as a long time series admirer, I can’t help but be wary of this new direction Ubisoft is taking the series in.

Dead Space 3

That is officially the most atmospheric trailer I’ve ever seen. While no game play is presented, the still images of familiar Dead Space iconography with frightening voiceovers serves to send chills down your spine. Any speculation on the story is just talk at this point but the trailer seems to hint at a more planet-based plot. With Resident Evil now firmly entrenched in the third person shooter genre, Dead Space is now the premier franchise on the block for scares. With the limits of spaceships and space stations gone, can we expect a more open world design? Only time will tell. There’s no firm release date, the 2012 Holiday season seems a safe bet.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted

Gaming’s premier cops and speeders franchise makes a glorious return to form with the simply titled Need For Speed: Most Wanted. Developer Criterion previously released my favorite entry in the Need For Speed series, 2010’s Hot Pursuit. Avoiding pursuing cop cars, or chasing reckless speeders, whichever side suits your fancy the most, Criterion looks poised to deliver another astounding burst of adrenaline with Most Wanted. Scheduled for a Holiday season release.

Medal Of Honor: Warfighter

Medal Of Honor, despite its many strengths, as always played second fiddle to the elephant in the room: Call Of Duty. While both games are similar on the surface, featuring white knuckle, mostly realistic, modern-day military combat, fans have flocked in droves to Activision’s franchise instead of EA’s. Electronic Arts is striving to upset this status quo with the sequel to 2010’s reboot of the Medal Of Honor series. Starring characters from groups with more acronyms that you can shake a bayonet at (SEALS, SAS, SOG, KSK, GROM, SPETSNAZ, etc…) Warfighter is getting ready to charge the front lines somewhere around Halloween 2012.

E3 2012 Official Trailers: Dead Space 3 Trailer, Splinter Cell: Blacklist Trailer, Medal of Honor: Warfighter Trailer

No.10 Deus Ex: Human Revolution

I never got into the old Deus Ex, but I feel like nothing has changed, yet it works surprisingly well. The futuristic, retro cyberpunk world feels oddly believable. It sucks you in with medical corporate conspiracies and improbable computer interfaces that makes you wonder how the iPad can go horribly wrong. Human Revolution is the second action game I’ve played through and not kill a single person. The other game was Metal Gear Solid 4. The most fun I’ve had with a gun without killing someone this year.

Buy Deus Ex: Human Revolution: Xbox 360 – PS3

No.9 Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

The continuing adventures of Nathan Drake has us searching for buried treasure in the sand. But the real story is about Drake’s past and his motivations for doing what he does. The search for riches has become almost secondary to the stories about the people around Drake and his relationships with them. Gunfights against pirates and mercenaries are just an excuse to watch Nate and his friends explore picturesque locales as they deal with their own personal issues with one another. The way set piece after set piece have been strung together makes you want to get through it as fast as you can just to see what happens to Drake and company next.

Buy Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception: PS3

No.8 Portal 2

My girlfriend bought me this game. She had no idea what it was or how to play it. But I really appreciated it because it gave me the opportunity to play a game from beginning to end with my older brother. We’ve done co-op games before, but they usually involve more headshots than puzzle solving. The single-player story is no slouch either, but the co-op is easily some of the most fun I’ve had all year. I’ll never forget the satisfaction of solving test chamber after test chamber with my brother.

Buy Portal 2: Xbox 360 – PS3

No.7 Mortal Kombat

Fighting games have never been my forté, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the Mortal Kombat series. The ninth Mortal Kombat game reboots the franchise in the best possible way. While the fatalities are better than ever and the fighting systems are tight yet accessible, the real kicker is the amazing single-player campaign. The Mortal Kombat story mode is easily one of the best-told stories this year. No one expects a fighting game to have a good story, let alone a great one. If you played the old Mortal Kombat in arcades and haven’t given it a chance in awhile, now is the time.

Buy Mortal Kombat: Xbox 360 – PS3

No.6 Batman: Arkham City

The premise was ridiculous: Turn a chunk of Gotham prime real estate into an open-air prison, and let criminals roam around with only a wall of snipers and cameras between them and the good people of Gotham. Only in a comic book someone in their right mind would allow this. Absurd setting aside, Arkham City makes for a great video game, because of its creative liberties. It makes an open world, not so open, but in a good way. It becomes a more directed and focused experience. Letting you be the best Batman you can be.

Buy Batman: Arkham City: Xbox 360 – PS3

No.5 Pokémon Black and White

I grew up playing Pokémon. I’ve played every main-series Pokémon game, and the formula hasn’t changed. You’re a small-town boy (or girl), you get your first Pokémon from a professor named after a tree, and you travel from town to town battling gym leaders to become a Pokémon Master. Over 600 Pokémon later, it’s still a thrill to catch ‘em all. I get this feeling of nostalgia every time I go through a new adventure. I get flashbacks of playing Pokémon on my Gameboy in the high school cafeteria, and loving every minute of it. The only game this year that made me feel like an old jaded gamer.

Buy Pokémon Black and White: Nintendo DS

No.4 Dead Space 2

When Resident Evil went all action oriented, and less scary zombie focused, Dead Space took up the slack and put fear back into gaming. It’s sequel had less scares, but as much gore as a Saw film. The improvised space mining tools as weapons still feel substantial when used. No other game this year made shooting and dismembering something as satisfying as Dead Space 2 did.

Buy Dead Space 2: Xbox 360 – PS3

No.3 L.A. Noire

Old fashion noire-style crime drama is beyond my Disney channel sensibilities. The closest thing I’ve played to gritty crime drama was the Max Payne series, another Rockstar favorite. Before the game came out, very little was known about the game. We all just assumed it was gonna be an open-world game set in the ’50s. Who knew that the studio who made the Grand Theft Auto series would publish such an amazing point-and-click style adventure game in 2011. They made interrogation a game, which sounds as boring as all those CSI/Law and Order games, but in the right hands, anything is possible. L.A. Noire is the only game on this list I’d recommend to anyone. Even if you don’t play video games, but if you you love a good crime dramas, find a console and pick this one up.

Buy L.A. Noire: Xbox 360 – PS3

No.2 Saints Row: The Third

Saints Row: The Third is the definition of a video game. You play activities, to gain points, to do more activities. What sets this game apart from others is the ridiculousness of the conceits the game takes to make you go from one place to another. Why are you dressed as a priest, driving around with a pissed-off tiger in the passenger seat? Because Hulk Hogan is trying to toughen you up, of course. Why are you punching neon-colored fluffy bear mascots in the balls? Because you’re a contestant in a Japanese reality show, duh. In context, all of this makes sense, and that’s why Saints Row: The Third is the best example of what a video game is. Because despite the sheer insanity of it all, somehow, it all makes sense.

Buy Saints Row: The Third: Xbox 360 – PS3

No.1 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

At this point I’ve played at least 100 hours. Not quite over the 200 hours I played the last Elder Scrolls game, but enough time to get all the achievements, and play through most of the faction quests in the game. But I want to go back, and just explore. And that’s why this game is on my list. Because even after all that time, I still feel like I haven’t seen everything, but more importantly, I want to see everything, because all of it is so god damn well made. No other game this year made me feel like an explorer discovering new lands.

Buy The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim<: Xbox 360 – PS3

Top 10 Video Games of 2011

Starting off our Halloween week with a bang, here is Yell! Magazine’s list of games voted most likely to make your date spill her popcorn and seek comfort in your manly, veiny, well-trained arms. I’m assuming you have manly arms. If you’re a girly, wussy man, switch that to “seek comfort in your pasty, white, flabby man fat,” you unbelievable embarrassment to Y chromosomes everywhere.

Alone in the Dark

Here’s an oldy but a goody. The first Alone In The Dark came out way back in the dinosaurs-roamed-the-Earth era of 1992, when the scariest thing in games up to that point was the risk of suffering a nervous breakdown while figuring out exactly which specific word the text-input adventure games of the time wanted you to type to avoid getting anally inconvenienced in the showers.

Pick up soap. “I can’t do that, Dave.” Retrieve soap. “That does not compute.” Dodge incoming erection! “What’s an erection?” Fuck you! “Yes, he is!”

In this day and age, the scariest thing about Alone In The Dark is the completely outdated “3-D” graphics. But at the time, this was a true chiller. It had only bare-bones music, the game relied mostly on creepy sound effects to get your heart rate going. Like Resident Evil after it, Alone used the limited scope of vision provided by awkward camera angles to keep you guessing as to what you might encounter around the next corner. Throw in a story inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s mythos and you end up with a true horror gaming classic.

The Thing (video game)

Bit of a dark horse choice here, since it’s a lesser-known title than the others in this article, but as a big fan of the original movie and its remake, this 2002 sequel to John Carpenter’s classic, much like a properly chilled Pepsi or a well-trained hooker, hits all the sweet spots to make me stomp my foot up and down like a cat getting its neck rubbed… That comparison got a little away from me there, didn’t it?

Essentially a middle-of-the-road third-person shooter, The Thing excels at recreating the paranoia inherent to the movie. You can recruit fellow survivors to your cause… if you trust them not to turn into Japanese tentacle monsters at the drop of a hat. The game provides you with blood test syringes to check on your compatriot’s… uh, Thingness? Thingability?

Bob, shown here, has clearly failed the Thingability test. I guess that makes him a Thingamabob.

Resident Evil

It’s a universal rule that you can’t write up a list of scary games without at least mentioning the Resident Evil series. While my fondness for the original game has not diminished with age, despite its many and varied flaws, I would rather have nominated later entries in the franchise for this article.

Resident Evil 4, considered by many to be the series at its peak, contains more pants-wettings scares per square inch than one of those tiny cars that clowns keep pouring out of. Or maybe that’s just me. And yet, the first game brought so many innovations to the horror genre that it’s hard to ignore it. Limited inventory capacity, the sheer randomness of whether or not that zombie would stay down after two shots or five, the laughably horrific voice acting… But the real reason RE1 deserves a spot on this list? The fucking Doberman through the fucking window jump scare.

This asshole!

I swear to God, I’ve finished this game 20 freaking times since it came out and I still forget to brace myself for that damn dog’s glass-smashing entrance every single time. It once scared me so badly I banged my knee on the slide-out keyboard holder for my desk and broke the darn thing. Now it’s a constant reminder never to play Resident Evil 1 with headphones on and the sound cranked all the way up. Some people swear by the Silent Hill series, but I’ve always been a Resident Evil man.

Doom 3

While some franchise purists look down on this entry in ID’s legendary series, I’m personally quite fond of it. Yes, the action is taken down several thousand notches from the first two games, cranking down your encounters with undead beasties from several dozen to no more than a few at a time, but the increased emphasis on a horror atmosphere compensates quite well for the lack of spent shell casings. Essentially a remake of the first game, Doom 3 replaces the brightly lit open areas of its predecessors for malfunctioning lights, darkened corridors and the occasional sex pervert waiting to molest you in the Martian base’s grimy bathroom.

GAH! Where’s my rape whistle!?!

The game also kicks the religious imagery up a notch, which may be only mildly creepy to an atheist like myself, but it easily rattled some Christian nerves upon its release. And I’m totally down with anything that rattles some Christians.

Condemned: Criminal Origins

While every game thus far on this list includes gun play as a main feature, the Condemned series is all about visceral hand to hand, in your face combat using a variety of blunt force trauma inducing weaponry. No other game on this list provides the same type of exhilarating combat. Plugging a bad guy from a mile away is easy; feeling his breath on your screen as you pitifully attempt to tear him off you in order to deliver a baseball bat strike to his short-term memory is an entirely different experience.

And that’s his face BEFORE I hit him with the bat!

Toss in a serial killer on the prowl plot taken straight from Se7en, nutty cultists on the loose and a route that will take you through abandoned subways, demolished buildings and empty department stores, and you have a recipe for a creepy good time.

More of the scariest video games to play on Halloween after the jump…

Scariest Horror Video Games To Play During Halloween

Top 10 Video Game Movies That Need To Be Made

Gamers have an odd relationship with movies based on video games. On the one hand, the thought of some Hollywood ace adapting our beloved characters for the big screen should be cause for celebration. On the other, well, just try to mention Uwe Boll to any gamer and watch him foam at the mouth. And let me tell you, it’s not happy foaming. It’s pure, unbridled hatred and rage at how the jewels of the video game industry get treated by movie makers. When all you can do is point to 1995’s Mortal Kombat and say: “Yeah, that one wasn’t so bad,” you know there’s a significant dearth of quality movies based on video games.

The problem is twofold. Firstly, much like many of the comic book films, there is a general lack of respect from film makers toward the original material. Sure, the game is loved by millions, has mass appeal, sold like hotcakes, and has a well-established world and characters… but let’s ignore all of that in favor of our vision. After all, we’re artists, they’re just video game makers, what do they know? Secondly, out of all the games turned into movies thus far, roughly 95% had very little story to speak of. Mortal Kombat? Fighter histories and motivations does not a movie make. Super Mario Bros.? Mario needs to save Princess Peach. Simple, yet they still managed to fuck that up. Resident Evil? They got the action right, but this is not a franchise known for its witty banter.

However, these faults describe the previous generation of movies based on video games. Since video games have become more and more cinematic, the next generation promises to be something totally different. And, for a change, Hollywood is finally taking a stab at adapting video games with actual plots, massive amounts of dialogue, and fully-developed characters with histories that go beyond “bad guy killed my (insert significant other here) so I’m entering this martial arts tournament to get revenge” cliché.

So, my faithful readers*, without further ado, here is Yell! Magazine’s Top 10 List Of Movies Based On Video Games That Need To Be Made, along with rumors, castings, potential pitfalls, and all the reasons why these films would kick ass.

*Except for that one reader who totally cheated on me with IGN. You know who you are. Bastard.

No.10 Uncharted

The plot:

Wise-ass adventurer Nathan Drake goes hunting for fabulous treasures all around the world with his sidekick and beautiful love interest(s) in tow. Huge amounts of cliff-climbing, spelunking, and gunfights ensue. Fun is had by all.

Why it could work:

Nathan Drake is Indiana Jones. And people love Indy. Hell, they even loved geriatric Indy. Drake is an easy-going hero, flippant but loyal and brave to a fault. With the correct handsome leading man he’ll easily appeal to a large demographic. Toss in some tomb raiding, complete with a series of traps still well-oiled after hundreds of years for some reason, a plucky reporter tagging along for some romantic sparks, marinate with some explosions and a treasure that ends up having a supernatural component, shake well and voila! Blockbuster!

Why it might not work:

It’s all about the acting. Casting is going to be key for this movie. If you choose actors devoid of chemistry for the roles of Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher, people won’t buy into their relationship. Drake is a wiseass with a heart of gold, imperfect casting would completely undermine the character’s charm.

Who should be involved:

Uncharted fans were in an uproar when Mark Wahlberg was announced as Nathan Drake a few months ago, soon followed by his “The Fighter” director David O. Russell. Online petitions were soon written up begging the studio to reconsider this. While Russell has the requisite action chops (Three Kings) to direct the movie, the dour, intense Wahlberg irked fans. Luckily, both men seem to have abandoned the project. In the minds of many fans, the perfect Nathan Drake would be Nathan Fillion. Not only does he resemble the character physically, but also his Captain Mal Reynolds on Firefly was essentially Nathan Drake… in space. A second possibility would be Josh Holloway from Lost, who might not look like the character but certainly possesses the right personality quirks required for the role.

Come on, Sony! They’re both named Nathan!

The potential:

A rip-roaring, summer action blockbuster capable of launching a movie franchise.

You’ll have to click through to find out what the other nine movies based on video games are…

In the meantime, if you haven’t already played the first one, borrow it from a friend or pick it up for 20$. It’s really worth it!

Dead Space 2 Screenshots