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I miss Dead Space...

I remember people getting very defensive about folks saying it was better than residential evil. I would put every dead space game, yes even 3 above any new RE game released last gen.

It dethroned RE in my eyes, I wasn't too happy with RE5 and I absolutely detest RE6 - probably not going to buy and/or play RE7 given it feels like Capcom has no idea how to do horror anymore

Deadspace was my TPS horror saviour
 
Thanks!

To be honest your continued support of the title is noticed by people inside of EA. Who knows, maybe at some point they'll dust it off when the time is right.

Glad to know there is hope! I'd LOVE another title in the series. I've always had the feeling most DS3 haters all played it solo, since it was a great co-op title. I played it through with 3 different friends of mine and had a blast each time.
 

Garlador

Member
Dead Space 1 was awesome, and Dead Space 2 was pretty decent, but EA made the mistake over the course of the series of trying to turn Dead Space into something it wasn't, and I think that's what killed the series.

Not DICE. Visceral.

And I think Dead Space 3 DOES get too much flack, even if I agree it's the weakest and most "mainstream" of the three that didn't really capitalize on what Dead Space 1 and 2 did so well. It's still not a bad game, though, and I legitimately wonder how much was Visceral's choosing and how much was EA forcing certain shifts upon them as they did for all their studios at that point.
 

Sadist

Member
Love the first two games. The opening minutes of Dead Space 2 are one of my favorite moments of last gen.

CleverPleasantArrowcrab.gif
Fantastic stuff.

Opening sequence was intense as fudge. Crazy people everywhere getting infected and Isaac runs around in a straightjacket gasping for air.
 

GlamFM

Banned
Yeah, so healthy that the sales plummeted, the series is dead, and Visceral Games fired tons of people. This is sarcasm, right?

Sales never took of. In fact DS2 outsold DS1.

DS just never was a big seller.

No sarcasm, but you seem to be pretty uninformed all around.
 

Garlador

Member
I remember being very excited about its potential, especially with not really knowing what it was, before it was released. Then playing it on day one. Wow, what a great game.
Dead Space wasn't even on my radar until the week of release. I kind of knew it was coming, but it was in the back of my head that it was just another generic sci-fi horror game a'la Run Like Hell or Cold Fear. Then I saw the reviews and immediately got interested. I bought it at release day, which to this day is the quickest I've ever gone from "what is that?" to "I'm buying that".

Thanks!

To be honest your continued support of the title is noticed by people inside of EA. Who knows, maybe at some point they'll dust it off when the time is right.
You have my support, for sure. It remains an extremely promising franchise.

I think keep the scale in-check and really focusing on the hardcore horror elements can make the series thrive in the same way that Dark Souls did, which started off with very similar sales and, by hunkering down on its target audience and not compromising, built its reputation and grew in sales and popularity instead of trying to appeal to the masses. It found its niche, and Dead Space definitely scratches an itch very few games scratch.

Even now, I'm longing to crawl my way through a dilapidated satellite as Necromorphs claw and tear their way towards me.
 
Aren't the major players for Deadspace 1 now at Sledgehammer games? So, even if EA decided to take another crack at Deadspace, it wont ever be the same or anything similar to 1.

right?
 

spookyfish

Member
Dead Space was my favourite new IP from last gen. I enjoyed DS3 too, though it was nowhere near as good as 1 and 2.

I'd love to see a remaster or a reboot. I'm not sure I want a straight up sequel, as DS3's ending went off the deep end, and a DS4 would clearly be even more action-orientated.

Pretty much agree with this completely. I didn't hate DS3, but if they do anymore, I want a DS1-type game.
 

Shiloa

Member
DS3 had an amazing mission where your co-op partner would see things you didn't.
Shit was absolutely fantastic.

He: "You also seeing these candles, dead bodies and blood everywhere?!"
Me: Nope. Not at all, you are trying to mess with me!
He: Don't BS me man, I'm on prescription drugs and my nerves are shaky atm so don't do this shit.

Wow this is such a good idea

Why have I never heard this done before? It's so simple and something that would only work with online play.
 
Sales never took of. In fact DS2 outsold DS1.

DS just never was a big seller.

No sarcasm, but you seem to be pretty uninformed all around.

It was selling enough for the game it is, a niche game. Horror (even survival-horror) games have always been niche and catering to a 3 Million sales< audience, there are only VERY few exeptions like Resident Evil. Horror games are so niche that unless you are talking about Resident Evil, Silent Hill and some extend Dead Space, the general audience (even amongst hardcore gamers) wil probably not know what you are talking about. For most of those games that didn't matter though, as long as they were developed on a budget with realistic sales targets in mind, the niche audience was still there back then.

I mean just look at how barely known some of the greatest classics like Fatal Frame 1/2, Siren or Eternal Darkness are. Classic horror games, outside of Indies (that do naturally cater to a niche and are on a budget), have been rather dead for the last seven years... unless they feature lots of action or zombies to the point of barely (if even) being what you can call a horror game.

EA got greedy, tried to target the mainstream, failed to realize that the niche audience for scary horror games is only that big, shoved way to much money into the development and marketing, didn't reach the mainstream after all (big surprise) and pissed off several of the old fans with the change in direction, bad reviews and shenigans such as the micro-transactions.
 

GlamFM

Banned
It was selling enough for the game it is, a niche game. Horror (even survival-horror) games have always been niche and catering to a 3 Million sales< audience, there are only VERY few exeptions like Resident Evil. Horror games are so niche that unless you are talking about Resident Evil, Silent Hill and some extend Dead Space, the general audience (even amongst hardcore gamers) wil probably not know what you are talking about. For most of those games that didn't matter though, as long as they were developed on a budget with realistic sales targets in mind, the niche audience was still there back then.

I mean just look at how barely known some of the greates classics like Fatal Frame 1/2, Siren or Eternal Darkness are. Classic horror games, outside of Indies, have been rather dead for the last six years... unless they feature lots of action or zombies.

100% sure EA didn't think they were making a niche game for a < 3 mil audience. If they would have been happy with the sales they wouldn't have changed the formula two times.
 

IHaveIce

Banned
Dead Space and Darksiders were both freaking amazing new IPs las gen that totally surprised me.

And both are shortened as DS? Coincidence? I think not
 
100% sure EA didn't think they were making a niche game for a < 3 mil audience. If they would have been happy with the sales they wouldn't have changed the formula two times.
There are plenty examples of publishers changing the formula of successful games to get even more sales. Just look at Resident Evil 5 and what came after.
 

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
If they would have been happy with the sales they wouldn't have changed the formula two times.

Was Dead Space 2 really that much of a change to the formula? I see a lot of people say that it's got a lot more action (and make the Alien/Aliens comparison), but I don't really agree. It's definitely got more a few more enemies, but overall I'd say it's only a marginal increase.

Unless your referring to including the MP mode maybe? An argument could be made there I suppose but I don't think many people bothered with that.
 

thumb

Banned
Was Dead Space 2 really that much of a change to the formula? I see a lot of people say that it's got a lot more action (and make the Alien/Aliens comparison), but I don't really agree. It's definitely got more a few more enemies, but overall I'd say it's only a marginal increase.

Unless your referring to including the MP mode maybe? An argument could be made there I suppose but I don't think many people bothered with that.

The Alien/Aliens comparison was also made by one of the devs (maybe a producer?) so it's not just something invented by fans.

And think about the action set pieces: flying between subway trains, being ejected into space with a huge necromorph and blowing it away, escaping the space station and flying after Ellie's ship as the entire place comes apart. And more! Dead Space 2 was unquestionably more action oriented. And it was an awesome game.
 
I LOVED 1. I beat it 6 times. Then 2 and 3 came out and I only put an hour into each game. I really need to get back in and finish them.
 

Muffdraul

Member
Was Dead Space 2 really that much of a change to the formula? I see a lot of people say that it's got a lot more action (and make the Alien/Aliens comparison), but I don't really agree.

What I saw happen was that during DS2 development Visceral were completely open and up front that they were making it more balanced than the first game, i.e. it would have a few shots of adrenaline here and there to counter-balance the constant dread and oppressive atmosphere of the first game. And immediately a big chunk of the fanbase said "oh noes theyre turning it into an action game. dead space is dead." I'm with you, it did have a few over the top action sequences but overall it's not too different from the original. The action set pieces that do exist in the game are like 2% of the entire experience, which is mainly about tip toeing through creepy areas and occasionally getting into encounters, just like DS1. But lots of people simply doubled down on "it's way more of an action game" even though it isn't. IMO the biggest difference I ever saw was that it was one contiguous unbroken quest rather than being broken up into separate levels. Which was an awesome improvement.

Likewise, while I can agree DS3 is easily the weakest of the trilogy, it's nowhere near as bad as its reputation. You can pretty much ignore the dudebro shootbang stuff that was shoehorned in and 90% of the time it feels like classic Dead Space. IMO it's biggest faults were the noticeable drop in visual design quality (cheap looking low res textures and cut & paste enviro design) and the love triangle with that dopey rival character. I still had plenty of fun playing it.
 

GlamFM

Banned
The Alien/Aliens comparison was also made by one of the devs (maybe a producer?) so it's not just something invented by fans.

And think about the action set pieces: flying between subway trains, being ejected into space with a huge necromorph and blowing it away, escaping the space station and flying after Ellie's ship as the entire place comes apart. And more! Dead Space 2 was unquestionably more action oriented. And it was an awesome game.

Non-silent protagonist!
 

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
The Alien/Aliens comparison was also made by one of the devs (maybe a producer?) so it's not just something invented by fans.

And think about the action set pieces: flying between subway trains, being ejected into space with a huge necromorph and blowing it away, escaping the space station and flying after Ellie's ship as the entire place comes apart. And more! Dead Space 2 was unquestionably more action oriented. And it was an awesome game.

They were the only set pieces I could think of as well and it's a 10-12 hour game, which makes them just infrequent enough to be relatively insignificant. I mean the character movement and combat mechanics are nearly identical to the original, and I felt even more ammo constrained in the 2nd game. There's certainly a reason why people attach the action label to the second one, and it's not without merit, but I don't think it holds up under the microscope is all. Either way it's still a fucking great game.

Also the initial trip thru the Ishimura is the most tense part of any game I have ever played.

I'm with you, it did have a couple of over the top action sequences but overall it's not too different from the original. But lots of people simply doubled down on "it's way more of an action game" even though it isn't. IMO the biggest difference I ever saw was that it was one contiguous unbroken quest rather than being broken up into separate levels. Which was an awesome improvement.

Yea, pretty much

Non-silent protagonist!

Tbf he barely speaks in DS2, he might have more dialogue in the first chapter of DS3 than he does in all of DS2
 
Even with DS3 pivoting to more action than horror I still thought it was a lot of fun. DS2 was my favorite though - it really nailed the survival horror aspect of it with action. I hope we get another one at some point.
 

AwShucks

Member
One of my favorite series ever. I love the whole world. Books and comics are great. Loved the games. Even the not great ones have redeeming qualities. I wonder how much Steve Papoutsis was responsible for the world. As he isn't at Visceral anymore I'm not sure how a new one would turn out. I get the feeling that without him it might have ended up even more like a casual and bro shooter.

I do wish 3 didn't change the weapons/ammo system.

I would buy a remaster or a collection in a heartbeat.
 
Dead Space wasn't even on my radar until the week of release. I kind of knew it was coming, but it was in the back of my head that it was just another generic sci-fi horror game a'la Run Like Hell or Cold Fear. Then I saw the reviews and immediately got interested. I bought it at release day, which to this day is the quickest I've ever gone from "what is that?" to "I'm buying that".

There was something special about it at the time of its announcement, so I was set to check it out by rental or purchase on day one. Thankfully, it was well worth it.
 
Dead Space 1 will forever have a dear place in my heart. DS2 was great too but Dead Space 1 really surprised me when I played it. I had no expectations at all and was blown away.
 

Garlador

Member
If EA could leverage Dead Space better, I can see it easily being equivalent to something like Dark Souls as a game that is uncompromising and even "niche" but still fantastic and successful.

I mean, even compare the two, and notice the point of the pivot (EA has been cagey about final numbers for awhile...)

Dead Space 1 - 2 million
Dead Space 2 - >2 million
Dead Space 3 - 605,000 first month US (they said they needed 5 million total to be successful)

Dark Souls 1 - 2.37 million
Dark Souls 2 - 2.5 million
Dark Souls 3 - 3 million shipped

Dark Souls was once "niche" and "only for the hardcore" and sells routinely just above 2 million copies, which was typical of Dead Space as well. But FromSoftware managed to find sustainability. Even FromSoftware isn't foolish enough to bet the farm on Dark Souls ever selling 5 million copies, but it has a sizable and sustainable audience and a manageable budget that allows them to be successful, despite not cracking Call of Duty numbers (like EA had such tunnel-vision for that they tried to chase after its success with all their properties, no matter how ill-fitting).

A smarter EA could easily pull a Dark Souls and make average-sized but well-executed Dead Space games with a manageable budget, razor-sharp focus on the horror and gameplay elements, scale back the bombast and setpieces, and sell a healthy amount of copies that produces a sustainable and sizable amount of profit from the people that clearly enjoyed the series.

That would be giving EA a LOT of credit if they could do so, but they did make Dead Space great once upon a time and players gobbled it up. Dead Space may never be more than a mid-sized success... but, like Dark Souls, if you're smart about it that can be all you need.
 
Dead Space 2 is one of those sequels that took everything that was not great about the first game and made it better. It is Terminator 2: Judgment Day. That being said, Dead Space 1 is still incredible and not diminished in any way by how awesome its sequel is.
 
3 got too much hate which ultimately probably killed the franchise.

1. Was an outstanding survival horror game.

2. Was an amazing action horror game.

3. Was an immensely satisfying co-op horror shooter.

The key to enjoying 3 was really playing through the entirety of it with a friend.

DEAD SPACE <3 <3 <3

What killed Dead Space 3 for me was not being able to play it with my wife on the couch. Online co-op is shit. I want couch co-op to return.
 

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
Was it the back tracking?

I think that was a complaint at the time

Really? I mean you do revisit areas, but you usually arrive at them from another route. It's never like you have to run down empty hallways for minutes on end.

Often times it would take me a little while to realise I was even in the same area.
 
Dead space 1 was so good!

I enjoyed 2 even if it was more action based and 3 was by no means a bad game but i didn't love it like the others
 

Xion_Stellar

People should stop referencing data that makes me feel uncomfortable because games get ported to platforms I don't like
I love the Dead Space franchise so much and my experience with the franchise was really something for me so it's kind of sad to see how it all ended.

Now let me tell you I'm not a huge horror game fan and more to the point because that genre was really lacking in the console space back than.So I'm in a GameStop browsing for games because they were having a Buy 2 get 1 Free sale and I picked up Dead Space without knowing or hearing a single thing about the game.

So I started playing the game once I got home and as for someone who to that point hasn't played a single horror game since PS2 (Unless you want to count Resident Evil 5) it was really shockeing and horrifying experience to me because I never experienced something like this in "HD" and I was not a happy dreamer for a few days.

I bought Dead Space 2 Collector's Edition on release day and that game was so much better than the first game because it felt like they got rid of some of the stiff control issues I had with the first game and yeah sure it was less scary by than Dead Space 1 but Dead Space 2 was Resident Evil 4 all over again for all the good reasons.

Dead Space 3 however was Residents Evil 5 all over again.It was an OK game but by than all the mystery of the Markers was gone,they dumb down the game in order to introduce micro transactions,and it was a bit too action heavy.

The stage selection was shallow, weapon balance was off, and it was unbalanced in the matchmaking part but I LOVED and I mean LOVED the Multi-player in Dead Space 2 and I spent so many hours playing it because it was so entertaining to me taking control of the Necromorphs to fight the humans.

I played every Dead Space game to date,watched every movie/animation and read the books/comics.I didn't want my former PSN name anymore so I created a new PSN account I went ahead and Platinum Dead Space and Dead Space 2 again for the 2nd time each so yes I did those dreaded Hardcore Difficulty runs twice for each game but I never bothered to Platinum Dead Space 3.

Overall I do miss the franchise and I would be willing to do it all over again if they release the Trilogy on PS4.
 
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