So posted on gamespot is an article detailing a number of additional unlockable modes within the game, some of which look like they're really putting some dedicated effort in to the survival aspect of Dead Space.

First, there's Classic Mode:

Classic mode is a single-player only affair that ditches the game's new crosshairs and resource management elements, which should make Dead Space 3 feel more similar to its predecessors.

Hardcore Mode:

gives players one life for the entire campaign.

Pure Survival Mode:

where everything in the game has to be crafted. "Enemies ONLY drop resources, and there’s no ammo, health, or weapon parts to be found," said Papoutsis on the Dead Space blog. "You’ll have to choose what to craft every time you see a bench. Upgrade? Med Pack? Plasma Core? Think fast -- there’s a Waster right around the corner!"

And of course the requisite New Game+ offerings, too. Which, given the addition of weapon crafting and coop, is suddenly made to be all that more appealing. Even though the demo soured me a little with a lot of rote, predictable gunplay and virtually non-existent scares or atmosphere, hearing about these additional modes has made Dead Space 3 sound infinitely more enticing. Hardcore mode is even more insane that it was in Dead Space 2, and while I... don't quite understand what Classic Mode actually entails (it just sounds like playing the game solo with the classic crosshair), Pure Survival mode sounds ingenious!

Also there'll be DLC down the line, because, duh.

I'm still going to wait for reviews on this one I think, though. Just to be safe. While I enjoyed both of the first two Dead Space's that I've even platinum'd them (not especially difficult, but for someone like me who usually just can't be bothered and only has like 8 in total, it's worth noting), I've been increasingly cynical, as have many others, about how the final product will shape up come release. I'm sure Brad's going to enjoy it and will give it no less than 4*'s, but I don't often take Brad's viewpoint into much consideration because our tastes are rather different. Even when we both share a love for a particular game it's still sometimes due to very different reasons. Getting an overall consensous with the widespread bevy of reviews, and not to mention user-reactions, will better solidify if I'm going to get this. I can at least say with confidence that I'm a little more optimistic now than I was back when I walked away from the demo, even if it was admittedly pretty fun playing coop with @N7.

Also kind of a weird coincidence that I put Rising in the title when Metal Gear Rising is also a February release right alongside Dead Space 3... Completely unintentional, but, well, there you go.

EDIT: Wait, so Classic Mode removes all of the crafting stuff I take it? I think that's what they're inferring. I wonder if they'll even remove universal ammo in favour of the ammo-per-weapon setup that prior games had as well.

This classic mode sounds cool.

Also, REVENGEANCE.

Because you mentioned MGR: REVENGEANCE.

I was going to wait to buy it but according to NeoGaf the game gets way better in the middle and the demo is a poor representation of the game. However the cover based shooting always looks and plays pretty poorly. I would imagine reviews will be 4 stars with the negatives being the cover based shooting and a poor resolution to the story assuming its the last game that is. I am fairly confident it will be a decent game and there is nothing else really out.

It's too bad you can't access these modes from the get-go.

@ShaneDev said:

I was going to wait to buy it but according to NeoGaf the game gets way better in the middle and the demo is a poor representation of the game. However the cover based shooting always looks and plays pretty poorly. I would imagine reviews will be 4 stars with the negatives being the cover based shooting and a poor resolution to the story assuming its the last game that is. I am fairly confident it will be a decent game and there is nothing else really out.

The poor cover mechanics and shoot outs against regular Unitologist guys was one of the major gripes I had with the demo, but it is only a demo after all and hopefully such scenarios won't be particularly prominent. Or there'll at least always be some additional necromorphs being throw into the fray so you can optionally sit back and bask in the AI-on-AI violence.

That Hardcore mode sounds ridiculous. Heard on Twitter that it will erase your save if you die. --wut--

@Nadafinga said:

That Hardcore mode sounds ridiculous. Heard on Twitter that it will erase your save if you die. --wut--

Fucking yes. Give it to me, I want it all! Let the hate flow through me!

Truth be told they probably changed it up from Dead Space 2 because I assume you still play it in coop, and I extra-assume that you can still revive one another. Regardless, there'll no doubt be plenty of one-hit kills (the drill already starts up the tally), and it'd probably be even more stressful to play in coop. Gives you that additional layer of tension that you don't let your partner down. Sure fire way to potentially end a friendship/relationship :P

The game sounds good to me.

They didnt show much at first and what they did... I get why some were bothered. But Dead Space 2 had plenty of action and this looks like its from the same mold.

You should listen to the last two weeks of Rebel FM. Arthur Gies has been playing it and has had a lot of really positive things to say. It sounds like the game without co-op pretty much is just Dead Space with no dumb AI partner so to me there are no issues.

@Nadafinga said:

That Hardcore mode sounds ridiculous. Heard on Twitter that it will erase your save if you die. --wut--

Can you spend $2.49 to get your save back?

@Ravenlight said:

@Nadafinga said:

That Hardcore mode sounds ridiculous. Heard on Twitter that it will erase your save if you die. --wut--

Can you spend $2.49 to get your save back?

I was initially wondering if they actually made Hardcore mode even more Hardcorerer for the sake of incentivising even more people to pay for additional goods and better gear to help them get through it. But if it's anything like Dead Space 2's, you'll start the mode from scratch anyway with no NG+ import option.

the thing is, i'm not convinced reviews will shine much light on the extent to which series fans will enjoy the game. those modes sound nice and all, but if they're being retro-fitted to a game that is not itself as conducive to tension and nicely-paced as we'd like it to be then.. then what's it all for? that demo just reaaalllyyy turned me off.

So can you play hardcore with co op? I think that could be really intense with a friend.

Also it sounds like classic mode would simply have the set weapons like in previous games. So separate ammo types and no crafting

@killacam said:

the thing is, i'm not convinced reviews will shine much light on the extent to which series fans will enjoy the game. those modes sound nice and all, but if they're being retro-fitted to a game that is not itself as conducive to tension and nicely-paced as we'd like it to be then.. then what's it all for? that demo just reaaalllyyy turned me off.

While I agree, Hardcore mode at least could completely transform the game into something wholly different. Much like it did in Dead Space 2, where I was actually fearing for my protagonists life because I knew of the harsh consequences.

Either way it's still tough to judge thus far since EA marketing has a habit of sucking something awful more often than not. And we've got plenty of Dead Space fans on the boards at that (some of which who aren't so receptive to what Dead Space 3's peddlin') so, regardless of how the reviews try to spin it, there'll be some discourse on the boards to counter and give a more diverse outlook.

@Yummylee said:

I was initially wondering if they actually made Hardcore mode even more Hardcorerer for the sake of incentivising even more people to pay for additional goods and better gear to help them get through it.

That's kinda brilliant actually. Though, how pissed would you be if you bought all this gear and still died?

@Nadafinga said:

@Yummylee said:

I was initially wondering if they actually made Hardcore mode even more Hardcorerer for the sake of incentivising even more people to pay for additional goods and better gear to help them get through it.

That's kinda brilliant actually. Though, how pissed would you be if you bought all this gear and still died?

Oh God... I just remembered that after I had bought that 'Severed' DLC pack, that also gave me Gabe's own Grey Fox-ish looking suit, which would carry over into any New Game, regardless of the mode.

#EAtrails #follow the money #the truth is out there.

Survival sounds interesting.

I actually like universal ammo or whatever this resources system is, because I hated when I would walk around and go "contact beam ammo. I don't use that but that's worth a lot but who knows when the next store is." and then shift shit around. THAT AIN'T HORRIFYING. That's just micromanagement. You know what the scary part of Resident Evil was? The Goddamn Hunters in the underground place, not me going "SHIT I got to find a box to put this crank in so I can pick up this other Goddamn crank to use in the other hole".

@Brodehouse said:

Survival sounds interesting.

I actually like universal ammo or whatever this resources system is, because I hated when I would walk around and go "contact beam ammo. I don't use that but that's worth a lot but who knows when the next store is." and then shift shit around. THAT AIN'T HORRIFYING. That's just micromanagement. You know what the scary part of Resident Evil was? The Goddamn Hunters in the underground place, not me going "SHIT I got to find a box to put this crank in so I can pick up this other Goddamn crank to use in the other hole".

Ammunition scarcity and the game deliberately giving you ammo you can't use was great! I can still remember an occasion where I would jovially just say ''Fuck you, game!'' when I've been given yet another bundle of ripsaw ammo. Plus couldn't you just drop items in Dead Space? I'm fairly sure that was the case, and it was a suitable way in asking if you're willing to risk the extra baggage to sell it off, or just leave it there for when you find some ammo or healing items you could use.

I've always loved such scenarios where my supplies are dwindling. In fact in Dead Space 2 going on a Zealot mode run, I can remember having more or less eff all besides some healing items, plasma cutter rounds, and some contact beam shots. This is nearing the end when the game literally just devolves into tedious arena combat, but instead of fighting my way through that noise, I strategically used my contact beam's alt-fire, with its stasis upgrade, along with my own regular stasis ability and just bulldozed my way through there. It took me some tries because I had like 3 or 4 Contact Beam rounds left, so I had to decide on when to use each one. It was incredible when I finally pulled it off and fought through it all by improvising with what little I had.

THAT WAS BOTH HORRIFYING (in the moment) AND THEN ULTIMATELY SATISFYING WHEN I ACTUALLY NAILED IT.

@Yummylee said:

@ShaneDev said:

I was going to wait to buy it but according to NeoGaf the game gets way better in the middle and the demo is a poor representation of the game. However the cover based shooting always looks and plays pretty poorly. I would imagine reviews will be 4 stars with the negatives being the cover based shooting and a poor resolution to the story assuming its the last game that is. I am fairly confident it will be a decent game and there is nothing else really out.

The poor cover mechanics and shoot outs against regular Unitologist guys was one of the major gripes I had with the demo, but it is only a demo after all and hopefully such scenarios won't be particularly prominent. Or there'll at least always be some additional necromorphs being throw into the fray so you can optionally sit back and bask in the AI-on-AI violence.

The AI Vs AI stuff in the demo while limited looked really poor to me. The neromorphs just looked like they pushed the other guys over like as soon as they touched them they were dead. Don't really mind the idea of fighting humans because it had to happen eventually given how the last two games were going with the story. Not fighting humans was handled really well in Dead Space 2 though. I thought the bit when you switch off the defenses and the necromorphs pour in on the soldiers near the end of 2 to be one of the best moments in the game but then again pretty much every moment in that game is a best moment.

I need a pretty steep discount on the PC version for me to get it unless reviews end up being stellar, it's hard for me justify paying full price for a straight console port to PC.

Pure survival sounds interesting.

I'll never even attempt to beat Pure Survival, but I love that it exists. That's fucking CRAZY.

In DS1, I sold most of the ammo/health I found to get upgrade cores asap, so I like the sound of "survival" mode where you only find resources and skip the selling process.

If the demo shows just the co-op action then it does the game disservice. In single player its just old Dead Space. It feels a bit faster and more hectic and it went Dead Space 2 route so dont count for too much atmospheric scares rather then another bunch of enemies jumped out of vents.

I am not looking forward to S-ranking this game....

It was fun playing as Carter in co-op and going on a side mission where a marker makes him believe that his kid is still alive, while my friend had no idea I was receiving fake transmissions from him. I haven't played solo yet, but from what I noticed in co-op is that enemies seem to take a lot of punishment and enemies no long flinch backwards when shot. They'll continue to come after you, making the pulse attachment a godsend.

I had a lot of fun the first couple of hours, though that can be more of a testament to talking with my friend and the joys of screaming "Oh shit! Behind you!" It's at least something to do and it's sci-fi. This and Aliens Colonial Marines will keep me busy for awhile.

Can't say I'd recommend the game, depends on how much of a sci-fi nut you are.

It was fun playing as Carter in co-op and going on a side mission where a marker makes him believe that his kid is still alive, while my friend had no idea I was receiving fake transmissions from him. I haven't played solo yet, but from what I noticed in co-op is that enemies seem to take a lot of punishment and enemies no long flinch backwards when shot. They'll continue to come after you, making the pulse attachment a godsend.

I had a lot of fun the first couple of hours, though that can be more of a testament to talking with my friend and the joys of screaming "Oh shit! Behind you!" It's at least something to do and it's sci-fi. This and Aliens Colonial Marines will keep me busy for awhile.

Can't say I'd recommend the game, depends on how much of a sci-fi nut you are.

@shivermetimbers said:

It was fun playing as Carter in co-op and going on a side mission where a marker makes him believe that his kid is still alive, while my friend had no idea I was receiving fake transmissions from him. I haven't played solo yet, but from what I noticed in co-op is that enemies seem to take a lot of punishment and enemies no long flinch backwards when shot. They'll continue to come after you, making the pulse attachment a godsend.

I had a lot of fun the first couple of hours, though that can be more of a testament to talking with my friend and the joys of screaming "Oh shit! Behind you!" It's at least something to do and it's sci-fi. This and Aliens Colonial Marines will keep me busy for awhile.

Can't say I'd recommend the game, depends on how much of a sci-fi nut you are.

Oh wow. Yeah, your example there only solidifies the idea that Dead Space 3 is best experienced in coop, more importantly from Carver's point of view.

In fact that's pretty much one specific way coop could truly work in a horror game; the act of actually giving the two players different feedback in the game. Such as inserting random, creepy messages into one player's headset receiver, or potentially even messing around with how one players see another; like for example the health bar on another player could read that it's really low, when in actuality the player's perfectly fine. Or the game could feed you message saying your partner has been disconnected and, somehow, remove them from your view; turn them invisible or something, but only from the perspective of the main player. Or, speaking within the confines of Dead Space just for simplicities sake, make one player look like a necromorph to the other player.

Basically the idea would be to make an Eternal Darkness game but with coop in mind :P

if the crafting mechanics are any good, that pure survival mode sounds like it could be totally kickass.

..now, i just need to finish the first Dead Space. still on Chapter 2, i think.

@AjayRaz said:

if the crafting mechanics are any good, that pure survival mode sounds like it could be totally kickass.

..now, i just need to finish the first Dead Space. still on Chapter 2, i think.

I take it you're just now playing Dead Space for the first time? God, I wish I could go through it again for the first time... It's not all that long anywhoo; you could possibly blow through it in a day. Think that's how I played it because I was just so stuck in from beginning to end.

@Yummylee: well, i've been borrowing it from a friend for like, two years now. i was slowly playing through it at nights but i kinda just stopped and now i feel like it's the best time to go back to. plus, i have a new sound system so this would probably be the best way to try it out.

@AjayRaz said:

@Yummylee: well, i've been borrowing it from a friend for like, two years now. i was slowly playing through it at nights but i kinda just stopped and now i feel like it's the best time to go back to. plus, i have a new sound system so this would probably be the best way to try it out.

I warn you, With the right sound system the game could cause you to have an auto erotic seizure.....

Revengance.

@Coombs:

YES