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Dead Space 3 'Dev Team Edition' has a lot of cool stuff in it
Sure, you could buy the regular version of Dead Space 3, but if cash isn't an issue and you want a bunch of extra stuff, you may want to consider the newly announced Dev Team Edition. Within this exclusive bundle lies an 8-inch Marker statue, an aluminum data pad, a water bottle that looks like a med pack, a custom notebook, some Peng postcards, some SCAF posters and a mini art book, all inside a custom box.Only 5,000 of these will be made, available in a bundle with a copy of Dead Space 3 on PC, Xbox 360 or PS3 for $160. If you simply want all the extra stuff without a copy of the game, you can pay EA $100.
Dead Space 3's Isaac Clarke as 'the reluctant participant'
The original Dead Space introduced us to Isaac Clarke: a masked, silent engineer doing his best to survive an extremely lonely and hostile environment. His weapons were that of an engineer, though they served Isaac well enough in strategically dismembering the ghouls that came creeping at him. The events of Dead Space 2 took Isaac on a similar mission, albeit through an enormous space colony known as "The Sprawl." Isaac once again battled creepy necromorphs, all in the name of survival.Despite what you've seen of Dead Space 3 thus far – the action-heavy, co-op sequences from E3, for example – Isaac is as much "the reluctant participant" as ever. Visceral Games executive producer Steve Papoutsis explained as much to us in a recent interview. "He by no means is a vigilante for hire or any nonsense like that," Papoutsis said. "That's not what's going on with Isaac. And I don't want to get into the details too much 'cause that would kinda spoil the fun for folks, but let's just say after the events of The Sprawl – which was, as you may or may know if you played it, a massive disaster – he's kind of laying low. And he kind of wants to be left alone."Papoutsis didn't speak to specifics of the game's intro – which, according to previous precedent, should be insane – but he was quick to stifle any idea that Isaac is on the offensive in Dead Space 3. "The events that kind of thrust him into action in Dead Space 3 will reveal themselves when people play the game, but by no means is he a willing participant in the story that's gonna unfold." It's unclear if Clarke's co-op buddy, Carver, plays into that "thrust," but the fact that he's a gun-toting government official can't hurt.As for whether this is Isaac's last spin as a starring character in a Dead Space game, Papoutsis was less specific. "We didn't set out to make a trilogy," he said. "We would love to create many more Dead Space games, there's a lot of stories to tell of the Dead Space universe." He allowed one teensy nugget to slip through. "With Dead Space 3, it's definitely Isaac's story and we're trying to bring answers to this story. There's a lot of questions that have come in Dead Space 1 and 2, and with Dead Space 3 we really wanna answer a lot of questions."
The quiet, solo side of Dead Space 3
Sitting in a brightly lit office above Times Square in the middle of the day made it easy not to be scared by Dead Space 3, even with bodies reanimating, spawning grotesque appendages, and chasing me down. Which isn't to say it isn't scary, just that my surroundings – not to mention two other human beings – rounded off the scary, sharp edges.I didn't play co-op, and I wasn't outside on an ice planet. I piloted returning protagonist Isaac Clarke through much of what you'd expect from a Dead Space game: creepy, atmospheric spaceship corridors pocked with vile mutant humanoid creatures trying to eat my flesh. My mission was an optional side quest in Dead Space 3's flotilla section – a mess of once operational ships now relegated to graveyard duty. But despite the level's original Dead Space feel, executive producer Steve Papoutsis tells me the demo wasn't intended as a response to the mixed fan reaction garnered from the third entry's action-focused E3 2012 reveal."Every time we show something new, we understand that when it isn't what we've done in the past, people are gonna have questions and wanna know what the meaning of it is or how it all fits together," he says. At E3, Dead Space 3's co-op was revealed in an action-heavy scene that some fans felt wasn't representative of the series' past entries. Papoutsis directly addresses that concern.%Gallery-160984%
Enjoy 20 minutes of necromorph dismemberin' in Dead Space 3
You got a bit of a taste earlier this month of Dead Space 3's co-opified gameplay, but those paltry seven minutes hardly hold a candle to the 20-ish minutes of producer-narrated gameplay EA released recently. Take a gander above (and maybe bring a parka)!
Dead Space 2 preview: The reeducation of Isaac Clarke
We've heard Isaac Clarke's voice, and it's deeper than you'd expect. It's also got an edge of fear that simply didn't manifest as he stomped through the Ishimura, saving the day with nary a whisper or whimper. If you're worried that a talkative Isaac Clarke might ruin Dead Space 2, though, you shouldn't be. "In terms of how much he talks, last game, zero," said executive producer Steve Papoutsis. "This game, he's somewhere between a two and a half and a three. He's not really wordy, he's not shooting off a bunch of one-liners, he's just speaking when it makes sense for the story." %Gallery-112697%
Dead Space 2 producer reflects on the changes and challenges of the sequel
First on the agenda for my meeting with Dead Space 2 executive producer Steve Papoutsis at Comic-Con was an earnest request: better tutorials, please. After all, I had played through the entire first game without realizing that I could press a button to use a medkit -- that I didn't have to open up the onscreen inventory, while being attacked, to heal. "You're not alone," Papoutsis said laughing. "We're currently focus testing some of our tutorials, and believe you me, we've got two that remind you to do that, because you're not alone." "That was a feature that we were in hot debate over," Papoutsis added, "and many of us, myself included, really pushed for it." Similar discussions have carried over into the development of the sequel, as Visceral Games continues to refine the gameplay. "We're taking it a step further," Papoutsis said of Dead Space 2, "so now, when you're not in combat or aim mode, you'll use one of your stasis recharge items. We've got health and stasis mapped" to a button. %Gallery-97881%
'Plenty' of Dead Space material planned, producer wary of diluting franchise
Speaking at a recent EA showcase in London, Dead Space executive producer Steve Papoutsis explained that while Visceral Games has plenty of ideas for the deep space horror series, the studio doesn't intend to run the franchise into the ground. According to Videogamer.com, Papoutsis told attendees, "we've mapped out plenty of games worth of stuff. But there has to be an interest, right?" He added, "we don't want to cheapen what we're doing. We're really focused on quality with it. Hopefully if people like this one, we get to make another one." Papoutsis then told the crowd, "it would be great to just keep making more and more of them. We're thinking kart racer, a fitness game... joke!" Yeah, we're not sure a Dead Space fitness game would go over so well. You know, considering Isaac Clarke's main technique for weight loss is to forcibly remove excess appendages with the aid of futuristic power tools.
Impressions: Dead Space 2
Click to fill your browser space with Dead Space 2 In the run-up to Dead Space 2's full unveiling at E3 next month, Visceral Games executive producer Steve Papoutsis recently gave me an all-too-brief run-through of some environments from the game, introducing me to a new array of nasty necromorphs -- but also some fancy new weapons with which to carve them up. Papoutsis was also keen to reassure me that, despite rumblings on the internet (oh, that thing) the game is not a run-and-gun shooter. Having seen it in action, I can assure you that it's not a run-and-gun shooter. The demo took place deep into the game, according to Papoutsis, so the weapons and suit that Issac Clark was sporting were far cooler than what you'll start out with while fighting to stay alive inside (and outside) of a mining complex -- the "Sprawl" -- on Saturn's moon. Though I could see the towering spires of a cityscape in the distance, we were headed into the mine itself for our first stop on the tour ... of terror. %Gallery-92988%
Visceral Games to stream Dead Space 2 panel live from PAX East
Can't make it to PAX East this year? We feel your pain -- while there are quite a few Joystiqeurs winging their way off to the East Coast to partake with Mike and Jerry and the gang, there are almost as many of us still stranded back at home with all of you. But fortunately, our friends at Visceral Games are doing their best to share the love -- they'll be Ustreaming their Dead Space 2 PAX East panel live this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. EST. We've included the feed on this very post, so bookmark this page right now, and then come on back Saturday afternoon. Producers Steve Papoutsis and Rich Briggs will be in attendance along with Art Director Ian Milham, and the guys will "bring players up to speed on the Dead Space universe and prepare them for what's to come in Dead Space 2." They're even showing a bonus look at "the all new Isaac suit," and they'll be answering questions live from the simultaneous Facebook chat, too. Of course, a Q&A with the Dead Space 2 producers is little consolation to missing out on eating breakfast cereal with professional hugger Justin McElroy, but those of us at home this weekend will have to take what we can get.
EA soliciting ideas for Dead Space 2 'Collector's Edition'
EA is informally considering a limited edition release of Dead Space 2 (surprise!) and has taken to Facebook to get some ideas from fans about what to include in it. "I will have our Executive Producer Steve Papoutsis comment on some of your suggestions next week," the announcement reads, " ... so make them good!" Presumably, Papoutsis will select his favorite suggestions -- already ideas are as tame as comics and as outrageous as a life-size plasma cutter -- and submit them to EA, which will then toss those out and proceed with a Collector's Edition featuring a soundtrack and an artbook. [Via Blue's News]
Dead Space 2 producer confirms Sprawl, doesn't sweat Schofield departure
Dead Space 2 is shaping up to be quite the sequel, as executive producer Steve Papoutsis told CVG a lot of what we've heard about the Game Informer cover story is in fact true: engineer Isaac Clarke is a lot more vocal in the sequel and won't be confined to the claustrophobic corridors of the Ishimura. Instead, he's now an inhabitant of the space metropolis Sprawl. Papoutsis did more than validate suspicions in his interview, as he also pointed out a greater focus on action and telekinesis in the sequel. See, Isaac won't just be able to move objects around, but he'll be able to destroy those objects and employ their debris as offensive weaponry. In fact, Isaac can even use dismembered enemy limbs to kill more enemies. It's kinda like when that bully at recess used to make you punch yourself, except he's sliced your arm off first and is firing it toward you at blue hedgehog-like speed. Of course, an interview about Dead Space 2 can't go by without discussing the sudden departure of Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey, the two gentlemen now running Sledgehammer Games for Activision. Papoutsis said that most of the team from the first game is on board for the sequel, and that it "takes a lot more than 2 people to make a great game." We hope so, because we have high hopes for this sequel.
Dead Space Extraction producer confident about sales despite GTA: Chinatown Wars
Steve Papoutsis, producer of Dead Space Extraction, isn't concerned about the disappointing sales of recent Mature-rated games on Nintendo platforms. Talking to VG247 about MadWorld on the Wii and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on the DS, Papoutsis said, "I think that's happening because of what people are looking to buy, I guess." In contrast, "I think with our game right now I think we're hitting on something that's really interesting and really fun, and we're hitting on the atmosphere and the visuals that people have started to associate with Dead Space." It's hard to believe that Grand Theft Auto just wasn't what people were "looking to buy," and an unexplainable not-really-rail-shooter is, but he could be on to something! Or he could have just decided not to tell VG247 how scared he really was.Papoutsis also extolled the cooperative play found in Extraction: "I love the Wii, I love Nintendo. I love all the platforms, but I really want something that I can play co-operatively on the Wii with a friend that hits that sweet spot I think Dead Space: Extraction is in."%Gallery-49881%
