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EA: Dead Space "pretty scary" for solo play, "so we introduced co-op"
Posted: 20.07.2012 13:17 by Simon Priest Comments: 24
Too many fingernails were bitten clean off because Dead Space was 'too scary' for some to play on their lonesome. EA's solution was to introduce co-op play in Dead Space 3.

Laura Miele of EA said they were getting feedback that people "love the thriller game, but it was pretty scary," and that the "obvious next step" was co-op support.

The scare tactics of the original two Dead Space titles were so strong because of its single player design, reckons EA Games marketing boss Laura Miele. Unfortunately it turned some people away from the IP as their gamer constitutions didn't feel all that comfortable playing solo.

"We were hearing feedback that they love the thriller game, but it was pretty scary, and the obvious next step was that they wanted to play with someone. So we introduced co-op into the game," said Miele.

"The horror of Dead Space is still all there. It's still true to its roots and no less scary, but people felt far more comfortable playing it with someone else than they did doing it on their own."

"Personally, I would rather go to scary movie with my husband rather than sit at home with the lights out watching one on my own. We're looking for that to reach out to consumers that perhaps were not open to Dead Space 1 and 2."

Recently EA released a 20 minute gameplay teaser showing off our main man Isaac and his new co-op chum Carver as they take on the dangers of a frozen planet. Dead Space 3 releases on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC February 2013.

Source: CVG

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Comments

By Gale47 (SI Core) on Jul 20, 2012
Gale47
Dead Space 2 was an awesome game in it's own right, but scary? Hell no.
Tense and thrilling, yes. But not frightening in any way.
By nocutius (SI Elite) on Jul 20, 2012
nocutius
This is most likely just an excuse cause a lot of people are against co-op in this particular game.
Co-op is great, but I don't want to see it being forcefully included in games that have no need or even a use for it, as in this case.
By danfreeman (SI Core) on Jul 20, 2012
danfreeman
"Dead Space "pretty scary" for solo play" ahhahahahahhahahahaaaah sorry... ahahahahahahaahahahahahahah sorry again.Have these guys Amnesia or Resident Evil 4? Those are scary.Dead space gives you a few too many ways to kill your enemies so even if you are scared at first after killing a few dozen they lose their scare factor.

I still don`t see the point of introducing co-op in this game EA and you won`t convince me otherwise by telling me crap like this.
By herodotus (SI Herodotus) on Jul 20, 2012
herodotus
What a load of bullscookies! First response to the headline. Now...
"DS" scary? Hell no. It had it's moments that made you jump, carefully calculated (monster emerges suddenly from lower left of frame, oldest trick in the book) but was more frustrating with it's clumsy PC controls and camera.
By SirRoderick (SI Elite) on Jul 20, 2012
SirRoderick
Re-diculous. Seriously, jsut say you're adding co-op, don't make up some bullshit reason. No one would care if you just added co-op since no one HAS to play it. But bullshit reasons all obligate us to tell you how stupid you are over and over again.
By danfreeman (SI Core) on Jul 20, 2012
danfreeman
I honestly believe that putting co-op in this game kills the scare factor,it`ll have the same problem as Resident Evil 5,you`re not alone anymore,you have help and thus it`s really hard to get scared.
By SirRoderick (SI Elite) on Jul 20, 2012
SirRoderick
You don't get scared in RE5, you get a start MAYBE. Play Eternal Darkness or Silent Hill II for an actual scary game! ED messed with my mind!
By Gale47 (SI Core) on Jul 20, 2012
Gale47
Eternal Darkness' plot and setting reminds me of Lovecraft's novels. Cthulhu FTW!
By SirRoderick (SI Elite) on Jul 20, 2012
SirRoderick
That game seriously had me spooked. Mind games all around. I mean I was younger sure, but bloody hell that game was good ^_^
By Gale47 (SI Core) on Jul 20, 2012
Gale47
One of the games I found surreal and scary is the Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. Sure, it was a shooter/adventure hybrid, but Goddamn that game was awesome. Everything felt just... wrong in that universe. Everything. It was great, really.
By lichlord (SI Core) on Jul 21, 2012
lichlord
scary? XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD who said that crap to EA 8 year old boys? seriously ok some jump scares of things i didn't expect but i can perfectly play this game alone 12am in the night with a headset without even getting paranoid feelings its games like amnesia,Call of cthullu or fatal frame and so on that gets you scared

Btw gale i also love lovecrafts novels they are really nice ^^ come my little insane brother lets perform some rituals from the Necromonicon :D
By SiyaenSokol (SI Elite) on Jul 21, 2012
SiyaenSokol
I have to agree, the game wasn't that scary... but I have to add, those of us who are used to these titles, handle it better than those who play it for the first time.

I enjoyed both of the Dead Spaces, and both had their thrilling parts, but I have to agree that they weren't that scary... in fact, you quickly get used to how things role.

I like the idea of Co-Op play, but that is going to completely ruin the scare factor of the game.
By HenoKutus (SI Elite) on Jul 21, 2012
HenoKutus
Try to play Dead Space 1 and 2 on a 4m projector screen in Anaglyph 3D.
Trust me,it was scary and sick.
Eternal Darkness should been remade,an excellent game now emulated quite well on PC.
Try Silent Hill Downpour!
By herodotus (SI Herodotus) on Jul 21, 2012
herodotus
The only game that really had me filling my shorts was "C&C 4". What a horror story....
By lichlord (SI Core) on Jul 21, 2012
lichlord
lol that fail didn't they say they are gonna remake it more like c&c tiberium sun? or at least something like that i tried their online browser game sucks if you ask me...

also 90% of the time games where you can shoot back at ur enemy is less scary amnesia is scary because you can't defeat them only outrun/hide from them
By herodotus (SI Herodotus) on Jul 21, 2012
herodotus
Only game I ever found to be 'spooky' was "Silent Hill", the first one. The atmosphere, the lighting. Pity the aalrm bells signalling an imminent attack spoilt it.

There is ONE game, however that does come to mind that had me a quite a bit jumpy at 3am and that was the later levels in the original "FEAR". Creaking wooden floor boards, shafts of sunlight through the broken roof creating dark, shadowed corners. Had me going to the point where I actually had to stop playing. I'd forgotten about that one.
By lichlord (SI Core) on Jul 21, 2012
lichlord
yeah the alarm bells were part of the games and movies as for FEAR i do agree on the first one being scary around the end Fear 2 was a bit but Fear 3 completly eliminated any scaryness to it
By Gale47 (SI Core) on Jul 21, 2012
Gale47
F.E.A.R. was never even remotely scary for me. Project Origin, on the other hand, had a really nice atmosphere that made it one of my favourite FPS games. The third game sucks. Just like that.
By herodotus (SI Herodotus) on Jul 21, 2012
herodotus
Oh, those latter levels in the original in the broken down wooden building at 3am with headphones on and only one lamp on in the room....chilling. "project Origin" was so cartoon-looking for me (as in console port graphics) that the "scares" were cheap and predictable. I enjoyed the different gameplay available in "F3EAR" (swapping souls and the like), but never saw it as a Horror-themed game.
By SiyaenSokol (SI Elite) on Jul 22, 2012
SiyaenSokol
F.E.A.R. was definitely a game that gave me a few scares, or at least points of being a bit freaked out, especially F.E.A.R. 2 at the school when you have to pass the one room with flickering lights, and all of a sudden these damn ghosts appear as well as Alma...

I love my horror titles, so these don't scare me off, they just want me to have more, that is why I loved Amnesia... now the game isn't scary anymore, that is the sucky part.

I have to agree with F.3.A.R. though. The game outstanding when it comes to being an FPS, but as for the scare factor... almost none existent.
By herodotus (SI Herodotus) on Jul 22, 2012
herodotus
....more supernatural than horror, would you agree Vet?
I had hopes for "Clive Barker's Jericho" but if anyone here has played it, as I embarrassingly have it IS a shocker. Just not for the right reasons....
By lichlord (SI Core) on Jul 23, 2012
lichlord
Jericho was pretty fun to play its had a very creepy atmossphere around it but the game never really scared me tho got to say that i had a few times like saying eeeeewwww thats disgusting lol
By SiyaenSokol (SI Elite) on Jul 23, 2012
SiyaenSokol
I have to agree that F.3.A.R. was much more Supernatural than Horror.

Clive Barker's Jericho was a fun game to play, and I have finished it plenty of times, and will do so again. I like the atmosphere of the game, though I must admit that the game isn't scary at all, just incredibly gross, and disgusting.

Also, the game isn't very difficult, neither is it a lengthy game... but that tends to happen once you know exactly what to do xD. The boss however in the beginning was the msot difficult one I faced, just because I had no idea what to do, and got no hints.
By herodotus (SI Herodotus) on Jul 23, 2012
herodotus
That boss in the beginning was a tough one, I agree. Getting used tothe conmtrols was immediatly my main problem with "Jericho" as it was one of the first console ports I'd played that has QTE's.