History VideoGame / DeadSpace3

Like its predecessors, ''Dead Space 3'' opened to mixed to positive reviews--the gun crafting was praised, and the story and co-op were well received, but many were disappointed that the game dropped the horror element of the game in favor of being more of a shooter, which was blamed largely on EA's influence.

* AdultFear: Definitely in Carver's case. After the Marker was exposed, an outbreak of Necromorphs erupts and he cannot contact his wife and child, both of whom are completely vulnerable. His Marker hallucinations even take the form of a toy soldier his wife gave his son the day of the outbreak. [[spoiler:Revealed to be true in the Liberation novel, where they were turned into Necromorphs]].

** Creeper/Shambler Necromorphs can be headshot to death; since the body is a [[MeatPuppets Meat Puppet]] to the PuppeteerParasite head.

* OldSaveBonus: Playing VideoGame/DeadSpace2 will earn you a [[DiscOneNuke Planetcracker Plasma Cutter]], the original model in a nifty black finish.

* AllJustADream: In the second co-op mission available during Chapter 11, [[spoiler: Carver will see a hallucination of a dead woman walking back to an earlier part of Chapter 10. Following her will lead Carver and Isaac to an elevator where Carver will begin to feel effects from a Marker. After completing the mission and riding the same elevator back up, however, Isaac suddenly asks Carver if they're going to check out the place or not, saying they've been standing in the elevator for the past five minutes.]]

->''"I remember telling my college professor I wanted to study xenoarcheology. He laughed right in my face. 'There’s nothing to study,' he said. 'It’s all dead space. No alien life exists out in the universe.' In a way, I guess he was right..."''

[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Tagline}} Take Down the Terror]]]]

** Captain Robert Norton. Every time he can be, he's rude, condescending, possessive of Ellie, and just generally unhelpful towards Isaac. [[spoiler:And then he turns out to be TheMole.]]

* LeaveNoWitnesses: [[spoiler: While they were ravaged by a Necromorph outbreak, the staff of the Tau Volantis outposts managed to survive for months. In the end, the military attachment received a liquidation order, so they scuttled all vehicles, purged all data, [[KillEmAll killed anyone who resisted]], and [[MurderSuicide then all killed themselves]]]].

[[folder:''Dead Space 3'' provides examples of:]]

[[folder: ''Dead Space 3: Awakened'' provides examples of:]]

* SeriesFauxnale: The ending of ''Dead Space 3'' seems to bring the story of Isaac Clarke, the Markers, and the Necromorphs to a suitably epic, final, decisive conclusion... ''just kidding''! Isaac's story continues in the ''Dead Space 3: Awakening'' DLC, and the end of the DLC definitely indicates that more will be coming.

* BoomHeadshot: Unlike the alien Necromorphs, you can OneHitKill [[RealityEnsues living human enemies]] by shooting them in the head.

** Ellie's crew also manage to repair one of the ancient SCAF Shuttles, the Crozier, and use it to fly down to Tau Volantis's surface. [[spoiler: Too bad RealityEnsues. A salvaged engine and a few duct tape fixes weren't enough to make a 200 year old derelict serviceable again. While it did managing to start up, and most of its onboard systems functioned. They didn't function well, and eventually the ship broke apart on reentry, killing 2 of the crew members and stranding the rest on the planet's surface.]]

* RealityEnsues:
** The first time Isaac gets to use the stasis module to slow down traffic on an automated freeway, the transport he slows down immediately gets rammed by the transport behind it, causing a massive pileup that shuts down the entire road.
-->'''Isaac:''' "Oops."
** Late in the game, while rappelling down a mine shaft, Isaac uses stasis to stop a fan, then goes past it. A few seconds later, the fan starts back up, and the line gets caught, forcing Isaac to cut the line before he gets caught in the fan.
** See BreakOutTheMuseumPiece above to see how well using a 200 year old derelict shuttle to reenter a planet's atmosphere worked out for Isaac and Co.
** Human enemies die much more easily than Necromorphs, due to having things like vital organs. Headshots will always OneHitKill them.
** After crashing on Tau Volantis, Isaac finds Austin Buckell. Buckell is wounded from the Crozier's crash and suffering severe hypothermia as there wasn't enough winter suits to go around. Even if Isaac cranks up the building's heaters before talking to him, Buckell still dies as his organs have already started failing from said hypothermia.
* RecursivePrecursors: [[spoiler: The 'natives' of Tau Volantis weren't the creators of the Markers after all. Rather, they were another race that outgrew the ability to sustain themselves, constructed Red Markers in an attempt to harness their limitless energy, and then succumbed to the Necromorph infestation. Sound familiar?]]
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: {{Averted}} with Carver, whose primary colors are these.
** RedEyesTakeWarning: Most, if not all, of Carver's RIG suits have bright red visor lights, though the man tends to keep to himself unless you're a Necromorph or Unitologist.
* RedOniBlueOni: Angry soldier John Carver and melancholic engineer Isaac Clarke. [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience Their suit and visor colors are even tinted red and blue (well, light green) respectively.]]
* RelationshipUpgrade: [[ZigzaggedTrope Zigzagged]] between Isaac and Ellie. They had a relationship after 2, but Ellie broke up with him by the time of 3. [[spoiler:Then their relationship blossoms again after Norton's death.]]
* TheRemnant: Carver and the rest of the USM Eudora crew are part of EarthGov's last battalion of soldiers in their battle against the Unitologists.
** Not every member of the Circle was at Tau Volantis during the events of the game, so some show up late to the party during DLC materials.
** During the Conning Tower side mission, it appears that the last survivor of the Sovereign Colonies expedition is still alive after 200 years and trying to kill Isaac using the base's computer systems and a series of homemade traps. [[spoiler: Of course, it turns out to be a series of pre-recorded messages, with the actual guy having been dead all along.]]

* DummiedOut: [[ImpossiblyCoolClothes The iconic Advanced Suit]] from [[VideoGame/DeadSpace2 the previous game]], showcased prominently in several trailers and promotional screenshots hinted that the suit may be acquirable in the game. It's nowhere to be found, and isn't ''even'' an unlockable.

** Except for when it [[HostileWeather isn't.]]

** The final radio transmission after the credits roll [[spoiler:suggesting Isaac is still alive]] serves as a teaser for the ''Awakened'' {{DLC}} ExpansionPack.

* SequelDifficultySpike[=/=]SequelDifficultyDrop: At first, ''Dead Space 3'' is a lot harder than the previous two games, especially if you try to play it the same way you played the first two. Enemies are a lot faster and don't hitstun as easily, so if you don't learn to use the dodgeroll real quick you'll end up taking a lot of hits. Also, if you don't upgrade the damage on your weapons, you'll end up spending ammo faster than you obtain it once you reach the Terra Nova. That said, the new crafting system allows you to make some truly game breaker weapons if you know what you're doing, making the later levels a breeze. Putting 4 damage upgrades on the plasma cutter can allow you to kill most enemies with just 1 or 2 shots.

* CuteMachines: The Scavenger Bots. For an extra $4.99, one could even bless them with the voice and snarky personality of a British butler which they will let you have an earful of while they're scutterring about.

** The DLC would reveal that things got much worse [[spoiler:The moons are awake and heading for earth]]

* CrossOver: Of the promotional kind. If you have a save file of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', Isaac and Carver get N7 Armour in the main game. The in-game description says that it's based on the games, which not only exist in-setting as they do in reality, but are, inexplicably, still known of centuries later.

->''"I remember telling my college professor I wanted to study xenoarcheology. He laughed right in my face. 'There’s nothing to study,' he said. 'It’s all [[TitleDrop dead space]]. [[AbsentAliens No alien life exists out in the universe]].' [[EverybodysDeadDave In a way, I guess he was right...]]"''

* ActionizedSequel: Adds new mechanics such as dodge rolls, [[TakeCover crouching behind cover]] and ThirdPersonShooter segments against enemies with guns. Also, Necromorph enemies are ''a lot'' faster and are much harder to hitstun, so you'd better learn to use that dodge roll. Plus, many of the psychological horror with Isaac battling his dementia are restricted to Co-Op missions and with Carver instead.

** GoodColorsEvilColors: Isaac and Carver's [[LaserSight Laser Sights]] are light green, while Unitologist weapons' laser sights are always orange. [[OrangeBlueContrast No reason at all, really]].

Notably features drop-in drop-out [[CoOpMultiplayer two player co-op]], in the tradition of one of the series' main inspirations, ''[[VideoGame/SystemShock System Shock 2]]''. The second player takes control of [=EarthGov=] Sergeant John Carver, a man who, like Isaac, has lost everything to the Marker and the Necromorphs.